The Cornish Crier, Volume 12, Number 3
Cornish Heritage Society East Newsletter September 2006

President’s Report
Ann Trezona Dalrymple
Cornish American Heritage Society
14TH GATHERING
Keweenaw Peninsula, Michigan
“far from ’ome”
July 25-29, 2007
The Keweenaw Peninsula of Upper Michigan was a place
where there were large deposits of pure, elemental copper. Many
ethnic groups, skilled and unskilled, were drawn to the area to
work. According to the National Park Service between 1843 and
1914 there were 38 different ethnic groups living in the Calumet
and Hancock areas. The workers and their families endured severe
hardship and tragedy.
The people that live in this region now are proud of their
heritage and keep their history alive. The Cornish Cousins of the
area are sharing their pride in their heritage by inviting people to
join them in a five day celebration called "Far from 'ome," the
14th Gathering of Cornish Cousins. The emphasis at this
celebration will be the immigrant experience.
One of the earliest copper mines in that area was the
Central Mine north of Calumet, Michigan where many Cornish
men were employed. The mine closed in 1898 but during the
heyday of that mine there was a mining town with many company
houses, a church and a company store. You can still visit there.
My husband Barret and I visited the area in July when we
attended the CAHS board meeting. We were impressed with the
ideas and organization of the four groups who will sponsor the
Gathering. They have many activities planned including children’s
programs, as well as speakers, and entertainment. If you are
interested in attending I will have pamphlets at the meeting on
September ninth or e-mail or call me for one. We enjoyed our visit
to the area. You might even find an ancestor’s name in the research
you could do as there will be facilities for research available. I
found my grandfather’s name, James Trezona, in a list of men that
worked at the Central Mine while I was there.
Go "Far from ’ome" as your ancestors did and join many
others like you who have Cornish ancestry at the 14th Gathering.
The date is July 25-29, 2007.
RICK RESCORLA , continued
We will leave the deatils of the fateful day of 9/11
to stimulate your interest and hope you will come to see
the video. Also, we recommend these four books for you
to find at your library or local bookstore:
Heart of a Soldier, by James B. Stewart;
We Were Soldiers Once...And Young, by
Gen. Hal Moore & Joseph Galloway;
Baptism - A Vietnam Memoir, by Larry Gwin;
Modern Day Heroes: In Defense of America,
by Pete Mitchell & Bill Perkins
We also hope you visit the above mentioned
website and read the linked articles, especially the one by
James B. Stewart: "The Real Heroes Are Dead." But as
we hope the spirit will soar.
The monument erected in Rick
Rescorla’s honor in his hometown of
Hayle, Cornwall
Volume 12, Number 3 Page 39
Cornish Heritage Society East Newsletter September 2006
REPRINTED FROM
THE NEWSLETTER of the
LONDON CORNISH SOCIETY
Here are some facts about the 1500s:
Most people got married in June because they took
their yearly bath in May, and still smelled pretty good by
June. However, they were starting to smell, so brides carried a
bouquet of flowers to hide the body odour. Hence the custom
today of carrying a bouquet when getting married.
Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The
man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then
all the other sons and men, then the women and finally the
children. Last of all the babies. By then the water was so dirty
you could actually lose someone in it. Hence the saying, Don't
throw the baby out with the Bath water..
Houses had thatched roofs-thick straw-piled high,
with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals
to get warm, so all the cats and other small animals (mice,
bugs) lived in the roof. When it rained it became slippery and
sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof. Hence
the saying. It's raining cats and dogs.
There was nothing to stop things from falling into the
house. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs
and other droppings could mess up your nice clean bed. Hence,
a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded
some protection. That's how canopy beds came into existence.
The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something
other than dirt. Hence the saying, Dirt poor. The wealthy had
slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when wet, so
they spread thresh (straw) on the floor to help keep their
footing. As the winter wore on, they added more thresh until,
when you opened the door, it would all start slipping outside.
A piece of wood was placed in the entranceway. Hence the
saying a ...thresh hold..
(Getting quite an education, aren't you?)
In those old days, they cooked in the kitchen with a
big kettle that always hung over the fire. Every day they lit the
fire and added things to the pot.
They ate mostly vegetables and did not get much
meat. They would eat the stew for dinner, leaving leftovers in
the pot to get cold overnight and then start over the next day.
Sometimes stew had food in it that had been there for quite a
while.Hence the rhyme, Peas porridge hot, peas porridge
cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old.
Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made
them feel quite special.
