Cornwall's Hidden History Blog
Truro sits in the heart of Cornwall – our only city and our most populous area. These days it is home to Cornwall’s cathedral and a multitude of shops as well as a theatre and the Royal Cornwall Museum. But what lies beneath the buildings and carparks and what lurks in quiet side-streets, forgotten by […]
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As a youngster I often pondered why the small muddy footpath that leads along the waters edge from St Clement to Malpas had its own road sign. As I grew older I realised that the name on the sign – Denas Road – must have some connection to the Cornish word for castle, dinas, but […]
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By 1800 the mining industry in Cornwall was becoming increasingly hungry for gunpowder, some 4000 barrels a year were being brought in from up country at great expense. The first Cornish mill to manufacture the explosive was set up in Cosawes Woods near Ponsanooth in 1809 and another, roughly a mile away, was established by […]
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When Tryphena Pendarves died at the age of 94 in October 1873 the Cornish newspapers reported the return of her mortal remains to Camborne. Her funeral was supposedly attended by numerous local dignitaries and Mrs Pendarves was apparently laid to rest in the imposing family tomb at Treslothan Church, close to Pendarves House. (I say […]
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The growth of the mining industry in Cornwall transformed not only the economy and countryside but also the lives of the people living and working in and around it. A population explosion saw villages become towns and towns become tent cities. There was also an amazing burgeoning of enterprise and invention which rippled out from […]
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The first place that the Spanish Armada was sighted on mainland Britain was supposedly at Lizard Point in July 1588. From there, in a pre-arranged signal, a great chain of beacons was lit. The glow of fires jumped from one hilltop to the next up across the country to warn of the enemy’s arrival to […]
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The Killigrew family are said to have been the original builders and benefactors of Falmouth. They were the first to realise and exploit it’s potential as a harbour and a centre for trade. With their deep connections to the monarchy from the time of the reign of Henry III in the 13th century they were […]
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Tantalising glimpses of Cornwall’s forgotten history can often be found preserved in the names given to villages, roads, woodlands, tors and rivers. The Cornish translation can offer clues, hints of former industries perhaps, a remembrance of a historical figure or subtle signpost to past events. In the graveyard of Camborne parish church there is an […]
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Precariously perched on towering cliffs Wheal Trewavas Mine is a special place to visit. These huge engine houses are just as impressive as the world-famous Crown Mines at Botallack on Cornwall’s North Coast. And, just like the Crown Mines, Wheal Trewavas was once famous for it’s temeritous tunnels that stretching out from the coast beneath […]
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Smugglers retained a certain mystique, a measure of respect and acclaim, within the Cornish community throughout the 18th century and beyond. And perhaps none more so than John Carter, the King of Prussia Cove, who remains one of the eras best known characters to this day. It was said that no jury in Cornwall would […]
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