Citizendia

The flag of Cornwall (Kernow)
The flag of Cornwall (Kernow)

The constitutional status of Cornwall, in the southwest of the United Kingdom, is the subject of ongoing debate. Cornwall ( Kernow ˈkɛɹnɔʊ is the most southwesterly county of England, on the Peninsula that lies to the west of the River Tamar The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located [1]

The Parliament and Government of the United Kingdom, as well as local authorities and official agencies and some people in Cornwall, consider Cornwall to be an administrative and ceremonial county of England. The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories Her Majesty's Government, or when the monarch is male His Majesty's Government, is the title used by the Government of the United Kingdom, based at The counties of England are territorial divisions of England for the purposes of administrative political and geographical demarcation England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The Department for Constitutional Affairs stated in March 2007 the government's view that Cornwall is an administrative county of England. [2]

Cornwall is the remnant of the former "West Wales" region of south west Britain. Its history is highly idiosyncratic with various survivals, such as a Celtic language surviving into the early modern period (which was revived in the twentieth century) giving it a distinct identity. Cornish nationalists and others consider that Cornwall is legally entitled to greater autonomy. The Cornish self-government movement (sometimes referred to as Cornish nationalism) is a Social movement which seeks greater autonomy for the area of They consider that the United Kingdom is not a homogeneous nation-state, but is instead composed of several Home Nations. For the online game see Jennifer Government NationStates. The nation-state is a certain form of State that derives its legitimacy "Home nation" (common noun redirects here home nation is also used to refer to the host country of Multi-sport events (eg Cornish nationalists who assert that Cornwall is, or ought to be, separate from England, do not necessarily mean to advocate separation from the United Kingdom, but merely Cornwall's recognition as a fifth "home nation". They also cite laws and constitutional peculiarities related to the Duchy of Cornwall that seem to them to indicate that the territory of Cornwall is not simply an English county. The Duchy of Cornwall is with the Duchy of Lancaster, one of the two Royal duchies in England.

Contents

Myth of Origin

In much of medieval Europe, great weight was attached to foundation myths, which usually linked people(s) to others in classical legends, or the Bible. Such stories were taken so seriously that they were even included in legal documents such as the Declaration of Arbroath. The Declaration of Arbroath was a declaration of Scottish independence, and set out to confirm Scotland 's status as an independent, sovereign The Welsh (Cymry), for example, traditionally associated themselves with Gomer. Gomer ( גֹּמֶר, Standard Hebrew Gómer, Tiberian Hebrew Gōmer, go'mer) is the eldest son of Japheth, and father

An ancient tale, the legend of Brutus, recounted by Geoffrey of Monmouth, makes explicit reference to a distinct origin of the Cornish people. Brutus ( Brut, Brute, Welsh Bryttys) a legendary descendant of the Trojan hero Aeneas, was known in medieval British legend Geoffrey of Monmouth ( Gruffudd ap Arthur or Sieffre o Fynwy) (c The legend tells how Albion was colonised by refugees from Troy under Brutus, who renamed his new kingdom Britain, and how the island was subsequently divided up between his three sons, the eldest inheriting Loegria (roughly modern England, Lloegr in Welsh), the other two Albania (modern Scotland, Alba in Scottish Gaelic) and Cambria (modern Wales, Cymru in Welsh). Albion (Ἀλβιών in Greek) is the oldest known name of the island of Great Britain. Troy ( Greek: grc Τροία Troia, also, Ilion; Latin: Trōia, Īlium, Hittite: Wilusa or Logres (also Logris or Loegria) is the name of King Arthur 's realm in the Matter of Britain. Welsh ( cy Cymraeg or cy y Gymraeg, kəmˈrɑːɨɡ and {{IPA|[ə ɡəmˈrɑːɨɡ]}}, is a member of the Brythonic branch of Celtic Alba is the Scottish Gaelic name (ˈalˠ̪əpə for Scotland. Scottish Gaelic ( Gàidhlig) is a member of the Goidelic branch of Celtic languages. Cambria is the classical name for Wales, being the Latinised form of the Welsh name Cymru (Wales In addition, according to the legend, a second and smaller group of Trojans arrived in Britain, led by a warrior named Corineus, to whom Brutus granted extensive estates. Troy ( Greek: grc Τροία Troia, also, Ilion; Latin: Trōia, Īlium, Hittite: Wilusa or Corineus, in medieval British legend, was a prodigious warrior a fighter of giants and the Eponymous founder of Cornwall. Just as Brutus had "called the island Britain. . . and his companions Britons", so Corineus called "the region of the kingdom which had fallen to his share Cornwall, after the manner of his own name, and the people who lived there. . . Cornishmen". This indicates that, at least as far as Geoffrey was concerned, Cornwall possessed an identity distinct from the other nations of Britain.

Early relationship between Cornwall and England

Roman Britannia showing those areas under Roman occupation, and the position of Dumnonia.
Roman Britannia showing those areas under Roman occupation, and the position of Dumnonia. Roman Britain refers to those parts of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire between AD 43 and 410 For the Brythonic colony of the same name in Brittany see Domnonée Dumnonia, sometimes referred to as Damnolia, was a Brythonic
Boundaries of Cornwall and the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms according to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle - Cornwall, Ireland, Wales, the Isle of Man, and the individual Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, are shown as separate entities. The map refers to the position about 700AD.
Boundaries of Cornwall and the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms according to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle - Cornwall, Ireland, Wales, the Isle of Man, and the individual Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, are shown as separate entities. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is a collection of Annals in Old English chronicling the history of the Anglo-Saxons. Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world The Isle of Man (Ellan Vannin ˈɛlʲən ˈvanɪn or Mann (Mannin) is a self-governing Crown dependency, located in the Irish Sea at the geographical The map refers to the position about 700AD.
The British Isles c802.
The British Isles c802.

