No. 371 November/December 2017 ISSN Circulation: 100 FESTIVALS. Newsleer of the Cornish Associaon. of New South Wales

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1 President: Joy Dunkerley ( or ) Bard (Cherya) Secretary: Chris Dunkerley CyC Bard (Kevrenor) ASSOCIATION POSTAL ADDRESS: c/o 34 CIRCULAR AVE, SAWTELL NSW 2452, Australia Phone Contact: (+Manual Fax) Mobile Contact Web Pages: No. 371 November/December 2017 ISSN Circulation: 100 Newsleer of the Cornish Associaon of New South Wales PROGRAMME 2018 SYDNEY AGM and St Pirans Lunch Saturday 3 March, 2018 at Ryde Eastwood Leagues Club, West Ryde Notice of 43rd Annual General Meeting Reports from Committee etc.; Election of Office Bearers and Committee, Open Forum starts sharp at 10:30am plus Annual St Pirans Celebration Lunch 12:30pm Buffet lunch for CANSW members, family, friends and guests. Please consider coming and inviting others. Please put this date in your diary or calender now! FESTIVALS Celtic Festival on Australia Day North Sydney - Friday 26 January Negotiations by the Celtic Council continue with North Sydney Council - if it goes ahead, look to news and next newsletter. Eaglehawk Dahlia & Arts Festival Cornish Program Held the week around Saturday 17 March, 2018 in Eaglehawk Victoria (Bendigo district). A Cornish program is being planned for the weekend more details next newsle!er 26 th Australian Celtic Festival Glen Innes, NSW The Year of Brittany, Galicia & Asturias Friday 3 Sunday 6 May, 2018 Some Cornish will be there, to support our Breton cousins, Cornish ceremony, and enjoy the Festival! For more information on program of events and accommodation, and booking keep looking at: WIDER COMING EVENTS Southern Sons of Cornwall Inc For more details contact: Sonia Reuter, Events Co-ordinator, and her phone number is Her address is: oneandall2@bigpond.com Nadelik Lowen, ha Bledhen Nowyth Da! Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year! Page 1 November/December, 2017 COMMITTEE EVENT PLANNING CONTINUING IDEAS PLEASE

2 Committee News:. Bank account at 31/10/17 bal: $8, Ryde Eastwood Leagues Club has been booked for our St Piran s Lunch on 3 March (and deposit paid), and a notice for our AGM that day is on the front page. Under our rules, proposals for consideration at the meeting shall be received by the Committee not later than one calendar month before the meeting. Next Full Committee Meeting tba Next Sydney sub committee meeting tba You and your ideas are always welcome Our Lending & Research Library The full listing of books has been on the CANSW web site for some time, and is still available. Following divestment of some material a revised list has been published. The direct page link to view is: swlib5_alpha.xls This can also be posted to you on request, It has Catalogue Id order & in alphabetical order on the members web. To borrow books or other items.. Contact Eddie and Eileen on ealyon45@gmail.com A full listing on our web site: Fast link Eddie Lyon, Librarian MEMBERS MILESTONES VALE: Dr John Lloyd Symonds 23/12/ November, Three members of our Association attended the funeral at Olsens Chapel Caringbah on Wed 8 November. Thank you. See below, a message read on behalf of the Association. New members: Welcome to Robyn & Colin Michelmore (and Isaac), of Geurie, NSW. Interests include: Family history, history & geography, music, food. Families: Thomas, Williams, Curnow - (more details available) Happy birthday to Lorna Stephens, who turned 93 on 23 November, Best wishes to a number of members who have had reported health problems recently. Please let us know of your good news, special events, or of those who are ill. Message about John Symonds It is with great sadness that I, and those members ofthecornishassociationofnswwhoknewjohn, learnt about his death. In advising members of this we have already received comments back about his kindness and help to them. John gave great service to the Association in the 3 decades he was a member, with his intellect and typical thoroughness and tenacity in reseaching Cornish links in the Cadia gold district and the ground breaking work around Cobar and Gilgunnia. The information he passed on from these projects, and activities at Byng, forms a huge component of the Association's web site historical material today. It is accessed often by people looking for clues about their history and ancestry. John's love of his