THE John Harris Newsletter Society No 67 Autumn 2019

Artist inspired by Harris poem

A minister in the Falmouth and Gwennap Methodist Circuit, the Rev Elizabeth Harris, has sent the Society this lovely image of a Cornish chough. In a message to chairman Paul Langford, she wrote: ‘This is a photo of the picture (Lino print) by Rose Hunter that we bought at the Salar Gallery in Hatherleigh, (), where they were holding a Poetry in Print exhibition, drawing on work of various poets, including one poem by John Harris, The Cornish Chough.’ JHS 2 their intention to be present! Again, I Summer has flown by appeal to you all that if you have you Is that the experience of each one any ideas for fund raising, please of us? The realisation that it’s time to contact Tony or me, as sponsor- write again for the society’s newsletter- ship from businesses is limited as has caused me to reflect on activities there are no tax advantages when since the last time I communicated supporting The Society as it is not with you all by this means. a charity. One of the highlights of my Summer was the occasion when Tony, Gill and I were entertained to lunch in a local October birthday event garden centre by John Tremberth and We will celebrate John Harris’ 199th his wife, Milada, during their visit to birthday on 12 October at Troon Cornwall from their home in France. Chapel at 2pm and will welcome as our In our Summer newsletter, John speaker Miss Kerri Bridgeman, who wrote about his father, Reginald Trem- organised the event when a number of berth, and over lunch we were given Society members made a presentation sight of a file of the latter’s paintings at Morrab Library in Penzance. Kerri and presented with a detailed account has studied Harris’ poetry in some of John’s grandparents’ work as Bible detail as part of her English degree Christian Missionaries in China. They course at Truro & Penwith College. were Revd William and Emily Trem- I’m confident she will be well worth berth. John concluded his preface to listening to as she relates something of his writings by saying “For me this has her research. Please do your best to at- been a fascinating journey into my tend. Kerri hopes to get a John Harris family history and China’s turbulent page on the Truro-Penwith-Callywith past.” We had a most interesting time college Moodle system during this and were so grateful to John for mak- academic year. ing contact with Tony and arranging the meeting. If anyone would like to borrow this historical record, please contact me. And Autumn, with the Presentations dry leaves in his hand Our next presentation is planned for O’erwritten with the the Methodist Church Guild at Feock on Friday 18 October. I would invite stanzas of the wood, members to suggest venues for further When the rich grapes, presentations as we seek to make the by amorous zephyrs John Harris story more widely known, particularly as we approach the Bi- fanned, Centenary Festival next year. Hang by the porch, and cluster near the flood, The John Harris Speaking in wisdom’s ear that God to all is Bi-Centenary Festival good. from 16-18 October From Harris’s poem The committee is so grateful to those The Seasons members who responded to the survey about the 2020 Festival. The number of responses has encouraged the com- mittee to press on with the arrange- ments to celebrate this amazing man. I would appeal to those who haven’t yet responded to do so as among their Promote the festival number, I see the names of some Please continue to promote John whom I would expect to be present Harris and the Bi-Centenary Festival in 2020. Fact sheets are available from

Chairman’s ramblings – but, of course, all will be welcome. Steve Crossman or Tony, and they give

with Paul Langford Over the Summer, more American relatives of the poet have expressed introductory details about the event. JHS 3 Celebration of the life of a Devon poet

Two images of the postman poet Edward Capern - the coloured image is of a painting by William Widgery in 1857. Both pictures copyright Burton Art Gallery and Museum, .