When visitors came over, they would hang up their
bacon to show off. It was a sign of wealth that a man could,
bring home the bacon. They would cut off a little to share
with guests and would all sit around and chew the fat.
Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food
with high acid content caused some of the lead to leach onto
the food, causing lead poisoning deaths. This happened most
often with tomatoes, so for the next 400 years or so,
tomatoes were considered poisonous.
Bread was divided according to status. Workers got
the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle, and
guests got the top, or the upper crust.
Lead cups were used to drink ale or whisky. The
combination would sometimes knock the imbibers out for a
couple of days. Someone walking along the road would take
them for dead and prepare them for burial. They were laid out
on the kitchen table for a couple of days and the family
would gather around and eat and drink and wait and see if
they would wake up. Hence the custom of holding a wake.
England is old and small and the local folks started
running out of places to bury people. So they would dig up
coffins and would take the bones to a bone-house, and reuse
the grave. When reopening these coffins, 1 out of 25 coffins
were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they
realised they had been burying people alive. So they would
tie a string on the wrist of the corpse, lead it through the
coffin and up through the ground and tie it to a bell.
Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night (the
"graveyard shift") to listen for the bell; thus, someone could
be saved by the bell, or was considered a 'dead ringer'.
LONDON CORNISH SOCIETY
The London Cornish Association was founded in 1898 although there had been an annual Cornish dinner
organised some years before with a dinner in 1888. Their website at http://www.londoncornish.co.uk/ lists their
activities and also links to the Cornish Societies “at home and abroad.” They have included the Cornish American
Heritage Society with all of its affiliated societies, including CHSE. They also include the societies of our Cornish cousins
in Australia, New Zealand and other areas.
And that's the truth... Now, whoever said History was boring ! ! ! Educate someone..Share these facts with a friend..
Volume 12, Number 2 Page 40
Cornish Heritage Society East Newsletter March 2006
Death on the Lizard
by Robin Paige
Reviewed by Anne Stephens
If you like historical mysteries and just love Cornwall, this is the book for you.
Death on the Lizard is the eleventh in a series of Edwardian mysteries about Katherine and Charles Sheridan. Kate Ardleigh
is the daughter of an Irish mother and English father who grows up in New York City as an orphan living with her mother’s brother
and family. She knows nothing of her father’s family until she is invited to England by her father’s sister, who wants to make
amends with her long estranged brother’s family. Kate arrives in England, inherits the family home, Bishops Keep, meets and
marries Charles Sheridan. Charles, the second son of the Baron of Somersworth, is an amateur forensic detective and avid wireless
enthusiast. Charles’ older brother dies and Charles becomes Lord Sheridan much to his and Kate’s displeasure.
This story takes place in 1903 at the Marconi Wireless Station on the Lizard peninsula. Charles is asked to discover the
cause of recent accidents and accidental deaths at the wireless station. There is international intrigue in competing for the control of
this new invention. It’s the beginning of a new era and wireless telegraph companies are working hard to develop the new
communication technology. When Guglielmo Marconi sends the first wireless signal across the Atlantic from the station on the
Lizard, the international wireless community, scientists and financiers try to duplicate his technology by anyway possible.
The other side of this story is that Cornwall’s beauty and bucolic life is now being threatened by the wireless stations at
Mullion and at the tip on the Lizard. This progress disturbs the entire area with its unsightly buildings and tremendous noise. The
noise of the transmitting can be heard all over the Lizard. Worst of all, it occurs at night due to the time difference between the
Lizard and receiving stations in America.
This disturbs the villagers sleep and makes then irritable. It also bothers the farm animals; it frightens their cows and
diminishes the milk supply. The villagers dislike it because it shattered the peace of the moor. The Cornish people are described by
some as backward folks standing in the way of progress; the local constabulary is described as made up of simple oafs. Charles has a
different opinion and understands that progress can deteriorate community life. He collaborates with the constable for the Lizard
point. Together they bring the story to a close.
The descriptions of the Cornish countryside with the gorgeous shorelines and imposing cliffs make me wonder how sad our
ancestors must have been to leave their beautiful homeland for another country across the seas. One of the few stories I have of my
immigrant ancestors is that my great grandmother, Jane Oliver cried as she sailed past Lands End, never to return.
This is an enjoyable read for an evening by the fire or as a weekend treat. For those of us who like to see an independent
woman, even in 1903, Kate is a stunning example. She is somewhat shadowed by her exciting husband, but she does have a life of
her own. While Charles goes about his business, Kate comes up with clues he would never find on his own. Also, Kate continues
her work as a successful novelist and the owner/director of a school for girls on her Bishop Keep property.
