History UsefulNotes / Cornwall

Ahh, Cornwall. Or Kernow in Cornish. A small county at the south-western tip of UsefulNotes/TheWestCountry, but also so much more than that.

* Creator/DaphneDuMaurier, author of ''Literature/{{Rebecca}}'' and many other works, was born in London but lived in Cornwall for much of her life and drew great inspiration from the area.

** Her short story ''The Birds'' is set in Cornwall. Of course, it's been [[AdaptationDisplacement eclipsed]] by [[Film/TheBirds the better-known]] FilmOfTheBook by Creator/AlfredHitchcock, who moved it to UsefulNotes/{{California}}.

* ''The Pale Horseman'', the second novel in [[Creator/BernardCornwell Bernard Cornwell's]] ''[[Literature/TheSaxonStories Saxon Stories]]'', has the Saxon protagonist Uhtred briefly visit Cornwall and get entangled in the local politics.
** Sticking with Bernard Cornwell, Tristan, the Edling (crown prince) of Kernow, is a loyal ally of Arthur in Literature/TheWarlordChronicles, until Derfel and Arthur have to deal with the fall-out from the Literature/TristanAndIseult affair in ''Enemy of God''.

** Among Winston Graham's other novels is ''The Grove of Eagles'', an historical novel set in Elizabethan Cornwall which focuses on the RealLife Killigrew family and has several (other) real people, notably Sir Walter Raleigh and Elizabeth I herself.

* ''Series/{{Poldark}}'' and the novels on which it's based are set in Cornwall. The author, Winston Graham, lived in Cornwall for many years. The 2015-19 series saw Cornwall benefit from a notable TouristBump, with postcards depicting [[MrFanservice Aidan Turner]] proving to be particularly popular!

* Sticking with Bernard Cornwell, Tristan, the Edling (crown prince) of Kernow, is a loyal ally of Arthur in Literature/TheWarlordChronicles, until Derfel and Arthur have to deal with the fall-out from the Literature/TristanAndIseult affair in ''Enemy of God''.

* Although Jim Hawkins is the son of a Bristol innkeeper (and therefore most definitely ''not'' Cornish), ''Literature/TreasureIsland'' does have a few hints of Cornwall, and not just because of [[TalkLikeAPirate Robert Newton's accent]] in [[Film/TreasureIsland1950 the film]]. Squire Trelawney is named for an old Cornish family [[note]] 'Tre' is a common preface in Cornish surnames; as the old rhyme states: "By the Tre, and Pol, and Pen, ye shall know the Cornishmen"[[/note]] and one of his servants, Redruth, is named for a Cornish town. Also, at the time when Creator/RobertLouisStevenson was writing it, the only pub in England called the Admiral Benbow was the one in Penzance.

* Myth/KingArthur, in some versions of the story. According to [[Literature/HistoriaRegumBritanniae Geoffrey of Monmouth]], Arthur's mother Igraine was wife to Gorlois Duke of Cornwall. She was [[BedTrick bedded by the disguised Uther Pendragon]] at Tintagel, the result being Arthur. Camelford has been suggested as a possible location for Camelot, while nearby Slaughterbridge has been suggested as the site of Camlann; an inscribed memorial stone dating from the sixth century at the latter is popularly known as "King Arthur's Stone" [[note]] although as the "slaughter" part probably derives from the Old English word for "marsh", the name provides no proof that a battle was fought there[[/note]].

* The Duchy of Cornwall is the oldest dukedom in England, dating back to [[LeetLingo 1337]]. The title of Duke of Cornwall is held by the eldest legitimate son of [[UsefulNotes/TheBritishRoyalFamily the British monarch]] - but [[FollowInMyFootsteps only if they are next in line of succession to the throne]]. Hence, Prince William is the present Duke of Cornwall [[IHavemanyNames among his other titles]]; his present wife, Camilla, primarily uses the title Duchess of Cornwall.

