no. 358 newsletter of the august-september 2015 cornish ... · lyther nowodhow - newsletter - of...

President: Joy Dunkerley (0428 617 830 or 02 6699 2967) Bard (Cherya) [email protected]

Secretary: Chris Dunkerley CyC Bard (Kevrenor)

ASSOCIATION POSTAL ADDRESS: c/o 34 CIRCULAR AVE, SAWTELL NSW 2452, Australia

Phone Contact: 02 6699 2967 (+Manual Fax) Mobile 0409 393 059 Contact E-mail: [email protected]

Web Pages: www.celticcouncil.org.au/cornish/nsw.htm

No. 358

August-September 2015ISSN 1321-3199

Circulation: 100

Newsletter of the

Cornish Association of New South Wales

PROGRAMME 2015/16

SYDNEY

Sunday 11 October, 2015Sunday 11 October, 2015

Library Open Day Library Open Day

@ the Lyon's place

45 Mason Street, Maroubra

From 11:00am

Everyone interested in what books and video

we have in our (12 box, 500+ item) library is

invited along for this special Open Library day

and social gathering!

A great chance to find that gem and borrow it.

There will also be discussion about the future

options for our library.

Bring a plate of food for lunch, and yourpreferred drink, & RSVP please to the Lyons –Tel: 02 9349 1491 Email [email protected]

Advance notice

End of Year Lunch End of Year Lunch at Circular Quay, Sydney

Friday 20 November, 2015

Reserve the date – suitable for workers in

the city and all the un-worked! More details

later

FESTIVALS

Open GorsedhOpen GorsedhSaturday 5 September, 2015

St Austell, CornwallA weekend program of events, with over 400 Bards

meeting on the Saturday. CANSW members will be

attending, including 3 Bards, and our CANSW

Banner Bearer.

Celtic Australia Day Festival Celtic Australia Day Festival Bradfield Park, Milson Point

Tuesday 26 January, 2016

Cornish weekend in VictoriaCornish weekend in VictoriaCornish Hill, Daylesford

18-20 March, 2016CAV 30th Anniversary - Meet & greet the Cornish,

displays, Bards gathering, ecumenical church service,

festival dinner, lots of fun and fellowship!

For more details contact CAV Sec. On

03 9877 2968

Australian Celtic FestivalAustralian Celtic FestivalGlen Innes, NSW – The Year of the Isle of Man

29 April – 1 May, 2016

Berry Celtic FestivalBerry Celtic FestivalSaturday 28 May, 2016

Berry, NSWProposed Special Cornish Program

Northern NSW

Ballina area Social LunchBallina area Social Lunch – in late SpringIf interested, please contact Joy!

[email protected] or 0428 617 830 asap

– August / September, 2015 COMMITTEE EVENT PLANNING CONTINUING … IDEAS PLEASE

Lyther Nowodhow - Newsletter - of the Cornish Association of NSW - No. 358 - August / September 2015______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

WIDER COMING EVENTS Southern Sons of Cornwall Inc

For more details contact: Sonia Reuter, Events Co-

ordinator, and her phone number is 02 4421 8187

Her email address is: [email protected]

Committee News:.

Bank account 31/7/15 bal: $8,113.70Half-year Financial Report -

Opening Bal 1/1 $7,811.07, Closing Bal 30/6

$7,969.70 - giving a net $158.63 CR. Income

$3,483.22 (Donations $152, Functions $2,028.80,

Raffle $194, Sales $140, Subs $960, Interest $8.42);

Expenditure $3,324.59 (Functions $2,630.59,

Newsletter $633, Sales items $50, Misc $11)

A Sydney sub-committee met on July 19. Afterconsideration of our future activities, the matterof the use and future of members extensiveCANSW Library was discussed.

Membership stands at 89 households, but as10 are still un-financial (@8/8/15), that coulddrop. A final reminder letter will be sent outwith this Newsletter. Please renew, if you getthe letter. New members are welcome, soalways be on the lookout for potential people.Contact cards and leaflets available – contactthe Secretary.

