The Cornish Crier, Volume 13, Number 3 Gwynngala/September 2007 Newsletter of the Cornish Heritage Society East for the Cornish of New England, New York and New Jersey STERLING HILL MINING MUSEUM in OGDENSBURG, NEW JERSEY Our next meeting will be an outing on SUNDAY, Sept. 9th to what promises to be a very interesting trip. First we will meet at our members' home for a lunch and brief business meeting, then proceed to the mine. Some of us have been there before, but for those who have not, this should not be missed. The Sterling Mine is named for the New Jersey Revolutionary hero William Alexander, Lord Sterling, who tried to exploit the ores here during his years of ownership from 1761 to 1776. The mine is famous for zinc and rocks that fluoresce. The closure of the mine in 1986 also meant the end of mining in the state. Preservationists established the museum in 1990 to leave a legacy for the future to ponder. “far from 'ome” The 14th Gathering of CAHS by Ann Trezona Dalrymple When Cornish immigrants came to the Keweenaw Peninsula they were looking for new employment and a more prosperous life. In Cornwall, mining jobs were becoming harder to find and as a result economic and social conditions were poor. These conditions were the reason many Cornishmen, sometimes with their families, left their 'ome for a better future. Many of those miners were drawn to the work in the copper mines in the Keweenaw Peninsula in Michigan. This Immigrant Experience was the theme of the 14th Gathering in Calumet. The opening day of the Gathering began with a replica of the Flora or Furry Day held in Helston, Cornwall in May. Howard Curnow, a Cornish Bard, lead the procession as the Town Crier as he has in Helston for thirty one years. The lead dancers were born in Helston and were followed by other dancers dancing to the traditional tune. The sponsoring societies for the Gathering followed with their banners. Although it was a very hot day, we had just a little bit of Cornwall! >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Horse and wagon used to travel between the different sites for meetings Barret and Ann Trezona Dalrymple in front of the Central Mine Churcn During the first three days of the Gathering thirty eight seminars were offered to those attending. As you might expect there were many seminars offered relating to family search, cemetery research but other offerings included Cornish smuggling, dialect, family history scrap booking, Cornish language as well as Cornish cookbook, sing along and rug braiding and these are just examples as there were many more offered! I was particularly interested in a seminar called Bal Maidens: Women and Girls of Cornish Mines. My very young grandmother Eliza Ann Pidwell Trezona was listed in the 1891 Census as a 'mine girl' which they said was the name census takers used for a Bal Maiden. This was another piece to fit into our family puzzle. Bal maidens were girls and women who worked above ground doing the hard work of dressing the ore. There were many families attending with children. These children attended special programs designed especially for them and they made new friends as well. In the evenings we were entertained. Wednesday evening a local group called White Water sang folk and local songs and accompanied themselves on many different stringed instruments. It was excellent! The Holman-Climax Male Voice Choir, one of Cornwall's premier choirs, sang for us the second night and it was really exciting to hear those wonderful Cornish voices. This choir was originally formed to help raise funds for the victims of the Luftwaffe blitz during WW II. On the third night, we had our banquet which was served in the local armory. Harry 'Safari' Glasson told great Cornish stories and sang wonderful Cornish songs that night. Harry, a Cornish Bard, is well known throughout Cornwall for his delightful stories and songs. For the next two days we were outside of Calumet at the Central Mine. Although there were many mines in the UP, the Central Mine seemed to be the mine where you would find the Cornish miner. A large village developed around the mine and a lovely church was built as a religious and social center for the community. That church and surroundings were the center of our visit. Many activities took place during these two days. It was a beautiful, clear, hot day and was perfect for the activities such as hikes, games, story telling, etc. The day began with the Bardic Ceremony. In the heat, the Bards put on their blue robes and hoods to take part in the Bardic Ceremony. Howard Curnow conducted the ceremony in the Cornish language. The Gorseth Kernow is dedicated to the preservation of Cornwall's unique Celtic spirit through the recognition of those active in the arts including literature, language, music and the decorative arts. There is no relation to Druidism or pagan practices in this ceremony. In the late afternoon, a church service took place in the Central Mine Church followed by a pasty picnic and sing