Cornwall

Cornwall (Kernow) is a in , , on the peninsula that lies to the west of the. The and only  is. Cornwall covers an area of 1,376 square miles (3,563 ), including the, located 28 miles (45 km) offshore. Cornwall has a population of 513,528, with a relatively low population density of 144 people/, or 373/.

Cornwall is noted for its wild landscapes, its extensive and varied coastline and its mild climate. Also notable is Cornwall's stone age and industrial archaeology, especially its historic, a. Tourism therefore forms a significant part of the local economy; however, Cornwall is one of the poorest areas in the with the lowest per capita contribution to the national economy.

Cornwall is the of the  and is also considered one of the six  "" by many residents and scholars. Some inhabitants question the present and a  seeks greater autonomy for the county.

History
The present human history of Cornwall begins with the reoccupation of Britain after the last ice age. The pre-Roman inhabitants included speakers of a ic language that would develop into and. After a period of rule, Cornwall reverted to independent Celtic chieftains. The term for the tribe which inhabited what is now Cornwall at the time of Roman rule, possibly the , came from a Brythonic tribal name which gave modern  Kernow. (For other examples of the survival of Brythonic names noted by the Romans, see /, /, /Veneti and /.)

The present name of Cornwall derives from suffixing of Old English  ("foreigners, Britons") to the Celtic name. The people of Cornwall were sometimes called the West Welsh in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle and people in what is nowadays modern  were called the North Welsh.

The first account of Cornwall comes from the Sicilian Greek historian (c.90 BC–c.30 BC), supposedly quoting or paraphrasing the fourth-century BC geographer, who had sailed to Britain:

The inhabitants of that part of Britain called Belerion (or Land's End) from their intercourse with foreign merchants, are civilised in their manner of life. They prepare the tin, working very carefully the earth in which it is produced…Here then the merchants buy the tin from the natives and carry it over to Gaul, and after travelling overland for about thirty days, they finally bring their loads on horses to the mouth of the Rhône.

The identity of these merchants is unknown. There has been a theory that they were ns, however there is no evidence for this. (For further discussion of tin mining see the section on the economy below.)

There is a theory that once was extracted from the copper ores of Cornwall in pre-Roman times, as silver is easily converted to its chloride (AgCl) by surface waters containing chlorine.

In the early Middle Ages Cornwall came into conflict with the expanding kingdom of. The  report that in 722 AD the Britons of Cornwall won a battle at Hehil. Annales Cambriae However, it is not stated whether the Cornish fought the West Saxons or some other enemy. In 814 laid waste to West Wealas from East to West. The  tells us that in 825 (adjusted date) a battle was fought between the "Welsh", presumably those of Cornwall, and the Men of Devon. Finally, in 838, the Cornish and their Danish allies were defeated by Egbert at Hengestesdune (Anglo-Saxon Chronicles): an unknown location (various places have been suggested over the years from Hengistbury Head in Dorset to Hingston Down in Cornwall).

By the 880s Wessex had gained control of at least part of Cornwall, where had estates. , writing around 1120, says that King of England (924–939) fixed the boundary between English and Cornish people at the, their having until then lived as equals. The chronology of English expansion into Cornwall is unclear, but it had been absorbed into England by the reign of (1042–1066), when it apparently formed part of  and later  earldom of Wessex.

The records of Domesday Book show that by this time the native Cornish landowning class had been almost completely dispossessed and replaced by English landowners, the largest of whom was Harold Godwinson himself. After the most of the land was seized and transferred into the hands of a new Norman aristocracy, with the lion's share going to, half-brother of  and the largest landholder in England after the king. Subsequently however, Norman absentee landlords became replaced by a new Cornu-Norman elite. These families eventually became the new Cornish aristocracy (typically speaking Norman French, Cornish, Latin and eventually English). Many becoming involved in the operation of the Stannary Parliament system, Earldom and eventually the Duchy.

Physical geography
Cornwall forms the tip of the south-west peninsula of the island, and is therefore exposed to the full force of the that blow in from the. The coastline is composed mainly of rocks that give rise in many places to impressive cliffs.