Pre-Norman conquest

In the earliest known times, Cornwall was part of the kingdom of Dumnonia, and was known as "West Wales" [2][3], to distinguish it from "North Wales" (modern day Wales). For the Brythonic colony of the same name in Brittany see Domnonée Dumnonia, sometimes referred to as Damnolia, was a Brythonic The Anglo-Saxon word Wealh, which is retained in the last syllable of "Cornwall" meant a "foreigner" [4], or person who did not speak the English tongue, and "Corn", refers to the peninsula on which Cornwall lies.

Cornwall was first invaded by the Saxon kingdom of Wessex in the 8th or 9th century. West Saxon redirects here For other meanings of Wessex or West Saxon see Wessex (disambiguation. By 825, the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records the "Defnas" (men of Devon) and the "Wealas" (literally foreigners or strangers) fighting each other at the Battle of Galford. Events By Place Europe Egbert of Wessex defeats Beornwulf of Mercia at Ellandun. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is a collection of Annals in Old English chronicling the history of the Anglo-Saxons. References in later manuscripts record charters supposedly issued by Egbert of Wessex (802-39) granting lands in Cornwall at Kilkhampton, Ros, Maker, Pawton, Caellwic and Lawhitton to Sherborne Abbey and to the Bishop of Sherborne, but the charters themselves do not survive and therefore cannot be properly verified. Egbert (also spelt Ecgberht) (died 839 was King of Wessex from 802 until 839 Kilkhampton is a village in North Cornwall in England, UK. The population in 2001 was 1191 Maker is a small village between Cawsand and Rame Head, situated on the Rame Peninsula, in South East Cornwall, United Kingdom Sherborne is an affluent Market town in north west Dorset, England, situated on the River Yeo [3] All of the identifiable locations except Pawton are in the far east of Cornwall, so if genuine these references may show the incremental imposition of West Saxon control over its eastern fringes. Such control had certainly been established in places by the later ninth century, as indicated by the will of King Alfred the Great (871-99). [4]. Apart from the reference to Egbert's grant at Pawton there is no indication that English rule extended deep into Cornwall at this stage and the absence of any burhs west of Lydford in the Burghal Hidage suggests that it did not. The Burghal Hidage is an Anglo-Saxon document providing a list of Wessex 's fortified burhs

In 936 the English King Athelstan fixed the boundary between the English and the Cornish as the east bank of the river Tamar; until that time the two peoples had lived together in Exeter as equals. [5][6].

Surviving charters issued by the Kings of England Edmund I (939-46), Edgar (959-75), Edward the Martyr (975-8), Aethelred II (978-1016), Edmund II (1016), Cnut (1016-35) and Edward the Confessor (1042-66) record grants of land in Cornwall made by these kings. Edmund I (or Eadmund) 922 &ndash May 26 946) called the Elder, the Deed-Doer, the Just or the Magnificent Edgar I the Peaceful or the Peaceable (c 7 August 943&ndash8 July 975 1 Edward the Martyr or Eadweard II (c 962&ndash 18 March 978) was King of England from 975 until he was murdered in 978 Ethelred II ( c. 968 – 23 April 1016 also known as Æthelred II, Aethelred II, Ethelred the Unready, Æthelred the Unready Edmund Ironside or Eadmund (c 988/993 – 30 November 1016 surnamed " Ironside " for his efforts to fend off the Danish invasion } Canute the Great, also known as Cnut in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles, or Knut ( Old Norse: Knútr inn ríki, Norwegian King Edward the Confessor (c 1003 &ndash 5 January 1066 son of Ethelred the Unready, was the penultimate Anglo-Saxon King of England and the last In contrast to the easterly concentration of the estates held or granted by English kings in the ninth century, the tenth and eleventh-century grants were distributed across the whole of Cornwall. As is usual with charters of this period, the authenticity of some of these documents is open to question, but that of others (eg. Edgar's grant of estates at Tywarnhale and Bosowsa to his thane Eanulf in 960, Edward the Confessor's grant of estates at Traboe, Trevallack, Grugwith and Trethewey to Bishop Ealdred in 1059) is not in any doubt. A thegn or thane was an attendant servant retainer or official in Early Medieval Scandinavian and Anglo-Saxon culture. Traboe (pronounced tray-bow) is a hamlet within the Lizard Peninsula, Cornwall. Some of these grants include exemptions from obligations to the crown which would otherwise accompany land ownership, while retaining others, including those regarding military service. The attachment of these obligations to the King of England to ownership of land in Cornwall demonstrates that the region was under his direct rule and implies that the legal and administrative relationship between the king and his subjects was the same there as elsewhere in his kingdom. [7][8]

In 1051, with the exile of Godwin, Earl of Wessex and his sons and the forfeiture of their earldoms, a man named Odda was appointed earl over a portion of the lands thus vacated: this comprised Dorset, Somerset, Devon and "Wealas". Godwin of Wessex, also known as Godwine Goodwin Godwyn or Goodwyn (c Dorset ( (or archaically, Dorsetshire) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast Somerset ( or) is a county in south west England The County town is Taunton, which is in the south of the county Devon is a large county in the South West of England. The county is also referred to as Devonshire, but that is an entirely unofficial name [9] This would seem to denote "West Wales" rather than "North Wales", since modern Wales was governed at this time by Welsh kings rather than English earls, and since Cornwall, unlike Wales, would have formed a continuous bloc with the other territories mentioned. It therefore appears that by this time Cornwall had been unwillingly incorporated into the English administrative structure as part of Godwin's earldom of Wessex.

Norman conquest and after

Cornwall was included in the survey, initiated by the first Norman king of England, which became known as the Domesday Book, where it is included as a county of the Kingdom of England. The Domesday Book (ˈduːmzdeɪ bʊk also known as Domesday, or Book of Winchester) was the record of the great survey However, some would draw a distinction between the Kingdom of England (which has included not only Cornwall, but also Wales, Calais, the Channel Islands and other continental possessions) and the country of England. Calais (kaˈlɛ in English often kæˈleɪ traditional English pronunciation /ˈkælɨs/ Kales is a town in northern France. The Channel Islands ( Norman: Îles d'la Manche, French: Îles Anglo-Normandes or Îles de la Manche) are a group of Islands Calais was regarded as part of the Kingdom of England until 1558. Calais (kaˈlɛ in English often kæˈleɪ traditional English pronunciation /ˈkælɨs/ Kales is a town in northern France.

