Cornwall

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For other uses, see Cornwall (disambiguation).

Cornwall Kernow
(Saint Piran's Flag)
Motto: Onen hag oll (Cornish: One and all)
Geography
Status	Ceremonial & (smaller) Non-metropolitan county
Region	South West England
Area - Total - Admin. council - Admin. area	Ranked 12th 3,563 km² Ranked 9th 3,547 km ²
Admin HQ	Truro
ISO 3166-2	GB-CON
ONS code	15
NUTS 3	UKK30
Demographics
Population - Total (2005 est.) - Density - Admin. council - Admin. pop.	Ranked 40th 519,400 146 / km² Ranked 24th 517,300
Ethnicity	99.0% White
Politics
Cornwall County Council http://www.cornwall.gov.uk/
Executive	Liberal Democrats
Members of Parliament	Julia Goldsworthy (LD) Dan Rogerson (LD) Colin Breed (LD) Andrew George (LD) Matthew Taylor (LD)
Districts
Penwith Kerrier Carrick Restormel Caradon North Cornwall Isles of Scilly (Unitary)

Cornwall (Cornish: Kernow) is a county in South West England on the peninsula that lies to the west of the River Tamar. Cornwall is also the traditional homeland of the Cornish people.

The administrative centre and only city is Truro, while the historic capitals are Launceston and then Bodmin. Including the Isles of Scilly, located 28 miles (45 km) offshore, Cornwall covers an area of 1,376 square miles (3,563 km²). There is a population of 513,527, with a population density of 144 people per square kilometre, or 373 per square mile.^[1] Tourism forms a significant part of the local economy. However, Cornwall is one of the poorest areas in the United Kingdom with the lowest per capita contribution to the national economy^[2].

Cornwall is one of the six historic "Celtic nations" and some people question the present constitutional status of Cornwall, choosing to refer to it as a Duchy which is separate from England. The everyday use of the Cornish language gradually died out as a spoken language during the 18th century, and by the mid 19th century was effectively extinct. However, since the early 20th century moves were made to revive its use. Today it is estimated that the current number of speakers who can use Cornish effectively is somewhere between 300 and 500 in Cornwall itself, with a further 50 reported for the London area ,^[3], whilst upwards of 3,500 are said to have some knowledge or are learning the language. ^[4]

Contents 1 History 2 Physical geography 2.1 Coastline 2.2 Interior 2.3 Geology 2.4 Climate 3 Ecology 4 Politics 5 Flag 6 Demographics 7 Economy 7.1 Tourism 7.2 Industry 7.3 Creative industries 8 Culture 8.1 Language 8.2 Cornish studies and literary references 8.3 Religion 8.4 Visual Art 8.5 Music and festivals 8.6 Sports and games 8.7 Food and drink 9 Settlements 10 Transport 11 Places of interest 12 Miscellanea 13 See also 14 External links 14.1 Tourist Information 14.2 General Information 14.3 News and Sport 14.4 Culture, Language and History 14.5 Photographs 15 References 16 History Source

[edit] History

Main article: History of Cornwall

The history of Cornwall begins with the pre-Roman inhabitants, including speakers of a Celtic language that would develop into Brythonic and Cornish. After a period of Roman rule, Cornwall reverted to independent Celtic chieftains. The Roman term for the tribe which inhabited what is now Cornwall at the time of Roman rule, possibly the Cornovii, came from the Iberian word corno, meaning the land shape, but it is assumed that it was derived from a Brythonic tribal name which gave modern Cornish Kernow. (For other examples of the survival of Brythonic names noted by the Romans, see Dyfed / Demetae, Cantiaci / Kent , Gwynedd / Veneti and Durotriges / Dorset.) The present English language name of the region derives from suffixing of Old English wealhas ("foreigners, Britons") to the Celtic name.

The first account of Cornwall comes from the Sicilian Greek historian Diodorus Siculus (c.90 BC–c.30 BC), supposedly quoting or paraphrasing the fourth-century BC geographer Pytheas, who had sailed to Britain:

The inhabitants of that part of Britain called Belerion or the Land's End] from their intercourse with foreign merchants, are civilised in their manner of life. They prepare the tin, working very carefully the earth in which it is produced…Here then the merchants buy the tin from the natives and carry it over to Gaul, and after travelling overland for about thirty days, they finally bring their loads on horses to the mouth of the Rhône.^[5]

Who these merchants were is not known. There is no evidence for the theory that they were Phoenicians.^[6]

Caesar was the last classical writer to mention the tin trade, which appears to have declined during the Roman occupation. ^[7]

The Annales Cambriae reported that in 721 the Britons were victors in battle at Hehil (possibly on the Camel estuary or further north near Bude) among the Cornish (apud Cornuenses), presumably against the West Saxons.^[8] A century passed before we hear of the West Saxons attacking Cornwall again, this time under King Egbert, who in 814 laid waste to Cornwall from east to west.^[9] The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle tells us that in 825 (adjusted date) a battle was fought between the "Welsh" in Cornwall and the people of Devonshire, probably at Galford in Devon.^[10] Finally, in 838, the Cornish and their Viking allies were defeated by Egbert at Hengestesdune, probably Hingston Down near Moretonhampstead, Devon or Callington, Cornwall (Anglo-Saxon Chronicle).

