Hidden amongst trees down a narrow dead-end lane is what remains of St Ruan Major Church. Once a grand building described as “one of the most curious and interesting” of Cornwall’s churches it is now a shadow of its former self. A atmospheric shell, open to the sky. When I first came across the ruin, as known as St Rumon’s Church, I was understandably curious about what story of this place was. However, I found it fairly difficult to find any information, so I thought I would put together what I could find out as a little guide for anyone else who visited. (There are also notes on how to acce ..read more

In August 1797 Rev. Richard Polwhele preached a sermon to his congregation in Manaccan concerning two rather “melancholy events” that had recently taken place in the parish. One was a destructive storm of near biblical proportions, the other was a murder. I first came across Richard Roskruge’s story while on the hunt for unusual epitaphs in Cornish churchyards, his headstone stands just beyond the porch of St Anthony in Meneage church. I soon discovered however, that there was much more to it than just a strange choice of inscription. It has taken quite a while to gather up the threads of thi ..read more

There was a time when people whole-heartedly believed in miracles. A time when they thought that visiting a religious relic, saying prayers in a certain church or drinking from a sacred well would bring them what they so desperately needed, whether that was good health, fertility or salvation. St Michael’s Mount was one of those places of pilgrimage for hundreds of years and for a short time in the 13th century a number of miracles were said to have occurred there. A Hallowed Isle St Michael’s Mount is at the heart of many Cornish myths and legends. From the archangel it is named after and th ..read more

The historian Charlotte MacKenzie’s latest book brings together a collection of mysterious tales from Cornish history. From folklore and the supernatural to early healthcare and unexplained disappearances – this book is filled with meticulously researched stories from Cornwall’s often peculiar past. ‘Cornish Mysteries’ compliments her previous work, which includes Cornish Legends, Women Writers & Georgian Cornwall and Merchants & Smugglers in 18th Century Cornwall. In the first chapter Charlotte sets out to identify the “Knowing men of Cornwall” – the local conjurers, charmers and cast ..read more

When Charles Dickens visited Cornwall in 1875 he spent some time walking around the Lizard “knapsack on shoulder and stout boots on feet”. He felt that it was the only way to truly experience this isolated corner of Cornwall. Just outside Gunwalloe he made the acquaintance of a man he called “Old Cuttance” who regaled him with tales of shipwrecks and daring deeds. Blue Rocks beach, Gunwalloe That man was Henry Cuttance and by the time that Dickens met him he was already 85 years old and had led a life so full of adventure and incident that he really could have been a character straight out of ..read more

Just beyond a deep bend in the tidal reaches of the River Tamar and close to the picturesque grounds of Pentillie Castle is a quiet, forgotten quay. Once a hive of activity Halton Quay now seems to idle in peace and tranquillity, especially when the water is high, lapping gently at the granite walls and the only other sound is the puff of passing geese on the wing. Today you will find little to see there besides what has to be one of the smallest chapels in Cornwall but that was not always the case. A couple of hundred years ago this place was one of the main trading quays on the River Tamar ..read more

The Cornish coast is well known as a graveyard for ships, dramatic tales of shipwreck and rescue were once very much a daily part of local lives. And, of course, these disasters were rarely without victims. But what happened to the unidentified drowned was not something that was or is comfortable to talk about. Until the law was changed in 1808 the bodies of those lost at sea would often be buried on the cliff tops close to where they had been found but even after that practice was outlawed there was often a delay before a victim could be laid to rest. They needed to be identified, their fami ..read more

Author Jonathan Cox I have a lot in common, we were both born in Cornwall, we have both lived abroad for extended periods of time (though my time was perhaps less constructively spent), we both returned to education at, shall we say, a mature stage in our lives, and we both love where we are from. Born in Penzance, Jonathan E. Cox spent many years as a Fleet Street journalist and international news agency correspondent before he felt compelled to return to Cornwall. He recently completed a postgraduate writing degree at Falmouth University with a first-class honours degree (distincti ..read more

A short walk west along the coastal path from Porthleven leads you to a quiet area of clifftop known as Breageside. Here you will find a white painted stone cross facing out to sea. This cross is one of a pair erected close to this picturesque harbour and both are linked to the same man and the same maritime disaster. The first cross, a mile or so east close to Loe Bar, marks the final resting place of the victims of a tragic shipwreck. While the Breageside cross was erected by the son of a shipwreck survivor as a moving memorial for all the unknown mariners buried in un-consecrated ground aro ..read more

George Symons is not a name that many of us will be familiar with but one hundred years ago he was something of a Cornish celebrity. And for those passionate about motorsports in the south west today he should be a legend. George Symons raced in the first ever Manx Grand Prix in 1923, competed in the race again in 1925 and was at one time one of the fastest men on two wheels. With 2023 marking the centenary of this race I wanted to throw a spotlight on the career of this Cornish racing daredevil! Speed Trials at Davidstow George Robert Symons’ early life is something of a mystery. He was born ..read more