The Spread to other world regions

Cornish miners had been migrating in limited numbers from Cornwall to other parts of the UK from the early 1700s. In particular, their skill was to be increasingly in demand in the mining regions of Wales, northern England and Ireland over the next 200 years. Today there are communities across the British Isles and Ireland which retain clear signs of a Cornish presence.

The UK

Cornish miners were drawn to other areas of Britain, particularly the North East where their skills could be put to good use in the coal mines. There is a concentration of Cornish surnames around the area of Teesside which persists to this day. Another area where Cornish miners settled was Roose in Cumbria, where iron mining was the draw. In 1881, 70% of the population of Roose had Cornish birthplaces.

• Cumbria

Moor Row on the coastal fringes of Cumbria had experienced an influx of Cornish mineworkers and their families by the 1870s.

The Montreal Mines adjoining the town were eventually to produce 250,000 tons of haematite iron ore per year, the largest of any operation in the Whitehaven/Furness district.

Around 1,000 workers were employed by the mines in total here and the presence of a Penzance Street in the town gives an indication of the influence of the Cornish in the latter nineteenth century.

• Somerset

Historic treats from Cornish mining in Somerset still exist today, at 'Burrow Farm Mine' and 'Dodington'.

Burrow Farm Mine, Brendon Hills

The Burrow Farm Mine was established around 1860 for iron ore (haematite) and by 1868 the excavations had progressed to the stage where a pumping engine was required to dewater the workings. A 25-inch Cornish beam engine was installed at this time by the then Mine Captain Henry Skewis from Cornwall, though the ore reserves were to prove uneconomic and the mine closed the following year. Today the preserved engine house can be visited via footpaths along the former mineral railway track bed from Naked Boy’s Bridge.

Dodington, Quantock Hills

Cornish mineworkers are known to have been employed in copper mining on the Quantocks from the late eighteenth century. The Fox family of Cornwall were to have extensive mining interests in the Dodington area, and Samuel and Matthew Grose and William Jenkin, of Redruth, were employed to manage the mines themselves which were to close in 1822. Two engine houses survive associated with the mines, at the Beech Grove and Glebe shafts respectively.  

• Wales

Wales experienced an explosion of activity in mining for lead, copper and silver.

Cornish miners were involved in the metal mines of Wales. One of these was the Llywernog Mine which was leased in 1825 to the Williams family of Scorrier House in Gwennap. This began a long association between the mining districts of Cardiganshire and Cornwall that continued through to the 1900s. As Cornish continued to migrate to Wales, they took with them their beliefs and culture, building Methodist chapels in the mining villages. They also introduced aspects of their regional vernacular to Welsh mining communities, calling mine managers ‘captains’ and the mine accountant a ‘purser’.

Dorothea, Dyffryn Nantlle

An impressive 60-inch Cornish design pumping engine, constructed by Holman Brothers of Camborne, survives at Dorothea which was installed in 1906 to dewater the 600 ft (180m) deep slate quarry. This was to work until pumping was switched from steam to electric in 1951.  

Frongoch

This former lead and zinc mine near Pontrhydygroes in mid Wales dates from the late 1750s and by the 1820s the workings were leased by the Williams family of Scorrier, Cornwall. The leases were subsequently acquired by the renowned mining speculators John Taylor & Son and managed by the Francis family of Cornwall. A 60-inch Cornish pumping engine was installed around 1870 and this survives, although in a reduced state, along with a number of other mine buildings.

Llywernog

The discovery of argentiferous galena (silver-lead) at Llywernog was first made in the 1740s but it was not until the 1790s when two adits were driven into the hillside to aid drainage and access. In 1824 the mine lease was taken up by the Williams family of Scorrier, Cornwall, and Cornish mineworkers were recruited to provide much of the labour. Cornish surnames were to become common in the area and Methodist chapels were constructed in many nearby villages. Though the Williams’ association with the mine ended in 1834 the Cornish presence persisted under different owners until the mine finally closed in 1910. Today Llywernog is open as a visitor attraction with surface and underground tours.     

Anglesey, Parys Mountain, Amlwch

Anglesey experienced an explosion of activity in the latter decades of the eighteenth century when readily accessible opencast reserves of copper ore were exploited en masse at the Parys and Mona mines, depressing the world market price of copper. In 1811 the latter mine was reformed under the controlling interest of the Cornish-born John Vivian, of Swansea copper smelting renown, and deep shaft mining was pursued using Cornish methods. James Treweek of Gwennap became manager of the mine and over the next 40 years his sphere of influence was to include the overseeing of copper smelting on site, and at the nearby port of Amlwch, and the shipping interests of Mona. Today the Cornish engine house at Parys (1819) and the wharves at Amlwch are just some of the reminders of the scale of the Cornish influence on Anglesey.   

Minera Mine

Mining for silver-lead at Minera is known to have been taking place by 1296 but the Cornish were not to make their presence felt until 1745 when they formed part of an in-migrant workforce originating from Cornwall, Ireland and elsewhere. Cornish mining technology was also employed extensively at Minera in the nineteenth century and an 80-inch Cornish pumping engine was acquired, probably constructed by Harveys of Hayle, and installed at Taylors Shaft on or around 1845. Another 44-inch Cornish design pumping engine was installed at Meadow Shaft two years later and this has now been preserved for public view.

• The Isle of Man

The Famous Laxey Wheel

The Great Laxey Lead and Zinc Mine saw the installation of the, what would become famous, Laxey Wheel (‘Lady Isabella’) in 1854.

The Great Laxey Lead and Zinc Mine

Once a major producer of these two metals the mine also saw the installation of the, what would become famous, Laxey Wheel (‘Lady Isabella’) in 1854. Installed to pump from deepening workings, this was overseen by the Cornish Mine Captain Richard Rowe originally of St Agnes who also secured a beam winding engine for the mine in addition to constructing ‘Rowe’s Pier’ at Laxey. 

Foxdale

Mining commenced in the Foxdale area for silver-lead in the early eighteenth century, but Cornish involvement is understood to have commenced around 100 years later. Edward Bawden became manager of the Isle of Man Mining Company in 1830 and the number of Cornish engine houses in the area is an indication of the significance of the Cornish presence, with remains of these surviving at North and South Bradda mines, Beckwith’s Mine, and Cross-vein.  

Ireland

In the early 1800s, some Cornish mine workers migrated to West Cork to mine for copper, where they again left their cultural mark on the landscape. Notably, in the staunchly Roman Catholic area of Allihies on the Beara Peninsula, there stands a Baptist Chapel that was patronised by Cornish settlers in the area. The building is now home to the Allihies Copper Mine Museum.

Spain

The Cornish also settled in Spain, particularly in the lead mining area of Linares, Andalucia. This area is unique in Spain due to the multitude of Cornish engine houses and chimneys that nod to the influence of Cornish technology here.

New Zealand

In the 1870s and 1880s, New Zealand had an immigration drive to bring skilled labour into the country. The Cornish had built a reputation as hard workers who were also suitable to colonial life, as demonstrated by their successful settlement in South Australia.

Could you have Cornish ancestry?

Due to the expansive migration of Cornish mine workers throughout the 19th century, a large number of people from around the world have Cornish ancestry. Please visit one of the following websites if you would like to find out if you might have Cornish roots:

Ancestry.co.uk

CornishLinks.net

CornishLight.co.uk

Please download the PDF version of the World Heritage Site Diaspora Map to see just some of the 175-plus destinations world-wide with Cornish connections.

(PDF document reader software is required for this which can be downloaded from the Adobe website if necessary.)