Knockers, Tin Mines and Cornish Pasties

I have mentioned Cornish tin mines in several posts so I thought that today I would write about the spirits that frequented the underground passages. 

According to Cornwall's tin miners along with them in the mines were the Knockers. These were mischievous spirits. They both helped the miners and also played tricks on them. 

To keep in the Knockers good books the miners would often leave a small portion of their Cornish Pasties for these small spirits - more about Cornish Pasties later. 

The Knockers were the equivalent of the Irish leprechaun and were described as being about 2 feet tall, rather strange looking and lived underground. This meant that the tin mines were a perfect habitat for them and sometimes they would be seen wearing smaller versions of miners clothes. 

According to Cornish folklore the Knockers were of help to the miners in two main ways. Firstly they would make a knocking sound to indicate where the tin ore veins were to be found and secondly they would knock to warn of any imminent danger. 

On the mischievous side they would steal tools and food and play jokes on the miners - but were generally good natured. Some claim that the Knockers were the spirits of tin miners who had died in the many accidents which happened in the early days of Cornish mining. 

The traditional food for Cornish miners was the Cornish Pasty made from a circle of pastry filled with steak, sliced or diced potato, swede and onion, seasoned with salt and pepper. The pastry is folded in half and then baked in an oven. 

Note that a true Cornish pasty is crimped (joined) at the side - and never on top. There was a reason for this. The miners would take larger versions of the Cornish pasty for their meal breaks and would hold this by the crimped edge with their dirty hands. This way they could discard the soiled pastry for the Knockers to eat. 

Going back to the Knockers these spread to the USA as Cornish miners - who became knows as Cousin Jacks - joined the Gold Rush in the late 1800s. 

There is a story of how in 1956 a mine was closed and sealed. Generations of Cousin Jacks insisted that the mine be re-opened for all of the Knockers to escape and move to other mines. The mine owners agreed and the Knockers were set free. 

The tin mines of Cornwall are - or rather were - interlinked with Knockers and pasties. Cornish pasties thrive in Cornwall and, in Europe and the UK, Cornish pasties can only be made in Cornwall.

There are other rules and regulations about Cornish pasties. According to the Cornish Pasty Association the official recipe must contain 12.5% beef and 25% vegetables. Therefore you can't have such a thing as a vegan or vegetarian Cornish pasty - they would simply be 'pasties'.

It is said that at least 120 million Cornish Pasties are made each year and this is worth over 65 million to the Cornish economy.

How To Make Your Own Cornish Pasty

Private Parking For Seagulls In Looe, Cornwall - The Rest Of Us Have To Pay!

It's all very well for the seagull to have reserved 'Private Parking' when in Looe, Cornwall but what about the rest of us when we visit. We have to cough up £4.70 for four hours and £5.70 for longer. 

The only consolation is that the Millpool car park does have a lovely view - as the photo below shows.

Did Jesus Visit Cornwall?

Church at St,Just-in-Roseland

I recently wrote a post about the church at St. Just-in-Roseland, Cornwall. What I didn't mention is that there is a story, or legend, that Joseph of Arimathea brought Jesus ashore here. 

The idea of Jesus visiting England was partly popularised by the poet William Blake and his words for the hymn Jerusalem: "And did those feet in ancient times walk upon England's mountains green ..." but did He visit Cornwall? It is quite plausible. The Romans did so quite easily at around the same time - so why not Jesus. 

Let's go into this a little deeper.

Joseph of Arimathea was the younger brother of the Virgin Mary's father (therefore Jesus' Uncle) and it appears that he was a wealthy man. His wealth was from dealing in minerals and metals. In a Latin version of the Bible he is described as a 'Decurio'. This means that the Romans considered him to be some sort of high official in charge of mines. 

At that time Cornwall produced most of the world's tin plus  various minerals, which were exported worldwide. Joseph would have had to travel to Cornwall, in England to secure a supply of tin and perhaps minerals - and Jesus could well have travelled with Him. It's even possible that Jesus was the ship's carpenter, which was his 'earthly' father's trade. 

Strangely, early Cornish tin miners were known to chant 'Joseph was in the tin trade' as they worked. He is also mentioned in traditional miners' songs. 

The question still arises as to why Jesus travelled with Joseph of Arimathea. It could be, as already suggested, that he worked as a carpenter - there would have been little work in his home village. 

Another theory is that Joseph may have become Jesus' guardian under Roman law. This would have come about if Mary had become a widow. There is no mention of her husband after Jesus was a boy, so he may well have died. 

Therefore the story of Jesus stepping ashore in Cornwall at St. Just In Roseland could possibly be true. 

There is a large chunk of Jesus' early life missing from the age of 12. He may have stayed in England for a period to exchange ideas and beliefs with the Druids and Celts.

As well as visiting Cornwall, Jesus may have also stayed at the likes of Glastonbury.

St. Augustine is said to have written to the then Pope saying he had discovered a church in Glastonbury built by followers of Jesus at about 37 AD. A 6th Century cleric, St.Gildas, however, went one step further and said it was built by Jesus himself.