The tin trade revived in the Middle Ages, and the Cornish Rebellion of 1497, in which a makeshift Cornish army marched on London only to be crushed by the royal troops, is attributed to tin miners.^[11] In the mid-nineteenth century, however, the tin trade again fell into decline.

As Cornwall's reserves of tin began to be exhausted many Cornishmen emigrated to places such as the Americas, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa where their skills were in demand. The tin mines in Cornwall are now worked-out at current prices, but the expertise and culture of the Cornish tin miners lives on in a number of places around the world. It is said that, wherever you may go in the world, if you see a hole in the ground, you will find a Cornishman at the bottom of it (see Cornish emigration). Several Cornish mining words are in use in English language mining terminology, such as costean, gunnies, and vug.

Since the decline of tin mining, agriculture and fishing, the area's economy has become increasingly dependent on tourism — some of Great Britain's most spectacular coastal scenery can be found here. Nevertheless, Cornwall remains one of the poorest parts of the United Kingdom and it has been granted Objective 1 status by the EU. A political party, Mebyon Kernow, MK, or 'Sons of Cornwall', was formed in 1951 to attempt to assert some degree of autonomy (see Cornish nationalism); while the flag of St Piran is seen increasingly across Cornwall at protests, demonstrations and generally, the party has not achieved significant success at the ballot box, although they do have a number of district councillors. Two of the current MPs to Westminster; Andrew George, MP for St Ives; and Dan Rogerson, MP for North Cornwall; repeated their Parliamentary oaths in Cornish. Further, there is a caucus of local county councillors who are well-known locally for their persistent advocacy of Cornwall's political uniqueness.

Many place names in Cornwall are associated with Christian missionaries described as coming from Ireland and Wales in the fifth century AD and usually called saints (See List of Cornish saints). The historicity of some of these missionaries is problematic ^[12] and it has been pointed out by Doble that it was customary in the middle ages to ascribe such geographic origins to saints ^[13]. Some of these saints are not included in the early lists of saints ^[14].

There are traditional stories attached to some of these saints, as other saints, which are implausible. For example St Ia is said to have travelled across the sea to Cornwall on a leaf and St Piran on a millstone.

St Piran, after whom Perranporth is named, is now widely regarded as the patron saint of Cornwall.

There is a theory that once silver was extracted from the copper ores of Cornwall in pre-Roman times, as silver is easily converted to its chloride (AgCl) by surface waters containing chlorine.^[15]

[edit] Physical geography

[edit] Coastline

Cornwall forms the tip of the south-west peninsula of Britain, and is therefore exposed to the full force of the prevailing winds that blow in from the Atlantic Ocean. The coastline is composed mainly of resistant rocks that give rise in many places to impressive cliffs.

The north and south coasts have different characteristics. The north coast is more exposed and therefore has a wilder nature. The prosaically-named High Cliff, between Boscastle and Tintagel, is the highest sheer-drop cliff in Cornwall at 735 ft (224 m). However, there are also many extensive stretches of fine golden sand which form the beaches that are so important to the tourist industry, such as those at St Ives, Perranporth and Newquay. The only river estuary of any size on the north coast is that of the Camel, which provides Padstow with a safe harbour.

The south coast is somewhat more sheltered and there are several broad estuaries formed by drowned valleys or rias that offer safe anchorages to seafarers, such as at Falmouth and Fowey. Beaches on the south coast usually consist of coarser sand and shingle, interspersed with rocky sections of wave-cut platform.

[edit] Interior

This consists of a roughly east-west spine of infertile and exposed upland, such as Bodmin Moor, which contains the highest land within Cornwall. This is surrounded by more fertile, mainly pastoral farmland. Near the south coast, deep wooded valleys provide sheltered conditions for a flora that likes shade and a moist, mild climate.

[edit] Geology

Main article: Geology of Cornwall

The upland spine of Cornwall consists of a series of granite intrusions. From east to west, and with approximately descending altitude, these are Bodmin Moor, the area north of St Austell, the area around Camborne, and the Penwith or Land's End peninsula. These intrusions are the central part of the granite outcrops of south-west England, which include Dartmoor to the east in Devon and the Isles of Scilly to the west, the latter now being partially submerged.

