Institute of Cornish Studies

(ICS)Newsletter, April 2014

Celebrating St Piran’s Day on the Penryn Campus

On Wednesday 5th March the Institute of Cornish Studies held a special event in the Exchange Building to mark St Piran’s Day. It was decided that this would be an appropriate day to acknowledge the work of undergraduate students who are making a significant contribution to the work of Cornish Studies. The Richard Angove Bursary was officially launched last year in association with Cornish Quest. This is an annual award of £150 each to three outstanding undergraduate students doing courses associated with the Institute of Cornish Studies. The three winners for 2013-14 were officially awarded their certificates by Angela Angove, the chairman of Cornish Quest. Angela said: ‘Cornish Quest was absolutely delighted at the high standard of the papers from the three

student winners of the Cornish Quest Richard Angove Bursary. It was obvious to us all that Thomas Fidler, Miles Fowler and Will Orchard had researched very well and we are very proud of them all. We wish them well in their studies and endeavours in the future.’

Miles, Tom and Will receiving their awards from Angela Angove

In addition, the workshop saw the launch of the Institute’s pilot education project for schools in conjunction with Cornwall Heritage Trust. There was also Cornish music provided by Lamorna Spry and Andy Kelly (pictured right). The afternoon event was part of a wider Cornish Day in the Exchange hosted by Academic & Student Services at the Penryn Campus with stalls and taster sessions by the Archives and Cornish Studies Service, Cornish Foodbox Company, Institute of Cornish Studies, MAGA (Cornish Language Partnership), Multi-Faith Chaplaincy and the FXU High Tea Society.

A Very Special Suitcase!They may look battered and tired but three very special old suitcases will soon be travelling around schools and communities in Cornwall. Schools are being invited to join an exciting local landmark pilot project in conjunction with the Institute of Cornish Studies and Cornwall Heritage Trust. The suitcases will carry valuable resources to enable schools and local communities to explore and learn about the marvellous historic landmarks right on their doorstep.

The project was officially launched at the Penryn Campus on St. Piran’s Day 2014 and will initially run for 3 months. The project, ‘Landmark Travels – our past in a suitcase’, involves a specialist team that will inspire children and teachers through workshops centred on Cornish landmarks such as Dupath Well, Carn Euny and Treffry Viaduct. Children involved will get the chance to visit these local landmarks and, with the help of the mystery contents of the suitcase, will respond creatively using a range of techniques. These will include storytelling, sculpture, painting, digital media, collage and poetry. At the end of each workshop, children’s responses will be folded, posted and attached to the inside of the old suitcases, which will then travel to the next school to inspire more young people to carry on this important work. Sarah Chapman, one of the project team says, “From past experience, we have learnt that storytelling and creativity provide positive ways to engage children with their heritage in a meaningful, responsive and fun way. This project will expand on this and takes us out into the landscape to explore some of the fascinating historic landmarks on our doorstep.”

This project offers a different and innovative approach to engage people of all ages with their local heritage, spreading knowledge about Cornwall’s exciting past.

If you think your school could benefit from joining this exciting project, please contact Sarah Chapman on 07767382552 or email sarah.chapman@exeter.ac.uk

Poets’ Corner: As Waves FallIn this section Jenna White, a work experience student with Cornish Story, talks about her poem, As Waves Fall, which is published on p. 3: ‘My name is Jenna, and along with my family, I live in Cornwall. I have lived here all my life. I was born here, so I love everything about the county. The poem was mainly to portray how much I like living here, but it also spoke about the coastline and St Michaels Mount, a historic Cornish landmark off the coast at Penzance. Throughout the poem, I think that I wanted to describe the ocean because it has played such a big part in my life and I think that it’s important I talked about it. My experience with poetry originally came from my granddad. He has always been a big inspiration to me through poetry and has done a lot of work himself. He was the one that encouraged me to start writing poems and I am very grateful’.

As waves fallBy Jenna White

The wind of the coastline batters onTo engulf the sailors crossing over the torn down sea

Far out in front over ripples and rockLies the Mount of St Michael, rising into the fresh new

breeze 

The kelp of the forest floors, fly like flagsWithering corners touch the belly of wavesThat writhe and shiver up to granite walls

Then drop, and form craters that pile up with froth 

The dredgers clear paths by cold metal beamsAs fish fly, only to be drowned in air, quenched in mist

Their scales flash colours of salvation in the lightThey leap and see St Michaels Mount loom quietly into

view 

The shingle, broken by battered waves, roars up and hurls down

As the bitter sharp edges chatter in laughterThe sun flashes bright in the near dark sky

And the Mount of St Michael fades into black

Roseanne Ley – Marketing and Advertising Officer“After five years living away from Cornwall, I’m delighted to be back studying at Falmouth, and working for CAVA. So far, I’ve worked with Garry Tregidga to help develop and promote some of the Institute’s projects and events, and I look forward to creating some more in the future. My role is to get more people interested in using CAVA through Cornish Story. It’s such a great resource for people wanting to learn more about Cornish History. When I’m not at university, I love being outdoors whether walking my dogs, running, swimming, or attempting to surf! I’ve recently taken up Thai boxing too.”

Jane Channon - Cornish Research Group Coordinator Jane has worked for the last three years as an Administrator for Exeter University’s Law department in Cornwall. Before this she spent ten years in London working for the BBC as a Picture Editor on children's magazines and ended up helping to archive the Radio Times picture collection. She currently works part-time for Falmouth University as a Widening Participation Assistant, helping to support students of all ages access Higher Education in Cornwall.

New administrative roles in ICS

The Institute of Cornish Studies relies on the work of its volunteers. We’d like you to meet some of the administration team working behind the scenes.