around. All in all it was a delightful day! On Sunday two services took place at the Central Mine Church. It was the 101st reunion, an historic tradition in the area. A tea followed and then many people left for home. All in all, it was a wonderful Gathering with many people learning about the immigrant experiences. There are two books you might want to read that relates to our experience in Calumet. The first one is called THE LONG WINTER ENDS that is a reprint of the 1941 novel by Newton G. Thomas. It is the story of a young emigrant who left Cornwall to find work in the mines of the upper peninsula of Michigan. I found it very informative as it told about experiences that a young man had in that far off place. The second book is called BAL MAIDENS, THE WOMEN AND GIRLS OF THE CORNISH MINES by Lynne Mayers. This book is an excellent history of those women and young girls who worked at the surface of the mines. It tells of the dress, the hardships and the work they were expected to do. Life was very hard for the women and girls of this era. zz Volume 13, Number 3 Page 3 Cornish Heritage Society East Newsletter Gwynngala/September 2007 Holman-Climax Male Voice Choir Harry Safari THE LAST OF THE CELTS, By Marcus Tanner A Book Review by Barry E. TRACY Every so often a new defense or lament appears in print about the demise or tenacious struggle of the surviving Celtic peoples. It is invariably a combination, as it seems the Celts are always on the way out, yet we often hear glad tidings of the Celtic Revival and rejoice at the latest reprieve. The famous sculpture of Caesar's Dying Gaul seems to haunt us at every turn. Passing through the mystical Celtic world, one often as not expects to see the latest antics of the “little people” or perhaps find the latest faddish style in custom tartan. Would you like to see the pattern of the Welsh Patagonians, the East Wevilshire coat of arms, or perhaps the Asturian battle dress kilt with matching bag pipes? Oh, please don't forget to check out the websites of our neighbors in Celtic Devon. Have you seen their new flag? Reminds me of St. Piran, with an added shade of green for good luck! It appears that Celts are hiding everywhere they once held sway, and are just now blooming along the path as we travel with our author on his sampling of the last of us with an explanation of how we got to be the very last (at least until the next study). Please don't jump to hasty conclusions. I enjoy reading this book; it is an ongoing process, to which I return again and again. Mr. Tanner offers us a passionate glimpse into our Celtic world, and we beg for more. For readers of the Cornish Crier, let us examine the section he presents about our kin, the Cornish at home. Many of the attitudes expressed above give the clear perception that the Cornish themselves were not considered truly Celtic by other Celts even a hundred years ago. We lost our language. We lost our independence over a thousand years ago. We had no recorded Celtic music, no pipes, no haunting flutes, no tartans, no festivals as in Wales. But we had our stories, our legends, our very un-English place names, our choir voices to match those of our Welsh cousins, pasties, 'rasslin' and above all, our Celtic souls. We were Celts then, and we are Celts today. This is the thrust of the Celtic Revival. It is either something that was lost, is being lost, or is being revived. The Cornish were always poor, but we were proud. Struggle hard we did, and we survived and we flourished. Think about this: a century ago no one spoke Cornish, couldn't have learned it if they had wanted to, yet today there are a few competing groups arguing about which variety and spelling of the Cornish language is best. How silly to be able to either insult, mystify or totally bewilder your Cousins Jack and Jenny with a selection of clever Cornish greeting cards. Those possessing a particular brand of a Cornish-English dictionary can translate the greetings, if lucky, or, because of the preferred spelling differences, perhaps be insulted with an unintended vulgarity. Yet this shows the life being breathed into our long lost tongue. A lively Celtic debate is surely more fun that a boring academic discourse on the pluperfect of the second person singular of the verb 'to be.' So now the Cornish have their very own yellow and black tartan, with kilts, matching tie, and even a Cornish sporran. You can even play your very own Cornish bagpipes to boot! This reviewer admits to owning a Cornish tartan tie, (I've even worn it), but please, keep the kilts. I'm part-Highland Scots through my McIntosh ancestors, and attending a wonderful Scottish festival is terrific on the one hand, but this part-Cornishman just can't see his Cornish part dressed in a Cornish kilt. Leave that for someone of bolder heart! Neither do I see the Welsh or Bretons running around this way. Let's be proud of our choirs, our pasties and cream, the centuries old Furry Dance, the Padstow Hobby-Horse, and “crying the