The remainder of the centre and south of Cornwall is comprised mainly of Devonian sandstone and slate. The north east of Cornwall lies on Carboniferous rocks known as the Culm Measures. In places these have been subjected to severe folding, as can been seen on the north coast near Crackington Haven and several other locations.

The geology of the Lizard peninsula is exceptionally interesting, as it is Britain's only example of an ophiolite. Much of the peninsula consists of the dark green and red rock, Precambrian serpentine, which forms spectacularly beautiful cliffs as at Kynance Cove, and when carved and polished forms attractive ornaments. This ultramafic rock also forms a very infertile soil which covers the flat and marshy heaths of the interior of the peninsula. This is home to rare plants, such as the Cornish Heath, which has been adopted as the county flower.^[16]

The intrusion of the granite into the surrounding sedimentary rocks gave rise to extensive metamorphism and mineralisation, and this led to Cornwall being one of the most important mining areas in Europe until the early 20th century. It is thought that Cassiterite (Tin oxide) was exploited in Cornwall as early as the Bronze Age. Over the years, many other metals such as copper, lead, zinc and silver have all been mined in Cornwall. Alteration of the granite also gave rise to extensive deposits of China Clay (Kaolinite), especially in the area to the north of St Austell, and this remains one of Cornwall's most important industries.

[edit] Climate

Cornwall is the southernmost part of Britain, and therefore has a relatively warm and sunny climate. Winters are mild, and frost or snow are uncommon apart from in the central upland areas. The average annual temperature for most of Cornwall is 9.8 to 12 degrees Celsius (49.6 to 53.6 °F), with slightly lower temperatures at higher altitude.^[17]

Cornwall is exposed to mild, moist westerly winds from the Atlantic Ocean and has relatively high rainfall, though less than more northern areas of the west coast of Britain, at 1051 to 1290 mm (41.4 to 50.8 in) per year.^[18] Most of Cornwall enjoys over 1541 hours of sunshine per year.^[19]

[edit] Ecology

Cornwall has varied habitats including terrestrial and marine ecosystems. One of the lower plant forms in decline locally is the Reindeer lichen, which species has been made a priority for protection under the national UK Biodiversity Action Plan.

[edit] Politics

Main article: Politics of Cornwall

Parliamentary representation for Cornwall is dominated by the Liberal Democrats. Cornwall currently returns five MPs to the British House of Commons, all of whom are Liberal Democrats; the new parliamentary boundaries expected to come into force in 2007 will create a sixth parliamentary constituency in Cornwall which will be fought for the first time at the next British General Election - probably in 2009 or 2010. Local councils in Cornwall also have a large portion of Lib Dem representatives. Most local Liberal Democrat MPs and councillors strongly support moves for Cornish devolution, as do some Welsh nationalists.

Although Cornwall is administered as a county of England, an independence movement exists that seeks more autonomy along the lines of the other home Celtic nations. Additionally, some groups and individuals question the constitutional status of Cornwall and its relationship to the Duchy of Cornwall. Cornish nationalists have organised into two political parties: Mebyon Kernow and the Cornish Nationalist Party, and in 2005 Mebyon Kernow became the largest political group on Camborne town council after a by-election. In addition to the political parties, the Cornish Stannary Parliament acts as a pressure group on Cornish constitutional issues and Cornwall 2000, the Human Rights organisation works with Cornish cultural issues. Another group concerned with Cornish Rights and promoting discussion on the Cornish constitution is Tyr-Gwyr-Gweryn (meaning 'Land-Truth-People). This group operates a website to examine the factors which have conspired to create a Cornish Paradox and has inter alia posted to the site the full transcript of the Duchy-versus-Crown dispute over the ownership of the Cornish foreshore that took place between 1855 and 1857. This dispute was settled by arbitration and resulted in the Cornwall Submarine Mines Act 1858

In November 2000, the Cornish Constitutional Convention was formed to campaign for a Cornish Assembly. It is a cross-party organisation including representatives from the private, public and voluntary sectors, of all political parties and none.

Between 5 March 2000 and December 2001, the campaign for a Cornish Assembly collected the signatures of 41,650 Cornish residents endorsing the Declaration for a Cornish Assembly, in total 50,546 including people outside Cornwall. The British government however has no plans at present to devolve more power to Cornwall.

