Cornwall's Hidden History Blog
Some stories just come to you like a gift. A brightly wrapped present with a big bow on top! The story of Daisy is one of those wonderful gifts, especially since she, the hero of this tale, was, well, an alligator who ‘liked’ wearing a ribbon round her neck! So, how exactly did Daisy the […]
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“From the very first day I stumbled upon this subject, the stories on the fringes of the mining world have interested me the most – not the stories of the mines themselves but the stories of those who stomped beneath the earth each morning, their tales of danger and debauchery, the myths, legends and folklore […]
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A few years ago I was contacted by a Cornish gypsy family who wanted to tell me the story of their great-grandmother, Janet Isaac. I met them for a cup of tea and a chat and to my surprise and joy a whole other world, a wonderfully fascinating and unfamiliar part of our Cornish heritage, […]
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A small granite cross stands entirely alone on an isolated slope of Bodmin Moor. Just three feet high somehow it manages to dominate the landscape, easily spotted by the few that might find themselves walking out there on this peaceful part of the moorland. But sadly this little cross doesn’t mark the site of some […]
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The 22nd item on the running order of ITV’s News At Ten on the 10th December 1969 was a little odd to say the least. The news anchor, Reginald Bosanquet, who had been presenting the programme since it began two years earlier, introduced the story – it was about the elaborate funeral of a dog […]
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When most people think of a Cornish connection to the infamous mutiny on the Bounty they usually think of the unfortunate Captain William Bligh whose family was from St Tudy, near Bodmin. Very few realise that one of the main ring-leaders of those notorious events was also a Cornishman – Matthew Quintal. I first came […]
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Hidden amongst trees down a narrow dead-end lane is what remains of St Ruan Major Church. Once a grand building described as “one of the most curious and interesting” of Cornwall’s churches it is now a shadow of its former self. A atmospheric shell, open to the sky. When I first came across the ruin, […]
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In August 1797 Rev. Richard Polwhele preached a sermon to his congregation in Manaccan concerning two rather “melancholy events” that had recently taken place in the parish. One was a destructive storm of near biblical proportions, the other was a murder. I first came across Richard Roskruge’s story while on the hunt for unusual epitaphs […]
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There was a time when people whole-heartedly believed in miracles. A time when they thought that visiting a religious relic, saying prayers in a certain church or drinking from a sacred well would bring them what they so desperately needed, whether that was good health, fertility or salvation. St Michael’s Mount was one of those […]
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The historian Charlotte MacKenzie’s latest book brings together a collection of mysterious tales from Cornish history. From folklore and the supernatural to early healthcare and unexplained disappearances – this book is filled with meticulously researched stories from Cornwall’s often peculiar past. ‘Cornish Mysteries’ complements her previous work, which includes Cornish Legends, Women Writers & Georgian […]
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