BY TONY LANGFORD home he honed the verses he had com- Edward Capern and John Harris cor- posed during the day. responded. We may be celebrating the bi-cente- The self-educated Capern contribut- And in the summer of 1860, Capern nary of John Harris in 2020 but 2019 ed verse to the “Poet’s Corner” of the spent a week at Falmouth with Harris sees the bi-centenary of the birth of North Devon Journal and it was here when they took rambles and visited Edward Capern, the postman poet of that his work came to the notice of several places of local interest. Har- Bideford. Born at Tiverton 0n 21 Janu- William Frederick Rock of . ris wrote of Capern: “He sang his ary 1819, he was sent to work in a lace Recognising Capern’s talent, Rock own songs, composed his pieces, and factory when just nine years of age. In set about gathering a body of subscrib- praised our land of mines and moors… 1848 he landed a job as a letter-carrier ers, resulting in the publication of Ed- ……I doubt if a truer poet ever ex- or postman at Bideford. ward Capern’s first book, called simply isted.” His post round took him from Bid- Poems, in 1856. Edward Capern died on 4 June 1894. eford to and neigh- It was a national success, receiving Devon-based writer Liz Shakespeare, bourhood and back, a 13-mile round critical acclaim, with Charles Dick- who lives in a cottage that would have trip which he undertook daily, includ- ens and Alfred Lord Tennyson among been on the poet’s postal route, has ing Sundays. The only time he had off those singing its praises. championed Edward Capern in recent was Christmas Day. Edward Capern went on to publish years. Her novel The Postman Poet It was on these rounds along leafy, three more books of poetry and a book (£9.99) is based on the life of Capern rural lanes and with a background of of songs he had written – The Devon- and she has also published a selection birdsong that Capern composed most shire Melodist – some of them to his of his work, The Poems of Edward of his poetry. own music. Capern (£7.99). (Both books are avail- Lying against a hedge, leaning on a For Capern was not only a poet but able from her website: www.lizshake- field gate or resting on a stile, he often a musician, being “no mean performer speare.co.uk). And musicians Nick wrote on the envelopes he was about on a flute” and possessing a fine singing Wyke and Becki Driscoll, also based to deliver. voice. He often walked around the in Devon, have produced a CD – The He would ask the recipients if he lanes singing the words he had written. Songs of Edward Capern the Postman could have the envelopes back and, Being contemporaries and working- Poet. (Available from www.englishfid- invariably, they agreed. When he got class poets, it is not surprising that dle.com, £10). JHS 4

My visit to Gwennap Pit BY JOHN TREMBERTH

In July 2017 my wife and I vis- ited Gwennap Pit for the first time. Among the many items of family memorabilia, recovered from my late brother’s house the previous year, I came across a photograph taken at the 1915 Methodist annual Whit Monday rally, traditionally held at Gwennap Pit. Somewhere among the throng was my maternal great-grandfather from St Erth, Frank Maddern, who served as a local Methodist preacher for over 50 years. Not having GPS, we had a little difficulty finding our way. In Lanner, the last person to give us directions told us: “It’s a hidden gem”, and he was certainly right. On the morning of our visit there were very few visitors and we practi- was contacted by the Rev Ian Haile, a Journal also includes an article by Paul cally had the whole of this exceptional member of the Gwennap Pit Commit- and Tony Langford about John Harris. spot to ourselves. After our visit I chat- tee and a Vice-President of the Cornish As the JHS website mentions that the ted with the lady at the visitor centre, Methodist Historical Association, and association welcomes contributions mentioning my Cornish Methodist was invited to write an article for the about Cornish subjects in general I roots on both sides of my family. She CMHA Journal about my paternal contacted Tony and was delighted to suggested I write to Jenny Lockwood, grandparents’ Bible Christian mis- be given the opportunity of sharing who administers the site for the sionary work in China. It so happens with a wider audience the Cornish Methodist Church. In due course I that this year’s edition of the CMHA artworks of my father, Reginald Trem- JHS 5

The drawing of Church Lane, and a picture of how it looks today. FROM PAGE 4 berth. These are described in the JHS Tony Langford has recognised the draw- Summer 2019 Newsletter. ing of a country lane with cottages nest- One of the features of my recent trips ling among the trees as being in fact to Cornwall has been to visit the sites my father depicted in his artworks. Church Lane, Redruth, the road leading to After our trip to Gwennap Pit we vis- the entrance gate to St Euny Church ited St Euny Parish Church, Redruth, Cornwall’s “Mining Church”, of which he made a pencil drawing during the period from January 1943 to July 1944 A feature of the churchyard is the been able to name. when he taught at Redruth County lych gate with its long coffin stone, a I have long suspected that some of School. reminder of the many occasions in the the unidentified items have Cornish He had mistakenly named it as “Carn past when several coffins would have subjects, and recently I requested Tony Brea Church” because of its proximity been placed there after mining ac- Langford’s help in identifying a few of to Carn Brea village - an understand- cidents. From his time in Redruth we these. He has recognised the attached able error which I have corrected. also have a pencil drawing of a Cornish drawing of a country lane with cot- He liked to draw buildings and trees mining landscape. tages nestling among trees as being in and the church with its lovely grounds About half of his 50 or so surviv- fact Church Lane, Redruth, the road provided him with an excellent sub- ing artworks are pencil drawings and leading to the entrance gate to St Euny ject. ‘sketches, many of which I have not Church - as it was 75 years ago. A note from the treasurer We are grateful to all the members of promoting the works of John order, just ring me on 01209 713863 for who support the John Harris Society so Harris. the account details. well. However, quite a number of you The annual fees remain at £6 per We are fundraising for the Bi-centen- have still not paid your subscriptions person, so if you have not already done nial Festival in October 2020, so any for this year which were due on January so, I’d be grateful if you could send extra you might like to add to your 1st. your cheque payable to “The John Har- subscription would go to the Festival The committee works hard on your ris Society” to me, or arrange to pay by a/c. behalf and the officers do not claim PayPal; the addresses for both are on With our grateful thanks for your any expenses, but we rely on your the back of this newsletter. continued support. membership fees to finance the work Should you prefer to pay by standing Christine Cowls Copy deadline for the Winter newsletter is January 10 JHS 6 BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION Saturday, 12th October, 2019 With the JOHN HARRIS SOCIETY At Troon Methodist Church Schoolroom, at 2pm Guest speaker: Kerri Bridgeman, former English Studies student who will talk on the poetry of Harris