Robin Paige is the pseudonym of the husband and wife writing team of Susan Wittig Albert and Bill Albert.
Volume 12, Number 3 Page 41
Cornish Heritage Society East Newsletter September 2006
BARLOW TRECOTHICK:
A FORGOTTEN COLONIAL CORNISH-AMERICAN HERO
By Barry E.Tracy
With this article we hope to start a new series on the Cornish in colonial New England and the states of New York and
New Jersey, the area encompassing our society. Most of the Cornish settlers in colonial America were quite humble folk,
primarily fisherman. However, others rose to the higher ranks of society, among them one man named Barlow Trecothick. I have
not been able to establish his exact roots in Cornwall, but the Trecothick family seemed to have been flourishing in the towns of
Wendron, Illogan, Ladock and Newlyn. The name Trecothick is a corruption of Trescoweck or "farmstead of the alder trees,"
according to one source.
Our subject, like several Cornishmen of his era, was actually born outside Cornwall in the village of Stepney on 27
January 1720, just east of London, and was baptised there. His father was a sea captain named Mark Trecothick and his mother
was Hannah Greenleaf. I have been unable to find anything of his other antecedents, whether or not they were also Cornish. He had
a brother Edward baptised 1721 in Stepney as well, and at that time the family resided in nearby Ratcliffe. By 1724 the family
had moved to Boston, where his sister Hannah was born the same year. They were members of King's Chapel, the preeminent
Church of England in Boston, where many of the city's elite worshipped as well. Barlow received his education and made firm
acquaintances in Boston.
He was apprenticed to a leading merchant in Boston named Charles Apthorp, and later married his daughter Grizzell
Apthorp in Boston in 1747. Barlow became a highly successful merchant in connection with the Apthorps and Tomlinsons and
together they were well established among the merchantile elite of the late eighteenth century British world. He moved to Jamaica
about 1742 and became a leading proprietor of several plantations in Antigua, Barbados and Grenada as well. It is reported that he
owned hundreds, if not thousands, of slaves who toiled producing sugar. He returned to Boston for a while, but settled
permanently in London by 1756. There he was the colonial agent for New Hampshire. Though his connections with the Royal
Governor John Wentworth, he was even made a proprietor of a grant of a township there in 1769 named Trecothick. [This town
changed its name to the current Ellsworth, NH upon its incorporation in 1802.]
In London Barlow's wealth, connections and ambition led him into the political sphere. In 1764 he became an Alderman
of Vintry Ward in London, a position held for life, or resignation. He became a sheriff of London in 1766. In 1768 he was elected
a member of Parliament, belonging to the Whig party. In this capacity he was ever the champion of the rights of Americans, as we
shall further see. In 1770, upon the death of the incumbent mayor, Barlow Trecothick was elected to fill out the remainder of the
term and he was invested with the chains of office as Lord Mayor of London.
As a lasting tribute to his American upbringing, Barlow Trecothick will always be remembered as the primary force in
leading the repeal of the hated Stamp Act of 1765. Many have claimed that in doing so he averted the Revolution a decade and
changed the course of American history. Who knows how differently things could have been if America had rebelled earlier? It is
to his credit that he led the merchant class in an upswelling of protest and lobbying to have the hated taxes recinded. With the
Americans boycotting the taxes, and forming the non-importation agreements, Britain was on the brink of economic ruin.
Barlow's eloquence and thorough knowledge of the workings of American commerce convinced Parliament to repeal the Stamp
Act. Along with Benjamin Franklin, who was also in London, the British were able to understand the necessity of changing their
tactics. Barlow's final act to assist the rights of others occured in 1772 when he supported the right of the Caribbs to remain on
their island of St. Vincent. It seems a great pity that he did not feel the same about his hundreds of slaves.
Barlow Trecothick married twice, but had no children. Upon his death in 1775 he willed his estate to various charities, as
well as to family members and friends. He offered much to his sister's son, John Ivers, on the condition that he take the surname
of Trecothick. Thus he became John Ivers Trecothick. Barlow Trecothick's legacy has often been overlooked, but he is mentioned
often in colonial records. We do not know how much of a connection he felt for his Cornish roots, but his name identifies him as
a Cornishman for sure.