* The Duchy of Cornwall is the oldest dukedom in England, dating back to [[LeetLingo 1337]]. The title of Duke of Cornwall is held by the eldest legitimate son of [[UsefulNotes/TheBritishRoyalFamily the British monarch]] - but [[FollowInMyFootsteps only if they are next in line of succession to the throne]]. Hence, Prince Charles is the present Duke of Cornwall [[IHavemanyNames among his other titles]]; his present wife, Camilla, primarily uses the title Duchess of Cornwall.

Cornwall has [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Piran%27s_Flag its own flag]], the Cross of St Piran (white cross on a black background). It's widely flown west of the Tamar and is available on badges, bumper stickers, etc. From around 2002 onwards, knowledge of this elsewhere has led to most other English counties adopting their own flags.

* Richard Trevithick, the first person to build a moving locomotive. The folk song "Camborne Hill" celebrates the first journey made by this vehicle on Christmas Eve, 1801.

* UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}}. According to legend, He visited Cornwall (and Glastonbury, which is in Somerset) during His youth. The legends say that He did so in the company of Joseph of Arimathea, to whom He was related (on His mother's side, obviously) -- Joseph being a tin merchant who had trading connections with Cornwall. These legends inspired Creator/WilliamBlake to write the poem "And did those feet in ancient time", the basis for the hymn "Jerusalem".

Cornwall has an ongoing rivalry with Devon, its neighbour across the Tamar and the only other county with which it shares a border. To outsiders (especially those not from the rest of the UK), the whole "cream or jam first" debate may seem tame, but this is serious stuff [[note]] this relates to the West Country delicacy that is the cream tea; in Cornwall, they spread jam on the scone first, to the point where "jam first" has to all intents and purposes become an unofficial motto of Cornwall, while in Devon it’s cream first. Both sides insist that their way is best and the other lot are wrong. Actual scientists have conducted detailed studies on which is the most effective method. Only in Britain[[/note]]. A few years ago historians claimed to have found evidence of pasties being made in Devon mining villages before the earliest known making of them in Cornwall, to the indignation of the Cornish who claimed that this was cultural appropriation [[note]] Tin was mined in parts of Devon as well as Cornwall; pasties were popular with working people (especially miners) because they stay warm for several hours and form a complete meal that can be carried easily and eaten without cutlery[[/note]]. Wars have been fought over less. The Cornish pasty actually has Protected Geographic Indication status; if it’s not made in Cornwall, you can’t call it a ''Cornish'' pasty. The regulatory body which defines what a Cornish pasty is the Cornish Pasty Association, sometimes humourously (or perhaps semi-seriously) referred to as the "pasty police".

** King UsefulNotes/CharlesI offered to elevate Cornwall to a ''kingdom'' during the English Civil War in return for support from Sir Bevil Grenville. Though this didn't happen, up until the Great Reform Act of 1832 Cornwall was ridiculously over-represented in Parliament due to a corrupt practice of enfranchising boroughs where hardly anyone lived.

* The poet Sir John Betjeman enjoyed family holidays in Cornwall as a child and moved there in later life, taking inspiration from the churches and the landscape.

* UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}}. According to legend, He visited Cornwall (and Glastonbury, which is in Somerset) during His youth. The legends say that He did so in the company of Joseph of Arimathea, to whom He was related (on His mother's side, obviously) - Joseph being a tin merchant who had trading connections with Cornwall. These legends inspired Creator/WilliamBlake to write the poem "And did those feet in ancient time", the basis for the hymn "Jerusalem".

* Brenda Wootton, the folk singer best remembered for her renditions of traditional Cornish songs like "Camborne Hill", "Lamorna" and "Pasties and Cream".