Jay PengellyWill be joining the ICS team on a voluntary basis. Jay was formerly the administrator of the History Department at the Penryn Campus. She has been associated with the University of Exeter at the Penryn Campus since 2004 when she became a member of Academic Services and was then administrator of the History Department until her retirement in 2013. In her new role at the Institute of Cornish Studies she will be initially focusing on providing administrative support for the associate scheme. Jay is also assisting with the Cornish Story outreach programme and in May will be helping three of our Public History students (Will Orchard, Abi Stocker and Katie Taylor) with a travelling exhibition they have designed on the theme of 'Journey through Cornwall' when they will be visiting Bodmin, Truro and Penzance libraries.

Jenna White – Work Experience studentJenna is a GCSE student from Penryn College and she has been working with the Cornish Story team at the Institute. Her work involves the editing of previous articles that will be republished in a new format later this year, conducting oral history interviews for CAVA and writing an article based on her recordings. Jenna is interested in poetry and this issue of the newsletter includes an example of her work (see p.2). It has been a pleasure to involve Jenna in the work of Cornish Story and we wish her the very best for her future studies.

Aberfest ’14 A celebration of Cornish and Breton culture taking place

around Falmouth on Easter Saturday 19th April

The Parade starts at The Moor at 12.30pm and processes past the shops to Custom House Quay. From 1pm to 6pm there will be free performances of music, singing and dance at the three pubs on the quayside.

An Organ and Bombard concert and string trio will perform at King Charles Church a short stroll from Custom House Quay. It too is free although donations will be welcome. From 6pm to 7pm there will be free acoustic

performances in the Garden Room at Princess Pavilion.

AberFest Noz takes place from 7pm. This is a fantastic Cornish & Breton party night with performances from eight Cornish and Breton groups (by ticket only).

For more information please go to: www.aberfest.org

St Day’s journey from Brittany to Cornwall Continuing the Breton theme, this year’s Lantern Parade in St Day on 8 th March highlighted Cornwall’s shared heritage with Brittany, celebrating St Day’s journey across the sea from Brittany to Cornwall. Local artists and children made a spectacular fluorescent art installation with shadow puppetry with live musical accompaniment.

The parish is named after St Day who, whilst not well known in Britain, is often found honoured in Brittany. The old pronunciation of 'St Dye' was in common use until fairly recently. The village celebrates its significance as a pilgrimage centre in Cornwall, in honour of the Holy Trinity.

Images courtesy of A Cornish Eye

The Cornish Research Group Seminar Series It was good to meet new volunteers and existing members at the second Cornish Research Group Seminar on 29th January. Marilyn Liddicoat gave a talk outlining her family’s involvement with local government in Cornwall entitled: ‘A Cornish Political Family & Personal Political Influences and Thoughts’, exploring the connection or disconnection between political activism and local community endeavour and activism.

Marilyn described the direct involvement of several family members in local government, as county, district and parish councillors over several generations dating back to the Middle Ages, when distant ancestors had been Cornish MPs. She also outlined her own career in politics in Cornwall and London, working for Cornish MP Sir Robert Hicks, for the political department of The Sunday Times and for the Inter-Parliamentary Union.

The talk was recorded and will shortly be available in the ICS archives.

Breton-Cornish Studies

A new publication has recently been produced comparing the experiences of Brittany and Cornwall. Entitled Bretagne/Cornouailles (britanniques): quelles relations? and edited by Anne Goarzin and Jean-Yves Le Disez, it has been published by the Centre de Recherché Bretonne et Celtique (CRBC).

It brings together researchers from either side of the Channel in an effort to find the links that have historically united these regions and to bridge a significant gap in research. Their work, compiled here in the first volume entirely dedicated to the subject, will hopefully throw light on this new and promising field of study. Contributions explore such topics as migrations, artists in the nineteenth century, the Celtic Revival, contemporary identity and film representations. It is intended as the start of a long-term collaboration between the Institute of Cornish Studies and Celtic researchers in the universities of Rennes and Western Brittany.

Copies can be ordered from the Institute of Cornish Studies. For further details please email: cornishstudies@exeter.ac.uk

The Institute of Cornish StudiesUniversity of ExeterPenryn CampusTreliever RoadPenrynCornwallTR10 9FE

Tel: 01326 371888cornishstudies@exeter.ac.uk cava@exeter.ac.uk

Next Cornish Research Group Seminar: Friday 28th March

We look forward to the next seminar meeting on Friday 28th March. As well as catching up on the group’s latest work and developments, new member Dr Mike Tripp will talk about his research on Cornish wrestling and the reasons why he is interested in this subject.

Mike was Head of Department of Sports Development and Outdoor Learning at the University College Plymouth St Mark and St John until 2012, where he taught the history, politics and sociology of sport. He obtained his doctorate from the University of Exeter in 2010 and his thesis was entitled, The Persistence of Difference: a History of Cornish Wrestling.

Mike has contributed articles on wrestling for The Oxford Companion to the Body, The New Dictionary of National Biography, the Encyclopaedia of British Sport and the Encyclopaedia of Traditional British Rural Sports. He also acted in January 2001 as an historical consultant for Inside Out, the BBC Southwest current affairs magazine television programme, which examined the current demise of Cornish wrestling. Mike will talk at the next ICS Research Seminar about his research and the reasons why he is interested in Cornish wrestling.

All welcome to this free event at Penryn Campus, Peter Lanyon Building seminar 6 from 2-5pm

Wrestling in Padstow c. 1900, published in The Padstow Echo no.6, 1965

To find out more about how to join the Cornish Research Group and become an associate member of the Institute of Cornish Studies, please go to: www.exeter.ac.uk/cornishstudies or email: cornishstudies@exeter.ac.uk