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Archiver > CORNISH > 2001-03 > 0983616575


From: "John Coles" <>
Subject: Re: [CON] Lyonesse Graveyard
Date: Sat, 3 Mar 2001 10:49:35 -0000


Dear List,
It seems that Alan and I have raised a few hopes of taking the ancestral
line back another 1,000 years, so perhaps I had better explain that Lyonesse
graveyard and its MIs is a bit of gentle good humour, which I think Alan
thought of to give a rather quiet list a bit of a lift!

Lyonesse is the fabled 'lost land' between Lands End and the Isles of Scilly
(hence the comment that it would be rather Scilly to go looking there!). It
was reputed to be where King Arthur came from - and fought his last battle,
and is buried... his father was a Pendragon. Some of the names are those of
Arthurian knights, Trewhella was young Mathi Trewhella who was spirited away
by the mermaid of Zennor and never seen again, and Trevellian was reputed to
have escaped the inundation when this land suddenly sunk under a huge tidal
wave... he leapt on his white horse and rode furiously to escape the flood
waters - he came ashore at Perranuthnoe near Marazion and as he sheltered in
a cave, he watched this magical land slide under the waves. It was also said
to be the birthplace of Tristan, portrayed in the tragic tale of the lovers
Tristan and Isolde.

In this ancient land was said to be the fabled city of Lions - now marked by
the Seven Stones reef on which sits a lighthouse, and there are said to be
140 sunken churches there.

And perhaps this ancient legend is true? Who can tell? Fishermen will tell
tales of how, on quiet nights alone at sea, they can hear the muffled sounds
of church bells far below the waves, and they will tell you that - just now
and again - their nets will snag on hidden objects deep on the sea bed, and
when they eventually haul the laden nets to the surface, portions of carved
pinnacles from the rooftops of the churches (and even fragments of
monumental inscriptions bearing long-forgotten names) will be tangled among
the writhing fish in the bottom of the net.

Best wishes, John C. (I'll tell the tale of the mermaid another day!)


>Dear John,
>
>Just what is this Lyonesse Graveyard? Alan's comment was "There's a lot of
>Waters there." I am assuming it's under water? I thought there were
Trewhellas
>at Zennor but I don't think they're mine-----same goes for Towednack. Mine
are



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