Admission free / Refreshments JHS 7 ON SALE: John Harris-related books & DVDs

The Extinguished Candle Re-Lit Published in 2002, this book by JHS committee member Caroline is a large selection of poetry and Arthur Langford, a great nephew Palmer’s latest book, published by prose by John Harris (1820-1884), of the poet, catalogues the lives Pen and Ink, covers topics from published in 2009 by The John of John Harris’ forbears from farming to family life, from mining Harris Society. 1743 and his siblings. to Methodism and much else. PRICE: £5.99 PRICE: £4.99 PRICE: £9.99

This DVD, Created in 2004 the creation by Caroline of Caroline Palmer & Pol Palmer, was Hodge, this DVD filmed locally was filmed by and takes in Leo Phillips, of various as- Cornwall Me- pects of the dia Resource, poet’s life. The on Carn Brea film won Best and at Cornish Documentary Engines in Pool. at Buxton Film Copper and Tin, Festival in adapted from a 2011 and was Harrris poem by shown at the Sue Farmer, was Cornwall Film sung by Kontekh Festival in the Karrek Commu- same year. nity Choir. PRICE: £5 PRICE: £5

Available at John Harris Society events and various exhibitions

JHS 8 THE JOHN HARRIS SOCIETY CONTACTS This newsletter is published three times per year, by the John Harris Society, free to members. All articles for inclusion to: Press and publicity officer Stephen Crossman 8 Rose-an-Grouse Canonstown, Hayle TR27 6JN. Phone: 01736 753912 Email: John Harris 1820 -1884

NEWSLETTER [email protected] BY TONY LANGFORD John Harris was born in 1820 at About Six Chimneys on Bolenowe Carn, Subscription fee - £6 per year near Camborne, the eldest of 11 (and other cheques) to: children. the Hon treasurer Largely self-educated - he started Christine Cowls school when he was six or seven ‘Trematon’ years old, before finishing at the poet 20 Westborne Road age of nine - John had an insatiable Camborne, TR14 7JD appetite for reading from his early and when no paper was available, years. Phone: would scratch his poems on slate, On his ninth birthday he started using a sharp pointed nail. 01209 713863 work, briefly as a ploughboy, then In his mining days his miner’s Or by: for a tin-streamer, or - tinner oper- ‘hard’ hat was sometimes used for PayPal to: ating in Forest Moor. this purpose. When no ink was

SUBSCRIPTIONS [email protected] When he was 13, John went to available, he used blackberry juice. work underground at Dolcoath. He fitted his writing into a busy He was to ply this arduous occupa- life that, apart from his work and tion for 24 years, seeing the famous his family responsibilitiies, includ- mine pass from copper to tin. ed being a Methodist lay preacher WEBSITE Poetry, or verse-making as he and a Sunday School teacher. www.johnharrissociety.org.uk called it, had been part of John’s John Harris left Dolcoath in 1857 life since his first attempts at to take up an appointment as a FACEBOOK rhyme at school when he was just Scripture Reader at Falmouth, a

ONLINE www.facebook.com/johnharrissociety eight years old. post which he threw himself into Whatever he was doing, verses with enthusiasm. were forming in his mind and he He continued writing poetry, and scribbled these down whenever began writing peace tracts and President: Peter Bickford-Smith and wherever and on whatever became a Quaker. he could. He used the clean side John Harris died in 1884 and lies Chairman: Paul Langford of cast off labelled tea wrappers, buried in Treslothan Churchyard. 01209 213146 [email protected] Grateful thanks go to all those who have contributed news articles in the Secretary: Tony Langford past and more articles from you, our readers, will be most welcome for 01209 215918 possible inclusion in future editions - anything connected with Cornwall,

OFFICERS [email protected] John Harris, poetry, including other poets and Cornish life. JHS