2021-22 Programme

Cornish dialect is one of the shining stars in the crown of Cornish culture, and the Old Cornwall Society were lucky to have not one but two experts in the field at their meeting in October.

The first was Paul Phillips of Helston, who is the Dialect Recorder for the Federation of Old Cornwall Societies and a bard of the Cornish Gorsedh with the bardic name of Kaffler Rannyeth (Gatherer of Dialect). The second was Trevor Smitherham of Hayle, bardic name Gevell Gov an Hordh (Twin Smith the Ram). Our own Hilary Thompson (aka Myrgh Percuil, Daughter of Percuil), was also present so there was a total of 3 Cornish bards in attendance.

Paul initially traced the history of Cornish Dialect and those languages which have influenced it including Saxon, Kernewek (Cornish Language), and Middle English, before going on to recount examples of dialect stories and poems. Trevor and Paul performed a dialect conversation together, before Trevor performed a number of amusing dialect yarns. At least one of the yarns may have originated from the comedian, Jethro, whilst another was from the pen of the well-known late Cornish entertainer – Brenda Wotton.

Paul went on to explore the meaning of a number of dialect words, some of which would be very familiar to local people. These included: -

Drop curls = Ringlets.

Berryin/Berrin = Funeral.

Blind man's holiday = too dark to work.

Board em = an old-fashioned round card game.

Bottom Pie = Pork & potatoes baked on dough.

Want = Mole & want hills are mole hills

Caudle = to slop or make a mess.

Cheelden = woman in labour.

Come-by-chance or gaate pawst cheeld, = a child born out of wedlock.

Daggin' = Eager to find out or to do something particular.

  Paul also went through the meaning of some Cornish dialect sayings, some of which were not terribly complementary: -

Backside like a camel = a very thin or neat bum!

Belly like a quilkin = puffed up like a frog.

As daft as a wagon 'oss = someone who is frisky and undependable.

Backside like two hellans slapped tegether = a very thin backside. Note: Hellans = roofing slates.

Bread an' scrape = a slice of bread thinly scraped with dripping, goose fat or similar.

Buried like a dog = buried without ceremony.  We certainly have some examples here on Roseland where the bodies of shipwrecked sailors were buried on the cliff-top.

The session was rounded off by one last dialect yarn from Trevor which brought much laughter and applause. The OCS Recorder, Nev Meek (nev.meek@sky.com), appealed for anyone to submit examples of local dialect words, phrases and idioms.

The 2021-2022 St. Gerrans and Porthscatho Old Cornwall Society Season of evening lectures opened with a talk by Martin Brockman, a R.N.L.I. Heritage Volunteer for the Penlee Lifeboat.

The subject was the wreck of the Torrey Canyon Oil Tanker in March 1967, off the Isles of Scilly, possibly the greatest environmental disaster ever to hit the shores of Britain.

The B.P. operated; Liberian registered tanker was built in 1959, then extended in length to 974 feet, 120 feet wide. she carried 120,000 tons or approx 32 million gallons of crude oil. The crew was 36 Italians under the Command of Captain Rugiati.

The ship left Kuwait on the 19th February aiming to reach Milford Haven on the 18th March or having to wait 6 days to catch the next high tide. The aim was to pass the Scillies on the starboard side but navigational errors and currents meant they appeared on the port (or left side) and a decision was made to use the navigational channel between Scilly and the Steven Stones Reef. Fishermen with gear down led to another course change and despite the Seven Stones Lightship flying danger flags and firing warning rockets, the ship was unable to change course. At 8.50 a.m. on 18th March the Torrey Canyon struck Pollards Rock at 17 Knots. Captain Rugiati ordered full astern but the ship was stuck fast, a  Dutch salvage tug was unable to attend due to rough seas and with already a large oil slick due  to 14 of the 18 oil tanks being ruptured, the crew abandoned ship.

Attempts were made to salvage the ship but after an explosion which killed one of the Dutch salvage crew, she was abandoned completely and by March 26th she was in 3 parts oil pouring out, forming a massive slick. Prime Minister Harold Wilson held an emergency cabinet meeting at R.N.A.S. Culdrose and a decision was made to attack the ship with aircraft, using high explosive and incendiary bombs. Sadly this only destroyed the ship, which sank on 30th March, not igniting the ever growing oil slick, which later covered 270 square miles. Thousands of gallons of detergent were sprayed to try to disperse the oil, with booms used to protect harbours, but the coasts of Scilly, the South West and Northern France were badly polluted for years to come. An estimated 25,000 seabirds on migration north were killed and detergent sprayed on the coastline and excessive seaweed growth resulting caused great harm to shore based marine species.

As a result of the Torrey Canyon disaster, International Maritine Organisations conferences were held which tightened controls on marine pollution ans laid the burden of clean-up costs on the ship owners and their insurers.

Captain Rugiati was found guilty of high degree of negligence, fined and stripped of command, despite blaming the fishing boats for being unable to take the required course. Mr. Brockman informed us that his father had been involved in the Torrey Canyon incident on board the Penlee Lifeboat which had supported the Isles of Scilly Boat in the rescue, sadly his father was later to be lost on the Solomon Browne in December 1981 while attending the wreck of the Union Star.