family, especially his Cornish ancestors, shines through in his wonderful book, 'Which Francis Symonds? Cornish Oak or Australian Eucalypt' (which is in our library). Though born in South Australia he saw the wider storywhenhejoinedournswgroup,forwhichwe are very thankful. Always a gentleman, and keen to help, he is remembered fondly and with thanks. Apologies that Joy our President, and I, are not able to be in Sydney. Our condolences to you, his other family members, and his other friends. Chris Dunkerley Hon. Secretary for the CANSW 8 November, 2017 PAST EVENTS Another two photos of Del Clinton and her Paul Smales Medal, officially awarded as part of the Launceston Open Gorsedh (and shown here with Grand Bard Merv Davey, at a special ceremony beforehand) see also below Page 2 No. 371 November / December, 2017

3 Our end of year or Christmas lunch at City Extra, Circular Quay on Wednesday 22 nd November was a lovely get together. Twenty five members and friends gathered in an alcove upstairs in the restaurant. There were well over a dozen apologies as well. Lovely to see you all there, and seeing some time long term members again after a long break was special. Welcome also to Keith & Libby Gray (from Redruth & Truro, and now living at Dee Why). Down to the big smoke Chris & Joy A lovely table full, including founding members Jen Meston and Rose Williscro that s dedicaon. Lovely catch up with Ern and E$e Blewi& Lunch organiser Del Clinton, in her St Piran s tartan tube scarf, and wearing her Paul Smales Medal with pride. Thanks to Del Clinton for the organisation, and those special extras that make the day. ps. Two booklets were le at City Extra One on St Keverne, and a booklet of postcards they were brought by Josie Taylor (thanks) for anyone to take - so if you wanted them let the editor know. QUOTE The picture that emerges from our study is of a Cornwall, swamped by middle class, middle aged, middle browed city dwellers who effectively imposed their standards on local society! - Ronald Perry, Case Studies of Socioeconomic change in Rural Areas, 1987 (30 years on has it just got worse?) SOME CORNISH SURNAMES a series Bruce & Debbie Champion Lyon Probably a breakaway from placename Carlyon, St. Minver (car-leghen, earthwork of shale) still mostly found in North Cornwall. Mabyn / Mabin / Mavin From parish name, St. Mabyn. Placename Nance-mabyn, Probus. Maddern / Madron Fron parish of madron, and found within 10 miles of the parish. Maddock from Celtic personal name Madoc. Placenames Tgremadoc, St Neot, Marsland & Morwenstowe; Culmadoc, Lanhydrock. Found in Mid to E. Cornwall. Magor / Meagor From magor, old ruin, old wall. Widely distributed. Page 3 No. 371 November / December, 2017

4 Maker From magor, ruin, old walls, or from Parish name Maker Minear / Manhire From men-hyr, long stone. Placenames Menhire, Gwennap; Tremenheere, Stithians; Mennear, St Austell. Found around St. Austell. Manuel / Mannuel Cornish form of Emmanuel or from placename Manuells, St. Columb Major (Maen-huwols 1289 (stone of vigilance or watchman s lookout) Marrack From marghak, knight or horse rider Mayne/Maine/Main From men or maen, stone. Parish name Tremaine. Widely found. Menadue From meneth du, black/dark mountain/hill. Placenames Menadue, Tintagel; Manadew, St. Breward, St. Cleer, Lanlivery; Menadews, St. Clement; Menerdue, Stithians. Found mostly in N. Cornwall. Menague From placename Meneage, Helston. From managh, meneagh (pl), monk. Menhennet / Menhenick / Menhinick Parish name Menheniot, from meneghy niet sanctuary of St. Neot. Found in Mid, SE and N Cornwall. Merrick From morek, maritime. Placename Crig-murrick, St. Merryn (Cruckmorek 1286) Merrin From parish name St. Merryn. Placename Nancemerryn, Mawgan in Meneage. February 14th 1779 in Hawaii (known at that time as the Sandwich Islands). In 1787 aged 33, a Lieutenant, he was given command of The Bounty, a three year old merchant ship, his mission was to transport breadfruit from Tahiti to the West Indies. Various books and films have portrayed him as a villain, a violent and unpleasant man but is this the truth? Commanding a ship required a man of strong character, his crew would have comprised of mostly illiterate men, probably recruited by the press-gangs and he was most likely no better or worse than any other commander of his time. SOME NOTED FOLK OF CORNWALL a series William Bligh - Captain of HMS