President’s report: “I was up in Glen Innes inlate June for the Winter Solstice dawnceremony, representing the Cornish as aGuardian of the Stones. It was very cold .. as wegave honour to the indigenous custodians (withdidgeridoo), and to the various Celtic nations(with bagpipes) from four sides of the circle asthe sun just peaked over the horizon to thenorth east ..

… but not as cold as it was a few weeks laterwhen deep snow fell. I will be away duringSeptember overseas, and participating in the

Open Gorsedh at St Austell on 5 September,along with four other current Bards fromAustralia, and some other visitors from NSWand elsewhere in Australia. Chris & I will bespeaking to a seniors group here on 19 Oct."Joy Dunkerley

Next Full Committee MeetingNovember - tba

Next Sydney sub-committee meetingtba

Your ideas and offers are always welcome

Final membership reminder letter has been sent to

non financial members

Past Events

PASTY DAY – 19 July

As usual Betty Bevins was the perfect hostess, and she & Ruth still haven't lost there touch as far as the pasties go.

There were about eighteen people in attendance& all seemed to be enjoying each other'scompany. John Coombs & Jackie (Carl'sPartner) entertained us beautifully. Del Clinton

August - September, 2015


Remember - Maxine Gray volunteered some time

ago to be our contact for Family History enquiries

– 14 Janice Crescent, Moss Vale, 2577 (02 4869

4958)

[email protected]

Maxine would love to help steer your enquiries.

Our Lending & Research Library

Thank you to those who gave feedback! The CANSWlibrary is one of only two large Cornish libraries inAustralia (along with Cornish Assoc. Vic) – please make

use of it for borrowing or research! It's future will be

discussed at our Library Open Day on 11

October – do come along!

The up to date listing of books has been uploaded to theCANSW web site. The direct page link is:

http://members.optusnet.com.au/~kevrenor/canswlib5_alpha.xls

This can also be posted to you on request, It hasCatalogue Id order & in alphabetical order on themembers’ web.

Contact Eddie and Eileen on 02 9349 1491

Email: [email protected]

A fairly full listing site:

Fast link http://tinyurl.com/46c9cl

Eddie Lyon, Librarian

MEMBERS MILESTONES Congratulations to Eddie & Eileen Lyon, whose

son Martin (or more accurately his wife) in the UK

has presented them with a real 'Cousin Jack', a

grandson Jack Edward Lyon, born 4th June.

Best wishes to a number of members who have had

a run of reported health problems recently.

Please let us know of your good news, special

events, or of those who are ill.

QUOTE“People must remember that we Cornish arefull of the spirit of the peninsula which does notmarch in line with the rest of the world”; thelate Bard Joy Stevenson, letter Editor, TheWestern Morning News, November, 1991 RIP

CORNISH SURNAMES – a series

CARLYON – From car-lyjon; camp of the le-gion, or car-leghen; earthwork of slate or shale.Place names: Carlyon, Kea, and St. Minver; Car-leen, Breage; Carleon, Morval.

CARNE – From carn: pile of rocks. Over 100placenames prefixed by Carn. Name is nowevenly distributed throughout Cornwall.

CARNELL – Possibly from Car-hal: rock pileon the moor. Place name Carnell, Gwinear;Found in far west Cornwall.

CARRICK - Fram carrek: rock mass. Placenames Carrick Roads, Falmouth; CarrickowelPoint, St Austell.

CASS, CASE – Possibly from cas, meaningwar or battle or fight; Name found in St Austellarea.

CAUSLEY – From caslys – headquarters, en-trenchment; found as Casley in west Cornwalland Causley in east Cornwall. [The late CharlesStanley Causley, CBE, FRSL - was a Cornishpoet, schoolmaster and writer. His work isnoted for its simplicity and directness and forits associations with folklore, especially whenlinked to his native Cornwall.]

CHIRGWIN - From chy gour gwyn (house ofthe fair man). Found mainly in far west Corn-wall.