[edit] Flag

Main article: Saint Piran's Flag

Saint Piran's Flag is regarded as the national flag of Cornwall and an emblem of the Cornish people. The banner of Saint Piran is a white cross on a black background. Saint Piran is supposed to have adopted these two colours from seeing the white tin in the black coals and ashes during his supposed discovery of tin. In a history of 1837 Saint Piran's flag was described as the "standard of Cornwall", and another history of 1880 said that: "The white cross of St. Piran was the ancient banner of the Cornish people." The Cornish flag is an exact reverse of the former Breton national flag (black cross on a white field) and is known by the same name "Gwynn ha Du" - white and black.

Commonly understood to represent the white tin metal against the black tin ore, the flag symbolically, however, is said to represent the light of truth shining through the blackness/darkness of evil.

Another theory of the black and white colours is that the white cross represents the igeneous/metamorphic rocks of colour such as granite and schists (mainly found in the South-West of Cornwall), while the black background represents the weathered Devonian slate and Carboniferous sandstone (both of which are mainly black-greyish in appearance) of the northern part of Cornwall.

There are claims that the patron saint of Cornwall is Saint Michael or Saint Petroc, but Saint Piran is by far the most popular of the three and his emblem is internationally [3][4] recognised as the flag of Cornwall. St. Piran's Day (5 March) is celebrated by the Cornish diaspora around the world.

[edit] Demographics

Cornwall's population is 513,527, and population density 144 people per square kilometre, ranking it 40th and 41st respectively compared to the other 47 counties of England. Cornwall has a relatively high level of population growth, however, at 11.2% in the 1980s and 5.3% in the 1990s, giving it the fifth highest population growth of the English counties.^[20] The natural change has been a small population decline, and the population increase is due to immigration into Cornwall.^[21] According to the 1991 census, the population was 469,800.

Cornwall has a relatively high retired population, with 22.9% of pensionable age, compared to 20.3% for the United Kingdom.^[22] This may be due to a combination of Cornwall's rural and coastal geography increasing its popularity as a retirement location, and due to the emigration of younger residents to more economically diverse areas. Migration of pensioners from southern England to Cornwall, and emigration of young Cornish people, is a persistent concern.

Cornwall is one of the six modern Celtic nations alongside Brittany, Ireland, the Isle of Man, Scotland and Wales. Just under 7% of the population of Cornwall gave their ethnicity as Cornish in the last census,^[23] however, in a survey by Morgan Stanley 44% of the population considered themselves Cornish.^[24] Following the 2001 Census, Cornish campaigners made representations to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to provide a clear 'Cornish' tick-box option prior to the next Census to allow people the right to record their nationality as Cornish.^[25]

[edit] Economy

This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of Cornwall and Isles of Scilly at current basic prices published (pp.240-253) by Office for National Statistics with figures in millions of British Pounds Sterling.

Year	Regional Gross Value Added[26]	Agriculture[27]	Industry[28]	Services[29]
1995	3,230	235	813	2,182
2000	4,245	198	1,021	3,027
2003	5,401	221	1,195	3,985

Cornwall is one of the poorest areas in the United Kingdom. The GDP is 62% of the national average.^[30] Cornwall is one of four UK areas that qualifies for poverty-related grants from the EU (European Social Fund). Today, the Cornish economy depends heavily on its successful tourist industry, which makes up around a quarter of the Cornish economy.

The official measures of deprivation and poverty at district and 'sub-ward' level in Cornwall show that there are large differences in poverty and prosperity in different parts of Cornwall and that though some parts are among the poorest in England, others are among the top half in prosperity. For example, the ranking of 32 482 sub-wards in England in the index of multiple deprivation ranges from 819th (part of Penzance East) to 26 584th (part of Probus), where the lower number represents the most deprivation.

Traditional areas such as china clay extraction have gradually shed workers in recent years.

Educated young people continue to leave Cornwall in numbers and, despite Objective One funding, the Cornish economy continues a downward spiral. Objective One funding is due to expire in 2006.

[edit] Tourism

Cornwall's unique culture, spectacular landscape and mild climate make it a popular tourist destination, despite being somewhat distant from the United Kingdom's main tourist centres. Surrounded on three sides by the English Channel and Celtic Sea, Cornwall has miles of beaches and cliffs. Other tourist attractions include moorland, country gardens and wooded valleys, and tourism is a significant economic sector.

Five million tourists visit Cornwall each year, mostly drawn from within the UK.^[31] In particular, Newquay is a popular destination for surfers. In recent years, the Eden Project near St Austell has been a major financial success, drawing one in eight of Cornwall's visitors.^[32]

[edit] Industry

Other industries are fishing, although this has been significantly damaged by EU fishing policies, and agriculture, which has also declined significantly. Mining of tin and copper was also an industry, but today no longer exists, and several defunct mines applied for status as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.^[33]

World Heritage Status was granted to the Cornwall and West Devon Mining area on 14 July 2006. This will allow Cornwall County Council the opportunity to expand its Mineral Tramways Project of walking trails along with re-instatement of engine houses and other places of mining interest. Completion of this network is expected some time in 2008. [5]

[edit] Creative industries

In recent years Cornwall's creative industries have undergone significant growth, thanks in part to Objective One funding. There is now a significant creative industry in Cornwall, encompassing areas like graphic design, product design, web design, packaging design, environmental design, architecture, photography, art and crafts.

