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

Penzance Old Cornwall Society, The Salvation Army Hall, Queens Street, Penzance (2026)

19/06/2026

27th June 1497

A date of significant meaning in Cornwall. A date of significant meaning in St Keverne.

27th June 2026

A date to remember what happened over 500 years ago.

See poster showing the multiple parts of the evening. Last year there was a play about Emily Hobhouse which was excellent.

So what is the background to the ex*****ons in 1497? The truth is hidden in the mists of time - all we have is a series of interwoven mysteries and questionable activities or alliances between countries to gain or keep control. Here is some of what we know.

Michael Joseph An Gof, a blacksmith from St Keverne, with Thomas Flamank led the first Cornish rebellion in 1497. The Cornish uprising was to object to the English government to finance a war against the Scots.

The march to London was to take their grievances over excessive taxes to the King. A march where people joined on the way. The group were intercepted at Blackheath and forced into battle against the King’s army in the Battle of Deptford Bridge. The result was a crushing defeat for the rebels. The risk to Henry VII was the loss of the City and his power base. Flamank and An Gof were hanged, drawn and quartered. The statue in St Keverne celebrates the 500th anniversary of that Cornish rebellion.

Was the reaction to the march excessive? It is believed not. When does a peaceful march become a threat to the monarch? An army/group of 15,000 angry people camped outside London would do it. A shift in support from other factions could collapse a monarch’s already unstable house of cards.

15000 men camped outside London disrupting funds and diverting the army in place to stop a Scottish invasion. Most involved in the rebellion were pardoned with only ringleaders punished. Henry cancelled the unpopular taxes, avoided heavily taxing Cornwall again and restored the privileges of Cornish Stannaries. Some of these actions may have been less about a reasoned response and more about avoiding further rebellion that could arise from a harder line.

Why was England at war with Scotland? Perkin Warbeck.

Perkin Warbeck was a pretender to the English throne, claiming to be Richard, one of the Princes in the Tower.

Warbeck was well supported by James IV of Scotland. Was support based on belief of his claims or merely political expediency? The military conflict with Scotland and Warbeck was costly to Henry VII and the heavy taxes in Cornwall were the reason for the Cornish uprising that saw a march on London.

Meanwhile Warbeck fell out of favour with James IV and had fled to Ireland and made a failed attempt to lay siege to Waterford. Warbeck then came to Cornwall landing at Sennen 7/9/1497 looking to build on the resentment after the failed An Gof rebellion three months earlier. Warbeck promised to stop the extortionate taxes levied to help fight a war against Scotland and was so warmly welcomed that he was declared ‘Richard IV’ at Bodmin.

Warbeck faced with a force sent by Henry VII, deserted his army. The ringleaders were executed, some fined and Warbeck was imprisoned at the Tower of London. He was released when he admitted to being an imposter and given accommodation at court, even attending Royal Banquets. Eight months of this, he tried to escape, but quickly captured. He later tried to escape again and this time it led to his ex*****on at Tyburn (hanged) on 28/11/1499.

Who was responsible for the suspected murder of the princes in the Tower, did one escape, who was Warbeck really, was he really just a French boatman’s son or an illegitimate Royal or actually the true King, Richard Duke of York, or trained by Yorkists to be a prince? Torture and the game of thrones result in a lot of questions and a story that becomes history by the power of the winner. The ‘facts’ emerge for the court of Henry VII. Reality is probably a lot more complex and disturbing.

So back to St Keverne and Michael An Gof. There is a well known statue and a plaque to see. On 27th June 2026 there is an event starting at 7pm followed at 8pm a play about Richard Trevithick. That sounds like a good reason to make the trip. . .

An Gof
https://www.cornwallforever.co.uk/people/michael-joseph-an-gof

Warbeck
http://historytimeshistory.blogspot.com/2011/12/mystery-people-of-history-perkin.html?m=1

18/06/2026

Festival of Walks Event Cury & Gunwalloe Old Cornwall Society Thursday 18th June - Windy Ridge to Soapy Cove with Barry Mundy and Priscilla Oates.