The only full biography of him was written by Bryce E. Withrow in 1979, and published as "A Biographical Study of
Barlow Trecothick 1720-1775" in vol. 38, no. 3 (Summer 1992) of The Emporia State Research Studies. One may also read more
in the South Carolina Historical & Genealogical Magazine, v.32 (July 1931): "Barlow Trecothick" by Theodore D. Jervey.
An interesting connection to the family should be mentioned. Barlow Trecothick's sister Hannah (who later married
James Ivers in Boston in 1755) produced a sampler in 1738 when she was a young lady. This is now in the Museum of Fine Arts
in Boston. She embroidered the Lord's Prayer and the Creed, as was common to the era and the following credit to her work:
"Hannah Trecothick is my name, and with my needle I wrought the same, and if the workwoman had been better, she would have
mended every letter. Boston, New England, December Anno Domini 1738." One may see a reproduction of this on the internet
and even order kits to make your very own copy. Imagine, colonial Cornish craftsmanship. Good luck, ladies!
Volume 12, Number 3 Page 42
Cornish Heritage Society East Newsletter September 2006
Scilly: August 11: On the night of Wednesday last, the
Scilly Islands were visited by a thunder storm, of considerable
violence, and long continuance. The first faint openings of
lightning, and distant growlings of thunder, were observed about
nine o'clock; but, from eleven to nearly three on the following
morning, there was a constant and rapid succession of peals and
flashes. The lightning was of various colors, chiefly blue, and
forky; and seemed to play about in a variety of forms; the thunder
(with few exceptions) was not particularly loud. Some heavy
showers, which fell at interveals, tended to alleviate those
apprehensions of danger to which such an occurrence might give
rise; but several families remained up, watching, till the storm
was over. Happily, no damage was done. - A sermon was
preached on the occasion, in the church of St. Agnes, on the
following Sunday morning, from these appropriate words: "The
voice of the Lord is upon the waters: The God of glory
thundereth. The Lord is upon many water." (Psalm xxix.3)
Coroner's Inquests: On Tuesday, the 14th inst., an inquest
was held before J. Hamley, Esq., on the body of an old man
named Joseph Grigg, who being unwell was going from St.
Dennis to St. Columb to consult a medical gentleman. When
about half way on the road, he was seen to stagger and fall down;
medical aid was immediately obtained, but he very shortly
expired. Verdict "Died by the visitation of God."
The Harvest: The best field of wheat we have heard of in the
neighbourhood of Truro, is one that was cut last week by Mr.
Whitford, of Lambessow, in the parish of St. Clement. The
wheat is called the blue prolific, and the produce is considered to
be upwards of twenty Cornish bushels, or sixty imperial bushels
to the acre. We counted about 100 grains in one ear. Such a field
of wheat for seed must be particularly valuable.
Bude: The corn harvest, which is now becoming general
throughout this neighbourhood, is rapidly progressing under the
most suspicious weather and the certainty of excellent crops; and
although the sale of cattle and sheep at some of the neighbouring
fairs has been, of late, at declining prices, owing, no doubt, to
the scarcity of grass, yet we trust the general showers we have had
for the last day or two, will tend to refresh the face of the
country, and again clothe it with the needful supply of herbage.
West Briton newspaper transcripts at:
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~wbritonad/cornwall/intro.html
Transcribed by:
Rita Bone Kopp, OPC for St Stephen In Brannel and Julia Symons Mosman,
OPC for St Austell along with Isabel Harris, William Kemp and LaVelda Faull
West Briton,
14 Aug 1840, Friday
Caution To Bathers: On Tuesday afternoon, the
4th instant, as some cartmen were employed in carrying
sand for manure from Lower St. Columb Porth, four of
them left their teams, and proceeded to bathe, when they
got out of their depth, near some rocks, and one of them,
named Barrett, aged 15 years, a servant of Mr. Williams,
of Quentrel, immediately disappeared, and was drowned
before assistance could be procured. Another was brought
on shore almost dead, and remained insensible nearly
an hour. - The body of Barrett was recovered the same
evening, and on the following day an inquest was held
before J. Hamley, Esq., Verdict, "Accidentally
drowned."
On Sunday morning last, as two lads of
Southpetherwin, were bathing in an old lime quarry, one
of them slipped his foot, and the other in endeavouring
to extricate him was dragged in, and melancholy to
relate, both were drowned.
An inquest was held at Bodmin, on Thursday, the
6th instant, before Joseph Hamley, Esq., on the body of
a child, about two years of age, only son of Mr. Samuel
Hambly, grocer. The child was at play outside his
father's door, when a horse, the property of Mr. Clarke,
ran over him, and fractured his scull, which occasioned
his death within a few hours afterwards. The horse had
been tied to a gate in Castle-street, and it is supposed
that a fly must have stung him, which occasioned his
breaking away. - A verdict of "Accidental Death" was
returned.
