Kowethas Kernow Goth - Gerens ha Porthskathow

2018/19 SEASON Friday 20th September 2019 Crying the Neck at Lanhay

The 2018/19 season starts on Wednesday, October 10th at 7.30pm in the Memorial Hall in with a brief A.G.M. followed by a presentation on the History of the R.N.L.I. This will be followed on the second Wednesday of each month from November to April inclusive, with presentations including Music and Song inspired by The Beauty of ; Oysters and The River Helford; Country House Fires in Cornwall; The Levant Mine Disaster; A Cornish Mariner, Captain Joseph Banfield and Witchcraft and Folk Magic in Cornwall. As is usual, our May meeting is an evening visit, this year to St. Anthony in Roseland and the final meeting in June is an afternoon pilgrimage to RAF Portreath. St. Piran's evening will again be celebrated on March 5th at the Royal Standard at , with a pasty supper and Du Hag Owr and Dew Vardh, to entertain us. Our Bring your own Picnic, to celebrate the Feast Days of St Gerrans and St. Anthony will again be held on August 4th on Gerrans Village Green. The cost of membership will remain at £7.50 per person for the season, which covers all the talks and includes reduced rates for the outside meeting and the pilgrimage visit. Visitors and non-members are always welcome to individual meetings at an admission fee of £2.50 per person for each event. We hope that you will find something of interest in the programme and will come along and join us for the season, or you are welcome to just come for the meetings that are of particular interest to you. For more information ring 01872 580238.

The subject at the very well attended first meeting of the 2018/2019 Season was 'The History of the RNLI'. Our speaker was David Nicholl, who has been in the lifeboat service for 38 years and is deputy coxswain of the Falmouth lifeboat. The illustrated talk was mainly about the development of the service in Cornwall and included films showing the state of the sea at the time of some rescues. The lifeboat service was founded in 1824 by Sir William Hilary with the motto 'With courage, nothing is impossible' has led to the saving of more than 140,000 lives. The organisation, being a charity, is dependent on gifts from the public, 16% of which comes from legacies. The first lifeboat in Europe was a rowing boat at from 1803-1812 and from 1867-1884 the 'Richard Lewis'. The first boat in Falmouth in 1867 was the 'City of Gloucester', which could be loaded on a horse- drawn trailer to enable it to be taken overland. From 1894 to 1922 was the 'Bob Newbon', which in February 1914 was involved in the rescue of some of the crew of the 'Hera' in Gerrans Bay. The lifeboat was towed by tug to Gull Rock but because of the fog the wreck could not be found. Eventually the sound of a bosun's whistle enabled contact to be made and five of the crew were rescued and taken by tug back to Falmouth in a force 8-9 gale. 18 of the crew who perished are buried in Veryan churchyard. The first motorboat in Cornwall was the steam engine 'John Stevens' in 1899 at . A major disaster on the Doom Bar in 1900 at which the lifeboat had difficulty in attending led to the use of a tug to tow the lifeboat to sea and sometimes carrying out rescues itself. The following years led to the development of the service. In 1901 at Coverack the 'Constance Melanie' was a sailing/rowing boat and at St Agnes from 1909- 1920 was the 'Charles Deere'. The current Falmouth lifeboat is the Severn class 42 ton 'Richard Cox Scott' with a range of 200 miles its 2,500 hp engine uses 4 gallons of fuel per mile. The inshore boat the 'Eve Pink' has a top speed of 35 knots.

On 18th October 2018 The Old Cornwall Society marked the 100th anniversary of the actions of Horace Curtis which lead to him being awarded the Victoria Cross in World War 1. Horace was born at Cellars in St Anthony Parish where his father was employed as a gamekeeper, and he is the only V.C. recipient born in the current Gerrans Parish. The Society put together a poster giving details of Horace Curtis and his actions. The poster was put up on local noticeboards, including the one at Bohortha which is the nearest to his former home. His actions were highlighted at the November meeting of the Old Cornwall Society.

For its November meeting, the Old Cornwall Society departed from its traditional presentation style format and took great pleasure in welcoming Tir Ha Tavas to join us for the evening. Wife and husband, Delia and Dave Brotherton, formed Tir Ha Tavas in February 2013. Based in St Ives, both Delia and Dave are experienced and respected musicians, who are part of the Cornish and Celtic folk scene. Tir Ha Tavas means land and language in Cornish, which is exactly what their music reflected. Delia and Dave write a lot of their own music and much of it is written and sung in Cornish. They take their inspiration from the beauty of the Cornish landscape and feelings of nostalgia felt for Cornwall. Both Delia and Dave have been made Bards of Gorsedh Kernow for their services to music. The programme was varied, vocally and instrumentally, with songs in Cornish and some in English. Delia and Dave performed some of their own compositions, as well as pieces by other composers, giving an introductory explanation to each item, to ensure that the audience understood the language and the context. November was declared too early for Christmas music, but they did make a musical nod to the approach of winter in a song about Jack Frost. In this piece the music imitated the sharp, jagged frost crystals deposited by Jack Frost on a moonlit night in a wood near St Ives, quietly observed by Delia hidden in the bushes. The evening ended with a beautiful, haunting unaccompanied piece performed by both singers.