According to William of Worcester, writing in the fifteenth century, Cadoc was a survivor of the Cornish royal line[5] at the time of the Norman Conquest of England in 1066 and was appointed as the first Earl of Cornwall by William the Conqueror. William Worcester (c 1415 &ndash c 1482 English chronicler was a son of William of Worcester, a Bristol citizen and is sometimes called William The Kingdom of Cornwall or Kernow existed during the sub-Roman and Early Middle Ages in Great Britain 's south-western peninsula The title of Earl of Cornwall was created several times in the Peerage of England before 1337, when it was superseded by the title Duke of Cornwall William I of England ( 1027 His reign which brought Norman culture to England had an enormous impact on the subsequent course of England in the Middle Ages Cadoc had a daughter who married a soldier who had served with Duke William of Normandy's army called Robert de Mortain. Robert Count of Mortain was the half-brother of William I of England. Robert became the first post-Norman conquest Earl of Cornwall.

Henry of Huntingdon, writing in the twelfth century, included Cornwall in his list of counties of England in his History of the English.

The Mappa Mundi of 1290 (now in Hereford Cathedral) also shows Cornwall as an entity distinct from England proper [6]. The Hereford Mappa Mundi is a T and O map derivate, dating to ca The current Hereford Cathedral, located at Hereford in England, dates from 1079

The phrase "England and Cornwall" (or the Latin equivalent Anglia et Cornubia) remained in use after the Norman Conquest. Before the Tudor period, laws were typically designated as taking effect in Anglia et Cornubia. Social and economic revolution Following the Black Death Plagues and the agricultural depression of the late 14th century population growth A similar situation exists today with the Isles of Scilly within Cornwall (i. e. Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly).

Tudor Period

Henry VIII listed England and Cornwall separately from one another, in the list of his realms given in his Coronation address, along with Wales, Ireland, France, and five parts of France [10]. Henry VIII (28 June 1491 &ndash 28 January 1547 was King of England and Lord of Ireland, later King of Ireland and claimant to the Kingdom of Other monarchs did not. Henry VIII's coronation oath refers only to "plebi Anglorum," the people of England (Thomas Rymer, Foedera). Other notable examples (the recognition in the Tudor period, certainly, was common) include:

The Italian scholar Polydore Vergil in his famous Anglica Historia, published in 1535 wrote that:

"the whole Countrie of Britain . Polydore Vergil or Virgil (c 1470 &ndash April 18 1555) was an English Historian, of Italian birth otherwise known as . . is divided into iiii partes; whereof the one is inhabited of Englishmen, the other of Scottes, the third of Wallshemen, [and] the fowerthe of Cornishe people, which all differ emonge them selves, either in tongue, . The English people (from the adjective in Englisc) are a Nation and Ethnic group native to England who predominantly speak English The Scots people ( Scots Gaelic: Albannaich) are a Nation and an Ethnic group indigenous to Scotland. The Welsh people ( Welsh: Cymro ("Welshman" Cymraes ("Welsh woman" Cymry ("Welshmen/women" Cymry The Cornish people (Kernowyon are regarded as an Ethnic group of the United Kingdom originating in Cornwall. . . in manners, or ells in lawes and ordinaunces. "

During the Tudor period many travellers were clear that the Cornish were commonly regarded as a separate cultural group, from which some modern observers conclude that they were a separate ethnic group. For example Lodovico Falier, an Italian diplomat at the Court of Henry VIII said, "The language of the English, Welsh and Cornish men is so different that they do not understand each other. " He went on to give the alleged 'national characteristics' of the three peoples, saying for example "the Cornishman is poor, rough and boorish".

Another notable example is Gaspard de Coligny Chatillon – the French Ambassador in London who wrote saying that England was not a united whole as it "contains Wales and Cornwall, natural enemies of the rest of England, and speaking a different language. "

17th & 18th Centuries

It seems these views remained the same through the 16th century, after the death of Henry's daughter, Elizabeth I, in 1603, the Venetian ambassador wrote that the late queen had ruled over five different 'peoples': "English, Welsh, Cornish, Scottish . . . and Irish".

Writing in 1616, Arthur Hopton stated:

"England is . . . divided into 3 great Provinces, or Countries . . . every of them speaking a several and different language, as English, Welsh and Cornish. "

Wales was effectively annexed to the Kingdom of England in the 16th century, but references to 'England' in law were not presumed to include Wales (or indeed Berwick-upon-Tweed) until the Wales and Berwick Act 1746. The Kingdom of England was a State (927-1707 located in Western Europe dating from the ninth or tenth century to the early eighteenth century when it was legally Berwick-upon-Tweed ( ˈbɛrɪk- ( Scots: Berwick or historically South Berwick) situated in the county of Northumberland, is the northernmost The Wales and Berwick Act 1746 (20 Geo II c 42 was an act of the Parliament of Great Britain explicitly expressing that all future laws applying to England Certainly by this time the use of "England and Cornwall" had ceased. The reason that this distinction was abandoned is not clear as there is no, later, recorded annexation of Cornwall or act of union with England.

Extracted from a commission of the first Duke of Cornwall:

"25 Edw. III to "John Dabernoun, our Steward and Sheriff of Cornwall greeting. On account of certain escheats we command you that you inquire by all the means in your power how much land and rents, goods and chattels, whom and in whom, and of what value they which those persons of Cornwall and England have, whose names we send in a schedule enclosed. . . . . . "

Some maps of the isles prior to the 17th century showed Cornwall (Cornubia / Cornwallia) as a nation on a par with Wales: example include the maps of Gerardus Mercator (1564),[7] Sebastian Munster (1515),[8][9] Abraham Ortelius,[10] and Girolamo Ruscelli. A separate article is about the mathematician Nicholas Mercator. Sebastian Münster ( 20 January 1488 – 26 May 1552) was a German Cartographer, Cosmographer, and a Abraham Ortelius ( Abraham Ortels) ( April 2, 1527 – June 28, 1598) was a Belgian Cartographer and Alessio Piemontese, also known under his latinized name of Alexius Pedemontanus, was the pseudonym of a 16th century Italian Physician, [11] Maps that depict Cornwall as a county of the Kingdom of England and Wales include a 1579 map authorised by Queen Elizabeth I. [12]

The Orbilius map of 1595 displays Cornwall but his hardly means it is a separate political and administrative entity as the same map also displays Kent. Maps of Britain which display Cornwall usually in their legends do not refer to Cornwall, eg Lily 1548. This suggests that caution is needed in interpreting the status of places on maps.

