Tribute to Dolly Pentreath - so-called last monoglot Cornish speaker
trepolpen

Tribute to Dolly Pentreath - so-called last monoglot Cornish speaker

Dolly, an old fisherwoman of Mousehole, is buried somewhere unspecified in this churchyard. When an English squire and philologist, Daines Barrington, came looking for her in the late 1700s, she called him 'kronek hager du!' (an ugly black toad) for disbelieving she spoke Cornish. She died a year later, however. William Bodener who died in 1794, says that he knew five people in Mousehole alone who spoke Cornish and used to have long talks with Dolly. He also spoke of a John Nancarrow of Marazion and Barrington himself agreed J.N. was a native speaker. The author of this epitaph was a man called Thomson of Truro. He claimed he knew more Cornish than Dolly did. There are others capable of speaking Cornish after Dolly too.
It was stated in 1860 that the monument had not been erected over her actual grave. Not knowing precisely where that grave was, the memorial was moved to this position in 1882. Trying to sort this. I have Dr Jago's book to read.
 

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PAUL VILLAGE & MOUSEHOLE, 5MAY05 -WALK FROM PENZANCE
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