Ertach Kernow - Cornish Historic, Cultural & Environmental Blogs
Cornish Historic, Cultural & Environmental articles will be added weekly on an ongoing basis. The links are to articles written for the Voice, Cornish Times and Cornish & Devon Post newspapers, aimed at audiences who are interested in aspects of Cornwall's heritage. The website articles may include expanded information and images that newspaper space did not allow.
Recent past articles are now in a slider allowing a quicker and wider view of some from the past few months - Just click the relevant article to go to the page. For desktop users arrows are at the far left & right to navigate images, click to open. For mobile device users swipe left until you reach the image then tap to open, the title will often appear slightly before the image. All the articles can still be seen via the Thumbnails and Index pages through these blue links, or via Homepage and header index.
July to December 2020
- How Truro came to be the capital city of Cornwall - The transfer of power through the ages
- Visionary who engineered a great chapter in Cornish history - Joseph Thomas Treffry
- Let's step out of lockdown into a history mystery - Cornish heritage sites administered by Cornwall Heritage Trust
- Turner's travels over Tamar tell Cornwall's story - J M W Turner's visit to Cornwall and his artwork
- Nostalgic Ride to a Land of Legend - Some Cornish tales and legends
- The Place names that help unlock our past history - The importance of place names in Cornwall's past
- Historic homes reveal dramatic family histories - Houses with Cornish family histories - Lanhydrock, Trerice, Cotehele
- Backtracking to our railway past - Cornwall and its railway beginnings
- Bude - Growth of a thriving resort town - Bude, its canal and its growth
- Cornwall’s great global Diaspora - Emigration leads to Cornish descendents throughout the world
- Villages guard clues to our heritage - Bodmin Moor's villages
- Storytellers will help keep alive Cornish identity - Gorsedh Kernow 2020
- Net profits for our old coastal communities - Fishing in Cornwall an overview
- Summercourt Fair well worth a nostalgic visit - The origins of Summercourt fair
- Enduring legacy of Cornwall's great benefactor - John Passmore Edwards
- How Tragedy at sea devastated lives left behind - Great storm of October 1880
- The father of local English history - John Leland his Cornish itinerary Launceston-Bodmin-Truro
- Lostwithiel - Rich layer of town's history - Lostwithiel historic capital of Cornwall
- In touch with our Celtic Festivals - Lowender Peran
- Landscape and legend entwined - Dozmary Pool
- Huge contribution to our culture - Cornish Archaeological Legend - Lt Col F C Hirst
- The marvel that's beneath our feet- The Great County Adit
- Revealing the Face of Tudor Cornwall - John Norden
- Inside Britain's Oldest Home - Penfound Manor
- Medieval Marvels Light up our Lives - Medieval Cornish church stained glass windows
- Cornwall at Christmas - Christmas past from the newspapers
- Wreck of the Anson - A wreck that changed attitudes and the law
January to June 2021
- Greatest living Cornishman - Sir Arthur Quiller Couch 'Q'
- Preserving our holy ground - Cornish holy wells, recording and preserving them
- Fishing Smugglers and Wrecks - Stories of Mullion Cove
- Unlocking our past Cornwall's Canal Heritage - Overview of Cornwall canal's, built, not completed, planned and imagined
- Taking the High Ground - Bodmin's ancient hillforts - Castle Canyke and Dunmere
- Bridges battle for survival – Respryn Bridge - History and present day survival issues
- Miners toiled in the wake of St Piran - Mining in Perranporth
- Making a song and dance about us - Overview of some of Cornwall's cultural and historic heritage
- Lighting up the 'Age of the Saints' - St Petroc, Cornwall's medieval patron saint
- Amongst Mines and Miners - The work & achievements of J C Burrow, Camborne Photographer
- Rise and fall of our most iconic mine Botallack - Poldark, Royal visits and tunnels under the sea. The story of Botallack
- Roads to Fortune - Carrick Roads and the towns and settlements surrounding Cornwall's mighty waterway
- In the footsteps of Defoe - 18th century author of Robinson Crusoe tours Cornwall
- Britain's most beautiful branch line - St Erth to St Ives railway in the footsteps of Cyril Noall
- Brunel opens gateway to Cornwall - Saltash the opening of the Royal Albert Bridge and Cornwall Railway 1859
- Exploring the land of legend - Story Collectors & Storytellers
- A salute to the great Trevithick - An overview of Richard Trevithick a great Cornishman, his life and achievements