Barry is a fifth-generation fisherman and local historian. Priscilla is Chair of C&GOCS.

At first I wondered how to find the start point, never been down this road before I thought - then I saw the National Trust Teneriffe Farm Campsite. Been there for NT walks so the remote location started to make sense. Not much further and you reach a parking area at Predannack Wollas. It does have a very old sign saying NT parking and farm makes it clear that it is not a NT farm!

For an area with such stunning views, we had a morning of fog. No rain though. It did not impact our enjoyment, nor did it put others off - quite a few walkers around including other groups. It is really a special area.

Barry Mundy led a walk last year so I knew what to expect - plenty of lovely stories. We learned about local names by use of Cornish. Some funny like An Ors. A rock formation that is not a 🐎An easy bear trap to fall into 🤣

We saw some choughs, plenty of serpentine and so learnt more about the local geology. We covered local diet, how it was positive for health and growth (plenty of fish including eating the bones). At one location we heard the sad story of a local lady lost for 2 years. Her body was found in a cave area below us and Barry was involved in identifying the location for recovery. He is mentioned in the article in this link. Over 20 years ago but I recall the story at the time.

https://www.somersetcountygazette.co.uk/news/7193670.skeleton-found-at-foot-of-cliffs/

The area is famous for its dramatic serpentine cliffs and historic 1700s soaprock quarries. That was another learning curve - soaprock is a type of talc. In the 1700s, this was a prominent extraction site used in the early manufacture of English porcelain.

Soapstone/soaprock
https://sites.google.com/site/historyofmullioncoveandharbour/home/kynance-cove-2014/soapy-cove-gew-graze-2014

Serpentine
https://www.geolsoc.org.uk/science-and-policy/plate-tectonic-stories/the-lizard/?srsltid=AfmBOooOhx0K401uu8VU4cy4teZbqGW6PvM_Byvva4-TKMNEoWdAzURX

Want to hear more from Barry, check out this video.
https://vimeo.com/987153171?share=copy&fl=cl&fe=ci

Recent news articles have mentioned the need to keep your dog on a lead near cliffs. This footpath is a prime example, it runs very close to the edge. My dog was attracted by the sounds of the waves below and ran towards the edge to play in the water. It was 200ft below . . .

The dog was on a lead, so we came home safe.

A couple more walks from C&G OCS coming up in early July.

18/06/2026

Old Cornwall Societies providing more and more online for those who cannot get to a local society (and for those who can!).

YouTube channels, Bandcamp and more.

https://fb.watch/HPXmSxZSqQ/?

18/06/2026

Menawethan in Penzance after its long journey from Vietnam. Also in Penzance, Gry Maritha with Scillonian III on the way back from Scillies.

Scillonian IV still a long way away. Don’t those shipping lanes look crazy?

Worth looking out for Menawethan when you pass by the quay in Penzance, the naming ceremony is open to all, 8th July at St Mary’s Quay, IoS. The app to check shipping - MarineTraffic

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1HVUSnoACG/?mibextid=wwXIfr

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1EK1P2VkQi/?mibextid=wwXIfr

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/18opLCn7vw/?mibextid=wwXIfr

18/06/2026

Before writing my next Festival
Of Walks note (Soapy Cove), I thought a World Cup post was due. These Reels came after each other on my feed.

Two proud Celtic Nations. Passion!

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1BRrxw8JVe/?mibextid=wwXIfr

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1CHSkeq1Lb/?mibextid=wwXIfr

17/06/2026

What another splendid Festival of Walks event run by Camborne Old Cornwall Society - COCS. A place worth revisiting or making a trip if you missed this event. But don’t go on your own . . . Read on!

Over 40 people (!) turned up to this unusual location for a lovely cream tea (the splits were the size of small pizzas 😋) and to hear David Thomas, Camborne OCS President deliver a talk about the church. We started in the church, then a tour of the church, a graveyard visit to mausoleum and the grave of poet John Harris before a short walk around some of the nearby buildings, including Treslothan House, the well and the ‘haunted’ field. Then via the war memorial back to the church to hear a reading of a poem written by John Harris as we stood next to the medieval cross - a wayside cross that has been on a long journey of its own around the area.