Some would point to the lack of any formal union between England and Cornwall as evidence that Cornwall was already recognized as de facto a part of England; others would regard this as illustrating the suppression of Cornish identity and culture by the English. The Cornish people (Kernowyon are regarded as an Ethnic group of the United Kingdom originating in Cornwall.

In 1769 The Antiquarian, William Borlase wrote that,

"Of this time we are to understand what Edward I. says (Sheringham. p. 129. ) that Britain, Wales, and Cornwall, were the portion of Belinus, elder son of Dunwallo, and that that part of the Island, afterwards called England, was divided in three shares, viz. Belinus the Great was a legendary king of the Britons as accounted by Geoffrey of Monmouth. Britain, which reached from the Tweed, Westward, as far as the river Ex; Wales inclosed by the rivers Severn, and Dee; and Cornwall from the river Ex to the Land's-End". There are other rivers with this name see Tweed River The River Tweed ( Uisge Thuaidh in Gaelic (156 kilometres or long flows primarily through the The River Exe in England rises near the village of Simonsbath, on Exmoor in Somerset, near the Bristol Channel coast For other rivers named "Severn" see Severn River. The River Severn ( Welsh: Afon Hafren, Latin The River Dee ( Welsh: Afon Dyfrdwy) is a 70-mile-long (110 km River. Land's End ( Cornish name Penn an Wlas) is a headland on the Penwith Peninsula, located near Penzance in Cornwall

The 18th century writer, Richard Gough, noted this Cornish paradox by writing "Cornwall seems to be another Kingdom", in his Brittania (4 vols; London, 1806). Richard Gough ( October 21, 1735 &ndash February 20, 1809) was an English Antiquarian, born in London.

During the eighteenth century, Samuel Johnson created a Cornish declaration of independence that he used in his essay Taxation no Tyranny [11]

"We are the acknowledged descendants of the earliest inhabitants of Britain, of men, who, before the time of history, took possession of the island desolate and waste, and, therefore, open to the first occupants. The 18th century lasted from 1701 to 1800 in the Gregorian calendar, in accordance with the Anno Domini / Common Era numbering system Samuel Johnson (often referred to as Dr Johnson) (18 September This article is about declarations of independence in general Of this descent, our language is a sufficient proof, which, not quite a century ago, was different from yours. "

19th century

Popular Cornish sentiment during the 19th century appears to have been still strong. For example, Hamilton Jenkin records the reaction of a school pupil who was asked to describe Cornwall's situation replied: "he's kidged to a furren country from the top hand" - i. e. "it's joined to a foreign country from the upper part". This reply was "heard by the whole school with much approval, including old Peggy (the school-dame) herself. "[12]

The famous crime writer Wilkie Collins described Cornwall as:

"a county where, it must be remembered, a stranger is doubly a stranger, in relation to his provincial sympathies; where the national feeling is almost entirely merged into the local feeling; where a man speaks of himself as Cornish in much the same way that a Welshman speaks of himself as Welsh. William Wilkie Collins ( 8 January 1824 &ndash 23 September 1889) was an English Novelist, Playwright, and "[13]

Chambers Journal in 1861 described Cornwall as "one of the most un-English of English counties. "[14] - a sentiment echoed by the naturalist W.H. Hudson who also referred to it as "un-English" and said there were:

"[few] Englishmen in Cornwall who do not experience that antipathy or sense of separation in mind from the people they live with, and are not looked upon as foreigners"[15]

Cornish "shires"

Hundreds of Cornwall in the early 19th century, (formerly known as Cornish Shires).
Hundreds of Cornwall in the early 19th century, (formerly known as Cornish Shires). William Henry Hudson ( August 4, 1841 &ndash August 18, 1922) was an author naturalist and ornithologist. Cornwall was originally divided into hundreds, some with the suffix shire as in Pydershire East and West Wivelshire and Powdershire which The 19th century of the Common Era began on January 1, 1801 and ended on December 31, 1900, according to the Gregorian calendar

Additionally, Cornwall was also divided into "Hundreds", which often bore the name of "shire" in English. Cornwall was originally divided into hundreds, some with the suffix shire as in Pydershire East and West Wivelshire and Powdershire which In Cornish, they were cantrevs, which is akin to the Welsh language cantref. A Cantref (ˈkantrɛ(v was a Medieval Welsh land division particularly important in the administration of Welsh law.

Although the name "shire", today implies some kind of county status, hundreds in some English counties often bore the suffix 'shire' as well (e. g. Salfordshire), but where English shires were split into hundreds each having their own constable, Cornish cantrevs had constables at parish level. The hundred of Salford was an ancient division of the historic county of Lancashire, in Northern England. [16] The Cornish cantrev replicated England's shire system on a smaller scale. Although by the 15th century the shires of Cornwall had reverted to being called hundreds, the administrative differences remained in place long after. [17]

Status quo: the County of Cornwall

Current constitution status

Regardless of the question of whether Cornwall constitutes one of the historic counties of England, an administrative county of Cornwall was set up by the Local Government Act 1888, which came into effect on April 1, 1889. The historic counties of England are ancient subdivisions of England. Administrative counties were a level of subnational division of England used for the purposes of local government from 1889 to 1974 The Local Government Act 1888 (51 & 52 Vict c 41 was passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom in 1888 and established County councils and County borough Events 527 - Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne Year 1889 ( MDCCCLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common This was replaced by a non-metropolitan county of Cornwall in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972, which includes it under the heading of "England". A non-metropolitan county or shire county in England, is a county-level entity which is not a Metropolitan county. The Local Government Act 1972 (1972 c 70 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom, that reformed local government in England and Wales The Duke of Cornwall is still granted a number of unique statutory "privileges, exemptions, powers, rights and authority" in the Cornwall (Tamar Bridge) Act 1998, s. 41, and other Acts. In addition the Treasury Solicitors agency for Bona Vicantia Division considers The Duchy of Cornwall to comprise the County of Cornwall[18].