As a child, probably until the early 1950s, I remember my grandfather Maurice Collins as River Bailiff at as part of the Duchy Oysterage, tending to the oysters with Teddy Harris. The young oysters were brought on in tanks below what is now the Roseland Paddle and Sail office and then collected by an East Coast cockle boat to be sent to the Helford to grow on. I can recall the working boats with "scandalised" sails on the Fal, dredging when there was an 'R' in the month. Most of the facts were a mystery to me then. Imagine how they were brought to life for me by Don Garman, of the Constantine Museum, who gave an excellent talk to the Society's Christmas meeting in December. His talk was naturally more from a historical standpoint and relating to the Helford industry. "Helford Oysters sell in at one shilling per hundred of six score" said the Royal Cornwall Gazette of September 12th, 1807. That is about 12,000 oysters and illustrates just how cheap they were, being particularly a staple food of the poor. What a difference today! We heard of the processes, unchanged for centuries, of young oysters being brought in from Truro, separated to grow on at three years, harvested if the invading Pacific oyster, but left for another year if the native variety. The oysters were lifted and graded on board the working boats, then brought ashore to be packed and sent away by train to London. From the 1950s the method was speeded up; the seed oysters being flooded with UV light for better hygiene and cages of mature oysters being placed in the intertidal zone to strengthen their adductor muscles. There were the owners and tenant entrepreneurs: The Diocese of Exeter and the Duchy, as well as the Vivians, Tyacks, Scotts and Hodges. There was renown: in 1921, the Duke of Cornwall, later Edward VIII, visited Port Navas and during the '30s the October Oyster Festival was inaugurated there. More recently, sadly, the environmental lobby has caused the Duchy to withdraw the oysterage licence and the industry was closed down. However, from spring 2019 Tristan Hugh-Jones from Ireland, the new lessee, will be processing native oysters in a new building — the future looks challenging but bright, for the Helford if not for Percuil.

The opening meeting for the New Year was a fascinating talk on Country House Fires in Cornwall given by Joanna Mattingley. There were a significant number of grand houses in Cornwall housing art galleries and museums with paintings and artefacts of considerable worth and value. The fires had a great impact as they destroyed a considerable amount of history for future generations. The talk spanned the years from 1646, a fire at Arwennack which is speculated could have been burnt down by the owners or the Parliamentarians, to the year 2000, a fire at Prideaux Place which was not too serious. Fires were frequently chimney fires and were often in the spring after there had been roaring fires all through the winters. Smoking was another cause of fire and at Ince Castle someone smoking in bed! Fires during the day were usually less disastrous as there were people to raise the alarm and help could be summoned more rapidly whereas at night the fire could have taken hold before anyone became aware. Most of the houses were in remote areas which meant if there was a possibility of getting help from an outside agency it would take a long time for them to arrive, often horse-drawn. Few of the houses had sufficient water to deal with major fires, a lake on the estate was a great asset. The property on the Roseland which was affected by fire was Tregorland, near St Just, which was struck by lightning on 20th April 1855. Rebuilding the grand houses in their original state was not usually an option, either they were not insured, or the insurance was insufficient to rebuild: however, often there were some alterations/additions made to the remaining structures. The families were often of sufficient means that they had other properties where they could take up residence.