- Cornish Routes - Road development, turnpikes and toll-roads
- Called to the court of the king - Archaeology and the making of Tintagel as a destination
- The Newlyn Riots 125 years on - Religion and price of fish led to rioting in Newlyn
- Shining light in the darkness - Penzance's great son, Sir Humphry Davy
- Feisty travels with Celia - Early tour around Cornwall c1698 with Celia Fiennes
- The sky's the limit - Area of outstanding natural beauty AONB - Bodmin Moor
- Keep it Kernewek - Speak Cornish Week events and Cornish language
- A name perpetual - The Cornish uprising 1497 and dissatisfaction today
- Celtic Culture - International Celtic Congress and contribution from Celtic Congress Cornwall
July to December 2021
- On the edge - The Lizard Peninsula, Cornwall
- Taxing Times, Cornwall's historic hundreds 'Stratton' - Background on the hundreds and first of nine - Stratton.
- Tudor Travels - John Leland around the Roseland Peninsula c1542
- River Journey's - The River Camel historic aspects
- For those in Peril - Saving life on the North Cornish coast before the RNLI lifeboats
- Fancy a pint? - Pubs in mid and west Cornwall, visited and written about by Arthur Caddick Cornish poet
- Portrait of a Parish - Botus Fleming Cornwall's second smallest parish
- Churches endure the ravages of time and man - Cury Church & Gunwalloe Church
- An idyllic scene - Visit to St Clements village and burial in Truro
- Opening up - Heritage Open Days in Cornwall - including many links
- Literary giant had powerful roots in Cornwall - Sir William Golding Cornish ancestry
- Full steam ahead - Early guidebooks to Cornwall
- Tall tower, deep roots - Probus church, schools and historic houses
- Legacies in stone - Early farming & Cornish hedges
- The Levant Disaster - The why's and wherefores of the Levant Man Engine disaster of 1919
- Crossing the Tamar - Opening of the Tamar Road Bridge 60th anniversary
- The Great Storm of 1859 - The 'Royal Charter Storm' death and destruction on land and sea
- Gone but not forgotten - Cyrus Redding journalist, writer and traveller
- Lyonesse, Lost lands & lessons - Myth & Legend meets 21st century reality
- Quethiock, a community destroyed in an afternoon - Sale of the manorial land broke up a community
- Read all about it (Cornish newspapers 1800 - 1840) - A range of historical articles
- Penhale to Wheal Coates - Including St Agnes AONB
- An enjoyable heritage day out - Visiting Minions Moor, Cheesewring, Hurlers, Trethevy Quoit, St Neot & pub lunch
- Mousehole - The loveliest village, history and traditions
- Cornish Christmas' past - How and why Christmas was celebrated and here in Cornwall
- Pictures of the Past - Engravings of Cornish towns and places
January to June 2022
- Saviours of the Cornish language - Early scholars preserving and translating Cornish
- 200 years of the coastguard - The early days excise duties and smugglers
- Slain by the satellites of Satan & Royal Navy Shipwrecks
- John Thomas Blight - His work and an overview of his unfortunate life
- Spreading wings - Overview of the origins of Liskeard, Looe, Camborne, Redruth and Pool
- The men behind Richard Lander's famous Cornish Statue - Lander, Monument, Neville Northey Burnard and Philip Sambell
- An Ancient History Ruan Linkinhorne - Parish, and historic families and castle
- The Birth of Tin Mining - Exporting tin through the Mediterranean to the Levant
- Songs for Cornwall - Cornwall's unique songs and music
- Hillforts and cliff castles - Visit some of these throughout Cornwall
- The Great Blizzard of 1891 - Transport, woodland, businesses and people how they were all effected
- Quirks of fate - Mitchell a Cornish Rotten Borough - The rise and fall of a historic village
- A Penwith road trip - Visiting various historic sites in Penwith with two young lads
- Digging into the past and Richard Earl of Cornwall - Evolving Cornish Archaeological Society / Commemorating 750th anniversary of the death of Richard Earl of Cornwall
- Travels around West Wivelshire - Following the travels of Tudor cartographer John Norden
- Traditions that mean Home - Celebrating Celtic festival of Beltane
- 1872 ago from historic Cornish journals - The Royal Institution of Cornwall and Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society journals
- Water water everywhere- Drought in 1976 and Cornish reservoirs and water supply sources
- Camelford History - A day visit to Camelford and something of its history
- On the edge of memory - Cornish monuments to famous people of their day and forgotten war dead
- The Hungry Forties - 19th century famine and hunger in Cornwall, Ireland and Scotland. Cornish food riots.