The argument for non-English status

At the time of King Canute, Cornwall fell outside his British realms.
At the time of King Canute, Cornwall fell outside his British realms. } Canute the Great, also known as Cnut in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles, or Knut ( Old Norse: Knútr inn ríki, Norwegian [19]
A line drawing of the Domesday Book. Notably, large swathes of northern England, Winchester and London do not appear in it, but Cornwall does.
A line drawing of the Domesday Book. The Domesday Book (ˈduːmzdeɪ bʊk also known as Domesday, or Book of Winchester) was the record of the great survey Notably, large swathes of northern England, Winchester and London do not appear in it, but Cornwall does. Winchester or Winton ( archaic) is a historic city in southern England, with a population of around 40000 within a radius of its centre London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom.

It is generally considered that Cornwall came under the dominion of the English Crown in the time of Athelstan's rule, i. e. 924-939, if the English crown as such can be said to have actually existed at that time. In the absence of any specific documentation to record this event, supporters of Cornwall's "English status" presume that it was made a part of England as a result. However, within a mere five years of Athelstan's death, King Edmund issued a charter, in AD 944, styling himself "King of the English and ruler of this province of the Britons". Edmund I (or Eadmund) 922 &ndash May 26 946) called the Elder, the Deed-Doer, the Just or the Magnificent Thus we can see that the "province" was a territorial possession, which has long had a special relationship to the British Crown, and its preceding institutions. The word province has been interpreted as referring to a church diocese rather than a political entity.

During the latter part of the pre-Norman period, the eastern seaboard of modern day England became increasingly under the sway of the Norse. Eventually England became ruled by Norse monarchs, and the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms fell one by one, with Wessex being conquered in 1013 by King Sweyn Forkbeard. Sweyn I Forkbeard, in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, in English Sven the Dane, also known as Swegen and Tuck, ( Old Norse Notably, while Sweyn's realms, which included Denmark and Norway in the north, and modern day English areas such as Mercia (an Anglian kingdom of the current Midlands), much of which, along with northern England, fell under the "Danelaw". The Kingdom of Denmark ( ˈd̥ænmɑɡ̊ (archaic ˈd̥anmɑːɡ̊ commonly known as Denmark, is a country in the Scandinavian region of northern Europe Norway ( Norwegian: Norge ( Bokmål) or Noreg ( Nynorsk) officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Constitutional Mercia (ˈmɝsiə was one of the kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. This article is mainly about the English Midlands For other uses see Midlands (disambiguation. The Danelaw, as recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (also known as the Danelagh; Old English: Dena lagu; Danish: But while Sweyn ruled Wessex, along with his other realms, from 1013 onwards, followed by his son Canute the Great, Cornwall was not part of his realm of Wessex. } Canute the Great, also known as Cnut in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles, or Knut ( Old Norse: Knútr inn ríki, Norwegian A map by the American historian called the "The Dominions of Canute" (pictured just above) show that Cornwall, like Wales and Scotland, was neither part of Sweyn Forkbeard's nor Canute's Danish empire. Neither Sweyn Forkbeard[20] nor Canute properly conquered or controlled Scotland, Wales or Cornwall[21]; these modern day Celtic nations were both "client nations" who had to pay a yearly tribute or danegeld to both Sweyn and Canute, but, provided they did so, Scotland, Wales and Cornwall could keep their autonomy from the Danes. The Danegeld ("Danish tax" was a Tax raised to pay Tribute to the Viking raiders to save a land from being ravaged Ultimately, the Danes control of Wessex was lost in 1042 with the death of both of Canute's sons (Edward the Confessor retook Wessex for the Saxons) but nevertheless this important piece of history, that Cornwall was not part of the Danes empire is critical and shows that both the Saxons and the Danes had very little political input into Cornwall during the pre-Norman conquest era.

When the Domesday Survey was initiated, by William, in 1086, men were sent to "each shire" in his new Kingdom. The Domesday Book (ˈduːmzdeɪ bʊk also known as Domesday, or Book of Winchester) was the record of the great survey William I of England ( 1027 His reign which brought Norman culture to England had an enormous impact on the subsequent course of England in the Middle Ages This has to be seen within the context of matters of land, property and taxation and not as a means of misrepresenting what is understood, at that time, as a county. A shire, coming under the jurisdiction of the sheriff, is known alternatively as sheriffdom, shrievalty, or vicecomitatus and equates to the modern meaning of the word county. A shire is an Administrative division of Great Britain and Australia. SHERIFF is a telecom fraud detection and management system originally developed by BT and MCI. A sheriffdom is a judicial district in Scotland. Since 1 January 1975 there have been six sheriffdoms A county is a Land area of Regional Government within a larger State.

Whether it was held by the Crown or granted to family or favourites, the Earldom (or County) of Cornwall (Comitatus Cornubiǽ) included all territorial revenues, rights and property which were held "as of the Honor". When held by the Crown, it was held not jure coronǽ but jure Comitatus - or jure Ducatus, when augmented to a Duchy - as of the Honor in manu Regis existente, and did not merge into the Crown.

When Earl Edmund died, circa AD 1300, the Earldom of Cornwall passed to King Edward I - his next heir and cousin - and not as some helpless escheat. Edward I (17 June 1239 – 7 July 1307 popularly known as Longshanks, was a King of England who achieved historical fame by conquering large parts of Wales and almost In 1337, Edward III augmented the Earldom to a Duchy. Commonly perceived to have been created by a charter dated the 17th of March 1337, although that charter refers to something that has already taken place, it can be shown that there was an Act of Parliament at a date prior to the 16th March 1337. This Act of Parliament is recited during the time that Henry V annexed substituted manors (see Rolls of Parliament 9 Henry V) to the Duchy following that King's disannexing the Manor of Isleworth from the Duchy and re-granting to St Savior's Abbey two years previously. The Rolls of Parliament were the official records of the English Parliament.