St. Gerrans and Porthscatho Old Cornwall Society's February meeting was addressed by Mrs. Rosemary Aitken, nee Rosemary Rowe, born in Penzance during the Second World War. Under her married name she has written eleven novels set in turn of the 20th Century Cornwall, examining the social conditions in the Penwith area before the 1' World War. She has also written a series of Crime novels set in second-century Roman Britain featuring the Celtic sleuth and mosaic-maker Libertus. Rosemary Aitken's subject was the Levant Mine Disaster and the loss of 31 miners. Rosemary informed us of the back ground to the disaster and her connection to it. During the First World War, miners who had joined the Cornish Artillery Regiment in 1918 to dig tunnels under the German front lines and set charges to blow up the German defences, earned 3 times the wages of the other soldiers. On returning home from the war to poor wages, the miners went on strike for two months. The strike was to end the practice of having to give part of their wages as credit at the shops owned by the mine-owners where they had to pay over the odds. This strike took place just three months before the Levant disaster and it had taken two months to make the mine dry again at the lower levels. At this time, the miners working at the lower levels were raised by a Man Engine, which involved the men being carried up and down at 12-foot levels at a time, up to 17 levels from the bottom of the mine to the top. Two days before the disaster two workmen complained of a funny noise coming from the lifting gear. The management looked into the complaint and recorded that the two "trouble makers'" complaint was unjustified. They both died two days later when the Man Engine lifting arm broke and the other arm fell to the bottom of the mine, taking the lift levels and the platforms on the up side to the bottom of the shaft. Men were killed, crushed and injured. Rosemary's grandfather had lost his wife three months earlier. Heavily pregnant, she was startled by the mine hooter, which caused her to fall while handing out her washing on the gorse and go into labour. She and one of her twins died, leaving Rosemary's grandfather with 11 children. Rosemary's grandfather was then killed in the Levant Disaster and the family was brought up by the eldest daughter in Penzance. 31 miners lost their lives but no one was found guilty of any crime; it was thought that rust on the Man Engine was to blame. The company paid no compensation to the workers or their families: most workers did pay a small amount to a Benefit Society, which helped some families after the disaster. Although a fund was set up by Public Subscription to help the families of the dead and injured, it was very difficult to get any help from the fund. When the fund was closed decades later, it still had thousands of pounds in it. This tragic story was told in great detail and passion by Rosemary Aitken and everyone greatly appreciated the time and effort put into her presentation.

The Society’s St Piran’s Day Celebrations took place at the Royal Standard at Gerrans, by kind permission of Bobbie and Dave Mitchell. We were entertained and amused by the poems and readings of those two clever wordsmiths, Pol Hodge and Bert Biscoe who perform under the name Dew Verdh. We also enjoyed the shanties and Cornish songs by Du Hag Owr who have joined our St Piran’s evening for several years. At 9pm after a pasty, we stood, linking with all the many associations county wide all celebrating the day, to sing Trelawny.

At the March meeting Charlotte Mackenzie gave a talk on the career of Captain Joseph Banfield who was born in Falmouth in the mid eighteenth century. Here he lived until the age of 16, when he persuaded his parents to allow him to sign an eight-year apprenticeship on an American ship which was visiting Falmouth at that time. He wrote a memoir in 1796 describing his seagoing career. While his voyages included trading goods in the Mediterranean and across the Atlantic, he was very much involved in the slave trade, which operated from West Africa to the West Indies. He made 11 such voyages until the trade was abolished in 1807 by Act of Parliament, though trafficking continued in the Caribbean until 1811. At times he lived in Nantucket, USA, engaged in whaling, but returned to live in Limehouse, London, where he died in 1868.

"Everybody has their own thoughts of what a witch was" (or is!). So said Jason Semmens, the speaker at our April meeting. Story book pictures of old women with crooked noses, black pointed hats riding on broomsticks do not bear out the reality! In 13th and 14th century Cornwall, people believed that witches were in league with the Devil and would sell their souls for earthly treasures. This belief formed the idea in people's minds that witches had the power to cause harm and spread ill amongst the populace. Farming communities blamed witches when their cattle died mysteriously or crops failed. Breakdown in family relationships would also be blamed on the witch's curse. Witch trials were held in the 17th century when both women and men were accused of witchcraft and sent to the assizes. If found guilty, they would be sent to Launceston gaol. In Cornwall records show that eight witches were sentenced to death by hanging, contrary to popular belief that witches were burned at the stake. The most well-known witch in Cornwall was Thomasine Blight (aka Tammy Blee) who was born at the end of the 19th century. Thomasine started her business in and then moved to , a more affluent town, where she `helped' people with all manner of troubles. But in contrast she would also cast a spell on anyone who displeased her. She married James Thomas, a former miner, and they worked together to form a very lucrative business. There is a story told about Thomasine raising a dead woman from her grave in order that she could be questioned about some missing money. Apparently, this was a collusion between her and James, being similar to activities performed by those known as cunning people or conjurers. To protect themselves from the witch's curse, people would wear talismans or amulets, the most common being the word Abracadabra written within two crossed triangles which formed a star. Another protection would be to keep a witch's bottle in your house containing pins and filled with one's own urine. Witchcraft continued in Cornwall into the 20th century when 'witches' continued to be known as cunning people or conjurers. Witches who were literate were considered to be clever and said to be able to raise spirits as in the case of Thomasine Blight. This was a most interesting and thoroughly researched talk from Jason on the subject of Witchcraft in Cornwall.