The north and south coasts have different characteristics. The north coast is more exposed and therefore has a wilder nature. The prosaically-named High Cliff, between and, is the highest sheer-drop cliff in Cornwall at 735 ft (224 m). However, there are also many extensive stretches of fine golden sand which form the beaches that are so important to the tourist industry, such as those at, , , , , , , and ,. The only river estuary of any size on the north coast is the, which provides and  with a safe harbour. The south coast, dubbed the "", is more sheltered and there are several broad estuaries offering safe anchorages, such as at and. Beaches on the south coast usually consist of coarser sand and shingle, interspersed with rocky sections of.

The interior of the county consists of a roughly east-west spine of infertile and exposed upland, with a series of intrusions, such as, which contains the highest land within Cornwall. From east to west, and with approximately descending altitude, these are Bodmin Moor, the area north of, the area around , and the or  peninsula. These intrusions are the central part of the granite outcrops of south-west Britain, which include to the east in  and the  to the west, the latter now being partially submerged.

The intrusion of the granite into the surrounding rocks gave rise to extensive  and mineralization, and this led to Cornwall being one of the most important mining areas in Europe until the early 20th century. It is thought was mined here as early as the, and , ,  and  have all been. Alteration of the granite also gave rise to extensive deposits of, especially in the area to the north of , and this remains an important industry.

The uplands are surrounded by more fertile, mainly farmland. Near the south coast, deep wooded valleys provide sheltered conditions for a flora that likes shade and a moist, mild climate. These areas lie mainly of  and. The north east of Cornwall lies on rocks known as the. In places these have been subjected to severe folding, as can been seen on the north coast near and several other locations.

The is unusual, as it is Britain's only example of an. Much of the peninsula consists of the dark green and red  rock, which forms spectacular cliffs, notably at, and carved and polished serpentine ornaments are sold in local gift shops. This also forms a very infertile soil which covers the flat and marshy heaths of the interior of the peninsula. This is home to rare plants, such as the, which has been adopted as the.

Cornwall is the southernmost part of Britain, and therefore has a relatively warm and sunny. Winters are mild, and frost or snow are uncommon apart from in the central upland areas. The average annual temperature for most of Cornwall is 9.8 to 12 degrees (49.6 to 53.6 °), with slightly lower temperatures at higher altitude. Cornwall is exposed to mild, moist westerly winds from the Atlantic Ocean and has relatively high rainfall, though less than more northern areas of the west coast of Britain, at 1051 to 1290 (41.4 to 50.8 ) per year. Most of Cornwall enjoys over 1541 hours of sunshine per year.

Ecology
Cornwall has varied habitats including terrestrial and marine ecosystems. One of the forms in decline locally is the, which species has been made a priority for protection under the national UK.

Politics and administration


Cornwall currently elects five MPs to the British House of Commons, all of whom are Liberal Democrats (2005 general election). New parliamentary boundaries will create a sixth parliamentary constituency in Cornwall which will be fought for the first time at the next British general election.

The organisation of the local government of the county is presently subject to debate and may change to a. The headquarters are in Truro. There are 82 county council seats, the majority of which are currently held by Liberal Democrats (2005 county council election). There are six districts in Cornwall with a total of 249 council seats. From east to west they are North Cornwall, Caradon, Restormel, Carrick, Kerrier, and Penwith. The numerically largest main groups represented on them are Liberal Democrats, Conservatives, and independents. The have in some periods been served by the same county administration as Cornwall, but are today a separate. However, the Isles of Scilly are still grouped with Cornwall for many ceremonial and administrative purposes, such as s and Devon and Cornwall Police.

On, the bid for Cornwall's unitary authority status was accepted by the government and as such the six districts will be scrapped when the unitary authority comes into force in 2009, despite polls indicating 89% of people were against it.

The chief registered parties contesting elections in Cornwall are Conservatives, Greens, Labour, Liberal Democrats, Mebyon Kernow, and UKIP. An independence movement exists that seeks more along the lines of the other home. Additionally, some groups and individuals question the present and Cornwall's relationship to the.