- The Lanhydrock Atlas a Historic Jewel - Lanhydrock Atlas and the house and estate
- How we used to work - Comparing work in Cornwall from the first modern census of 1841
- The Tudors and loss of Cornish Identity - Religious upheaval leading to near loss of Cornish language and identity
- Home sweet home through history - Cornish house construction through time
- Travels with Celia Fiennes - Celia's continuing Cornish journey in 1698
July to December 2022
- Helston early historic Cornish town - The early days of Helston
- The Rule of Law, Administering Cornish Justice - The Assizes: Where Justice was administered
- Cornwall too 'bleake' for windmills - Some of Cornwall rare windmills and their remains today
- Blisland a historic and pretty parish - Visiting Blisland and walking round looking at this pretty and interesting parish
- Cornwall's wonderful gardens - looking at some of the gardens in Cornwall their history and families who began them
- Sabine Baring-Gould and the Cornish Giant - Introduction to Sabine Baring-Gould and Anthony Payne and portrait
- Cool and Tranquil - Cornish churches cool and tranquil - St Enoder and St Julitta at Lanteglos-by-Camelford
- Growth and Decay - Tresillian and Merther two Cornish villages
- William Borlase Cornish Antiquarian - Background on one of Cornwall's most important recorders of Cornish antiquities
- Celtic Cousins - Connections to Brittany, shared heritage language roots, saints, monuments and interests
- Travels with Defoe - Daniel Defoe, travels from Fowey to Falmouth in the early 18th century
- Earls and Dukes of Cornwall - Earls of Cornwall, the creation of the Duchy, later Dukes and transfer of power
- Kilkhampton a Story of Hero's Villains and Anarchy - The Grenville Family, castle & church doings
- Cornwall, Read all about it - New books, old books, Cornish libraries
- Cornwall leading the world - Cornwall not so backward and leading the world
- The historic parish of Breage - Historic tin mine, beginning of Cornwall's china clay industry, wealthy families, haunted castle.
