Penzance Old Cornwall Society

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Penzance Old Cornwall Society

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Penzance OCS founded in 1926 is one of over 40 'Old Cornwall' societies preserving and sharing Cornish culture.

07/11/2026

Weekly Question 45

What is the title of this amazing film set in Cornwall?

- The author lived in Cornwall
- An Oscar winning film where the title character never appears
- The 2nd wife is a key part of the film but is never named
- The film could not be faithful to the book due to Hollywood production codes (Murder of the title character was described as an accident)
- The book was held by Rommel in WWII as it was a key word code book
- The relationship between the title role character and the housekeeper was as complex as the author’s, clouded by the moral codes of the time
- Vivien Leigh, the real life wife of the leading man, was turned down for the role of his on screen wife
- Another “Gone with the Wind” star was in the running . . . but the role eventually went to her rival sister!
- It is the only Hitchcock film to receive the Oscar for best picture. Oddly Hitchcock never received an Oscar for Best Director.

Lots of clues there and some strange facts. So what was the name of the film?

Answer and a link to watch the film for free is in the Comments.

04/11/2026

Yesterday was the opening event of Will Keating’s candle lit church tour. Fittingly the first concert was during St Just Feast.

The location at St Just Church brought back memories of an amazing year.

Early in 2026 Old Cornwall Societies were offered a wonderful opportunity to be guided around churches with medieval paintings. Lore & Piece, Laura Miucci, the
Federation of Old Cornwall Societies Archeology Officer started the journey with a talk on the topic at Geevor and then the story became a pilgrimage around some amazing locations. The last was at St Just on St George’s Day with a picnic in Plen-an-Gwarry followed up with a talk at the Knut that covered the miracle plays performed on the site.

So to come back to the church with a small audience to hear Will Keating & John Dowling was a privilege. An amazing show that you can catch up on at one of the other churches on the candle lit tour. St Buryan is on 24/11. Or a bigger show at Hall for Cornwall on 8/11. Over 1000 tickets sold already for that!

https://willkeatingcornwall.com/live-dates

Will was made a bard back in September. Listen to Will on BBC Radio Cornwall to hear why his bard robe was Harry Glasson’s who was also at the event in September.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0p99vmq

Listening to the concert you realise the importance of music in Cornwall, songs that tell the story of our heritage. It was a timely follow up to the St Ives Old Cornwall Society meeting on Monday. That was songs about local history.

There is a Federation/St Ives OCS music celebration coming up at Hellesveor later in the month (see earlier post) and Penzance Old Cornwall Society have a major music event in mid December at the Union Hotel. Other Societies also have meetings coming up dedicated to music.

I was asked about the various OCS music events recently so expect a post providing a list so you can dip into a Society and think about joining.

It does illustrate the variety of activities offered to members and to casual attendees - talks, guided historical tours/walks, films, meals, music.

Finally, a link to Cornwall My Home

https://youtu.be/jQOYimvpx0s?si=FLiloRGNc1OiwInl

03/11/2026

More Cornish dialect . . .

Last month was the first of a 2 part release of dialect words A-L. Now we have part 2, M-Z. This is thanks to the hard work of Kathleen Hawke in 1980’s and now in 2026 Chris Trevena, Dialect Recorder at The Federation of Old Cornwall Societies, who has digitised the tape recordings and provided much wider access.

Follow the link to read Kathleen’s story and listen to the recordings. As a taster . . .

Kathleen Hawke (Neé Stevens) was born in 1902 and went on to publish a series of publications concerning Cornish dialect, idioms, or as she put it ‘A Cornish Hotchpotch’.

For her contribution to the promotion of dialect was recognised by Gorsedh Kernow in 1957, to which she took the name ‘Keren’, which translates to the Rowan Berry.

Kathleen continued to give talks throughout her life, and in her later years, published some of her work.

A quote from Chris

“Upon assuming the role of Dialect Officer for the Federation of Old Cornwall Societies, I received a big blue metal box of material. In this box, there was a tape recorded by Kathleen Hawke in the 1980’s for the Federation’s usage. It contained an A – Z of Cornish dialect words to which she recited and provided examples of usage. A remarkable artefact that remained in great condition.”