Cornish nationalists have organised into two political parties:, formed in 1951, and the. In addition to the political parties, there are various interest groups such as the Cornish  and the Celtic League. In November 2000, the Cornish Constitutional Convention was formed to campaign for a. It is a cross-party organisation including representatives from the private, public, and voluntary sectors, of all political parties and none. Between 2000 and December 2001, the campaign collected the signatures of 41,650 Cornish residents endorsing the declaration for a devolved regional Cornish assembly, along with 8,896 signatories from outside Cornwall.

Flag
Saint Piran's Flag is regarded by some people, including Cornish nationalists, as the national flag of Cornwall and an emblem of the Cornish people; and by others as the county flag. The banner of is a white cross on a black background. Saint Piran is supposed to have adopted these two colours from seeing the white tin in the black coals and ashes during his supposed discovery of tin. In a history of 1837 Saint Piran's flag was described as the "standard of Cornwall", and another history of 1880 said that: "The white cross of St. Piran was the ancient banner of the Cornish people." The Cornish flag is an exact reverse of the former national flag (black cross) and is known by the same name " Kroaz Du" -.

Commonly understood to represent the white tin metal against the black tin ore, the flag symbolically, however, is said to represent the light of truth shining through the blackness/darkness of evil.

Another theory of the black and white colours is that the white cross represents the igneous/metamorphic rocks of colour such as and  (mainly found in the southwest of Cornwall), while the black background represents the weathered Devonian slate and Carboniferous sandstone (both of which are mainly black-greyish in appearance) of the northern part of Cornwall.

There are claims that the patron saint of Cornwall is or, but Saint Piran is by far the most popular of the three and his emblem is internationally  recognised as the flag of Cornwall. is celebrated by the around the world.

Demographics


Cornwall's population is 513,527, and 144 people per square kilometre, ranking it 40th and 41st respectively compared to the other 47 counties of England. Cornwall has a relatively high level of population growth, however, at 11.2% in the 1980s and 5.3% in the 1990s, giving it the fifth highest population growth of the English counties. The natural change has been a small population decline, and the population increase is due to immigration into Cornwall. According to the 1991 census, the population was 469,800.

Cornwall has a relatively high retired population, with 22.9% of pensionable age, compared to 20.3% for the United Kingdom. This may be due to a combination of Cornwall's rural and coastal geography increasing its popularity as a retirement location, and due to the emigration of younger residents to more economically diverse areas. Migration of pensioners from southern England to Cornwall, and emigration of young Cornish people, is a persistent concern.

Cornwall is sometimes described as being one of six alongside, , the ,  and. Just under 7% of the population of Cornwall gave their ethnicity as in the last ,

Economy
Cornwall is one of the poorest areas in the United Kingdom. The GVA per head was 65% of the UK average for 2004. . The GDP per head for Cornwall and the Scillies was 79.2 of the EU-27 average for 2004, the UK per head average was 123.0

Historically tin mining was important in the Cornish economy. The first reference to this appears to be by Pytheas: see above. was the last classical writer to mention the trade, which appears to have declined during the Roman occupation. . The tin trade revived in the Middle Ages, and the is attributed to tin miners. In the mid-nineteenth century, however, the tin trade again fell into decline.

As Cornwall's reserves of tin began to be exhausted many Cornishmen emigrated to places such as the Americas,, and  where their skills were in demand. The tin mines in Cornwall are now worked-out (at current prices) but the expertise and culture of the Cornish tin miners lives on in a number of places around the world. It is said that, wherever you may go in the world, if you see a hole in the ground, you will find a Cornishman at the bottom of it (see ). Several Cornish mining words are in use in English language mining terminology, such as, , and.

Cornwall is one of four UK areas that qualifies for poverty-related grants from the EU: it was granted status by the, followed by a further round of funding known as 'Convergence Funding'.

Today, the Cornish economy depends heavily on its successful tourist industry, which makes up around a quarter of the Cornish economy. The official measures of deprivation and poverty at district and 'sub-ward' level show that there is great variation in poverty and prosperity in Cornwall with some areas among the poorest in England and others are among the top half in prosperity. For example, the ranking of 32,482 sub-wards in England in the index of multiple deprivation ranges from 819th (part of Penzance East) to 30, 899th (part of Saltash Burraton in Caradon), where the lower number represents the most deprivation.