Cornwall is known for sunshine (which comes as a surprise to its inhabitants), stunning coastal scenery, tin mining, fishing, surfing, farming, great beaches, Cornish pasties, [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wrecking_%28shipwreck%29 wrecking]], holidays (for people who live elsewhere in the UK), cider, smuggling, clotted cream, mining, granite, Myth/KingArthur, Cornish pasties, fishing, mining, farming, the [[http://www.edenproject.com Eden Project]], a long-standing rivalry with Devon, farmers driving tractors on main roads, the [[OurCryptidsAreMoreMysterious Beast of Bodmin Moor]], surfing, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornish_language its own language]] that went extinct around 1777 but is currently undergoing [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornish_language_revival a revival]], [[OverlyLongGag mining, fishing, farming, Cornish pasties]] and a dialect that is nigh-indeciperable to anyone from 'up country', otherwise known as [[UsefulNotes/{{Britain}} England]]. Large stretches of the coastline, as well as Bodmin Moor, are protected as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Cornwall has an ongoing rivalry with Devon, its neighbour across the Tamar and the only other county with which it shares a border. To outsiders (especially those not from the rest of the UK), the whole "cream or jam first" debate may seem tame, but this is serious stuff [[note]] this relates to the West Country delicacy that is the cream tea; in Cornwall, they spread jam on the scone first, while in Devon it’s cream first. Both sides insist that their way is best and the other lot are wrong. Actual scientists have conducted detailed studies on which is the most effective method. Only in Britain[[/note]]. A few years ago historians claimed to have found evidence of pasties being made in Devon mining villages before the earliest known making of them in Cornwall, to the indignation of the Cornish who claimed that this was cultural appropriation [[note]] Tin was mined in parts of Devon as well as Cornwall; pasties were popular with working people (especially miners) because they stay warm for several hours and form a complete meal that can be carried easily and eaten without cutlery[[/note]]. Wars have been fought over less. The Cornish pasty actually has Protected Geographic Indication status; if it’s not made in Cornwall, you can’t call it a ''Cornish'' pasty.

* ''Series/{{Poldark}}'' and the novels on which it's based are set in Cornwall. The author, Winston Graham, lived in Cornwall for many years.

* ''Series/DocMartin'' is set in a small [[QuirkyTown fishing village]] - it's called Portwenn in the show but is actually Port Isaac.

* Although Jim Hawkins is the son of a Bristol innkeeper (and therefore most definitely ''not'' Cornish), ''Literature/TreasureIsland'' does have a few hints of Cornwall, and not just because of [[TalkLikeAPirate Robert Newton's accent]] in [[Film/TreasureIsland1950 the film]]. Squire Trelawney is named for an old Cornish family [[note]] 'Tre' is a common preface in Cornish surnames; as the old rhyme states: "By the Tre, and Pol, and Pen, ye shall know the Cornishmen"[[/note]] and one of his servants, Redruth, is named for a Cornish town. Also, at the time when [[Creator/RobertLouisStevenson Stevenson]] was writing it, the only pub in England called the Admiral Benbow was the one in Penzance.

** King UsefulNotes/CharlesI offered to elevate Cornwall to a ''kingdom'' during the English Civil War in return for support from Sir Bevil Grenville. Though this didn't happen, up until the Great Reform Act of 1832 Cornwall was ridiculously overrepresented in Parliament due to a corrupt practice of enfranchising boroughs where hardly anyone lived.

* Myth/KingArthur, in some versions of the story. According to [[Literature/HistoriaRegumBritanniae Geoffrey of Monmouth]], Arthur's mother Igraine was wife to Gorlois Duke of Cornwall. She was [[BedTrick bedded by the disguised Uther Pendragon]] at Tintagel, the result being Arthur.

* Richard of Cornwall - younger son of [[UsefulNotes/KingJohnOfEngland King John]]. His fascination with Myth/ArthurianLegend - the result of reading [[Literature/HistoriaRegumBritanniae Geoffrey of Monmouth]] at an impressionable age - led him to build a castle at Tintagel despite it being of no strategic value [[note]](Geoffrey's stories weren’t entirely made up; archaeologists have established that there ''was'' a high-status settlement at Tintagel in the fifth and sixth centuries AD)[[/note]]. The castle was built in a notably old-fashioned style for the time (the 1230s) to make it appear more ancient.