- The Luxulyan Valley and Industrial Woodlands - a walk through the beautiful valley & Charlestown history
- Ancient Celtic celebrations and artefacts - looking at Samhain and some of the beautiful gold objects being exhibited at the RCM
- Digging in - The importance of archaeology for Cornwall - Looking at archaeology and the wider benefits to Cornwall
- Cornwall's railways; Beeching branch line closures - Branch line loss, survival and afterwards
- Portreath weathering the storms - Portreath Harbour as an important Cornish fishing and mineral port
- Vanishing social heritage - Some of Cornwall's historic pubs, existing and lost
- Sir John Betjeman, a great adopted Cornishman - How and why John Betjeman came to love Cornwall
- Marazion more than just a view - An historic trading settlement overlooking Mount's Bay and St Michael's Mount
- Researching Family History - Sharing experiences in using DNA and researching family history
- Cornish heritage recorded in art - Artists recording places, events and day to day life in art and photography
January to June 2023
- The rise and decline of Cornish Methodism - Chapels being monitored by The Cornish Buildings Group
- Celebration of Cornish Music - An overview of Cornish music and the Cornish National Music Archive
- Port Navas strikes our screens - Seen on BBC Drama series Strike the 18th/19th century Cornish quarry port of Porth Navas
- Forgotten genius Sir Goldsworthy Gurney? - Lighting, steam cars, musical instruments and all manner of ideas
- John Norden travels around the Powder Hundred - Major towns, sites of interest during Cornwall's Tudor Elizabethan Age
- Cornwall's Western Quoits - History of Cornwall's Western Quoits
- Sir Christopher Hawkins, Boroughmonger - Notorious Cornish landowner, MP and pocket borough owner
- Historic Cornish Hotels - From the early to late 19th century, many still standing and part of Cornwall's heritage
- National patron saints of Cornwall - Cornwall's triumvirate of national patron saints. St Michael, St Petroc and St Piran
- Caradon Hill - boom to bust - The short lived copper boom at Caradon Hill and the inevitable bust that followed.
- Polruan Historic Heritage - Its history as a part of the parish of Laneglos by Fowey, early trading and later shipbuilding
- Cornwall environment and culture - How Cornwall's environment shaped it's culture and heritage
- Church in a Hillfort - How a hillfort on the outskirts of St Dennis was later occupied by a church
- Cornish poets and poetry - Well-known and not so well-known poets inspired by Cornwall and its people
- Cornwall's geological legacy - The formation of Cornwall, its rocks and stone created its future story
- The logan stone of Treen - It's rocky history and how it was involved in a British national scandal
- Spring travels around Cornwall - Cornwall Heritage Trust sites, visiting Bodmin Moor, St Wyllow Church at Lanteglos by Fowey
- Porthleven History - How Porthleven evolved from a fishing village to a tourist town
- Kings and Cornish History - How certain historic English kings had an affect on Cornish history and identity
- Cornish Emigration to Australia - Convicts, Orphans, Miners all making up the Cornish Diaspora in Australia today
- St Germans a village with history and fun - This historic church village has and still enjoys festivals and fun events
- The fall and rise of Cornish woodland - Cornish woodlands diminished, gradual rebuild including lately the Forest for Cornwall
- Cornish Census and Surveys - What the census and survey records tell us about Cornwall's population
- Porthcurno. Centre of the worlds communications - World communication from Porthcurno linking Britain to its empire.
- Warleggan, once isolated and insular - The story of a village, once one of the most isolated in Cornwall and its eccentric vicar
- Cornish historic road bridges - Background to Cornish roads. two of Cornwall's historic bridges Treverbyn and Wadebridge.
July to December 2023
- King Arthur, Cornwall's Arthurian legacy - The origins of the King Arthur legend in Cornwall
- St Veep a once busy quiet parish - Riverside village of Lerryn and nearby haunting ruins of 1920's Tivoli Park
- Antique books share stories - Lost buildings, historic dance, ancient ruins. Looking at Penzance, Rescorla and Roche.
- Tamar Valley medieval jewel - Cotehele Estate with its house, gardens, woodland and quay. A terrific place to visit.
- Enjoying the Fowey Estuary - Biodiverse environment meets historic buildings and sites of interest and wonderful views.
- Climate aids Cornish farming - Cornwall's mild winters and warm damp climate with global warming aids new crops and products
- Gwennap a rich mining history - A tour around Gwennap parish its villages, and some of its many sites of interest.
- Unsentimental journey to the Lizard - Mrs Craik and her 'ducklings' first leg of their visit to Cornwall to the Lizard.
- St Mawgan in Pydar historic and modern villages - Two very different villages in this historic parish
- Trevelyan a dark history - A look at this old Cornish family and the dark side of their history including during the Irish famine
- Cardinham a parish full of history - Hillfort, medieval castle remains, historic church to crosses and inscribed stones.