Cornwall's unique culture, spectacular landscape and mild climate make it a popular tourist destination, despite being somewhat distant from the United Kingdom's main tourist centres. Surrounded on three sides by the and, Cornwall has miles of beaches and cliffs. Other tourist attractions include moorland, country gardens and wooded valleys. Five million tourists visit Cornwall each year, mostly drawn from within the UK. Visitors to Cornwall are served by at  and, whilst private jets, charters and helicopters are also served by  airfield; nightsleeper and daily rail services run between Cornwall,  and other regions of the UK.

and are popular destinations for surfers. In recent years, the near  has been a major financial success, drawing one in eight of Cornwall's visitors.

Other industries are fishing, although this has been significantly damaged by EU fishing policies, (the Southwest Handline Fisherman's Association has started to revive the fishing industry), and agriculture, which has also declined significantly. Mining of tin and copper was also an industry, but today the derelict mine workings survive only as a However, the  is still a world centre of excellence in its field. and the grant World Heritage status has attracted funding for conservation and heritage tourism. extraction has also been an important industry in the St Austell area, but this sector has been in decline, and this, coupled with increased mechanisation, has led to a decrease in employment in this sector.

In recent years Cornwall's creative industries have undergone significant growth, thanks in part to funding. There is now a significant creative industry in Cornwall, encompassing areas like graphic design, product design, web design, packaging design, environmental design, architecture, photography, art and crafts.

Culture
sub article: 

Language
The is closely related to  and, and less so to ,  and. A study in 2000 suggested that there were around 300 people who spoke Cornish fluently. Cornish however has no legal status in the UK. The language is still taught in about twelve primary schools, and occasionally used in religious and civic ceremonies.

Two of the current (MPs) in the, , MP for , and , MP for , repeated their Parliamentary oaths in Cornish.

Literature in, or about, Cornwall
Cornwall produced a substantial amount of s during the Middle Ages. Many are still extant, and provide valuable information about the Cornish language. , Launceston lad and poet laureate.

lived in Cornwall and set many of her novels there, including ', ', ', and '. She is also noted for writing Vanishing Cornwall. Cornwall provided the inspiration for, one of her terrifying series of short stories, made famous as a film by. ' novel, The Killer Mine, 's novel The Little Country, 's series ', 's series, 's novels Over Sea, Under Stone and Greenwitch, 's ' and 's operetta  are all set in Cornwall. Also the trilogy by, "Wise Child", "", and "" take place in medieval Cornwall. 's featuring  is set in Cornwall.

The Nobel-prizewinning novelist was born in  in 1911, and returned to live near  from 1985 until his death in 1993. The Scottish poet lived in West Cornwall from 1944 until his death in 1986. The late  was famously fond of Cornwall and it featured prominently in his poetry. He is buried in the churchyard at near.

Prolific writer, best known for his debut work (1956) and for  (1967), lives in , a little village on the southern Cornish coast, not far from  and.

Religion
Many place names in Cornwall are associated with Christian missionaries described as coming from Ireland and Wales in the fifth century AD and usually called saints (See ). The historicity of some of these missionaries is problematic and it has been pointed out by that it was customary in the Middle Ages to ascribe such geographic origins to saints. Some of these saints are not included in the early lists of saints.

St Piran, after whom Perranporth is named, is generally regarded as the patron saint of Cornwall.

In the sixteenth century there was some violent resistance to the replacement of Catholicism with Protestantism in the 1549 uprising. From the eighteenth to the mid-twentieth century Methodism was the leading form of Christianity in Cornwall but is now in decline. The Anglican was created in 1877.

Cornwall and the South-west of England in general is also home to the largest number of in Europe.