CHYNOWETH, CHENOWETH – From chynoweth (new house). Place name in many par-ishes, but name found mainly in mid-westCornwall.

CLEGG – Possibly from clegh (bells), hencebellringer [Surname of former UK Deputy PM,Nick Clegg, Liberal Democrat)

CLIMO, CLEMMOW – Of Clement's family

From A Handbook of Cornish Surnames, by George

Pawley White. Just a few Cornish names (of Celtic

origin, unless noted) explained; plus [sidenotes] by

your Editor.

BEATING THE BOUNDS

The people of Penryn stepped back into historyas the old tradition of beating the bounds wasresurrected by the town's new mayor for PenrynWeek.

A group of residents met at the clock tower,where they were addressed by the recentlyappointed town crier Jim Henderson, before



setting off on a tour of the borough's currentboundaries.

Mayor Mark Snowdon led walkers through the

Glasney Valley up to the reservoirs, across St.

Gluvias Cricket Club and through Penryn

Industrial Estate down to Trelawney Park

and along to Penryn Bridge before returning to

the Town Hall via St Thomas Street.The

Falmouth Packet reported:

The mayor said: "I was absolutely delighted so

many people turned out to support me for the

mayor's beating of the bounds. Fantastic

weather for a stroll around areas a few had

never seen. Parents with small children, one the

dad even bounced up and down a few times on

one of the boundary markers, and we hit a

couple of other markers with birches. Ended up

for a lovely cream tea thanks to Mary May and

Lee Kelgren. Thanks to everyone."

More on beating the bounds ...

Beating the bounds is an ancient custom still

observed in some Anglo-Saxon parishes, and

later Cornish and Welsh parishes (The Roman

Church replaced the Celtic Church in the latter

two in later times). A group of old and young

members of the community would walk the

boundaries of the parish, usually led by the

parish priest and church officials, to share the

knowledge of where they lay, and to pray for

protection and blessings for the lands.

In former times when maps were rare it was

usual to make a formal perambulation of the

parish boundaries on Ascension Day or during

Rogation week. Knowledge of the limits of each

parish needed to be handed down so that such

matters as liability to contribute to the repair of

the church, and the right to be buried within the

churchyard were not disputed. The relevant

jurisdiction was that of the ecclesiastical courts.

The priest of the parish with the churchwardens

and the parochial officials headed a crowd of

boys who, armed with green boughs, usually

birch or willow, beat the parish boundary

markers with them. Sometimes the boys were

themselves whipped or even violently bumped

on the boundary-stones to make them

remember. The object of taking boys along is

supposed to ensure that witnesses to the

boundaries should survive as long as possible.

Priests would pray for its protection in the

forthcoming year and often Psalms 103 and 104

were recited, and the priest would say such

sentences as "Cursed is he who transgresseth

the bounds or doles of his neighbour".Hymns

would be sung, indeed a number of hymns are

titled for their role, and many places in the

English countryside bear names such as Gospel

Oak testifying to their role in the beating of the

bounds.

The ceremony had an important practical

purpose. Checking the boundaries was a way of

preventing encroachment by neighbours;

sometimes boundary markers would be moved,

or lines obscured, and a folk memory of the true

extent of the parish was necessary to maintain

integrity of borders by embedding knowledge in

oral traditions. For a village man dwelling in

champion country, under the traditional open

field system, George Homans remarks, "the

bounds of his village were the most important

bounds he knew." Village and parish were

coterminous. The modern system of metes and

bounds operates fundamentally similarly, giving

a prose definition of a property, as if walking

about it.



In 1865–66 William Robert Hicks was mayor of

Bodmin in Cornwall, when he revived the

custom of Beating the Bounds of the town. This

still takes place more or less every five years and

concludes with a game of Cornish hurling.