[edit] Culture

Main article: Culture of Cornwall

[edit] Language

Main article: Cornish language

The Cornish language is closely related to Welsh and Breton, and less so to Irish, Scots Gaelic and Manx. It continued as a living Celtic language until 1777 and the death of Dolly Pentreath, the last person thought to have used only the Cornish language (although this is disputed on a number of counts). The publication of Henry Jenner's Handbook of the Cornish Language in 1904 caused a resurgence of interest in the Cornish language. The subsequent revival gathered pace during the twentieth century and, although there has never been a census, most estimates agree that there are now around 4,000 Cornish speakers, around 500 of whom are fluent, and there are several families who have raised their children with the language. Cornish was recognised by the UK government as an official minority language in 2002 and it received government funding in 2005. Although currently less than 0.1% of the population speak it fluently, it is taught in many schools and used in religious and civic ceremonies and has boosted Cornish cultural identity. In 2006 a pop group gained fame for Cornish by singing some of the Beatles hits in Kernewek / Cornish.

Many Cornish surnames are prefixed by Tre, Pol, or Pen, as celebrated in the Cornish rhyme:

by Tre, Pol and Pen shall ye know all Cornishmen.

These are derived from words in the Cornish language meaning, town (or farm), pool(or lake), and head (or end), respectively.

[edit] Cornish studies and literary references

The Institute of Cornish Studies, established in 1970, is a branch of the University of Exeter, and now part of the Combined Universities in Cornwall Campus at Tremough, Penryn. Philip Payton, professor Cornish studies, has written a history of Cornwall as well as editing the Cornish studies series, and other academics, including Mark Stoyle of the University of Southampton and John Angarrack of the human rights organisation Cornwall 2000, have also produced work on Cornish culture.

A detailed overview of literature is provided by Alan M. Kent's The Literature of Cornwall ^[34]. It covers everything from medieval mystery plays to more recent literary works that draw on the Cornish landscape. Notable Cornish writers include Arthur Quiller-Couch alias "Q", the deaf short story writer, Jack Clemo and D. M. Thomas acclaimed author and poet.

Cornwall also produced a substantial amount of passion plays during the Middle Ages. Many are still extant, and provide valuable information about the Cornish language.

Daphne du Maurier lived in Cornwall and set many of her novels there, including Jamaica Inn, Frenchman's Creek, My Cousin Rachel, and The House on the Strand. Rebecca is sometimes said to be set in Cornwall, but this is not stated explicitly in the novel. She is also noted for writing Vanishing Cornwall. Cornwall provided the inspiration for The Birds, one of her terrifying series of short stories, made famous as a film by Alfred Hitchcock. Hammond Innes' novel, The Killer Mine , Charles de Lint's novel The Little Country, Winston Graham's series Poldark, Kate Tremayne's Adam Loveday series, Susan Cooper's novels Over Sea, Under Stone and Greenwitch, Mary Wesley's The Camomile Lawn and Gilbert and Sullivan's musical The Pirates of Penzance are all set in Cornwall. Also the trilogy by Monica Furlong, "Wise Child", "Juniper", and "Colman" take place in medieval Cornwall. Conan Doyle's The Adventure of the Devil's Foot featuring Sherlock Holmes is set in Cornwall.

The late Poet Laureate Sir John Betjeman was famously fond of Cornwall and it featured prominently in his poetry. He is buried in the churchyard at St Enodoc Church near Trebetherick.

[edit] Religion

Traditionally, the Cornish have been nonconformists when it comes to religion. Celtic Christianity was a feature of Cornwall and many Cornish saints are commemorated in legends, churches and place names.

The Methodism of John Wesley also proved to be very popular with the working classes in Cornwall in the 18th century.

[edit] Visual Art

Since the 19th Century Cornwall, with its unspoilt maritime scenery and strong light, has sustained a vibrant visual art scene of international renown. Artistic activity within Cornwall was initially centred on the art-colony of Newlyn, most active at the turn of the century, and associated with the names: Stanhope Forbes, Elizabeth Forbes, Norman Garstin and Lamorna Birch. Modernist writers such as D.H. Lawrence and Virginia Wolf lived in Cornwall between the wars, and Ben Nicholson, the painter, having visited in the 1920s came to live in St Ives with his then wife Barbara Hepworth, sculptor, at the outbreak of the second world war. They were later joined by the Russian emigre Noam Gabo, and other artists. These included Peter Lanyon, Terry Frost, Patrick Heron, Bryan Wynter and Roger Hilton. St Ives also houses the Leach Pottery, where Bernard Leach, and his followers championed Japanese inspired studio pottery.