Let’s start with the location, off the main road which itself is a country lane, you travel a short distance on a small road that goes to a central area by the church and then back to the main road.

I have been to this ‘hamlet’ a few times with a walking group, but without the church access and amazing stories we enjoyed on this trip.

On my earlier visits, the area seemed to have an unsettling feel. Like you have stumbled across an abandoned film set. The buildings are very attractive, yet there is a strangeness about the location, heightened as there is little left of what was a significant estate - mansion, park, school. The graveyard is deeply overgrown and there are many mature trees that create a daunting atmosphere as well as a home for the many birds in the area. The atmosphere on our visit was enhanced by the fog, drizzle and unusual light.

The graveyard area has the ‘out of scale’ mausoleum - the Pendarves Mausoleum set too close to the church for its very large size. It is also a stark, intriguing design.

Once within the church you notice other unusual features, no centre aisle but two side aisles. It does work well. Also pointed out was that the entrance at the back of the church was not original. The altar has one entrance on either side. One has now been blocked completely and is the lady chapel. There is an 11C altar stone that works well in this small lady chapel. A stone found, taken to the house, a sundial added but eventually finding a significant place within the church.

The other entrance is now a storage area as photo shows. The doors on either side of the altar fit well with the double aisle.

Try this for more info - Cornish Bird blog. Is Tryphena Pendarves buried in the mausoleum at Treslothan? The papers of the time say so, the stone in the mausoleum says so, but rumour and ghostly events suggest otherwise.

https://cornishbirdblog.com/the-ghost-of-tryphena-pendarves/

We heard of Typhena sightings in the area, even one of the audience showed a photo in front of mausoleum in 2024 - a definite and distinct ghostly presence.

We also heard of the nearby field, Hounds Close, a phantom dog haunted area. The nearby woods, sometimes referred to as ‘Hangman’s woods’ are part of the estate.

The church opened in 1841 with the financial patronage of Edward William Wynne Pendarves M.P. (Lady Basset also made a considerable contribution) to the designs of George Wightwick. It is dedicated to St. John the Evangelist. The area had an earlier chapel dedicated to St James in 1427.

Despite its relatively modern age, the church has a 15C font. Interesting it came from the mother church in Camborne, acquired by the Bassets of Tehidy and then given to the church. The stained glass windows and the organ come from the Old Mission Church in Troon.

https://cambornecluster.org.uk/treslothan-church/history/

A place definitely worth visiting . . . but go with company 😉

16/06/2026

Lady Basset’s Baths

Another amazing Old Cornwall Society Festival of Walks event. 16/6/26

Not a long walk, instead a detailed exploration of the beach at Portreath to see and hear stories about the 18th century salt baths of Lady Basset, details about the original jetty, Dead Man’s Hut (so named to store dead bodies!), Battery House, copper mining, the Pepper Pot and more.

This link provides some additional reading.
https://cornishbirdblog.com/the-deadmans-hut-portreath/amp/

Jonny Davey Camborne Old Cornwall Society - COCS was our enthusiastic and entertaining guide. He came equipped with a long stick with a mirror and some zines. The mirror to enable those who did not want to climb to see some of the higher baths.

Had never noticed the baths or knew the story. If you saw them without the explanation, likely you would have no idea that they were anything but rock formations and rock pools ( despite the clearly carved rectangles).