Bounty, magnificent seaman, troubled Governor. William Bligh was born on 9 September 1754 at Tintern Manor, St Tudy, Cornwall. He was baptised at St Andrew's Church, Plymouth on 4 October 1754, where Bligh's father, Francis ( ), was serving as a customs officer. Bligh first went to sea in 1762 at the tender age of 7, as a Captain s personal servant on board HMS Monmouth. He joined the Royal Navy in 1770 where he served on HMS Hunter and became a Midshipman in 1771 serving on HMS Crescent and HMS Ranger. He was an intelligent man, well-versed in science and mathematics and was also a talented writer and illustrator. He became Sailing Master on the Resolution, commanded by Captain James Cook, quite an achievement as he was only 22 years of age. This voyage ended with the death of Cook on The Bounty set sail on December 23rd In April 1789 the famous mutiny took place, led by Bligh s one-time friend, Fletcher Christian. Bligh and 18 other crew members loyal to him were set adrift on April 28th in the Bounty s launch, an open boat, 23-foot long by 6 9 wide. In most cases such an act would have led to certain death for the men aboard, but Bligh was a magnificent seaman and he sailed from Tofua, one of the Friendly Islands, landing in Timor, Java, without any loss of life on June 14th. The journey of 3618 nautical miles took them 47 days. The mutineers, meanwhile, continued on to the Pitcairn Islands where Fletcher Christian and eight others founded a colony which remained undiscovered until (Descendants of the Page 4 No. 371 November / December, 2017

5 mutineers still live on Pitcairn, and on Norfolk Island) Bligh eventually returned and his career in the Navy continued, seemingly unaffected by the mutiny. In 1790 he became Captain of the sloop HMS Falcon, followed by service on HMS Medea and HMS Providence. In 1792 he again visited Tahiti and successfully transported breadfruit to the West Indies. In 1797 he commanded HMS Director at the battle of Camperdown and as Captain of HMS Glatton in 1801 took part in the battle of Copenhagen, after which he was commended for his bravery by Admiral Nelson. Also in 1801 Bligh was elected a fellow of the Royal Society, in consideration of his distinguished services in navigation, botany etc. In 1805, Bligh was sent to New South Wales as Governor, but once again his oppressive manner contributed to an uprising, in Sydney in 1808 the Rum Rebellion - he had attempted to end the use of rum as a form of currency. The military rebellion was led by one John Macarthur, a pioneer and wool merchant originally from Stoke Damerel, Devon who became a leader of settlers in New South Wales. The British soldiers (called by many, the Rum Corp) mutinied and Bligh was forcibly deposed by Major George Johnston of the 102nd foot and imprisoned for two years. On his release he returned home where he was cleared of all blame and Major Johnston was tried at Chelsea Hospital in 1811 and cashiered. Bligh was promoted to Rear Admiral and in 1814 became a Vice Admiral. In the latter years of his life, Bligh lived at the Manor House, Farningham, Kent and died on 7th December 1817, aged 64, in Bond Street, London. He is buried in the eastern part of Lambeth churchyard, by the side of his wife by whom he had six daughters. HOLY WELLS OF CORNWALL (a series) St Neot s Well (Poundstock) This holy well of St. Neot, is situated down a small strem in a valley near Poundstock, on the right a couple of hundred yards down a small lane that starts in between "Cott" and "Carlyon House". The lane starts almost opposite the shop in the middle of the village. As can be seen by the inscriptions the Well was restored in 1852 and It was almost derelict in It has always featured in village celebrations during the ages. Saint Neot was a monk who also gives his name to St Neots in Cambridgeshire, to where his alleged bones were taken in the early Middle Ages. The name means "pleasant (or beautiful) pasture (or habitation)" in Hebrew. There is also a St. Neot s well at St. Neot. NSW Cornish Stories In Honour of John Symonds, we will be including some extracts from his wonderful work from our web sites Stories page, developed by John as our project officer. Intro In producing this Web site, the Cornish Association of New South Wales had established a long time relationship with the Cornish people who lived in what was originally called Cornish Settlement and later