neck”. Let's bring back real Cornish wrestling! You see, the Celt in me couldn't resist the chance to put in his own two cents. I beg our readers to debate with me. Come on, Celtic Cousins, let's join Marcus Tanner and prove to him that WE are not the Last of the Celts. President's Message - Barry E. Tracy I surely hope all are enjoying the summer, but I admit I can't wait for the glorious fall and the cooler weather! By now I am certain that most of our members are aware that I will have to step down from the presidency since I will not be able to attend our meetings on Saturdays. This is with my deepest regrets, but I have to persue another path. I'm sure that our membership realizes how very special our Cornish Society is to me and what wonderful times we have shared together. I will continue in office until we can find my replacement, at which time I will submit a formal resignation to the society. I plead with our newer members to consider taking the vacant position. It is one that does not really require great skills of oratory or CEO management capabities. Just come regularly, smile and share the joy of being Cornish (even if you boast other roots as well; we are most welcoming!). I would like to recount some of the highlights that CHSE has offered me, but I'll begin with some background as well. Let me say that my interest in Cornwall began over forty years ago when I was perusing our family set of encyclopedias and I read a short article about Cornwall and then about the Cornish language. I was fascinated that an extinct language was once spoken on British soil. Send me a tantilizing piece of esoterica and I'm running to find out more! So I did, and over the years learned more and more and even more. Imagine my thrill over thirty years ago when I was bitten by the genealogy bug and to my delight discovered Cornish ancestry on BOTH sides of the family! In the early 1980s Bob Rowe of Michigan had a national Cornish Society running, which eventually ceased. And here in New York City there was the wonderful Rivendell book store of Celtic materials in the East Village. Well, both are gone now, but when I read an advertisement nearly 12 years ago about a new national Cornish society and even one in New Jersey, I was ready to postpone Heaven for a while. So glad I did! Though I've missed some of the meetings, I always felt badly if I did. Our speakers, video presentations, trips here and there, and our social gatherings around the tables were worth that postponement. I'm certainly going to remain a member, and hope to offer my talents along with our editorial team to give you the best newsletter possible. I'm hoping we can have one meeting a year on a Sunday, if you all find that convenient. Might I suggest that be for the June meeting when the weather is more cooperative, and we might plan an outing, such as the one this September 9th to the Sterling Mine in Ogdensburg? I look forward to seeing all of you, and am most grateful for all of your support (including rides!) and kind wishes. Let's enjoy ourselves! The Rev Borlase of Ludgvan was wiser than his parishioners might have supposed. When he noted in 1736 that 'there are no women to be hired in this parish for friendship or money, being employed about copper,' he made an observation that 21st century historians are just starting to investigate: that women in Cornwall were as, if not more, independent than their English sisters. It's a pattern that's evident from a glance at the lives of Cornish women over the centuries. The Duchy's geography and climate and its unique industrial and cultural heritage have given women the chance to break the mould: periods of great deprivation, insecurity of employment and reliance on limited sources of income have forced women to diversify and find new ways to support themselves and their families. The domestic range of work for women in Cornwall was wide and diffuse: childbearing and child-care, weaving and sewing, dairying, cooking, storing, kitchen-gardening, brewing and candle-making. Much time had to be spent gathering fuel, both for baking and washing, and storing for winter. Washdays without running water, electricity and gas constituted an almighty struggle. So wide was the field of work in a family home or in domestic service that it was not recorded, just assumed. Until recently Cornish women's contributions both to Cornwall and to the UK have been largely unexplored. Researching women's work in Cornwall is a struggle in itself as there's little evidence and few statistics. While the names of Cornwall's movers and shakers are well known, most of the women who worked on and under our land remain nameless. Balmaidens, pipe-smoking fishwives, knitting factory workers, pilchard packers, seine net menders, and farmers' wives were all integral parts of their respective industries. Infections were rife, industrial accidents common, and women frequently died in childbirth, leaving daughters to take their place at the core of the family. Although it's