See also:
Is St. Just-in-Roseland the Most Beautiful Churchyard on Earth?

Early Spring Flowers In My Cornish Garden

A few early spring flowers in my garden - though they probably make my garden look much better than it actually is! 

Is St Just-in-Roseland The Most Beautiful Churchyard On Earth?

Yes, it's still Cornwall! This is St. Just-in-Roseland, with it's 13th century church and is one of my favourite places to visit - so very peaceful. Somehow there is a special feeling within the sub tropical churchyard and gardens set beside the river's creek. 

The photos were taken on a sunny day last year.

Sir John Betjeman suggested that this is perhaps the most beautiful churchyard on earth. 

When you look down from on high - as per the photo below - the church is in an idyllic position.

The  river almost embraces the church when the tide is high.

The graves and memorials in the churchyard are beautifully maintained:

The church itself is very simple inside. When we visited there was a group of people making wicker baskets, and it gives the impression of  being a much loved place.

Oh yes, and as a bonus, there is also a Holy Well in the church grounds - as photo below. Unfortunately it didn't look it's best as the banks had been cut. Nevertheless I dabbed a little of the water on my face - you never know the power of a Holy Well!

After viewing the church and grounds it's possible to continue walking along the river to St Mawes Castle. Perfect!

See Also:
Did Jesus Visit Cornwall?

Fisherman's Friends Trailer

We went to see the Fisherman's Friends film on Wednesday. Tells the story of the how ten fishermen from Port Isaac, Cornwall are signed by Universal Records and achieve a top ten hit with their debut album of Sea Shanties. 

A true story and it's a feel good film with a message about what is really important in life. I enjoyed it and the Cornish scenery of Port Isaac was, of course, wonderful.

The trailer gives a flavour of the film.

Port Isaac is also the stomping ground of television's Doc Martin - where Port Isaac becomes Portwenn.

Bodmin Jail and a Hanging Watched by 25,000 People

A different sort of post today copied from one of my old blogs. It features Bodmin Jail, a dream precogniton and a hanging watched by nearly 25,000 people. The photos are of Bodmin Jail. Here we go:

Captain Edmund Norway, the master of the merchant ship Orient, was situated seven miles off the volcanic island of St. Helena in the south Atlantic. 

On the 8th of February 1840 the Captain awoke with a start. He had been dreaming and told his second officer, Mr Wren, what he had dreamt: 

"I had a dreadful dream. I dreamt that my brother Nevill was murdered by two men on the road from Bodmin to Wadebridge (Cornwall). One fired a pistol twice, but I heard no report. He then knocked my brother from his horse, struck him several blows about the head, then ran away and left him."

Seeing his Captain was unsettled by this Mr Wren told him, "Don’t worry about it. You west country people are too superstitious." Captain Norway was from Cornwall, England. 

But it must have concerned the Captain as on February 9th, 1840 he took the trouble to record his dream, and the conversation with Wren, in the ship's log. 

Nevill Norway, a highly respectable timber and general merchant, was killed exactly as his brother had recorded and the murder caused considerable interest and discussion in Bodmin, Cornwall and the surrounding area. So much so that a police officer from London was sent to help with the enquiries.

Nevill had been seen on the day of the murder at Bodmin market and was carrying a considerable amount of money. It is thought he was seen by brothers, William and James Lightfoot, who were later arrested for Nevill Norway's murder. They each initially blamed the other brother. 

William Lightfoot finally gave his version of what had happened:

"He and his brother had met by appointment, and were determined to have some money; that is when Mr Norway came up, James snapped his pistol at him twice; that he (William) then gave him a blow with a stick; so he fell off his horse, and that James struck him with his pistol."

William and James Lightfoot were found guilty at the court and Monday, the 13th of April, 1840 was fixed for their execution by hanging at Bodmin Jail. 

The hanging became cause for almost a party atmosphere and 20-25,000 people went to watch the double hanging. This is how the local newspaper, The West Briton, reported the execution: 

"The execution of these wretched men (William and James Lightfoot) who murdered Nevill Norway, took place on Monday last, in front of the County Gaol.

The town of Bodmin on the Sunday evening presented the appearance of a fair, every Public House and as many private houses were filled to overflowing.

On Monday morning the road up to the prison was barricaded off from the public leaving a large open space below the drop which was occupied by the Sheriff's Javelin men and the local and special Constables.

People began to assemble very early in the morning and by twelve o'clock, the hour of execution, there could have been no less than from twenty to twenty-five thousand persons.

The prisoners were launched into eternity. They died almost immediately. The shoe of William, through the jerk, fell off.

After hanging for an hour, the bodies were cut down and put into a couple of black coffins. They were buried in a hole about three feet in the coal yard just in front of the prison.

~ West Briton Newspaper 17th April 1840.

The Lightfoot brothers are said to still haunt Bodmin Jail.

Bodmin Jail was built back in the reign of George III in 1777. Prisoners helped - though not necessarily willingly - to transport 20,000 tons of granite from Bodmin's Cuckoo Quarry for its erection.