“That at the Parliament held at Westminster the Monday next after the Feast of St. Matthias the Apostle in the 11th year of the reign of King Edw[ard] III., amongst other things it was agreed that the eldest sons of the Kings of England, scilicet those who should be next heirs to the Realm of England, should be Dukes of Cornwall, and that the County of Cornwall should always remain as a Duchy to the eldest sons of the Kings of England, who should be next heirs to the said Realm without being given elsewhere. Edward III (13 November 1312 &ndash 21 June 1377 was one of the most successful English monarchs of the Middle Ages. "

A following charter, of 17th March 1337, enumerated what comprised the Duchy of Cornwall. The principal items enumerated were the vicecomitatus and the customary right to make and appoint the sheriff. This formally represented that entity which is today referred to as "the county" and conclusively shows that this properly exists within the Duchy of Cornwall. Also indicative is the observation by John Norden within his "Topographical and Historical Survey of Cornwall" (1650, a narrative addressed to the King), namely:

"Before Cornwall was made a Dukedome, and vnited vnder the Principallitye of Wales, which was in the time of kinge Edw[ard]. the 3. Edward III (13 November 1312 &ndash 21 June 1377 was one of the most successful English monarchs of the Middle Ages. . . "

When the first Duke of Cornwall came of age in 1351, one of his first official acts was to carry out his own form of Domesday survey (Commission 25 Edward III). This has already been referred to above and confirms that Cornwall was not in England, when the Duke refers to his tenants and property as being in Cornwall and England. The constitutional status of Cornwall, in the southwest of the United Kingdom, is the subject of ongoing debate This implies Cornwall was at that time a distinct non-English territory, a province of the Britons, with people and rights. To dismiss this as a relic of mediaeval feudalism, as stated above, may be construed as seriously misrepresenting the rights of Cornwall and its people to be seen as one of the constituent British nations. The constitutional status of Cornwall, in the southwest of the United Kingdom, is the subject of ongoing debate

The argument for English county status

Main article: Politics of England
The English parliament in front of Edward I c.1300. From its foundation until 1707, it intermittently included areas not now considered to be in England, e.g. Wales was represented in the parliament from 1536 to 1707. At other times, Berwick-upon-Tweed and Calais were included, but Berwick was not formally incorporated into England until the 19th century.
The English parliament in front of Edward I c. Political history Pre-Union politics See also Parliament of England The English Parliament traces its origins to the Anglo-Saxon The Parliament of England was the Legislature of the Kingdom of England. Edward I (17 June 1239 – 7 July 1307 popularly known as Longshanks, was a King of England who achieved historical fame by conquering large parts of Wales and almost 1300. From its foundation until 1707, it intermittently included areas not now considered to be in England, e. g. Wales was represented in the parliament from 1536 to 1707. At other times, Berwick-upon-Tweed and Calais were included, but Berwick was not formally incorporated into England until the 19th century. Berwick-upon-Tweed ( ˈbɛrɪk- ( Scots: Berwick or historically South Berwick) situated in the county of Northumberland, is the northernmost Calais (kaˈlɛ in English often kæˈleɪ traditional English pronunciation /ˈkælɨs/ Kales is a town in northern France.
Supporters of English status consider Cornwall part of South West England (in red). This region is used for some governmental purposes.
Supporters of English status consider Cornwall part of South West England (in red). South West England is one of the Regions of England. It is the largest such region in terms of area and extends from Gloucestershire and Wiltshire to This region is used for some governmental purposes.

Some people reject all claims that Cornwall is, or ought to be, distinct from England. While recognising that there are local peculiarisms, they point out that Yorkshire, Kent, and Cheshire (for example) also have local customs and identities that do not seem to undermine their essential Englishness. Yorkshire is a historic county of Northern England and the largest in Great Britain. KENT (1400 AM) is a Radio station broadcasting a Adult Standards/MOR format Cheshire (or archaically the County of Chester) is a county in North West England. The legal claims concerning the Duchy, they argue, are without merit except as relics of mediaeval feudalism, and they contend that Stannary law applied not to Cornwall as a 'nation', but merely to the guild of tin miners. Rather, they argue that Cornwall has been not only in English possession, but part of England itself, either since Athelstan conquered it in 936, since the administrative centralisation of the Tudor dynasty, or since the creation of Cornwall County Council in 1888. The Tudor dynasty or House of Tudor was an English royal Dynasty that lasted 118 years from 1485 to 1603 a period known as the Tudor period Cornwall ( Kernow ˈkɛɹnɔʊ is the most southwesterly county of England, on the Peninsula that lies to the west of the River Tamar Finally, they agree with representatives of the Duchy itself that the Duchy is, in essence, a real estate company that serves to raise income for the Prince of Wales. The Duchy of Cornwall is with the Duchy of Lancaster, one of the two Royal duchies in England. They compare the situation of the Duchy of Cornwall with that of the Duchy of Lancaster, which has similar rights in Lancashire, which is indisputably part of England. Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England, bounded to the west by the Irish Sea The proponents of such perspectives include not only Unionists, but most branches and agencies of government.

Below are some indications that Cornwall for more than the last thousand years has been governed as an integral part of England and in a way indistinguishable from other parts of England:

Cornwall is currently in the South West England European Parliament constituency, which also takes in Gibraltar. South West England is a Constituency of the European Parliament. In six European Union Member States ( Belgium, France, Ireland, Italy, Poland and the United Kingdom) the national Gibraltar (dʒɨˈbrɒltər is a British overseas territory located near the southernmost tip of the Iberian Peninsula overlooking the Strait of Gibraltar

Moves for recognition of legal autonomy

The Duchy of Cornwall

Main article: Duchy of Cornwall
The banner of the Duchy of Cornwall.
The banner of the Duchy of Cornwall. The Duchy of Cornwall is with the Duchy of Lancaster, one of the two Royal duchies in England.