well known that women worked for Cornwall's mines until the 20th century, there are no accurate figures to show how many or who these women were. Both local mine managers' records and official census figures vary widely and contemporary reports tend to reveal more about their writers than their subjects. Nonetheless, it's now being recognised that Cornwall's balmaidens made a huge contribution to Cornwall's economy and culture and, more widely, to women's gradual achievement of equality. The lack of written evidence about the balmaidens is meaningful in itself. It reveals much about their status and the Women's Work Women's Work Were Cornish women really more emancipated than their sisters elsewhere in Britain? nature of their work, which was flexible, unskilled and often seasonal, and much about the nature of the Cornish mining industry as a whole. The balmaidens in fact played a vital if little documented role in Cornwall's mining economy. These young women, many of whom were under 18, worked in the open air wheeling barrows, separating tin and copper ore from rock with heavy hammers and grinding it on anvils. Journalists and writers told tales of plucky girls who sang at their work, but there's no doubt that there was little to sing about. Pay was low and sometimes non-existent or paid up to two months in arrears, and workers were at the mercy of the demand for metals. Yet while they may not have known it, balmaidens were better off in some respects than their sisters outside the mines, most of whom worked in domestic service or in the clothing trades. Cornwall's cost-book system gave women a significant degree of economic and personal freedom: unlike mining families in the north of England, Cornish miners weren't housed by mine owners or under the same obligation to work set hours for one employer. As freelance workers could move from one mine to another, in search of better pay or working conditions, and before mines became tightly controlled limited liability companies in the 1890s, mineworkers, including balmaidens, often worked on quotas and could leave when their quota was fulfilled. Because most balmaidens were unmarried, the money they earned could be used to supplement the family income or, if they were allowed to keep some of their wages, it could pay for new clothes and jewellery. Journalists and visitors to Cornwall frequently commented on and criticised the way mining women managed to keep up with the latest fashions despite their poor living and working conditions. “A lot of comment has been made about the choice women made to go into the mines,” says Lynne Mayers, author of the award-winning study of balmaidens published in 2004 by the Hypatia Trust. “They could and did choose: their only other option was domestic service, which offered much less freedom. They'd have to live in and would still be on duty at the end of the working day. Balmaidens went home at 6 or 7 o'clock. They were their own people.” Independence from rigid employment conditions also allowed Cornish miners to maintain their own culture, too. Continued reliance on fishing and farming alongside mining meant that feasts, fairs and festivals permeated the working year. Tools would be downed and whole communities could join in the celebrations. Reprinted from the Cornish World Issue #52, June/July 2007 continued on next page Volume 13, Number 3 Page 7 Cornish Heritage Society East Newsletter Gwynngala/September 2007 Of course, a degree of financial independence didn't lead to an improvement to working or living conditions - as unskilled workers, balmaidens were the first to be laid off when times were tight. It also didn't bring about an improvement in status. Indeed, the dearth of evidence also reveals much about what people thought about them. “From about 1870 balmaidens were looked down upon,” says Lynne Mayers. Although it's well known that women worked for Cornwall's mines until the 20th century, there are no accurate figures to show how many or who these women were. Both local mine managers' records and official census figures vary widely and contemporary reports tend to reveal more about their writers than their subjects. Nonetheless, it's now being recognised that Cornwall's balmaidens made a huge contribution to Cornwall's economy and culture and, more widely, to women's gradual achievement of equality. The lack of written evidence about the balmaidens is meaningful in itself. It reveals much about their status and the nature of their work, which was flexible, unskilled and often seasonal, and much about the nature of the Cornish mining industry as a whole. The balmaidens in fact played a vital if little documented role in Cornwall's mining economy. These young women, many of whom were under 18, worked in the open air wheeling barrows, separating tin and copper ore from rock with heavy hammers and grinding it on anvils. Journalists and writers told tales of plucky girls who sang at their work, but there's no doubt that there was little to sing about. Pay