- Cornwall its environment and heritage - An overview of Cornwall statutory protected areas, AONB's, SSSI's and local offerings
- Cornish fishing, the early years - Looking at fishing in Cornwall and Cornish coastal communities during the medieval period
- The Poly, encouraging innovation in Cornwall - Origins of the Royal Cornwall Polytechnic in the early and mid-19th century.
- Cornish folktales and stories saved - Cornish folklore, myths and legends saved by Robert Hunt, William Bottrell and others
- Morwenstow - Cornwall's most northly parish - Hawker country, beautiful and interesting coastline and interior villages
- Bypassed but not forgotten - Often referred to as Cornwall's forgotten corner this is an interesting and beautiful part of Cornwall.
- Passed Cornish Storms - A look at some past 19th century storms that had an effect on Cornwall and some communities
- Medieval Education in Cornwall - Mostly based around religious houses the Reformation changed much to Cornish education
- Padstow Haven and the infamous Doom Bar - Padstow a port from medieval times has been plagued by the infamous Dunbar
- Cornish heritage at risk - A look at the 2023 Historic England entries for Cornwall and some of those places mentioned
- Coverack to Porthoustock a deadly coastline - Small fishing villages, beautiful scenery, dangerous coastline, death on the rocks
- Some eminent Truronian buildings - Grand buildings from the seventeen to twentieth centuries grace Truro's streets.
- Debating Cornish People - Students debate Cornish people they believe deserve greater recognition, perhaps beyond Cornwall.
- For the love of Cornwall - Reviewing 'A Cornish Chorus' uplifting poems, prose and descriptions published in 1948 (Download)
- Reviewing Ertach Kernow 2023 - A look at the wide range of Cornish historic, cultural and environmental topics covered in 2023
January to June 2024
- Continuing early travels in Cornwall - Considering early travellers and writers to Cornwall from the 15th century
- Visiting Land's End - The development of Land's End from some of its earliest visitors and as a tourist destination
- Tragedy at Wheal Owles - Human tragedy and death in Cornish mining this looks at at Wheal Owles and the 1893 disaster
- Beautiful Historic Calstock - An overview of this lovely largely rural parish on the Tamar from its earliest days
- Glynn Valley engineering feats - The still beautiful Glynn Valley, a look at some man made changes throughout the ages
- The Roscarrock's of Roscarrock - A historic farmstead giving its name to a longstanding Cornish family
- Origins of the Royal Geological Society of Cornwall - The men who began it and the society's aims and development
- Celia Fiennes goodbye to Cornwall - The final part of Celia's journey around Cornwall in 1698
- Perranzabuloe, St Piran’s three churches - Some 1400 years of St Piran church history in Perranzabuloe, oratory to parish church
- Limekilns a Cornish industrial legacy - A numerous remnant of 18th & 19th century Cornish industrial heritage
- Ancient Cathedral of Cornwall - Rev John Whitaker included much historic information in his book published in 1804
- Cornish historic coastal defences under spotlight - Looking at defences around the coastline from medieval to early 20th century
- Travelling Cornwall's beautiful Atlantic Highway - The nearby towns, villages, monuments and historical sights along this route
- Grampound a rotten borough made good - An important borough town's decline into a rotten borough has risen again, made good
- Granite the heart of Cornish heritage - Much of Cornwall's historic, cultural & environmental heritage is based on Cornish granite
- Roseland Peninsula Historic and culturally fulfilling - Five parishes with historic buildings and a culturally active community
- Celebrating the official recognition of Cornish Identity - Tenth anniversary of the recognition of Cornish identity acknowledged
- Cornish Celtic Way: saints' trails through Cornwall - Taking in the two medieval routes across Cornwall. St Germans to St Michael's Mount
- Seaquest Southwest a Cornish Wildlife project - A look at the Seaquest project and the north coast marine groups involved
- Recording and preserving Kernow's milestone legacy - Recognising Cornwall's fantastic range and number of historic milestones
- The Cornish Magazine revisited 60 years ago - What was being discussed back in 1964, mining still existing and an issue of interest
- Cornwall the last bastion of broad-gauge railways - Brunel's broad-gauge lasted in Cornwall until 1892 then came the great change
- Touring Cornwall with author Daniel Defoe - Famous early 18th century author of Robinson Crusoe on his tour of Cornwall
- Cadgwith and the Cornish parishes of Grade-Ruan - Three merged parishes and the village of Cadgwith, a beautiful area of Cornwall.