The Earldom of Cornwall was made a Duchy in 1337, the Duke obtaining greater rights over Cornwall than the Earls had previously exercised. These increased powers over Cornwall included the right to appoint Sheriffs, bona vacantia, treasure trove, a separate exchequer, and such forth. The High Sheriff is or was a law enforcement position in Anglosphere countries Bona vacantia ( Latin for "vacant goods" is a Common law Doctrine in the United Kingdom under which ownerless property passes by law A treasure trove may broadly be defined as an amount of gold silver gemstones money jewellery or any valuable collection found hidden underground or in places such as cellars Most of these rights are still exercised by the Duchy. The Kilbrandon Report (1969–1971) into the British constitution recommends that, when referring to Cornwall, official sources should cite the Duchy not the County. The Royal Commission on the Constitution, also referred to as the Kilbrandon Commission (initially the Crowther Commission) or Kilbrandon Report, was a A constitution is a system for government often Codified as a written document that establishes the rules and principles of an autonomous political entity Cornwall ( Kernow ˈkɛɹnɔʊ is the most southwesterly county of England, on the Peninsula that lies to the west of the River Tamar This was suggested in recognition of its constitutional position.

In 1780 Edmund Burke sought to curtail further the power of the Crown by removing the various principalities which existed. Edmund Burke ( 12 January, 1729 9 July, 1797) was an Irish statesman author orator Political theorist, and

… the five several distinct principalities besides the supreme …. If you travel beyond Mount Edgcumbe, you find him [the king] in his incognito, and he is duke of Cornwall …. Thus every one of these principalities has the apparatus of a kingdom …. Cornwall is the best of them….

Some Cornish people, including Cornish Solidarity and the group claiming to be the Revived Cornish Stannary Parliament, argue that Cornwall has a de jure status apart as a sovereign Duchy extraterritorial to England. The Cornish people (Kernowyon are regarded as an Ethnic group of the United Kingdom originating in Cornwall. Cornish Solidarity ( Unvereth Kernewek in Cornish) is a cross party organisation that is fighting for 'Cornish Rights' including the recognition of the ethnic Cornish The Cornish Stannary Parliament is a pressure group which claims to be a revived Cornish Stannary Parliament. A commonly cited basis for this argument is a case of arbitration between the Crown and the Duchy of Cornwall (1856 - 1857) in which the Officers of the Duchy successfully argued that the Duchy enjoyed many of the rights and prerogatives of a County palatine and that although the duke was not granted Royal Jurisdiction, was considered to be quasi-sovereign within his Duchy of Cornwall. A county palatine is an area ruled by a Count palatine (or Earl palatine who may hold the higher title of Duke) with special authority and autonomy In Law, jurisdiction (from the Latin ius iuris meaning "law" and dicere meaning "to speak" is the practical Authority

The arbitration, as instructed by the Crown, was based on legal argument and documentation, led to the Cornwall Submarine Mines Act of 1858. The Officers of the Duchy, based on its researches, made this submission:

  1. That Cornwall, like Wales, was at the time of the Conquest, and was subsequently treated in many respects as distinct from England.
  2. That it was held by the Earls of Cornwall with the rights and prerogative of a County Palatine, as far as regarded the Seignory or territorial dominion.
  3. That the Dukes of Cornwall have from the creation of the Duchy enjoyed the rights and prerogatives of a County Palatine, as far as regarded seignory or territorial dominion, and that to a great extent by Earls.
  4. That when the Earldom was augmented into a Duchy, the circumstances attending to its creation, as well as the language of the Duchy Charter, not only support and confirm natural presumption, that the new and higher title was to be accompanied with at least as great dignity, power, and prerogative as the Earls enjoyed, but also afforded evidence that the Duchy was to be invested with still more extensive rights and privileges.
  5. The Duchy Charters have always been construed and treated, not merely by the Courts of Judicature, but also by the Legislature of the Country, as having vested in the Dukes of Cornwall the whole territorial interest and dominion of the Crown in and over the entire County of Cornwall.

However, the term 'county palatine' appears not to have been used historically of Cornwall, and the duchy did not have as much autonomy as the County Palatine of Durham, which was ruled by the Prince-Bishop of Durham. A county palatine is an area ruled by a Count palatine (or Earl palatine who may hold the higher title of Duke) with special authority and autonomy See also List of Bishops of Durham The Bishop of Durham is the Anglican Bishop responsible for the Diocese of Durham in However, whilst not specifically called a county palatine, the Officers of the Duchy made the observation (Duchy Preliminary Statement - Cornish Foreshore Dispute 1856):

"The Dukes also had their own escheators in Cornwall, and it is deserving of notice that in the saving clause of the Act of Escheators, 1 Henry VIII. , c. 8, s. 5 (as is the case in numerous other acts of Parliament), the Duchy of Cornwall is classed with counties undoubtedly palatinate. "

It should be noted that the Duke's lesser title was that of Earl of Chester, which Earldom was, in fact, classed as a county palatine. A further area for analysis to clarify this apparent anomalous palatine status for Cornwall, would be to consider the effect of Cornwall being extra-territorial to England. Therefore a foreign Dominion territory of the Crown that does not merge into the Crown in the absence of a Duke, or formerly, an Earl.

Cornish activists point out the use of the Duchy name, and its expansion to provide an income for the Heir Apparent, does not affect the ancient rights of Cornwall (which may on occasion be ignored in the interests of the Duchy).