Much of this modernist work can be seen in Tate St Ives. Contemporary art in Cornwall is documented in the on-line journal www.artcornwall.org and is particularly linked with the Newlyn Society of Artists, and artist-led organisations like PALP and artsurgery.

[edit] Music and festivals

Cornwall has a rich and vibrant folk music tradition which has survived into the present. Cornwall is well known for its unusual folk survivals such as Mummers Plays, the Furry Dance in Helston, and Obby Oss in Padstow.

Cornish players are regular participants in inter-Celtic festivals, and Cornwall itself has several lively inter-Celtic festivals such as Perranporth's Lowender Peran folk festival[6].

On a more modern note, contemporary musician Richard D James (also known as Aphex Twin) grew up in Cornwall, as did Alex Parks winner of Fame Academy 2003. The American Singer/Songwriter Tori Amos now resides predominately in North Cornwall with her family.

[edit] Sports and games

Paul Tregunna and the nation of cornwall has its unique form of wrestling related to Breton wrestling and another unique Cornish sport is hurling, a kind of medieval football played with a silver ball (distinct from Irish Hurling). The sport now takes place at St. Columb Major and St Ives although hurling of a silver ball is part of the beating the bounds ceremony at Bodmin every five years.

Rugby union has the largest following in Cornwall (more so than football), with the Cornish Pirates (recently renamed from Penzance & Newlyn RFC) in National League 1 and hoping to tap into the large amount of Cornish nationalist sentiment). Launceston RFC "the Cornish All Blacks" and Redruth RFC "the Reds" are also in the national leagues and get good support. The Cornish rugby team regularly draws large crowds of supporters, dubbed Trelawny's Army, especially if they are progressing towards a Twickenham final!

One of the earliest references to Cricket in Cornwall is 1816 and Sir William Pratt Call of Whiteford house in Stoke Climsland, organised a match against the Plymouth Garrison. the West Briton noted:- tea and a meal in a marquee at 6 o'clock. Cornwall County Cricket side compete in the Minor Counties Championship, the second tier National County structure. Talented players, produced by the vigorous County league sides, have frequently found employment in the First Class Counties and two have gone on to represent England.

Due to its large coastline, various maritime sports are popular in Cornwall, notably sailing and surfing. International events in both are held in Cornwall. Cornwall will host the Inter-Celtic Watersports Festival in 2006.

Rock climbing on the sea cliffs and inland cliffs has been popular since the pioneeering work of A. W. Andrews and others in the early 1900s, and is now highly developed.

Euchre is a popular card game in Cornwall, it is normally a game for four players consisting of two teams. Its origins are unclear but some claim it is a Cornish game. There are several leagues in Cornwall at present.

A recent application for a place in the 2006 Commonwealth Games was refused by the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF). The Cornwall Commonwealth Games Association claimed that Cornwall should be recognised with a team, in the way that other sub-state entities such as England, Guernsey and the Isle of Man are. However, the CGF noted that it was not their place to make political decisions on whether or not Cornwall is a separate nation.^[35]

[edit] Food and drink

Cornwall has a strong gastronomic heritage. Surrounded on three sides by the sea amid fertile fishing grounds, Cornwall naturally has fresh seafood readily available; Newlyn is the largest fishing port in the UK by value of fish landed.^[36] Television chef Rick Stein has long operated a fish restaurant in Padstow for this reason, and Jamie Oliver recently chose to open his second restaurant, Fifteen, in Newquay. One famous local fish dish is star-gazy pie, a fish-based pie in which the heads and tails of the fish stick through the pasty crust, as though "star-gazing". The pie is cooked as part of traditional celebrations for Tom Bawcocks Eve.

More traditional Cornish restaurants are known as meaderies, as they serve mead. Meaderies usually have a medieval ambiance, typically in the style of a banquet hall with wooden flooring, heavy wooden tables, lit by candlelight with white-painted granite walls. Fare such as a turkey leg, chicken and chips is served to each table on a large wooden plate and is eaten by hand. A lemon floating in a bowl of water is used to clean the hands along with serviettes. Food is served by "barefoot wenches".