On our visit today, there was nobody using the baths, despite the video below.

https://youtube.com/shorts/3nRTWVHDdts?is=vPOyGfc_Ud0ksIm4

A quote form Tehidy Accounts

Here, in 1782, Lord de Dunstanville (1757-1835) paid William Harry, the estate mason, ‘for building a house at Portreath for a Bathing Machine’. At the same period, William Harry cut six baths in nearby rock surfaces, and in the cliff face for the pleasure of Lord de Dunstanville’s wife Susannah and his young daughter Frances (1781 – 1855)

There seems to be up to 9 rock cut baths now and this link shows each one with photos. It’s well worth hunting them down when you are there enjoying the beach - tide permitting. Some are easier to access than others, expect green slippy stones so tread carefully.
https://acornishjourney.uk/2020/09/08/the-basset-baths-at-portreath/

This link provides some additional info and mentions the discovery of 1983 mentioned on the walk - the original harbour site on the opposite side to present day.
https://www.geographysouthwest.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/PTW-Portreath.pdf

Some odd coincidences, in the last couple of days we posted a question about Carn Brea/Basset Monument and posted a Reel of a walk around the Great Flat Lode. Not planned to link up to this walk, it a nice coincidence.

By another coincidence, at the weekend I posted about sometimes things are better as handouts rather than electronic, then later in the day received an offer from another group I am in to go to an event to make Zines. Then today, Jonny gave us 2 Zines . . .

There does seem to be an element of predeterminism going on 🤣

I shall endeavour to make a Zine as a template for an Old Cornwall Society

- Contacts/committee
- talks programme
- events programme
- membership benefits
- web & FB details
- Federation events
- some photos

All goes an A4 sheet - then print and fold into a little handout! It looks complicated 😉

Rest of week looking busy with OCS’s.

- Tomorrow, a special event at Treslothan church, cream tea, talk and walk
- Thursday Cury history walk
- Friday, celebrating the 75th Anniversary of Festival of Britain. A walk around St Ives to view the plaques.

It does seem that 2026 is becoming a very special year as Festival of Walks grows from strength to strength. The Federation idea is being embraced by various OCS’s with events that are becoming so rich in content. Plus all the other Federation initiatives like full day events and exhibitions, the church tours, audio and video links to dialect, singing, talks etc.

There are over 40 Societies and lots of members. What is needed are new members, especially those willing to take on some of the organisation of events at local Societies and at the Federation.

Plenty to do and something for everyone - sorting membership, organising talks, dealing with members, working with archives, building wider relationships.

It’s fun, it’s fulfilling and it helps protect and share our heritage. Check out your local Society and open up a dialogue.
https://kernowgoth.org/member-societies/

Or go to a few events and find someone to chat to.
https://kernowgoth.org/events/

15/06/2026

Madron church is full of treasures and stories - likewise the graveyard has lots to tell.

But like any church, you need expertise to translate the hidden clues to our past.

I have longed to hear more about this church and its content.

Well now we have a great opportunity with two experts to help us absorb the history.

One for your diary 7pm on 25th June.

15/06/2026

An amble through thoughts of how we use and preserve photos.

Remember we recently posted some links to old photos brought to life with AI? That one covered Penzance, St Ives, Helston - check out this link for the just released Hayle version.

A little heavy on seagulls in some, but movement does add to atmosphere.

If you like what you see, follow the page and also think about doing it to your own photos. There are a growing number of apps that will do this, you can even get old photo participants to sing a favourite song.

Watching a loved one from long ago can be an emotional experience. The apps also clean up old photos. For birthday fun, for loving gifts, for historical photos, for storing and sharing memories. A lovely extra.

You can even create a book from photos using an app. Easy to put memories together, caption and then order hard copy - all via your phone.

Hayle Old Cornwall Society - HOCS did that earlier in year as a presentation book. It looked amazing!

It does release memories from inside a phone to share and savour in a way we do not with electronic versions. Currently we take too many photos that we do not organise in a way we used to.

Maybe each OCS could do a yearly book of highlights - photos from talks, events, members group photos etc. What a lovely collection that would build up over time.

Federation of Old Cornwall Societies likewise - they have so many great initiatives, some not appreciated until over. A yearly book . . . So much to share, it might need multiple editions!

Electronic Newsletters are fine, but an annual hard copy review brought around Societies would be special. There are members who do not use social media, do not see electronic newsletters and are out of the loop on event offerings. A valuable tool to communicate, record and stimulate interest.

Virtual members living far away could be sent an electronic version of such books. A lovely addition to the half yearly Journal that is much appreciated. There are even ways of making the cost self funding for each Society.