* Although he's actually from Oxfordshire, celebrity chef Rick Stein has lived in Cornwall for many years and owns several restaurants (ranging from the high-end Seafood Restaurant to a fish & chip shop) in the fishing town of Padstow, which is sometimes nicknamed "Padstein" due to his impact on the local economy. He explores Cornwall at length in his 2021 travelogue ''Rick Stein's Cornwall'' which, in a notable aversion of BritishBrevity, runs to 30 episodes over two series.

** ''Literature/JamaicaInn'' takes place in Cornwall and is mainly about wreckers - people tricking ships to wreak themselves on the shores of Cornwall so that they can steal their cargo. The actual Jamaica Inn is located in the village of Bolventor, just off the A30 (it used to be ''on'' the A30 until the bypass was built in the 1980s).
** In ''Literature/{{Rebecca}}'', Manderley (Max de Winter's manor house) is in Cornwall. It's based on Menabilly, the house in which Du Maurier lived near Fowey.

** ''Frenchman's Creek'' is set during the reign of UsefulNotes/CharlesII following the love short of a noble English lady and a French pirate who is terrorizing the Cornish coast.

* Although he's actually from Oxfordshire, celebrity chef Rick Stein has lived in Cornwall for many years and owns several restaurants (ranging from the high-end Seafood Restaurant to a fish & chip shop) in the fishing town of Padstow, which is sometimes nicknamed "Padstein" due to his impact on the local economy.

* Brenda Wootton, the folk singer best remembered for her renditions of traditional Cornish songs like "Camborne Hill", "Lamorna" and "The White Rose".

Cornwall is known for sunshine (which comes as a surprise to its inhabitants), stunning coastal scenery, tin mining, fishing, surfing, farming, great beaches, Cornish pasties, [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wrecking_%28shipwreck%29 wrecking]], holidays (for people who live elsewhere in the UK), cider, smuggling, clotted cream, mining, granite, KingArthur, Cornish pasties, fishing, mining, farming, the [[http://www.edenproject.com Eden Project]], a long-standing rivalry with Devon, farmers driving tractors on main roads, the [[OurCryptidsAreMoreMysterious Beast of Bodmin Moor]], surfing, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornish_language its own language]] that went extinct around 1777 but is currently undergoing [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornish_language_revival a revival]], [[OverlyLongGag mining, fishing, farming, Cornish pasties]] and a dialect that is nigh-indeciperable to anyone from 'up country', otherwise known as [[UsefulNotes/{{Britain}} England]]. Large stretches of the coastline, as well as Bodmin Moor, are protected as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

* KingArthur, in some versions of the story. According to [[Literature/HistoriaRegumBritanniae Geoffrey of Monmouth]], Arthur's mother Igraine was wife to Gorlois Duke of Cornwall. She was [[BedTrick bedded by the disguised Uther Pendragon]] at Tintagel, the result being Arthur.

Cornwall is known for sunshine (which comes as a surprise to its inhabitants), stunning coastal scenery, tin mining, fishing, surfing, farming, great beaches, Cornish pasties, [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wrecking_%28shipwreck%29 wrecking]], holidays (for people who live elsewhere in the UK), cider, smuggling, clotted cream, mining, granite, KingArthur, Cornish pasties, fishing, mining, farming, the [[http://www.edenproject.com Eden Project]], a long-standing rivalry with Devon, farmers driving tractors on main roads, the [[OurCryptidsAreMoreMysterious Beast of Bodmin Moor]], a language that hardly anyone speaks in real life, [[OverlyLongGag mining, fishing, farming, Cornish pasties]] and a dialect that is nigh-indeciperable to anyone from 'up country', otherwise known as [[UsefulNotes/{{Britain}} England]]. Large stretches of the coastline, as well as Bodmin Moor, are protected as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.