Cornwall is perhaps best known for its pasties, a savoury dish made from pastry containing suet. Those seen today most commonly contain a filling of beef steak, onion, potato and swede (the latter two more correctly referred to as, 'teddies and turnip', q.v. Scottish Tatties & Neeps) with salt and white pepper, but historically pasties had a variety of different fillings, including the licky pasty, comprised mostly of leeks, and the herb pasty, which contained watercress, parsley, and shallots. ^[37] Pasties are often locally referred to as oggies or 'Teddy Oggies'. Historically, pasties were also often made with sweet fillings such as apple and blackberry, or even half savoury,half sweet; this style of pasty has found some resurgence in recent years.

The wet climate and relatively poor soil of Cornwall make it unsuitable for growing many arable crops. However, it is ideal for growing the rich grass required for dairying, leading to the production of Cornwall's other famous export, Cornish clotted cream. This forms the basis for many local specialities including Cornish fudge, Cornish ice cream, and other traditional recipes such as thunder and lightning (bread with clotted cream and treacle), and burnt cream. Cornish clotted cream is protected under EU law^[38] and cannot be made anywhere else. True Cornish clotted cream has a minimum fat content of 55% and must be made from unpasteurised milk or the clots will not form.

Local desserts include Saffron Cake, Cornish Heavy (Hevva) Cake, Cornish fairings Biscuits, Figgy 'obbin, and Whortleberry Pie.

There are also many types of beers brewed in Cornwall — the St Austell brewery is the best-known — including a stout, and there is some small scale production of wine, mead, and cider.

[edit] Settlements

This is a list of the main towns and cities within Cornwall; for a complete list of settlements see list of places in Cornwall.

Bodmin Bude Camborne Falmouth Fowey Hayle Helston Launceston Liskeard Looe Lostwithiel

Newquay Padstow Penryn Penzance Redruth Saltash St Austell St Ives Torpoint Truro Wadebridge

[edit] Transport

Cornwall borders the county of Devon at the River Tamar. Major road links between Cornwall and the rest of Great Britain are the A38 which crosses the Tamar at Plymouth via the Tamar Bridge, and the A30 which crosses the border south of Launceston. A car ferry also links Plymouth with the town of Torpoint on the opposite side of the Hamoaze. A rail bridge, the Royal Albert Bridge, built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel (1859) provides the only other major transport link.

Newquay has an airport which has flights from London Gatwick, London Stansted, Bristol, Manchester, Leeds Bradford, Dublin, Birmingham, Durham Tees Valley. The airport shares RAF St. Mawgan's runways and facilities; however, this is under threat as the Ministry of Defence has announced that military flights will cease at the base from October 2007. The handover of the runway will depend on funding being found to bring it up to civil aviation standards.

Perhaps the best (although expensive) way to travel to North Cornwall is from Cardiff or Swansea on a boat-trip across the Bristol channel, usually to Padstow. Swansea in particular has several boat companies who can arrange boat trips to North Cornwall, which allows the traveller to pass by the North Cornish coastline and its superb sights, such as Tintagel castle and Padstow harbour. Very occasionally, the Waverley and Balmoral paddle steamers cruise from Swansea to Padstow ^{[citation needed]}.

The Isles of Scilly are served by ferry (from Penzance), helicopter (Penzance Heliport) and fixed wing aeroplane (Land's End Aerodrome, near St Just). Further flights to St Mary's, Isles of Scilly, are available from Exeter International Airport in Devon.

[edit] Places of interest

Barbara Hepworth Museum Bodmin and Wenford Railway Bodmin Moor Cardinham Woods Carn Euny Carrick Roads Castle An Dinas Cheesewring Chûn Castle Chûn Quoit Chysauster Ancient Village Commando Ridge, Bosigran Cotehele Eden Project Geevor Tin Mine Godrevy Island Goonhilly Downs The Hurlers Kynance Cove Land's End Lanhydrock House Lanyon Quoit Lappa Valley Steam Railway Looe Looe Island Leach Pottery The Lizard Loe Pool Logan Rock Lost Gardens of Heligan

Mên-an-Tol Mevagissey Minack Theatre Mousehole Mullion Cove Newlyn Art Gallery National Maritime Museum Paradise Park, Hayle Pencarrow Pendennis Castle Penlee House Poldhu Polperro Museum of Submarine Telegraphy Restormel Castle River Fowey River Looe Roseland Peninsula Royal Cornwall Museum National Seal Sanctuary, Gweek South Crofty South West Coast Path St Mawes Castle St Michael's Mount Tate St. Ives Tintagel Castle Trevarno Trelissick Garden Trinity House National Lighthouse Museum Truro Cathedral

[edit] Miscellanea

The Isles of Scilly have in some periods been served by the same county administration as Cornwall, but are today a separate Unitary Authority. The Health Authority covering Cornwall, however, does include The Isles of Scilly in its area of responsibility.