Hurling survives as a traditional part of Beating

the bounds at Bodmin, commencing at the close

of the 'Beat'. The game is organised by the

Rotary club of Bodmin and was last played in

2010. The game is started by the Mayor of

Bodmin by throwing a silver ball into a body of

water known as the "Salting Pool". There are no

teams and the hurl follows a set route. The aim

is to carry the ball from the "Salting Pool" via

the old A30, along Callywith Road, then

through Castle Street, Church Square and

Honey Street to finish at the Turret Clock in

Fore Street. The participant carrying the ball

when it reaches the turret clock will receive a

£10 reward from the Mayor.

NEW TRAIN COMING FOR GREAT

WESTERN RAIL

A NEW £360 million fleet of trains has beenannounced for Cornwall today that will speedup the travel time from the Duchy to Londonwhen they are introduced in 2018. The newtrains will replace the 40-year-old High SpeedTrains (HSTs [similar to NSW's XPT) currentlyused on the Penzance to Paddington service andwill be made up of seven nine-car and 22 five-car units. The five-car units can be coupledtogether to provide ten car trains. The newscomes after First Great Western struck a dealwith the Department for Transport earliertoday.

They will all be 'bi-modes', i.e. able to run aselectric trains under the wires as far as Newburyand then on diesel power to Cornwall, and willmean a 24 per cent increase in seats forcustomers once they are all in service in 2018,creating more than 1,000 additional seats atpeak times across the route every day. As bi-modes, they are future proofed against anyfurther extension of electrification to the SouthWest, as they can operate in electric mode as faras the limit of the electrified network.

They are similar to the new Super ExpressTrains that will run to Bristol and South Wales,but have been specially modified for the run toCornwall and will utilise higher engineoperating power to cope with the trackgradients and will have larger fuel tanks tooperate the longer distances on diesel powerthrough to Penzance. This and the use ofautomatic sliding doors, rather than slam doors,will help speed up typical journey times fromLondon by up to 14 minutes (Penzance). From

the Westbriton

POLICE GET WITH IT

In the February / March Newseltter wepublished a photo of an external bi-lingual(English-Cornish) sign at Truro Police Station.Signs internally have been reported at times atCamborne and St Columb Major.

A Devon and Cornwall Police spokesman lastmonth said it is believed to be the only stationso far to have a dual-language sign. But headded: “I believe it is now policy that all ournew buildings in Cornwall will have signage inCornish. Existing buildings will have thisamendment only when the signs needreplacing.” The spokesman said he believesthese signs cost no more than the existing ones.

MEETING THE GRAND BARD

Maureen Fuller (Steren Mor) is Grand Bard ofthe Cornish Gorsedd, an organisation thatworks to protect and promote Cornwall’scultural distinctiveness.

Western Morning News: Q. What was youroccupation? A. MF: I was a primary schoolteacher at Saltash for 40 years. But besides the



curriculum, I taught Cornish as an after-schoolactivity.

WMN: What is a bard? MF: The bardic systemhonours people who have given exceptionalservice to Cornwall. There are more than 500living bards, both in Cornwall and all over theworld, where Cornish associations promoteCornwall and its culture overseas.

WMN: Can anyone apply to be a bard? MF: No,you have to be put forward by another bard orpass your final Cornish language exams andcontinue to work for Cornwall by teaching thelanguage, writing books or promoting thelanguage in some way; then accepted by theBardic Council.

WMN: When were you made a bard and why?

MF: In 1977, by passing my Cornish languageexams. I was barded at the Nine Maidens stonecircle at St Columb and took the bardic name ofSteren Mor (Star of the Sea). I continued towork for the Cornish Language Board and wasexams secretary for 29 years.

WMN: What is the main role of GorsedhKernow?

MF: It exists to maintain and give expression tothe national spirit of Cornwall as a Celticcountry, recognised in 2014 as a nationalminority. It fosters relations with Celticcountries, promotes the language, and the studyof Cornwall’s literature, art, music, history andsport. It is regularly called on to comment, giveadvice on and give a voice to contemporaryCornish issues.

