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From: "Tom Hill" <>
Subject: Re: [CON] Cornish History
Date: Tue, 9 Dec 2003 11:53:00 -0000
References: <000201c3be44$617f6ba0$991c933e@goeff>


Dear Geoff.
There is a Domesday book for Cornwall. I have a translation published by
Phillimore in 1979. You are right in saying Penzance was not mentioned, but
Alverton was ( a part of present day Penzance), Gulval, Ludgvan, St Buryan,
Kelynack (part of St Just) are all there.
Athelstan, King of the Saxons, in 930 AD, promised to bestow a Church
building at St Buryan if he was successful in driving out the Danes from the
Scilly Isles. Which he was, and kept his vow. It seems the Saxon King had
free access to the furthest West, and the problem was the marauding Danes
rather than the indigenous population. Like you I do not think that later
revolts were Cornish in nature but rather economic. On the question of hair
colour, Sennen had a saying within living memory of calling any red haired
person "A Dane".
Long Live the love of Cornwall.
Tom Hill


----- Original Message -----
From: "Geoffrey EVEREST" <>
To: <>
Sent: Tuesday, December 09, 2003 11:03 AM
Subject: [CON] Cornish History


> A little while ago I sent the list a request for info concerning the
> historical relations between England and Cornwall. I don't think it was
> because of this question that things overheated on the list, but I decided
> to withdraw (not unsubscribe) and use the spare time to revise, as far as
> possible, my history.
>
> I did get several useful responses to my request, for which many
thanks,
> that helped me along and in some cases avoided useless research (if ever
> research can be useless..).
>
> As I read it, in the Beginning, we were all Iberian Britons
> (2500-1300BC), and the Northern Celts invaded us in 600BC, followed by the
> Southern Celts in 325BC. I don't know how they figure out the dates,
carbon
> 14 or whatever.
>
> It should be noted that war in those old, old days was massacre, theft
> and slavery - all of which were excellent reasons for taking to the hills,
> forests and swamps that could offer some shelter and some sort of
survival -
> or else an attitude of 'if you can't lick'em, join'em', which seems to
have
> been the more general case.
>
> However, the celtic invasion did push the Iberian Britons to the
extreme
> northern & western corners of the Islands, and the Cornish, Welsh,
Scottish
> and Irish were never really bothered again until after the Norman
Invasion.
> In fact, they would have been considered poor, unfertile and hostile
places,
> not worth the time and trouble of even trying to invade them. Much the
same
> can be said about French Brittany. So, the question is open to debate, are
> the regions reputedly celtic actually closer to Iberian Britons,
dark-haired
> and smaller than the tall, red or fair-haired Celts? I'll leave that one
to
> the specialists....!
>
> I could never have been a real historian because I have too much
> imagination. In my mind's eye I can see a Roman soldier in his short
tunic,
> having waded his weary way through the Somerset swamps, grappled with the
> hoards of wild boar on Exmoor, having found no booty for weeks and
standing
> on the summit of a Tor looking out over the misty horizon of Dartmoor and
> wondering what in the name of Zeus he was doing there when he could be
> lounging in the sun in his Villa near Rome. Those things we find so
> attractive in Cornwall today were a natural - and effecient barrier to
> invaders. More effecient even than the 25 miles of a Channel Crossing had
> protected England.
>
> I haven't been able to find a Domesday book for Cornwall, but I
imagine
> the place must still have been very poor. In my book of English Place
Names
> (sorry, but that's the title!), I can find very few Cornish towns with
> historical references prior to the 12th C. I'm sure they must have
existed,
> but have no historical trace. For example, the first reference to Penzance
> is in 1284.
>
> The problems in Tudor times, and later, are probably no more
"patriotic"
> than other peasant revolts in many other parts of the British Isles, and
> many a good Dorset man was also executed or transported for
anti-government
> activities.
>
> If anyone feels like reacting to this, like correcting my mistakes,
I'd
> be happy to exchange views - on-list if it's positive, off-list if it's
not.
>
> Geoff
>
>
> ==== CORNISH Mailing List ====
> Have you seen
> <www.cornish-ancestors.co.uk>
>
>


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