was low and sometimes non-existent or paid up to two months in arrears, and workers were at the mercy of the demand for metals. Yet while they may not have known it, balmaidens were better off in some respects than their sisters outside the mines, most of whom worked in domestic service or in the clothing trades. Cornwall's cost-book system gave women a significant degree of economic and personal freedom: unlike mining families in the north of England, Cornish miners weren't housed by mine owners or under the same obligation to work set hours for one employer. As freelance workers could move from one mine to another, in search of better pay or working conditions, and before mines became tightly controlled limited liability companies in the 1890s, mineworkers, including balmaidens, often worked on quotas and could leave when their quota was fulfilled. Because most balmaidens were unmarried, the money they earned could be used to supplement the family income or, if they were allowed to keep some of their wages, it could pay for new clothes and jewellery. Journalists and visitors to Cornwall frequently commented on and criticised the way mining women managed to keep up with the latest fashions despite their poor living and working conditions. That women had a choice and used it to improve their lot is significant. In an era in which women were only just beginning to gain legal status and financial freedom, balmaidens were using the limited opportunities they had to change their own lives. “A lot of comment has been made about the choice women made to go into the mines,” says Lynne Mayers, author of the award-winning study of balmaidens published in 2004 by the Hypatia Trust. “They could and did choose: their only other option was domestic service, which offered much less freedom. They'd have to live in and would still be on duty at the end of the working day. Balmaidens went home at 6 or 7 o'clock. They were their own people.” Independence from rigid employment conditions also allowed Cornish miners to maintain their own culture, too. Continued reliance on fishing and farming alongside mining meant that feasts, fairs and festivals permeated the working year. Tools would be downed and whole communities could join in the celebrations. Of course, a degree of financial independence didn't lead to an improvement to working or living conditions - as unskilled workers, balmaidens were the first to be laid off when times were tight. It also didn't bring about an improvement in status. Indeed, the dearth of evidence also reveals much about what people thought about them. “From about 1870 balmaidens were looked down upon,” says Lynne Mayers. Single women of education and refinement, who found themselves responsible for their own livelihood because of being unmarried, orphaned or widowed, formed part of these upper classes. Ann Bake took over the Delabole Slate Quarry in 1830 when her husband died. Mrs Louisa Gillett ran the Royal Cornwall Gazette after her husband died in 1835. Jemima Drown edited the Penzance Gazette in West Cornwall during the mid-19th century, and Elizabeth Heard managed the West Briton similarly. Elizabeth Carne took over the running of the Penzance bank of Batten, Carne and Carne from her illustrious father, Joseph Carne FRS, in 1858, until her own death in 1873. She used her great inheritance generously by endowing schools, bells at St Mary's Parish Church, and a mineralogical museum in Penzance. These were unusual women for their time, but accepted and recognised as integral working members of the Cornish communities. These were not the common wage earners. Indeed, they were the women who, as leaders looking around themselves at the poverty and illiteracy in their communities, formed campaigning and devotional groups such as the bible-reading classes, the Women Liberals and the temperance movement. As the 19th century came to an end, women were active in the Salvation Army, the YWCA and various campaigns to vote. With the downturn in mining and fishing fortunes, from the 1830s through to the end of the century, more than half of the population of Cornwall left to work in other countries. Some men went alone, to return (or not) later, and women remained to take over their work on the land, in mills and in slaughtering. ILLUSTRIOUS AND ENTERPRISING CORNISHWOMEN Women's Work, continued Maria Branwell, (born 1783) Mother of the Brontes (the novelists Charlotte, Emily and Anne BrontÎ), born Penzance, Cornwall, 15th April 1783. She was a leading member of the Wesleyan community, having helped found the first chapel in Penzance, and was born into a prosperous merchant family. Hardship forced her to become matron in a Yorkshire school between Leeds and Bradford. She was pious, intelligent and had a ready wit. She married the able Patrick and created the family atmosphere at Haworth to raise such fine writers. Thomasine Bonaventura (c1450) A shepherdess who lived south of Bude and became the rich and beautiful wife of the Lord Mayor