WMN: What is the Grand Bard’s role? MF: AsGrand Bard I need to be up to date with issuesaffecting Cornwall and to be vigilant to changesor threats to our culture or landscape and reactor respond to them without getting drawn intopolitics or religion. I conduct all ceremonies,both in Cornwall and overseas and I also receiveinvitations to many civic occasions andcelebrations in Cornwall.

WMN: What has been the highlight of yourthree years in the post? MF: There have beenmany, but the best was when the Cornish peoplewere recognised as a national minority. Manypeople had worked for years to be recognised asCornish, not English, and had died waiting. Forthat to happen on my watch as GB wasawesome. Another highlight was to sit in theroyal box at the Royal Albert Hall when a choirof 700 Cornish male voices sang their hearts out

and Trelawny nearly blew the roof off! Andfinally, meeting all those wonderful peoplethrough my work as GB, especially overseas.

WMN: When will you hand over yourleadership? MF: The annual Gorsedh Kernow ison September 5 this year in St Austell, when DrMerv Davey (Telynor an Weryn) will beinstalled as the new Grand Bard.

From the Western Morning News

NEW BARDS

Archivists, Cornish language speakers and,arguably, Cornwall’s funniest of funny men areamong 20 people from across Cornwall andbeyond who will be welcomed as new bards ofGorsedh Kernow at Sat 5th September ceremonyin St Austell, at Poltair.

Among the new Bards to be inducted, are twofrom Australia. Robyn Coates from Victoria(Melbourne & Ballarat), and Lenice Stuchburyof Ballarat. Robyn will be there to receive herBardic name and head-dress, but ChrisDunkerley will be standing in proxy for Lenice.

The CANSW will be well represented by 3 Bardsand our Cornwall based banner.

CENSUS TICK BOX

Mebyon Kernow – the Party for Cornwall (MK)is encouraging people to respond to an Office ofNational Statistics (ONS) consultation aboutthe content of the 2021 census, and to demand a“Cornish” tickbox. The initial view of the Officeof National Statistics (ONS) is that questions onethnicity and national identity should beincluded in the 2021 census, but would beunaltered from the last census when there wasnot a “Cornish tickbox.”

Further information can be found at:https://consultations.ons.gov.uk/census/2021-

census-topics-consultation

GOOD NEWS OR BAD NEWS FIRST?

Yes, it is about pasties! How could we get toAugust without another pasty story?

Bad news: The Cornish Pasty Man inQueensland has hung up his apron. Ashame, as his pasties were top notch, andmuch enjoyed last year in Glen Innes.

Good news: Our friends at the Cousin JacksCornish Pasty Co. are expanding! A new



Pasty store at Martin Place station'sunderground shopping area in Sydney willbe open by the end of August.

NEW BOOK

Based on a true story, A Different Earth is an

epic tale of a resilient pioneering woman. Onthe threshold of starvation when the potatoblight hits Cornwall, Jane Dunstan decides torescue her family from desperate poverty andher husband, Richard, from the dreadfulconditions in the mines.

It is the journies she take after arriving inAustralia that the book is built on – Burra, andon to the Victorian Goldfields! She eventuallyhas fifty-nine grandchildren. A grand read fromMax Beck. Booktopia: $33.50 +p&P (and available

elsewhere)

http://www.booktopia.com.au/a-different-earth-

max-c-s-beck/prod9780992549459.html

PLAS AN TAVES:

ON THE CORNISH LANGUAGE

Cornwall’s Celtic Cornish language has a historythat is at least 5,000 years old. According toarchaeologist Professor Sir Barry Cunliffe andarcheo-linguist Dr John Koch, Celtic originallydeveloped from ''Indo-European' in south-

western Iberia, around the Tagus estuary,c.4,000 BC.

It then became the lingua franca of the Atlanticsea-trading routes, becoming adopted byIreland and Western Britain by 3,000 BC; andthe remainder of Britain by 2,000 BC.