Now it’s available to us all - - enjoy and share.

https://federationofoldcornwallsocieties.bandcamp.com/album/cornish-dialect-words-with-kathleen-hawke-m-z-volume-2

You can also listen on YouTube - it’s a long video at 80 minutes.

https://youtu.be/nlSphdDpzF4?is=YghRNVrj5rAHtqQC

Also maybe check out some of her books.

https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/1210503.Kathleen_Hawke

Check out this page for more dialect memories and a story.

https://kernowgoth.org/cornish-heritage-and-culture/cornish-dialect/

02/11/2026

A couple of Newsletters with some interesting content to explore.

1 Federation of Old Cornwall Societies. A review of events in October, a look through the many events in November and more.

https://us4.campaign-archive.com/?e=06a425aa9c&u=d56de98cc928795c1537a4e2a&id=e56df29672

Find your local Society via this link.

https://kernowgoth.org/member-societies/

2 “Cornish Story” with various articles. Some content highlights

- The sad story of our Poor House history (Alfred Wallis, famous artist who lived in New Street, Penzance, prior to moving to St Ives, died in The Penzance Union workhouse at Madron, near Penzance in 1942)

- The threads that connect Cornwall, Wales and Brittany reach back to the tribes of pre-Roman Britain

https://cornishstory.com/2026/10/04/newsletter-october-2026/

02/11/2026

Cully's 'Curls' at Hellesveor, Celebrating the Carols of St. Ives. 26th November to 28th November.

An exhibition, 2 talks and a chance to hear 10 of the compositions, read on.

Each day of the exhibition, a chance to sit and listen to ten of Cully's compositions. At 11am and 1pm each day, recordings produced during this project will broadcast within Hellesveor Church. Visitors are invited to sit among the pews and enjoy this special music. Each broadcast lasts c30 minutes.

If you are going to talks on 26th or 28th November, then a great opportunity to arrive early to listen and enjoy the exhibition.

Outline of events below.

Exhibition Opening Hours:
26 - 28/11, 10- 4.
Free entry, donations toward Church fund.

Talks: (Free entry, donations toward Church fund)
1. 26/11 2pm ‘Hellesveor & Its History' by Val Thomas

2. 28/11 2pm 'John Wesley's Amazing Cornish Ministry' by Jean Charman

Facebook links:

Exhibition
https://www.facebook.com/events/3831607550323815/

Listening: The Music of Colan 'Cully' Williams
https://www.facebook.com/events/28354145857593220

Talk: 'Hellesveor & Its History'
https://www.facebook.com/events/1655877286200784

Talk: 'John Wesley's Amazing Cornish Ministry'
https://www.facebook.com/events/2288561205254858

01/11/2026

This post focuses on the November talks at nearby Old Cornwall Societies.

Easier to digest than the longer “Things to Do” Newsletter that covers a much wider agenda!

It’s a date order list for you to look through with the first November talk coming up tomorrow.

Depending on where you live and what travel access you have, joining more than one Society is worth considering if you enjoy this sort of content. Different styles, speakers and social aspects. Note some Societies do car sharing or lay on transport so worth asking if this is needed or if you can offer lift and bring a friend!😉

Annual memberships are low especially when you compare to other talks that come in at £5-£15 for each one. A couple of OCS visits and that would make annual membership very attractive.

Societies offer about 8 talks and other free events, walks, trips, two Journals (these are amazing high quality publications containing local history articles) etc. Maybe give one a try? Most offer tea and biscuits, some provide lovely homemade cakes!

If Penzance is handy, a copy of the membership form is attached. You can complete and email to

[email protected]

Payments can be made on line (info when form submitted). Or you can bring form and cash to next meeting.

St Ives - 2/11 “Music with Jonathan & Jill Ryan”, locally based compositions and guitar.

£10.00 membership or £2.00 casual attendance

Carbis Bay Memorial Hall (free on site parking and street parking)

—————————
Hayle - 6/11 “Penzance- East Street and The Terrace”

£10 membership, plus £1 per meeting attended or £2.50 casual attendance

7.30pm - Hayle Day Care Centre, Commercial Road, Hayle

———————
St Just - 6/11 CANON TAYLOR LECTURE "Archeology and Heritage in West Cornwall."