of London. She became fabulously wealthy having married three times. She provided funds to build roads and churches and endowed her old village back at Week St Mary. Mary Kelynack (born 1776) At the age of 74, she walked from Newlyn to London to see the Great Exhibition at Crystal Palace and meet Queen Victoria who recorded the event in her diary. She obtained a sovereign from the Lord Mayor and returned to Newlyn with fame and praise. Dolly Pentreath (born 1692) Although she wasn't the last Cornish speaker, she did much to popularise the language when the tongue was dying out. She spoke to scholars (and often swore at them - contemporaries commented that she swore like a fishwife when she actually was a fishwife) in Cornish and became something of a celebrity in her time. Ann Glanville (born 1796) Ann was a natural rower and athlete and took a women's team to victory at a time when the sport was male dominated. Her team beat the French male team at Le Harve where she was proclaimed the female champion rower in the world. Selina Cooper (born 1864) Pivotal in the Woman's Co-operative Guild, Selina went on to be a leading suffragette speaking at rallies all over Britain. She set up the Women's Peace Crusade campaigning against the First World War and was prominent in the Anti-Facist Movement in the 1930s. ILLUSTRIOUS AND ENTERPRISING CORNISHWOMEN Emily Hobhouse (born 1860) Emily worked with poor in the parish of St Ive before moving to Minnesota to undertake welfare work with Cornish miners. She was involved in radical politics but made her name helping to relieve conditions in the infamous British concentration camps during the Boer War. She also helped those caught up in the Russian Revolution and served at Leipzig in the First World War. The people of South Africa paid for a house for her in St Ives in recognition of all her work. Fanny Moody (born 1864) Fanny became one of the most celebrated operatic singers of her generation singing the world over, and was known has the Cornish Nightingale. When on tour in South Africa, Cornish miners made a diamond tiara and presented it to her. Elizabeth Arden (born 1884) This was the business name of Florence Nightingale Graham. She was the first person to introduce eye cosmetics and to introduce the salon makeover to North America and Canada. Brenda Wooton (born 1928) Brenda livened up the folk scene in the early 1960s, this having been previously dominated by men, and almost single-handedly kept the Cornish folk song tradition alive. She opened the legendary Piper's Club at St Buryan and became an ambassadoress for Celtic culture with links in Brittany. Ann Trevennen Jenkin (born 1942) An energetic librarian and Cornish linguist, she has provided the force behind many projects in the Duchy to rebuild an appreciation of the past was also active in the development of the CUC at Tremough and for education and culture, generally. Kristin Scott-Thomas (born 1960) This elegant and fluent French speaking actress was born in Redruth. She received an OBE in 2003 and was also awarded the LÈgion d'honneur by the French government in 2005 for great films such as The English Patient and Four Weddings and a Funeral. We are saddened to learn of the passing of our member: Elaine Varker. We hope that their loved ones will find comfort in their loss. Elaine, we will miss you at our meetings. Elaine Varker, aged 78, passed away Thursday, June 14, 2007 at her home in Rockaway Township after courageously battling cancer for months. She was the wife of Fred Varker, CHSE treasurer and the mother of member, F. James Varker. She was born in Philadelphia and worked as a dietician at several hospitals in the Philadelphia area, and later as a certified Food Service Supervisior. In 1991 she was granted the” Homemaker-home-health Aide Award of the Year”, by the Home Care Council of NJ. Besides being an active member of CHSE, she was active in the United Methodist Women of the Denville Community United Methodist Church and the Rockaway Twp. Fire Dept. White Medow Lake Ladies Auxilary Fire Company, No.5. She was predeceased by her parents, Theodore and Bertha Kohler. She is survived by her husband, Fred D. Varker, son, F. James Varker of Rockaway Twp, and three sisters, Mrs. Claire Ganz of Dallas, PA, Mrs Isabel Lehman of Sellersville, PA and Mrs. Sandra Meyers of Haddonfield.. MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION FOR CHSE Name:________________________________ Phone: _____________________________ Street: _______________________________ E-mail: _____________________________ Town: _________________________________State:_____________Zip: _____________ Cornish ancestors: Names and parishes, if known: ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Send to: Joan Wheeler, 471 South Avenue, Fanwood, NJ 07023 REV. HUGH PETERS - CORNISH FIREBRAND IN MASSACHUSETTS AND PURITAN ENGLAND By Barry E. TRACY Continuing our “Cornish in The Colonial Northeast” series, we now feature the tragic life of Hugh Peters (often