In the early Bronze Age, the language split into

two distinct dialects: Goidelic (Gaelic or Q-

Celtic) and Brythonic (British or P-Celtic).

These, in turn, diversified into distinct regional

languages during the post-Roman centuries,

British or P-Celtic becoming Cumbric, Welsh,

Cornish and Breton.

Six nations currently retain speakers of their

own Celtic languages. These are: Ireland,

Scotland, the Isle of Man, Wales, Cornwall and

Brittany.

That Cornish died out in the late 18th century is

an oft-repeated myth, with native speakers,

with some knowledge, being reliably attested as

alive as late as 1914, well after a concerted and

successful effort to revive the language was

under way.

Presently, around 560 people in Cornwall count

Cornish as their first language, with between

3,000 and 4,000 people using the language on a

regular basis, but as a second language.

Cornwall’s Unitary Council has a Cornish

Language policy that is currently seeing

thousands of street signs and settlement

nameplates being presented in bilingual form.

Since 2002, Cornish is a protected language

under the European Charter for Regional or

Minority Languages. Despite this, and the facts

at hand, UNESCO, advised by London, declared

Cornish as extinct in 2009. Protests and

evidence from Cornwall itself achieved a change

of heart and, in 2010 UNESCO listed Cornish as

alive but critically endangered.

In Cornish, the opening verses of the Book of

Genesis (v. 1 - 5) appear as follows:

“Y’n dallathvos Duw a wrug an nev ha’n nor.

Hag yth esa an nor neb composter ha gwag,



hag yth esa tewlder war vejeth an downder, ha

spyrys Duw a wre gwaya war vejeth an

dowrow. Ha Duw a leverys: ‘Bedhens golow,’

hag y feu golow. Ha Duw a welas an golow,

fatell o va da, ha Duw a dhybarthas an golow

orth an tewlder. Ha Duw a elwys an golow

dedh ha’n tewlder ev a elwys nos, hag y feu

gordhuwher ha myttyn, an kensa jorna.”

Craig Weatherhill (author andarcheologist)

This is Plas an Tavas = Language Place -Introducing you to some daily Kernewek, theancient Celtic language of Cornwall today, topractice.

Pronunciation? Cornish is mainly phonetic

More: http://www.magakernow.org.uk/

CANSW Public & Members Web Pages: Please have a look through all the pages on our website; especially the NSW ‘Sites’ pages developed byour own Dr John Symonds. Tell your friends!Suggested updates or new content are welcome.www.celticcouncil.org.au/cornish/nsw.htm

INTRODUCING CORNISH WEB SITES

A series looking at some interesting web sites that are available on Cornish related pages:

The Cornish Heritage Trust

http://www.cornwallheritagetrust.org/

Cornwall Heritage Trust owns and managessome of the most iconic heritage sites inCornwall, working closely with localcommunities, Natural England and EnglishHeritage.

These sites include the magnificent TreffryViaduct which is an excellent example ofCornwall’s more recent industrial heritage, aswell as more ancient sites such as Castle anDinas, a commanding iron age hill fort, andnewly restored Carwynnen Quoit.

‘Silly’ sayings“How do they get the Wombats to cross at that yellow road sign?”

Dates coming up ... 5 September – Open Gorsedh, St Austell; 24 September – St Mawgan ; 8 October – St Keyne

'Rock solid' proof that our Baner Peran is in the region of250-300 million years old

____________________________________Editorial note: The content of this newsletterdoes not necessarily reflect official views of the CANSW,

but rather of the various contributors and sources! If

someone is sick then please let me know for a get-well

message, or any other news please!

The next Newsletter is October/November, 2015.

Deadline is 5 October, 2015. Contributions may be held

for future use but more (electronic - emailed, or on CD

preferred) are welcome!

Nr. 358 LYTHER NOWODHOW - NSW

Editor: c/o 34 Circular Avenue, Sawtell, 2452 Phone:

Mobile 0409 393 059 or Ph: 02 6699 2967 - Ring first for

manual switch to FAX

Email: [email protected]


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