Start planning now, chapters on talks, events, members, local interesting events, some archive items?

We used to be happy going through the lottery of paying to have unknown photos printed so we could decide if worthwhile. Now that we take better photos and lots of them, we can edit, clean delete - all free, but then? Regrettably it leads to less hard copy photos suitably organised for future generations.

OCS archives have years of old hard copy scrap books submitted by members. Full of interesting content, newspaper cuttings and handwritten memories. Would be good to see us get back to scrapbooking. (Yes there are apps that do that too). Less newspaper cuttings now as that hard copy medium diminishes, but plenty of photos to print, stories to write in Notes on phone or use the app to put together?

If you do nothing else, please label photos like we used to in origins - who, what, where and when 😉

Our glut of photos and use of social media is heading towards negligible hard copy family memories for future generations. I’m as guilty of the rut of take photo, probably not delete duplicate photos and maybe find a photo later in a topic search and then forget. I also remember the joy of when parents and grandparents brought out the old photo albums - for some reason prompted by an event and all sat around listening to the old stories and memories. ❤️

Well that post about Hayle moving photos just took a life of its own 🤣 Hope it was worth the read and got us all thinking 🤷‍♂️

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/14gyGb12Q9D/?mibextid=wwXIfr

14/06/2026

Old Cornwall Festival of walks event - St Ives 13/6/26

It’s lovely for Old Cornwall Societies to step away from monthly talks during the summer and the Festival of Walks keeps upping the game.

Just a walk with a guide sharing info is fantastic. Sometimes you get something else. Yesterday saw an extended treat. One that attracted 3 Old Cornwall Society Presidents.

- breakfast of lots of homemade cakes
- Margaret Stevens talk on history of old inns in town
- Break and change of venue
- Meet in town for a guided tour by Val Thomas. Seeing the buildings discussed in the talk with more stories.

Margaret gave the talk to a packed house a few weeks ago. The content was honestly stunning. So good it was worth a repeat with updates and combining with a walk to visit the locations. So much information, so much history to digest. All rounded off in sunny St Ives.

I particularly liked one comment in talk that you hear often ‘St Ives is not what it used to be’. It seems to be an annual cry, I remember it being blamed on the Millennium, New Year Celebrations, tourists, second homes, the traffic. Other references to the hippy invasion or Radio 1 Roadshows. BUT THE PRESS CUTTING IN TALK HAD THIS QUOTE IN 1901/5!

The photos below will mean more once you know the related stories. It was much more than about the Inns, we were taken back to 1500’s, the people, the life in area, the evolving use of buildings/change of ownership, smuggling, the Inspector of Customs and the need for a gunboat!, health issues, hauntings, the Sloop 1312 date and why 1645 stone on Sloop wall (it’s not from Sloop 😉), Dobbies Wall and its social impact, hidden ‘cellars’ (which were stables), Norway Square having nothing do with the Country (North way to well) and so many fascinating stories.

One interesting story was about an Inn called the ‘Labour in Vain’. An innocent tale of the time but deemed inappropriate now. So the sign remains on what is now a holiday let, but the change of image makes the sign irrelevant to the local stories.

As well as enjoying the stories as we walked, it was interesting ‘people watching, seagull watching (they kindly stand guard above outdoor tables) and avoiding the traffic creeping through the crowds.

A visit to St. Ives Museum may be useful for those who want to know more. There you can see the old Inn sign found in a blocked fireplace and scorched due to location. Also look out for talks by St Ives Archive in July and August. (Now handily located opposite St Ia Church).

And of course there are many more Festival of Walk events coming up😉

We are back in St Ives 19/6 to visit the Festival of Britain plaques (75th anniversary).

A video about Dobles Wall. With thanks to Tony Mason, Recorder at St Ives Old Cornwall Society.

https://youtu.be/8ZQ3V0t8S5c?is=OGSo_hSZLJw4Vo22

Tony is leading the Festival of Britain walk on 19/6.

https://kernowgoth.org/events/

Penzance Old Cornwall Society

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