renamed Byng, long after the Settlement became a village in its own right. Regional history soon became an important part of the CANSW/Byng collaboration. In the Web site, we aimed to create, in words andimages,howthe folkinthisregionworked together day by day, following their Wesleyan Methodist beliefs and customs. This involved many close-by communities which also have changed and progressed over more than 150 years. As the communities have changed and spread out, we felt the need to include nearby villages such as Cadia where copper and gold mining began underground. The stories of this village grew and so did the mining enterprises, to the extent that the original Cadia Cemetery needed to be moved, a story in its own right. Page 5 No. 371 November / December, 2017

6 Not long after this period, we discovered that many of the miners had moved to the new mining centre at Cobar in the west of NSW. There were wonderful stories about people there who not only came from eastern NSW but also from South Australia, Victoria and Queensland - many were Cornish families. There are many facets to the stories which have grown from day to day. Some emphasise the progress and some the decay. Some emphasise historical background. Others draw attention to the wonderful work done by many people. There are sad stories and there are humorous ones. There are many interesting images of the time. We hope you enjoy browsing through these stories and the images of the many aspects of life in the districts we cover and its people. Many people come to our web site to seek this information, so if you haven t seen the pages, please try to have a look: s%20a-c/canswwelcome.html piggery, chicken house, shepherd's hut and lambing barn. The name of the tor comes from the Cornish Bron Wennili - meaning 'hill of swallows' - and is a mountain, the highest point in Cornwall at 1,378ft above sea level. The plot of land includes rights for shooting deer, woodcock and snipe, a wind turbine and a natural water source. Medieval field patterns and remnants of old settlements are also still visible. The buyer will own the tor and unusually for Bodmin Moor exclusive grazing to the entire farm as well as shooting rights for the area's snipe, woodcock, and deer. It is just four miles from the village of St Breward, a moorland village known for its sweeping views and where shots in the modern series of Poldark's college, Nampara, were filmed. The estate agent confirmed that the public will still have access to Brown Willy Tor under the Countryside Rights of Way Act. London Cornish Association At an extraordinary general meeting members of the Cornish Association of Queensland voted recently to disband their group. It is understand that reasons revolve around Qld public liability rules and difficulties in confirming office bearers. Sad, as they started as a branch of CANSW originally over 20 years ago. They were going strong only a few years ago, so it is a lesson to all our groups to find ways to survive if their is a wish to do so. Their members are welcome to other Cornish Associations is they wish. A plot of land and farmhouse on Cornwall's highest point sold for 2.8 million in early April, Bron Wennili, or as anglicised onmapstobrownwilly, the tor - one of the twin peaks that mark the Duchy's summit on Bodmin Moor - is part of a 1,221-acre land parcel called Fernacre. The plot also includes a five bedroom granite farmhouse which boasts 3,331sq ft of accommodation flanked by a collection of traditional buildings including a The CANSW, along with all such groups around the world, is affiliated with the London Cornish Association (one of the oldest in the world, along with SA). Indeed our original rules were modelld on theirs. It is with sadness then to report on the death of long standing stalwart, and Chairman of the London Cornish Association, Dr Francis Dunstan. It was Francis who coordinated the Paul Smales Medal nominations, for the LCA and Gorsedh. POTTED GEOGRAPHY & HISTORY Bron Wennili - The summit, at 1,378 feet (420m) above sea level, is the highest point of Bodmin Moor and of Cornwall as a whole. It is situated about 2.5 miles (4.0km) north-west of Bolventor and 4 miles (6.4km) south-east of Camelford. The hill has a variable appearance that depends on the vantage point from which it is seen. It bears the conical appearance of a sugarloaf from Page 6 No. 371 November / December, 2017

