|
What is Cornwall and where is
it?
Cornwall is a county
in the south-western extremity of England. Cornwall was
occupied by Romans, Saxons, and Celts before the Norman
Conquest in 1066, after which it became an Earldom. Since 1337
the heir to the British crown has held the title of Duke of
Cornwall. It is a peninsula bounded by the English Channel on
the south and the Atlantic Ocean on the north and west,
terminating at Land's End.
Who are the Cornish?
"By Tre, Ros, Car, Lan, Pol and Pen
Ye
may know most Cornishmen."
The Cornish are a Celtic people,
in ancient times the Westernmost kingdom of the Dumnonii, the
people who inhabited all of Cornwall, Devon and West
Somerset. The Cornish are probably the same people who
have lived in Cornwall since the introduction of farming
around 3000 B.C.. The start of farming in Cornwall may also
indicate the start of what some scholars now term 'proto
Indo-European', from whence the Celtic languages along with
the Italic and other related groups of languages began
evolving.
Is
there a Cornish language?
Yes it is
Kernowek. It has been revived in this century and is now
spoken again in Kernow which is Kernowek for
Cornwall.
What
does the Cornish Flag, "St Piran",
represent?
Either Christianity
over evil, or silver tin out of black rock. The Black
and White St Piran's Cross flags are seen everywhere in
Cornwall, and are a potent symbol of Cornwall's distinct
identity as a Duchy (and not a county of England).
Who is St
Piran?
St.Piran,
the patron saint of the tinners, who sailed to Cornwall on a
millstone from Ireland.
It bore him safely across to
Cornwall and he landed between Newquay and Perranporth at
Perran Beach, to which he gave his name.
What does the Cornish Crest
mean?
The fifteen
balls in the Cornish
Badge represent fifteen
besants, Byzantian gold coins, which was the ransom to the
Saracens for the release of the Earl of Cornwall in the ninth
century. The Cornish
motto 'One and All' is
|
|