[edit] See also

• List of topics related to Cornwall

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Cornwall

[edit] Tourist Information

• The official Cornwall Tourist Board
• Cornwall Association of Tourist Attractions
• Open Directory of Cornwall Accommodation

[edit] General Information

• BBS Cornwall - Cornwall's Social Community Bulletin Board System
• Cornwall County Council
• Cornish Objective One
• East Cornwall Mining History Association
• This is not Cornwall, This is Kernow
• Gorseth Kernow
• Campaign for a Cornish Assembly
• The Celtic League
• Maps of Cornwall (Kernow) showing a Celtic or Distinct Identity. (From H2G2 The Guide to Life, The Universe and Everything.)

[edit] News and Sport

• This is Cornwall, local news
• Cornwall 24 - Cornwall's independent news and discussion site
• London Cornish Rugby Football Club
• Trelawny's Army - The Cornish Rugby Supporters' Club

[edit] Culture, Language and History

• Cornish History
• The Institute of Cornish Studies
• The Cornish Language
• Cornish Placenames and their English meanings
• Tyr-Gwyr-Gweryn - A radical look at factors affecting perceptions of Cornwall
• artcornwall - An online journal documenting contemporary art practice in Cornwall

[edit] Photographs

• Cornwall Cam
• Cornwall 365 Photographs of Cornwall
• Views of Cornwall Nearly 2000 photos of Cornwall
• Images Cornwall Extensive collection of high quality Cornwall photos
• lookaroundcornwall 360 degree fullscreen interactive panoramas of Cornwall
• Cornwall Photographs

[edit] References

1. ^ Office for National Statistics, 2003 Population estimates. For a comparison of population and population density see List of ceremonial counties of England by population.
2. ^ Office for National Statistics, 2003. "Top 5 and Bottom 5 GVA per head of population."
3. ^ BBC multilingual website
4. ^ Daily Telegraph 2002 - Cornish has been granted a comeback
5. ^ Halliday.F.E. A History of Cornwall, Duckworth, 1959, ISBN 1-84232-123-4, p51.
6. ^ Halliday, p52.
7. ^ Halliday, p69.
8. ^ Annales Cambriae.
9. ^ Anglo-Saxon Chronicle; Halliday, p102
10. ^ Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.
11. ^ Halliday, p182.
12. ^ ORME Nicholas(2000) The saints of Cornwall, [1]
13. ^ DOBLE GH (1960) The saints of Cornwall
14. ^ see for example absences from OLSON B and PADEL OJ (1986) 'A tenth century list of Cornish parochial saints' in Cambridge medieval Celtic studies 12; and Nova legenda Angliae by John of Tynemouth and CAPGRAVE John
15. ^ Metallurgy in Archaeology, R.F. Tylecote, 1962
16. ^ Cornwall County Council, "The County Flower."
17. ^ Met Office, 2000. Annual average temperature for the United Kingdom.
18. ^ Met Office, 2000. Annual average rainfall for the United Kingdom.
19. ^ Met Office, 2000. Annual average sunshine for the United Kingdom.
20. ^ Office for National Statistics, 2001. Population Change in England by County 1981-2000.
21. ^ Office for National Statistics, 2001. Births, Deaths and Natural Change in Cornwall 1974 – 2001.
22. ^ Office for National Statistics, 1996. % of Population of Pension Age (1996).
23. ^ London School of Economics - Cornish ethnicity data from the 2001 Census
24. ^ BBC News Online, 2004. "Welsh are more patrotic."
25. ^ Mebyon Kernow 2004. "Mebyon Kernow demands the right to be Cornish."
26. ^ Components may not sum to totals due to rounding
27. ^ includes hunting and forestry
28. ^ includes energy and construction
29. ^ includes financial intermediation services indirectly measured
30. ^ Peter Kingston, 2005. "Closed for Business." The Guardian, Tuesday May 10 2005.
31. ^ Cornwall Tourist Board, 2003. Tourism in Cornwall.
32. ^ Scottish Executive, 2004. A literature review of the evidence base for culture, the arts and sport policy.
33. ^ UNESCO Page on the Cornwall & West Devon application
34. ^ Kent, Alan M. (2000). The literature of Cornwall: Continuity, Identity, Difference 1000-2000. Redcliffe Press.
35. ^ BBC News Online, 2006. "Cornish out of running for Games."
36. ^ Objective One media release [2]
37. ^ http://www.alanrichards.org/cornish3.htm - Cornish recipe site
38. ^ Official list of British protected foods

[edit] History Source

Halliday, Frank Ernest (2001.). History of Cornwall, 2nd edition. Main text same as 1959 edition but with afterword by Halliday's son.. Thirsk, North Yorkshire: House of Stratus. ISBN 0755108175.

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