spelled without the's'). Flemish on his father's side, his mother was Cornish and he himself was born in Cornwall in 1598. His parents were Thomas Dyckwoode, alias Peters, and Martha, a daughter of John Treffry of Cornwall. He studied at Cambridge, was ordained an Anglican, but soon embraced Puritanism. His opinions were at such odds with the establishment, that he became an exiled minister of the English Church in Rotterdam, Holland, a place for many English dissadents of the period, such as the famous Pilgrim Fathers. For many English Puritans and Separatists, Holland was considered only a temporary haven, and thus Peters too, soon sailed for Boston in 1635. There he was appointed minister to the church in Salem, Massachusetts. His stay in New England was brief, however, and he returned to England in 1641. He was well connected to the leaders of Puritanism, and made an impact in Massachusetts, and even more so after his return to England where his preaching skills made him a favorite chaplain with the Puritan army and drew large crowds at other events. Though never proved that he was directly culpable in the regicide of King Charles, nonetheless, after the royal restoration he was apprehended, tried, and condemned to death for high treason. His execution took place at Charing Cross on October 16, 1660. His style was often described as tactless, coarse, and indiscrete. This certainly did not place him high in the esteem of the establishment. It could be said that he was the bold firebrand who stoked the flames during the troubled times of the English Civil War; being on the side that was eventually defeated, his better qualities were doubtless overlooked. This half-Cornishman is surely worthy of a modern in-depth biographical study to establish his rightful place in history. For further reading, there are many books on the English Civil War and Puritanism in old and in New England. These provide a better perspective of times and events so far removed from modern values, yet so compelling in comparison with our own world. The Hugh Peters picture is through the courtesy of the Cornish Studies Library Website: www.cornwall.gov.uk/cornwallcentre Hugh Peters Addition to the Cornish Crier staff We welcome Margaret Carne as editorial member of our Crier production team. Margaret was born in Pool, near Redruth. As Quaker children, she and her brother were evacuated to New Jersey for part of World War II. She attended Camborne County School for Girls before officially immigrating to the US in 1948. She now resides in Jersey City N.J. with her husband, a Nepali journalist and web developer, and maintains an active psychotherapy practice. Members' news Thirty-four member attended our quarterly meeting in June. It was held, as usual, at the Wharton United Community Church at St. John's. A new name but, the same comfortable place.Our program followed the usual pasty lunch. Ron Mishkin, miner, geologist and historian, kept us nearly spellbound with the recounts of his mining experiences in Arizona and New Jersey. His presentation at our meeting on June 2 was both informative and humorous and- the end came too soon. Don't forget to get your pasties at Rockies. Our members and guest speaker enjoying lunch. Ron in his miner's hat with light among his rocks and minerals New member A big welcome to : Alan R. Dawe 10 Madison st Earlville NY 13332 Family names All Redruth DAWE, JOSE, BRAY ciate Margaret Carne DECEMBER THOUGHTS AND MUSINGS HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ONE AND ALL! We hope all that attended the meeting and trip to the Mining Museum in Ogdensburg had as wonderful a time as I did. We are most grateful to our hosts, Sylvia and Wasco, for their gracious hospitality. We also want to send special birthday greetings to two of our members: Mary Toye, now a vivacious 101, and to Martin Trengove, our faithful steward. May you have many more! You will note that this issue contains the corrected reprinted article about Cornish Women that we reproduced from the Cornish World in the June issue of the Crier. We humbly apologise for our printing errors. Fortunately, our member in Maine, Bob Vivian, pointed this out to us. I love to receive Letters to the Editor. Please don't be shy. Also, won't you share an article with us to print? Our readers will note this issue is missing our usual articles on Cornish parishes and the Cornish in the Colonial Northeast. We hope to be on track with an interesting article on Delabole in the March issue. The picture on the front cover is from Delabole Slate's website, who kindly granted us permission to reproduce it. Please avail yourselves of our lending library during your next trip to one of our meetings. I recently donated two books for our collection: The Cornish in Michigan, and a splendid history of the Episcopal Church in Grass Valley, CA by Cornish Bard Gage McKinney. I will miss seeing you all, but please come and enjoy yourselves! Best wishes! - Ed. Please turn to page 10 for further details.