AND

10/11 “Geevor's Contribution to Cornwall’s Diaspora ”

£10 membership or £2 casual attendance

7.30pm Age Concern Centre, 7 Fore Street, St Just (Lafrowda free carpark by bus station/library)

———————

Madron - 16/11 “Women of West Penwith in WWI”

£15 membership or £3 casual attendance

7.15pm Billiard Room at Landithy Hall, Church Rd, Madron (free parking by church)

———————

Penzance - 17/11 “Stones of Penzance”

£12 membership or £3 casual attendance

7.15pm Salvation Army Hall, Queens Street, Penzance (free street parking or free carpark by tennis courts, Wellsfields carpark)
——————

Porthleven - 24/11 “Bronze Age Discoveries in Gwithian”

£5 membership
Porthleven Methodist Church (street parking)

————————-

Madron History Group (not an Old Cornwall Society but similar talk programme) - 26/11 “Scillonians come to Madron”

No membership, just donation at meeting

7.15pm Billiard Room at Landithy Hall, Church Rd, Madron (free parking by church)

—————————————-
Late November - The Federation of Old Cornwall Societies, in partnership with St Ives Old Cornwall Society and Hellesveor Methodist Church are celebrating the life and work of Colan 'Cully' Williams, as well as Hellesveor's own special history.

26/11 2pm Hellesveor & Its History by Val Thomas at the Chapel.

26-28/11 3 Day Exhibition highlighting
* “Cully Curls” - Carols of Colan Williams
* The life of Colan “Cully” Williams
* Methodism in St Ives area
10am to 4pm each day.

27/11 Hellesveor - Colan Williams Carols/Curls at Hellesveor NOTE: limited numbers, book online details supplied to Society members.

28/11 John Wesley's Cornish Ministry
An illustrated talk by Jean Charman

Below is a link to all Society events around Cornwall. Dip into each month for updates from local Societies (and those further afield if you want to travel for a talk that is particularly attractive).

Events - https://kernowgoth.org/events/

Your local Society - https://kernowgoth.org/member-societies/

01/11/2026

The November Newsletter of “Things to Do”.

All the posters are in the links at the start.

Many of the links provide a lot more information, details of even more events and an opportunity to book.

Whether you want small friendly groups walks, guided history walks, historical talks, local shows or interesting events, hopefully there is something here for you.

There are even ideas for entertainment at home, some great audio materials, films and historical talks on line.

For those with a tight budget, there is a lot here that is free or very low cost.

If you know someone who might like the offerings, please share. The more people who can support local events, the more viable the providers become.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XYNTm0B2u4-CNG2jujDv6Qri9DS4xeLg/view?usp=drivesdk

31/10/2026

Looking to get out and about? (There are also details of talks available to watch from home if you are not mobile).

Here are some posters to get you started. A personal selection of events from walks, talks, shows, events and online history talks.

There are many more Christmas and Farmers Markets to seek out. Check your area to see if you can find more 😉

For more information, the monthly “Things to Do” Newsletter is due out later today. That has links that lead to more details. There is so much available each month - some free, some very low cost.

Expect to see more Christmas events, choir events etc in the coming weeks. Updates will be added to our page.

If you want your own copy of the monthly Newsletter, you can add you name to the circulation list, just DM your email address.

Hopefully this post stimulates exploration of our local offerings. We have a vibrant entertainment culture, please support venues and artists by visiting if you can.

31/10/2026

Weekly Question 44

In keeping with the 31st October, this question is about ghosts.

What is the name of the famous ghost of 20 Chapel Street, Penzance?

Little did I realise that Chapel Street is supposed to be the most haunted area in Cornwall with one ghost story for every 33 yards ! 👻 Headless horses, procession of coffins, piano playing in the Union Hotel, haunting in the old Regents Hotel, the Turks Head, the Benbow and more.

Our famous ghost story is linked to apples . . .

Check the Comments for the answer that draws in the Branwell family who lived nearby and the Brontë sisters. The Comments section will also cover some other Penzance ghost stories. Please share your experiences, it may prompt others to share similar stories.

Address

The Salvation Army Hall, Queens Street
Penzance
TR184BH

Website

https://kernowgoth.org/member-societies/penzance-old-cornwall-society

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