A Cornish Dialect series by Tony Mansell “Whashe like Sid, comin in for a pint are ee?” “No, bugger n I arn’t goin near the place.” “What the ell’s matter with ee, signed the pledge av ee?” “I aven signed no pledge but I aren’t goin in there to line is pockets –…Continue Reading “The Life and Times of Sidney Zacharius Penpraze – The Reluctant Christmas Host”
Poverty and the Poorhouse By Tony Mansell Writing this article has been a sobering experience. I have developed a better understanding of those who were forced to seek relief, and the realisation that some of my ancestors were among those who entered the poorhouses, begging for help, has enhanced my empathy. Of course, there were…Continue Reading “Poverty and the Poorhouse”
A Cornish Dialect series by Tony Mansell It was a still, cold night, the sort when the smoke rises gently from the chimneys like fingers pointing to the sky. There were few customers in the pub, probably because the single log on the fire gave off more smoke than heat. Of course, our…Continue Reading “The Life and Times of Sidney Zacharius Penpraze – The Calendar Affair”
A Dame School (Thomas George Webster 1800-1886) By Tony Mansell Prior to the Elementary Education Act of 1870, 1 the state took no responsibility for schooling and those who wanted their children to receive lessons had to rely on charity or private arrangements. There appears to have been many small schools offering such a service…Continue Reading “Dame Schools as a part of the Cornish Education System”
By Tony Mansell Cornwall once had many railway branch lines but, sad to say, only a few remain. One that still operates is the Looe Valley Line but without the the need to transport minerals from Caradon to quayside, it would never have been built. Perhaps that statement is not entirely true: who knows whether…Continue Reading “Caradon to Looe Railway”
By Tony Mansell No story of Truro could be told without reference to its rivers and their role in its development. Sailing ships and then steam ships were a common sight as they made their way from Falmouth Haven, along what we now know as Carrick Roads, the River Fal and into Truro River…Continue Reading “Truro’s Rivers”