Visual art
Since the 19th century, Cornwall, with its unspoilt maritime scenery and strong light, has sustained a vibrant visual art scene of international renown. Artistic activity within Cornwall was initially centred on the art-colony of Newlyn, most active at the turn of the century, and associated with the names: Stanhope Forbes, Elizabeth Forbes, Norman Garstin and Lamorna Birch. Modernist writers such as D.H. Lawrence and Virginia Woolf lived in Cornwall between the wars, and, the painter, having visited in the 1920s came to live in St Ives with his then wife, the sculptor , at the outbreak of the second world war. They were later joined by the Russian emigrant, and other artists. These included, , , and. St Ives also houses the Leach Pottery, where, and his followers championed Japanese inspired studio pottery. Much of this modernist work can be seen in. . The Newlyn Society and Penwith Society of Arts continue to be active, and contemporary visual art is documented in a dedicated online journal artcornwall.org

Music and festivals
Cornwall has a rich and vibrant tradition which has survived into the present. Cornwall is well known for its unusual folk survivals such as s, the in, and  in.

As with other former mining districts of Britain, Male voice choirs and s are still very popular in Cornwall.

Cornish players are regular participants in inter-Celtic festivals, and Cornwall itself has several lively inter-Celtic festivals such as 's Lowender Peran folk festival.

On a more modern note, contemporary musician (also known as ) grew up in Cornwall, as did  winner of  2003. , the drummer from the band was also raised in the county, and currently lives not too far from. The American Singer/Songwriter now resides predominantly in North Cornwall not far from Bude with her family.

are a large group of string players who perform traditional fiddle music of the Celtic nations - Scotland, Ireland, Cornwall and Brittany.

Sports and games
Among Cornwall's native sports are a distinctive form of related to  wrestling, and, a kind of mediaeval football played with a silver ball (distinct from ). The latter sport now takes place at and  although hurling of a silver ball is part of the  ceremony at  every five years.

Though rugby is thought to have originated from in the early 19th century,  described in his 1602 work, 'Survey of Cornwall' a game which is rather similar to rugby yet distinct from. Cornish 'hurlers' travelled to London to player 'demonstration matches' of the sport several times in the seventeenth century. has the largest following in Cornwall (more so than ), with two teams in national league 1, (recently renamed from Penzance & Newlyn RFC) and Launceston RFC "the Cornish All Blacks" (who were promoted to national league 1 in the 06/07 season). "the Reds" are also in the national league 2 and get good support. Penzance based Mounts Bay are the newest national league team, being promoted as champions from South West 1 in 2007. Both Mounts Bay (EDF Intermediate Cup) and the Cornish Pirates (EDF National Trophy) were successful at Twickenham in 2007.

The team (dubbed 's Army) used to draw large crowds of supporters to its matches in the county championship, especially if they have progressed to a Twickenham final. are an exiles team along the lines of, and.

Despite playing just over the border in Devon, attract a lot of supporters from Cornwall. The highest ranked, and arguably most popular football team in Cornwall is, though football is often overshadowed by rugby and other sports.

Cornwall is one of the few English counties never to have hosted, and has not yet even had a football club play in the.

The  team are the only National League representatives from the county, based in, though -based professional club , of the top-tier , pull in many supporters from Cornwall.

From 2001 until 2003, the only fully professional sports team in Cornwall were the  team, who raced at the Clay Country Moto Parc in the clay pits near St Austell. The team took over from the St Austell Gulls who were an amateur speedway team which operated from 1997 to 2000. The Gulls also operated at Par Moor in the 1950's. One of the earliest references to in Cornwall is 1816 and Sir  of Whiteford house in, organised a match against the  , and noted:- tea and a meal in a marquee at 6 o'clock. competes in the Minor Counties Championship, the second tier National County structure. Talented players, produced by the vigorous County league sides, have frequently found employment in the First Class Counties and two have gone on to represent England.

Due to its large coastline, various maritime sports are popular in Cornwall, notably and. International events in both are held in Cornwall. Cornwall hosted the Inter-Celtic Festival in 2006. Surfing in particular is very popular, as locations such as and  offer some of the best surf in the UK. rowing has been popular for many years and the World championships takes place annually on the.

on the sea cliffs and inland cliffs has been popular since the pioneering work of and others in the early 1900s, and is now highly developed.

is a popular in Cornwall, it is normally a game for four players consisting of two teams. Its origins are unclear but some claim it is a Cornish game. There are several leagues in Cornwall at present.

A recent application for a place in the was refused by the  (CGF). The claimed that Cornwall should be recognised with a team, in the way that other sub-state entities such as England,  and the  are. However, the CGF noted that it was not their place to make political decisions on whether or not Cornwall is a separate nation.