On Wednesday, the 5th instant, an inquest was held
before Wm. Hichens, Esq., coroner, in the parish of
Illogan, on the body of John Wills, aged about 5 years
who came to his death by burning. The deceased, and
two other young children, were left by their mother on
the 4th, in her dwelling-house, whilst she went to the
well for water; and during her absence, which was only
for a few minutes, the deceased accidentally caught his
clothes on fire. The body was dreadfully burnt, and the
poor child survived the accident about two hours.
Verdict, "Accidental Death."
Volume 12, Number 3 Page 43
Cornish Heritage Society East Newsletter September 2006
14 Aug 1840, Friday
Hayle: The weather for the last ten days has been such as
the farmer can desire for ripening the corn. Harvest has
partially commenced, and if the fine weather continues, it will
be general next week in this neighbourhood. Crops are above
average; on many farms heavy. Mr. Trerise, who holds an
estate about four miles from Hayle, has cut a field of wheat,
40 sheaves of which yielded a Cornish bushel. Last year it
would have requited from 80 to 100 to produce that quantity.
Wesleyan Conference: On Wednesday morning, July
29th, the Wesleyan Conference commenced its sittings,
according to appointment, in Brunswick chapel, Newcastleupon-
Tyne. The Rev. Robert Newton was elected president,
by a very large majority; and the place of secretary was filled
by the election of the Rev. Dr. Hannah to that office. The
Wesleyan connexion, so far as reports have been made, is in a
state of great peace in all its departments; and the actual
increase of members to the society, during the last year, is
about 22,500, including nearly 6,000 reported as the increase
on the Mission stations. About 400 preachers attended the
conference, the sittings of which were expected to close on
Wednesday last. The following preachers are appointed to the
different stations in Cornwall: - Redruth. John Hobson,
Samuel W. Christophers. - Camborne. Samuel Dunn, Thomas
Withington. - Tuckingmill. James Akerman, Henry Botterell.
- Falmouth. James Mowat, John G. Wilson. - Truro. John
Hall, Henry W. Williams, John Smart. - Gwennap. Samuel
Timons. - St. Agnes. Elias Thomas, John Dawson - St.
Austell. Joseph Fletcher, Edwin J. Sturges, John Osborne. -
St. Mawes. Charles Williams - Bodmin. John Cullen,
Thomas Robinson, jun. - St. Columb. Thomas Wood, George
Millsom - Penzance. William Burt, James B. Godden. - St.
Just. Thomas Jewell, Peter Parsons - St. Ives. John Saunders,
William Appleby, Christopher Ridler. - Scilly Isles.
Battinson Kay. - Helston. Richard Williams, George Beard,
John M. Budden. - Hayle. John Smith, James Cooke, Jun.
21 Aug 1840, Friday
Truro Police: On Tuesday last, James Davey, of Truro,
generally known by the name of Gold[fish?], was brought
before W.H. Ballmore, Esq., mayor, by policeman Woolcock,
charged with stealing cabbages, and a quantity of wall fruit,
from the gardens of Mr. Tre[?]. On his way to prison, he was
noticed by Woolcock to drop from his person a part of the
stolen property, which consisted of plums and other
productions of the garden. He was committed to the house of
correction for six? months, the last two months at hard labour.
West Briton, continued
21 Aug 1840, Friday,continued
Sunday-School Anniversary: - On Sunday, the
2nd instant, two able and appropriate sermons were
delivered in the Wesleyan chapel, at St. Stephens in
Branwell church-town, to crowded congregations, by the
Rev. E.J. Sturges, of St. Austell, in and of the Sundayschool
connected with that place of worship. At the close
of the evening service, several of the children were
examined in the Wesleyan catechisms, their answers to
which gave general satisfaction. On the following
Tuesday, the teachers and children, together with the choir
belonging to the Coombe Chapel, walked in procession
from the school-room, some of the children bearing flags
with appropriate mottoes, to a field kindly lent by Mr. R.
Pall[?], where they were regaled with tea and cake, after
which Mr. Sturges again addressed them, and others of
the children were examined in the catechisms. The
benediction was pronounced, and the company separated
highly delighted.