- Kernewek the Celtic language of Cornwall - History of Kernewek, its fall and now its recovery and growth as part of a Cornish nation
- The Trevithick Society & Cornish mining heritage - One of Cornwall's outstanding preservation and knowledge sharing societies
July to December 2024
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- Inspiring young interest In Cornish archaeology - Archaeology Festival and the rebirth of the Cornish Young Archaeology Club
- Old guidebooks illustrate growth of Cornish towns - Bude & Falmouth in mid-19th century guide books
- Taxation in Cornwall and its early administration - A look at how the Cornish were taxed by the Anglo-Saxons and Normans
- Cornish ancient sites on heritage risk list - Many lesser known sites are at risk and need volunteer help to prevent destruction
- Cornwall's heritage so vital for our economy - Is Cornwall being destroyed by mass tourism and incomers with no heritage interests?
- Cornish involvement in the Wars of the Roses - A history topic not readily taught in Cornish schools, but perhaps should be.
- Foreshore rights income for Cornwall’s earls and dukes - Where the earls and dukes of Cornwall received their Cornish income from.
- The 18th century Cornish travels of Dr Pococke - A well travelled clergyman takes a trip aground Cornwall in 1750.
- A historic market town, Callington’s beginnings - Mentioned in Domesday, Callington an important early Cornish market town
- The relatively unknown Cornish parish of Lezant - Lezant a largely rural parish, the area likely unknown to most Cornish residents.
- Emily Hobhouse a Cornish humanitarian remembered & honoured - A new Cornish museum now open at St Ive.
- The mysterious history of Temple parish church - Built by Knights Templar the falling into ruin saw a 19th century rebuild.
- Intangible heritage key to Cornish distinctiveness - How Cornish intangible heritage makes Kernow a nation.
- St Buryan a community with ancient antiquities - Historic church, stone circles, passage burial chamber and much, much more.
- Well-known Cornish places with myths and legends - Cornish legends are an important part of Cornwall’s intangible heritage
- Beautiful Luxulyan Valley and an interesting parish - Great combination of beauty and interest at Luxulyan and its valley
- Cornish shipbuilding from prehistoric times - An overview of historic development of boat and shipbuilding in Cornwall
- Celtic feast days and later Cornish traditions - From ancient times to the modern day Celtic themed festivals held in Cornwall
- Lewis Hind’s ‘Day’s in Cornwall’ during 1907 - Lewis Hind begins his journey on foot around Cornwall in typical Cornish weather
- Lanivet a brief snapshot of a historic churchtown - The centre of Cornwall, Lanivet has a lovely church with ancient crosses
- John Norden mapping the Penwith hundred - 16th century topographer maps and describes the Penwith Hundred
- Cornish heritage at risk the winners & losers - Heritage site winners off the at risk register. Sadly some losers added to it in 2024
- Planet Neptune discovered by Cornish farmers son - John Couch Adams became an esteemed astronomer and mathematician
Click the newspaper image to read our latest article in full as published in the Voice, Cornish Times and Cornish & Devon Post, including the Heritage Column and links.
Planet Neptune discovered by a Cornish farmers son
Planet Neptune discovered by a Cornish farmers son
A column is available on the Ertach Kernow pages now covered in the Cornish Voice newspaper editions, Cornish Times, and Cornish & Devon Post for Cornish heritage groups or organisations to share newsworthy information. Please contact associationcornishheritage@gmail.com to discuss and arrange this free opportunity to share your news in newspaper editions throughout Cornwall, our website and our wider social media platforms.