This old chestnut about Dolly Pentreath seems to run and run. Cornish fishermen used Cornish when at sea well into the late 19th century - if not later. I don't think it helps to continue this story which, after all, was dreamed up by condescending 'gentry' from over the border who (like some tourists today) regarded things Cornish as 'quaint' and somehow alien to the 'English' way of doing things. Stephen > Mr. Pentreath died at Mousehole ? descendant of the last speaker of Cornish?? >
Interesting. Any documentary evidence? E.g contemporary reports? The nineteenth century was a period of great interest in things like language and culture, and one would expect there to be articles about the language surviving when it was widely regarded as having died out. ----- Original Message ----- From: "stephen" <kernowest@yahoo.co.uk> To: <cornish-gen@rootsweb.com> Sent: Wednesday, May 19, 2010 1:42 PM Subject: Re: [CORNISH-GEN] CORNISH-GEN Digest, Vol 5, Issue 201 > > This old chestnut about Dolly Pentreath seems to run and run. > Cornish fishermen used Cornish when at sea well into the late 19th > century - if not later. > > I don't think it helps to continue this story which, after all, was > dreamed up by condescending 'gentry' from over the border who (like some > tourists today) regarded things Cornish as 'quaint' and somehow alien to > the 'English' way of doing things. > Stephen > > > >> Mr. Pentreath died at Mousehole ? descendant of the last speaker of >> Cornish?? >> > > > > > > > > ------------------------------- > Listmom: ybowers@gmail.com or CORNISH-GEN-admin@rootsweb.com > > Visit the OPC (Online Parish Clerk) web page for transcription information > http://www.cornwall-opc.org/ > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > CORNISH-GEN-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message >
Dolly PENTREATH is the one who received all the publicity but William BODINNAR was the last monoglot who only spoke Cornish and who could also read and write Cornish. Dolly couldn't read or write! Liz www.btinternet.com/~e.newbery OPC for Street, Somerset