Praiseworthy Conduct: On Wednesday, the 5th
instant, in a very severe gale from the S.E., several
fishing boats of St. Just in Penwith, were in very
considerable danger of perishing. There is no question
that some of the smaller ones must have been lost, but for
the highly-praiseworthy exertions of Captain John Corbert
and his crew, in the schooner "Commerce," of Plymouth,
which was fortunately on her voyage from S[?]. Five of
these boats, one belonging to Pendeen, one to Porth Just,
and three to Sennen Cove, with 17 men on board, were
taken in tow by the "Commerce;" and, after five hours,
got into Whitsand Bay, about nine o'clock at night. It
blew too hard to pull ashore, so Capt. C. most kindly
kept the poor fellows on board his schooner all night,
providing them with every needful refreshment an
assistance for which the fisherman desire to express their
most grateful acknowledgments. Two of the boats had
been driven more than six leagues from the shore when
Capt. Corbett bore down upon them, in answer to their
signals of distress. Several other vessels were in sight,
many of which might with less difficulty, have taken the
boats in tow, but all of them kept on their course, leaving
their fellow creatures exposed to the pitiless storm, from
the fury of which none was found to rescue them but
Capt. Corbett and his crew. We are always glad of an
opportunity of publishing each acts of humanity as tend
to raise the character of the British seaman a class to
which we are sure Capt. Corbett must be an honour.
Try this website for local news
for the year 1838.
http://west-penwith.org.uk/wb1838.htm
Volume 12, Number 3 Page 44
Cornish Heritage Society East Newsletter September 2006
HERE’S SOME UP-TO-DATE CORNISH NEWS FROM THE JUNE/JULY 2006 ISSUE OF
Cornish World
ALL SET FOR SOUTH CROFTY
South Crofty has taken another step towards tin production with
the moving of processing equipment from Wheal Jane mine near
Truro to Pool. Much of the equipment including flotation
cells, hydro-sizers, filtration units and gravity separation tables
is still in a good recoverable condition and and will be
refurbished. The news will save Baseresult, who own South
Crofty and Wheal Jane, millions of pounds in new equipment.
South Crofty closed in 1998 and was the last mine to be worked
commercially in Cornwall. Baseresult Holdings PLC claim that
South Crofty has another 80 years of life as a tin producing
mine.
PROTECTION FOR CORNISH SARDINES
The Government has backed a bid to give Cornish sardines a
special protected status by the European Union. If the bid is
successful, then only sardines caught in waters off Cornwall can
be branded and sold as Cornish produce. The bid has won the
backing of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural
Affairs. There are also efforts to give the Cornish pasty protected
status. Cornish clotted cream currently enjoys protected status
and can only be called Cornish if it comes from Cornwall.
WELCOME BACK HARRY
The seventh King Harry Ferry since 1888 has recently
started crossing the River Fal between Feock, near Truro,
and Philleigh on the Roseland peninsula. Eleven metres
longer, the new ferry can now transport 34 cars versus the
23 of the former ferry in less than 4 minutes. Progress does
not come cheap, however, with a price-tag for the 400-ton
vessel of £2.9 million. The ferry saved 27 miles on a round
trip to Truro. There has been a ferry working over the Fal for
500 years and is one of just 5 chain operated ferries in the
United Kingdom.
A BIG BITE
Two fishermen fishing off the Cornish coast have caught the
biggest shark ever to be caught on a fishing line in British
waters. The 9ft Porbeagle shark weighed between 550lb and
600 lb, the equivalent of 39 to 43 stones. It is further
evidence of fish of the deep living off the Cornish coast, and
being this early in the year poses questions about the effect
of global warming is having on marine life. When Graeme
Pullen and Peter Scott set off on a fishing trip off the
Cornish coast in the 14 ft dinghy, Lucky Strike, they
hoped for a big catch.
We are saddened to learn of the passing of two of our members: Marcella A. Curnow and
Eleanor Hocking. We hope that their loved ones will find comfort in their loss. We will have
more information on Eleanor Hocking in the next issue.
Marcella A. Curnow, aged 77, died Tuesday, May
30, 2006 in Morristown, NJ. She was the daughter of George
Danielson, Sr. and Emma Truscott, and she was born and
raised in Mine Hill, NJ. She later resided in Wharton and
Roxbury. She was retired as supervisor of housekeeping at
Morris View Nursing Home for over 20 years.
Besides being a member of our Cornish society, she
was a life member of the Mine Hill Presbyterian Church, the
Ever Young Senior Citizens of Roxbury and the Good Years
Senior Citizens of Mine Hill.