7 the north but widens into a long multi-peaked crest from closer range. Our long term member John Tyler has produced a book, on his beloved Looe. Most of the print run of 100 will go to the UK, but a reserve copy may be obtained. RRP is 30 Pounds, but meembers may but at $45 plus postage.feel free to John on john@tylers.com.au if your are interested. PLAS AN TAVES Everyday Cornish (5) everyday-cornish.html Some questions, with a possible answer: Unlike other hills on Bodmin Moor, there is little evidence of prehistoric settlement around it. It may have instead been set aside for use as a communal area for people from the surrounding settlements, who may have used the ridge as a ceremonial procession route. There are no house circles or platforms in the area of the summit. The remains of seventeen houses and platforms have been found on the lower part of the eastern slopes and another 23 low on the western slopes; they were crudely constructed and probably only used seasonally. Nearly two-thirds of them were constructed in positions with a clear line of sight to the summit of Brown Willy and the nearby hill of Rough Tor, suggesting that the hilltops were viewed as special places. NEW BOOK Pyth esos ta ow kul? What are you doing? (to one person) Yth esov vy ow skrifa lyther. I m wring a le&er. Yth esov vy ow redya hwedhel Kernewek gans Tony Hak. I m reading a Cornish story by Tony Hak. Well, skwith ov. Nyns esov vy ow kul tra vyth. Well, I m red. I m not doing anything. Pyth esowgh hwi ow kul? What are you doing? (to more than one person) Yth eson ni ow mires orth an bellwolok. An nowodhow yw. We re watching the television. It s the news. Ha dha hwor? Pyth usi hi ow kul y n pols ma? And your sister? What is she doing at the moment? Yma hi owth oberi yn sodhva avel skrifenyades. She is working in an office as a secretary. Ass yw kosel. Pyth usi an fleghes ow kul? How quiet it is. What are the children doing? Da lowr yw. Ymons i ow koska yn aga chambour. It s OK. They re sleeping in their room. This is Plas an Tavas = Language Place - Introducing you to some daily Kernewek, the ancient Celtic language of Cornwall today, to practice. Pronunciation? Cornish is mainly phonetic More: Page 7 No. 371 November / December, 2017

8 Silly Sayings - Church notices MissCharlene Mason sang 'I willnot pass thisway again,' giving obvious pleasure to the congrega*on. DNA testing for those with UK ancestry can now be done for a fee, though Living DNA whose data is based on Oxford University research on the origins of the people of the British Isles. More information at: The Cornish know we are all distant cousin Jacks and Jennies, but CANSW members Cathy Olds and Chris Dunkerley seem to confirm that with their results. CANSW Public & Members Web Pages: Please have a look through all the pages on our web site; especially the NSW Sites pages developed by our own Dr John Symonds. Tell your friends! Suggested updates or new content are welcome. INTRODUCING CORNISH WEB SITES A series looking at some interesting web sites that are available on Cornish related pages. Cornwall Heritage Trust Cornwall Heritage Trust protects some of the most iconic sites in Cornwall, such as Treffry Viaduct, Castle an Dinas, & Sancreed Beacon. We regularly provide grants to other heritage organisations and our education programme helps to promote a greater appreciation of Cornwall s unique heritage. promote a greater appreciation of Cornwall s unique heritage. Memberships are also now open, with reciprocal rights to National Trust properties in Cornwall. Dates coming up... St Keverne feast 20 November, St Budoc 8 December, leading up to Christmas / Yule are St. Picrous Day (2nd Thursday before Christmas), Chegwidden Thursday (one week before), and Tom Bawcock s Eve (23 Dec.).. St. Day feast 18 January Editorial note: The content of this newsletter does not necessarily reflect official views of the CANSW, but rather contributors and sources! If someone is sick let me know(get-well message), or other news please! The next Newsletter no. 372 is for January / February, 2018 Copy Deadline is 7 January, 2018 Contributions may be held for future use but more (electronic ed preferred) are welcome! Nr. 371 LYTHER NOWODHOW - NSW Editor: c/o 34 Circular Avenue, Sawtell, 2452 Phone: Mobile orph: ringfirstfor manual switch to FAX kevrenor@oz .com.au Page 8 No. 371 November / December, 2017