On Wednesday 8th May the Old Cornwall Society paid an evening visit to St Anthony in Roseland. The Society had prepared a short guide to the history of the area, which was very informative. St Anthony is geographically almost an island, bordered by the sea and the Percuil River. It is connected to the "mainland" by a relatively narrow isthmus at Porth. Although now joined with St Gerrans, St Anthony was historically its own parish with the parish church situated at Place. In 1821 the population was 179, whilst in 2016 the Electoral Roll records just 35 adult residents. The name Anthony comes from the name of a 6th or 7th Century holy man Entenin, who settled in the area. The visit commenced with a tour of the Battery on the headland, which was first built in the late 18th Century. Much of the present fortifications and buildings were built in the late 19th and early 20th Century. The site was manned in both WW1 and WW2. It was an important coastal battery guarding the entrance of the , but also as a site for anti-aircraft guns defending Falmouth. The headland is now owned by the National Trust. The group visited Drake's Well on Zone Point, an ancient dipping well. According to local legend, Sir Francis Drake returned from a voyage to the West Indies in sore need of fresh water. He searched the headland for water but finding none he plunged his sword into the ground whereupon fresh water gushed forth from the hillside and has flowed ever since. At Bohortha (St Anthony village) the group visited the site of the 19th Century Coastguard Cottages, recalling how the rocket apparatus was stored in a barn at Manor Farm. The site of the former Pig and Whistle Pub was of interest; this was the scene of music and dancing on the Feast of St Anthony. It also contained the "town oven" which produced the famous St Anthony's buns at Easter. Other sites of interest included the Old School and the former Methodist Chapel. This fascinating visit was enjoyed by all, many of whom returned to Gerrans for much-needed refreshment.

On the cliff top between Porthtowan and Portreath is a cordoned off area which is RAF Portreath. It was here on the 11th June that a group from the Old Cornwall Society met for a fascinating afternoon pilgrimage. On being greeted by RAF personnel we were shown a video presentation of the site. The building of RAF Portreath was started in 1940 and opened in early 1941 as an RAF Fighter Command station. From late 1941 it was used as a ferry stopover for aircraft to and from North Africa and the Middle East. It was also used as a temporary stopover for USAAF and RCAF units and then finally as a Coastal Command Station. After the war it was run down and eventually in 1950 was handed back to the government by the RAF. The area then reverted to its original name and was known as Nancekuke. It became an outstation of the Chemical Defence Establishment at Porton Down. It was here that Sarin was manufactured and quantities of the nerve agent were stock piled during the period of the Cold War. In 1976 transfer of the work was moved to Porton Down with the decommissioning of Nancekuke. A remediation project was then carried out and the ground landscaped, cleared of any contamination and put back to nature. In 1980 the area was reopened as an RAF radar site. There are now 20 full time staff providing a 24 hour, 365 days a year cover of the south western approaches. Unknown aircraft are monitored as they approach UK airspace. Together with RAF Boulter and Alnwick, decisions are taken as to what action is considered necessary. This could ultimately result in the scrambling of two RAF Typhoon jets together with the refuelling aircraft to intercept the intruders. Following the video presentation, we were given a tour of the site where we were shown the radar installation within its protective housing and the associated monitoring equipment contained in a small building nearby. The rest of the site is virtually unused except for a radio antenna and some small buildings. As we neared the end of the tour we stopped and entered a large bunker, which was in use during the Cold War. Bomb proof and underground, all that remains are half empty offices with telephones and alarm systems now silent together with standby generators ready to provide power in an emergency! Everyone agreed that it was a most interesting visit and to finish it off we went to the canteen where we all enjoyed tea and cake.

St Gerrans & Porthscatho Old Cornwall Society celebrated the Feasts of St Anthony and St Gerrans with a picnic on The Green.

“Big thank you to the Roseland Old Cornwall Society for arranging a picnic on the Green at Gerrans supporting the Children's Hospice. The cakes and buns were excellent and thanks to Bobby and Dave at the Standard for their support with Ice Cream, shade and amenities.” Du hag Owr

Around 50 people joined us to celebrate Crying the Neck at Lanhay. The Cornish harvest festival is known as Guldize; it was once a major occasion in the local calendar. Crying the Neck is when the last shock of corn is cut and the end of the harvest is proclaimed. “Great fun. A lot of hard work done by the organiser and those involved. Wonderful that so many people turned up. Well done.”

Figure 1: John Emmett Crying the Neck