"What do they know of Cornwall, who only Cornwall know?"


Since the initial publication of the Cornish Mining Index last year I have
been in receipt of hundreds of letters containing both data and enquiries,
and of this correspondence it is interesting to note that well over 50 % of
all enquiries originate from the Australia alone. After considering the
reason why there was such enquiries, it appears that there are three
possibilities, with some combination of the latter two are most likely.

1.	The majority of Cornish emigrants settled in Australia.
2.	The study of genealogy is more popular in Australia.
3.	The Cornish heritage and culture still remain in some form.

However, it would be foolhardy to totally dismiss the first, as many
Cornishmen and their families settled in the various colonies that form the
Australian sub-continent. Dr Philip Payton in his excellent book "The
Cornish Miner in Australia" states that between the years 1836 to 1886 in
South Australia alone , of the 162,853 migrants who settled 12,967 (8% of
the population) came from Cornwall. And when taking into account the
possible migration from other states together with missing data a figure of
perhaps 16,000 is quite likely. Furthermore Dr Payton suggests that from an
analysis of population estimates and surname origins it is possible that in
1900 some 30,000 people may claim to be of direct Cornish descent in the
colony of South Australia.

The fact that such a great migration did occur is well documented, but were
what the factors that instigated it?  With the foundation of the colony of
South Australia in 1836, a well orchestrated campaign of recruitment was
initiated in the county. Agents were appointed initially by the colony and
later by the mines themselves to recruit suitable employees from the
Cornish mines. Meetings and lectures were held at the principle towns
proclaiming the virtues and prospects of the new colony, and the flow of
emigrants started. When combined with the failure of the potato crop in
1840 and the hardship thus incurred this flow became a veritable torrent.
Meanwhile other factors were at play, and to see these it is necessary to
look at the employment trends in the county at that time. 

A rather simplistic view of the development of large scale mining in
Cornwall during the early nineteenth century indicates that there was a
definite west to east movement. Census returns show us that as each new
area developed, a predominately young male workforce moved into lodgings in
the locality. Once these mines proved themselves and offered some sense of
security, the wives and families followed, meanwhile the unattached young
men naturally married into the local stock. As each area peaked and
subsequently declined the redundant workforce moved to the developing mines
to the east leaving their families behind, with the cycle repeating itself
many times over. Meanwhile there were on occasions other factors
influencing events, for example upon studying the 1841 and 1851 census
returns for the parishes of Breage and Germoe in the west of the county, a
27% reduction in the population is noted. However this was not due to the
working out of the lode, rather that Wheal Vor, the largest mine in the
area with a total workforce of well over 1000 closed due to legal disputes
between the years 1847-53. If we then look further afield to the developing
mining districts to the east, a substantially higher proportion than normal
of the immigrant labour can be seen to have originated from these hard
suffering parishes. Unfortunately with the crash of the price of copper  in
1866 little opportunity existed for alternative employment in the county,
and many Cornishmen were forced to find work elsewhere. The concept of
seeking employment overseas was nothing new to many Cornish families with
most having some relatives far from home. Nevertheless there were
opportunities in the other mining area of Britain, such as the Mendip lead
mines (worked since Roman times), the South Wales and northern coal fields
and the tin and copper deposits in Ireland, the Isle of Man and Anglesey to
name but a few. 

A major employer during the late 1860's was emerging in the form of the
northern collieries, who were experiencing a period of industrial unrest,
with their workforce becoming more militant in the strife for better pay
and improved working conditions. After numerous disputes the employers
became less "tolerant", and in many instances their solution was to sack
all those on strike and replace them with unemployed Cornishmen. Due to the
nature of remuneration in the Cornish mines, namely the tributing system,
where each tributer was in effect self employed, the trade union movement
never succeeded in establishing itself in the Cornish mines. On the few
occasions when more enlightened individuals attempted to introduce the
concept of unionism to the workforce, the various mines owners in that
vicinity quickly united and crushed it in it's infancy, with the ring
leaders being barred from employment in any mines in the county. A prime
example of the mass movement of Cornish miners to the North of England is
that of the Cramlington collieries in Northumberland, where on the 5th
December 1865, 300 men together with their families arrived by train, to be
followed on 27th December by 128 men, 111 women and 248 children. It
appears that it was only when the striking workforce were evicted from
their homes to make way for the Cornish that the exact circumstances of
their employment became apparent.

An extract from "The West Briton" dated 20th September 1865 sums up the
situation well. "Employment is more difficult to obtain, emigration is
going on upon a scale hitherto unprecedented, and many of the small
undertakings are being wound up and the large ones becoming unprofitable.
Trade is falling of by degrees, and credit is considerably dearer, while
the small trader is suffering from heavy bad debts suddenly made through
customers emigrating. Respecting the mining interests, there is but little
of an encouraging character, and until a reaction sets in, things must go
from bad to worse".

It is interesting to note that securing employment was not the only problem
facing the Cornish families, for the collapse of the copper price roughly
coincided with a dramatic increase in the price of some basic commodities.
For example, the monthly salary for a hard working miner in the St Just
area in 1865 was about £3-3-0, but by 1867 this had fallen to £2-10-0.
Whereas during the same period the price for a sack of flour had risen from
£1-10-0 to £2-10-0. The consequence of all these factors can be seen by the
predictable increase in the number of paupers receiving indoor relief at
the workhouse.

Having made what must have been a traumatic decisions to uproot and seek
owns fortunes elsewhere, the actual journey itself was not without it's
problems. Many ships were totally inadequate for the type of voyage ahead,
and this must have been something of a shock to those committed to the
journey. Despite the obvious possibility of shipwreck, sickness was a
constant companion, and data published for  the Port of Quebec (commonly
known as "The Blue Papers") gives us some idea of the likelihood of
mortality on such a voyage.

Port of embarkation
Percentage mortality
rate during voyage


English Ports - Excluding Liverpool
1.0%

Scottish
3.12%

Irish - Including Liverpool (en route)
10.49%

Liverpool
15.9%

Cork - Ireland
18.73%

Padstow (CORNWALL)
0.22%


From these statistics many questions could be posed, but the most obvious
being, "Why was there such a staggering difference in mortality rates
between the ports of Cork and Padstow?" One possible answer for this being
a combination of the seaworthiness of the Cornish fleet, the state of
health of the Cornish migrant and the fact that the Cornish being a
maritime culture were more prepared for the journey ahead. However, this
begs further research at a later date.


There must be many readers with details and stories of their mining
ancestors suitable for submission, and as all printouts detail the data
source, there exist the possibility of linking with other lines. If you
have a story to tell on behalf of your ancestors please contact me, so that
I may add your details to the 14,000 already on database. 

© Ian Richards, Higher Stanbeer, Henwood, Liskeard, Cornwall, PL14 5BH, UK,