She was the wife of the late Charles F. Curnow
and was also predeceased by her daughter Lisa Curnow,
brother George Danielson, Jr. and brother-in-law Elmer
Tregenza.
She is survived by sons Thomas and Mark, three
daughters Lynn, Nancy and Wendy, as well as 12
grandchildren and four great-grandchildren and her sister
Janice Tregenza. Also surviving are the wives and
husbands of her children and siblings.
IN MEMORIAM
Marcella A. Curnow
Volume 12, Number 3 Page 45
Cornish Heritage Society East Newsletter September 2006
THE PARISH OF
HAYLE, CORNWALL
Let us hear from our members about this series on Cornish parishes. We would like to feature a
parish from eastern Cornwall in our next issue. What parish would you like to see featured in the
next issue of The Cornish Crier?
Hayle, looking back from the Towans to the Hayle Causeway
Picture by Charles Winpenny at ww.Cornwall.com.uk.
The parish of Phillack, located in the Hundred of Penwith,
was bounded on the north by Gwithian, on the east by Gwinear, on
the south by St Erth, and on the west by St Ives Bay and River
Hayle estuary - the latter separates it from Lelant. This is an area of
sand dunes stretching from the mouth of the River Hayle at Riviere
Towans, northwards to Godrevy Point. It was not mentioned in the
Domesday survey of 1086, but the area once appeared to have a
Celtic monastery.
Named from the Cornish heyl, 'estuary', the civil parish of
Hayle was formally created from part of the civil parish of Phillack
in 1888, then combined with the civil parish of Phillack in 1935
and in 1937 was incorporated as part of the civil parish of St Erth.
John Smith from Sydney, Australia is the OPC (Online
Parish Clerk) for Phillack and Hayle. He has family history
interests in Phillack and the surrounding parishes. He, like
the other OPCs are very willing to help family researchers
and others interested in the area. All he asks for in return is
a please and a thank you. I certainly thank him for the
wealth of information on his website.
His website is at:
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.co
m/~phillack/
E-mail: smith_johnl@bigpond.com
The following is just some of the wealth
of information on his website:
Churches and Church Registers - History
of local churches and transcriptions from
their registers.
Phillack Parish Church
Copperhouse Wesleyan Methodist
Chapel
St Elwyn's Hayle
Hayle Wesleyan Circuit
and
St Erth Parish Church - As that part of
Hayle known as Foundry straddled the border between
the parishes of Phillack/Hayle and St Erth, there were
many baptisms, marriages and burials at the St Erth
Parish Church that related to residents of Phillack and
Hayle.
Kelly’s 1873 Directory
Phillack Monumental Inscriptions
The 1641 Protestation Return for Phillak
List of mines in Hayle and Phillack
There are over sixty mines in the area of Hayle that have
been compiled by the late A. Hamilton Jenkin, in his
series of booklets titled Mines and Miners of Cornwall.
John Smith has a copy of this volume and states on his
website: “Contact me if you would like further
information on any of the mines listed or the people
associated with these mines”.
There are two other items of interest in this site:
A page for RickRescorla page, as Hayle was his home town.
Information on the Cornish Copper Company, its history and
also a list of company employees with their birthdates. Here is a
section of the lisstings for H where I found two members of my
extended HONEYCHURCH family there.
By Anne Stephens
SURNAME FIRST BORN TRADE
HOLMAN WILLIAM 1816 Boilermaker
HONEYCHURCH BENJAMIN 1805 Labourer
HONEYCHURCH WILLIAM 1821 Labourer
HOOPER JOHN 1829 Engineer
HOOPER WILLIAM 1806 Hammerman
Volume 12, Number 3 Page 46
Cornish Heritage Society East Newsletter September 2006
Ford-Faesch Mansion
Our spring meeting was held on June 3, 2006 with twenty-seven members and visitors attending. As usual, lunch with
pastys from Rocky’s preceded the meeting. Our program for the day was a field visit to Mt. Hope in Rockaway Township, with a
brief glimpse of the old Mt. Hope Methodist Church and a tour of the Ford-Faesch Mansion. More than twenty members made
the trip to Mt. Hope on a rainy Saturday afternoon.
The Historical Society of the Rockaways hosted the tour of the mansion with an interesting question and answer period.
During the heyday of the iron mining in northern New Jersey, the Mt Hope Mine was one of the largest in the area. The Mt. Hope
Methodist Church was established in 1868 to meet the needs of the Cornish mining families in the area. At that time, the Ford-
Faesch mansion was the home of the mining captain. Prior to the erection of the church building, church services were held in his
home.