On September 2, 2007, 300 arrived at , Cornwall to set a new  for the highest number of surfers riding the same  (as part of the Global  Challenge and part of a project called Earthwave to raise awareness about ). The official world record stands at 44, set by surf school in  (unofficially the highest figure is 73, held by the  Surfing Academy in ).

On September 2, 2007, in, 84 caught the same wave (from Australia, South Africa, Portugal, Britain and the US,  to beat the former record of 73 surfers on a wave). But while 300 turned up in Cornwall and, the Brazilian waxheads won. With only 120 people, surfers in, south-east of , smashed the record.

Food and drink
Cornwall has a strong gastronomic heritage. Surrounded on three sides by the sea amid fertile fishing grounds, Cornwall naturally has fresh seafood readily available; is the largest fishing port in the  by value of fish landed. Television  has long operated a fish restaurant in  for this reason, and  recently chose to open his second restaurant,, in  near. host and founder of Smiths of Smithfield,, in 2007 purchased Seiners in. In Porthminster Cafe is a renowned beach restaurant as is The Boardroom at The Blue Bar in. One famous local fish dish is, a fish-based pie in which the heads and tails of the fish stick through the pasty crust, as though "star-gazing". The pie is cooked as part of traditional celebrations for.

Cornwall is perhaps best known though for its, a savoury dish made from containing suet. Today's pasties usually contain a filling of beef steak, onion, potato and swede with salt and white pepper, but historically pasties had a variety of different fillings. For instance, the licky pasty contained mostly leeks, and the herb pasty contained watercress, parsley, and shallots. Pasties are often locally referred to as oggies or Teddy Oggies. Historically, pasties were also often made with sweet fillings such as jam, apple and blackberry, plums or cherries. Recently the origin of the Cornish pasty has been challenged, with neighbouring county Devon claiming to have the oldest known recipe.

The wet climate and relatively poor soil of Cornwall make it unsuitable for growing many arable crops. However, it is ideal for growing the rich grass required for dairying, leading to the production of Cornwall's other famous export,. This forms the basis for many local specialities including Cornish and Cornish. Cornish clotted cream is protected under and cannot be made anywhere else. Its principal manufacturer is based at Scorrier.

Local desserts include, , Biscuits, Figgy 'obbin, and.

There are also many types of brewed in Cornwall &mdash; the  is the best-known &mdash; including a, and there is some small scale production of , , and.

Settlements and communication
Cornwall's only city, and the home of the, is. Nearby is notable as a port, while the ports at, the most westerly town in England,  and  have declined. on the north coast is famous for its beaches and is a popular surfing destination, as is further north. is Cornwall's largest town, and a centre of the industry. and is the largest urban area in Cornwall, and both were significant as the centre of the global tin mining industry.

Cornwall borders the county of at the River Tamar. Major road links between Cornwall and the rest of Great Britain are the which crosses the Tamar at  via the  and the town of, the  (Atlantic Highway) from , passing through  to end eventually in , and the  which crosses the border south of. A also links  with the town of  on the opposite side of the. A rail bridge, the, built by (1859) provides the only other major transport link.

shares 's runways and facilities and connects Cornwall to the rest of the UK and Ireland. However, the future for the airport is uncertain, as the has announced that military flights from RAF St Mawgan will cease from August 2008. The handover of the runways will depend on funding being available to maintain the airport at standards once the current military facilities are withdrawn.

and, across the Bristol Channel, are connected to Cornwall by ferry, usually to Padstow. Swansea in particular has several boat companies who can arrange boat trips to north Cornwall, which allow the traveller to pass by the north Cornish coastline, including Castle and Padstow harbour. Very occasionally, the and  paddle steamers cruise from Swansea or Bristol to. The last time the Waverly visited Padstow was Whitsun Bank Holiday 2004, sailing right into Padstow habour with passengers from the Mumbles, near Swansea.

The are served by ferry (from ), helicopter  and fixed wing aeroplane (, near St Just). Further flights to, Isles of Scilly, are available from Exeter International Airport in Devon.