We thank the members of the Historical Society and those of the Ford-Faesch Mansion Restoration Society,
Lynda de Victoria and Don Erickson, for their interesting program.
NEW MEMBERS
We welcome two members this quarter.
Sharon Hawkinson
1700 Voerman Rd
Whitefish, Montana
Researching HONEYCHURCH, TALLON
Sharon’s grandfather, William Honeychurch
Tallon grew up in Wharton and attended St.
Johns Methodist Church. Recruited by Anne
Stephens
Linda Verge
102 Main Street
Succasunna, NJ 07876
Researching Spargo, Cornish, Atno,
Crater, Read
Linda attended our June meeting with
her daughter.
Recruited by member Jan Pedersen
Volume 12, Number 3 Page 47
Cornish Heritage Society East Newsletter September 2006
MEMBER ADDITIONS:
B06 Arlene S Bice
434 Holiday Drive
Macon, NC 27551
252-257-4838
asbice@aol.com
C05 Margaret Carne
322 York St
Jersey City NJ 07302-4011
201-451-6205
mcarne@comcast.net
ADDRESS CORRECTION
V01 Nancy Van Evera
6 Dyer Drive
Clifton Park NY 12065
518-877-8308
nirv4612@aol.com
ARTHUR
C05 REDRUTH
ASHBOURNE
C05 REDRUTH
ATNO
V04 ALL CORNWALL
BICE
B06 ALL CORNWALL
CARNE
C05 CRANTOCK,
NEWQUAY
CORNISH
V04 ALL CORNWALL
CRATER
V04 ALL CORNWALL
CROCKER
C05 CRANTOCK
DANIELS
B06 ALL CORNWALL
DARRAH
B06 ALL CORNWALL
HONEYCHURCH
H05 ST ERTH
KEVERN
P05 ALL CORNWALL
KNEEBONE
C05 LANNER
KNUCKEY
G02 ALL CORNWALL
P05 Joyce Post
171 Beaver Run Rd
Lafayette NJ 07848
973-875-5232
V04 Linda Verge
102 Main Street
Succasunna NJ 07876
973-584-2529
alverge@optonline.net
G02 Cliff & Jane Greenwald
2190 Dogwood Lane
Sea Girt NJ 08750
732-449-8221
CliffandJane@msn.com
H05 Sharon Hawkinson
1900 Voerman Rd
Whitefish MT 59937
406-862-3356
honeypic@cyberport.net
MARTYN
C05 QUINTRELL
MAYNE
P05 CAMBORNE
READ
V04 ALL CORNWALL
SPARGO
V04 ALL CORNWALL
TALLON
H05 ST IVE, ST CLEER,
BLISLAND
WELLINGTON
G02 ST AUSTELL
P05 ALL CORNWALL
Connecting Cornish Cousins Program
—additions and corrections—
MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION FOR CHSE
Name:________________________________ Phone: _____________________________
Street: _______________________________ E-mail: _____________________________
Town: _________________________________State:_____________Zip: _____________
Cornish ancestors: Names and parishes, if known:
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Send to: Anne Stephens, CHSE, 23 Weldon Road, Lake Hopatcong, NJ 07849

Vol 12# 4

NADELIK LOWEN HA BLYTHEN NOWEDH DA !
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
As the year ends, we are grateful for all of our blessings and wish good things to all. Our newsletter is graced with a truly
beautiful antique greeting card; thanks to Gerry for sharing this. Among other interesting items, is a story of a fascinating traveling
chest and a small tribute to one of our member's Century Celebration! We are pleased to offer our readers the Connecting Cornish
Cousins data, thanks to Anne Stephens' planning and hard work. We recently started a couple of new series: Cornish parishes and
Cornish in the colonial northeast. Though missing from this issue, we hope to offer an overview of Saltash, including Landrake,
Landulph and Botus Fleming soon. Look forward to articles on some interesting colonial Cornish note-worthies as Samuel
Penhallow, Nicholas Trerise and the Rev. Hugh Peters. Other items to add to your pleasure are proposed articles on the Wherry
Mine in Cornwall, Cornish Quakers, [some of whom settled New Jersey in the 1600s] and some uniquely Cornish sports: hurling
and wrestling. Also, we are encouraging an article about the donors to the stained glass windows of the St. John's Methodist
Church in Wharton where we meet. Please join us, and keep company with your Cornish Cousins! - Ed.