The Stannaries and their revival

Detailed article: Stannary Courts and Parliaments and Revived Cornish Stannary Parliament

Since 1974, a group has claimed to be a revived Cornish Stannary Parliament and have the ancient right of Cornish tin-miners' assemblies to veto legislation from Westminster. The Stannary Parliaments and Stannary Courts were legislative and legal institutions in Cornwall and in West Devon (in the Dartmoor area The Cornish Stannary Parliament is a pressure group which claims to be a revived Cornish Stannary Parliament. The Stannary Parliaments and Stannary Courts were legislative and legal institutions in Cornwall and in West Devon (in the Dartmoor area The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories In 1977 the Plaid Cymru MP Dafydd Wigley in Parliament asked the Attorney General for England and Wales if he would provide the date upon which enactments of the Charter of Pardon of 1508 were rescinded. Plaid Cymru (plaɪd ˈkəmri The Party of Wales often referred to simply as Plaid) is a Political party in Wales. The Rt Hon Dafydd Wigley (formerly David Wigley; born 1 April 1943) is a Welsh politician The reply, received on 14 May 1977 and now held at the National Library of Wales, stated that a Stannator's right to veto Westminster legislation had never been formally withdrawn. Events 1264 - Battle of Lewes: Henry III of England is captured in France making Simon de Montfort the Also 1977 (album by Ash. Year 1977 ( MCMLXXVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays The National Library of Wales (Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru is the national Legal deposit library of Wales, located in Aberystwyth. [23][24]

Moves for a change of constitutional status

Main articles: Cornish self-government movement and Modern Celts
The Modern Celtic nations as recognised by the Celtic League and the Celtic Congress      Scotland      Ireland      Man      Wales      Cornwall      Brittany
The Modern Celtic nations as recognised by the Celtic League and the Celtic Congress
     Scotland      Ireland      Man      Wales      Cornwall      Brittany

Campaigns for fuller regional autonomy

Main article: Politics of Cornwall

An early campaign for an independent Cornwall was put forward during the first English Civil War by Sir Richard Grenville, 1st Baronet. The Cornish self-government movement (sometimes referred to as Cornish nationalism) is a Social movement which seeks greater autonomy for the area of Modern Celts are those peoples who are speakers of Celtic languages, or who consider themselves or have been considered by others to participate in a Celtic culture Modern Celts are those peoples who are speakers of Celtic languages, or who consider themselves or have been considered by others to participate in a Celtic culture The Celtic League is a political and cultural organisation in the modern Celtic nations of Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Brittany The International Celtic Congress is a cultural organisation that seeks to promote the Celtic languagues of the nations of Ireland, Scotland, Wales Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world The Isle of Man (Ellan Vannin ˈɛlʲən ˈvanɪn or Mann (Mannin) is a self-governing Crown dependency, located in the Irish Sea at the geographical Cornwall ( Kernow ˈkɛɹnɔʊ is the most southwesterly county of England, on the Peninsula that lies to the west of the River Tamar Brittany (Breizh bʁejs Bretagne; Gallo: Bertaèyn) is a former independent Celtic kingdom and Duchy, now incorporated into Cornwall is a county in South West England whose politics are influenced by a number of issues that make it distinct from the general political scene in The English Civil War (1642-1651 was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists. Sir Richard Grenville 1st Baronet (or Granville) (1600 &ndash 1658 was a Cornish Royalist leader during the English Civil War. He tried to use "Cornish particularist sentiment" to gather support for the Royalist cause. The Cornish were fighting for their Royalist privileges, notably the Duchy and Stannaries and he put a plan to the Prince which would, if implemented, have created a semi-independent Cornwall. A duchy is a territory fief, or domain ruled by a Duke or Duchess. The word stannary is historically applied to A Tin mine, especially in Devon or Cornwall A region containing tin works [25]

In contrast to the arguments that Cornwall is already de jure autonomous, thanks to the Duchy and Stannary parliament, various ongoing political movements are seeking to change Cornwall's constitutional status. Mebyon Kernow, for example, has for many years sought for Cornwall the position of a first-order (NUTS 1) EU region, which would put Cornwall on the same statistical level as Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Regions of England. Mebyon Kernow ( Cornish for "Sons of Cornwall" often abbreviated MK) is a Political party in the United Kingdom. The Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics, ( NUTS) for the French nomenclature d'unités territoriales statistiques, is a Geocode The European Union created the Committee of the Regions to represent Regions of Europe as the layer of EU government administration directly below the nation-state Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. Northern Ireland (Tuaisceart Éireann Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a Country within the United Kingdom, lying in the northeast of The region, also known as the government office region, is currently the highest tier of local government sub-national entity of England, with only one

In the same vein, the Cornish Constitutional Convention — composed of a number of political groups in Cornwall (including Mebyon Kernow) — gathered about 50,000 signatures in 2000 on a petition to create a Cornish Assembly resembling the National Assembly for Wales. The Cornish Assembly is a proposed devolved Regional assembly for Cornwall in the United Kingdom along the lines of the Scottish Parliament The National Assembly for Wales (Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru is a devolved assembly with power to make legislation in Wales. The petition was undertaken in the context of an ongoing debate on whether to devolve power to the English regions, of which Cornwall is currently part of the South West. The region, also known as the government office region, is currently the highest tier of local government sub-national entity of England, with only one South West England is one of the Regions of England. It is the largest such region in terms of area and extends from Gloucestershire and Wiltshire to Cornwall Council's Feb 2003 MORI poll showed 55% in favour of an elected, fully-devolved regional assembly for Cornwall and 13% against. Ipsos MORI is the second largest survey research organisation in the UK formed by two of the UK's leading companies in October 2005 (Previous result: 46% in favour in 2002). [26] The campaign has the support of all five Cornish Lib Dem MPs, Mebyon Kernow, and Cornwall Council. Mebyon Kernow ( Cornish for "Sons of Cornwall" often abbreviated MK) is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Lord Whitty, as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions, in the House of Lords, recognised that Cornwall has a "special case" for devolution. John Lawrence Whitty Baron Whitty, PC (born 15 June 1943) known as Larry Whitty, is a British Labour Party politician The Secretary of State for the Environment Transport and the Regions was a UK Cabinet position created in 1997, with responsibility for the Department for Environment The House of Lords is the second house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is also commonly referred to as "the Lords" Devolution is the statutory granting of powers from the central government of a State to government at subnational level [27] and on a visit to Cornwall deputy Prime Minister John Prescott said "Cornwall has the strongest regional identity in the UK. "

To some extent the moves for autonomy in Cornwall have often been tied up with cultural/linguistic revivalist organisations. Rosalie Eastlake in a 1981 paper suggested that:

In each historic period, economic exploitation and cultural alienation succeeded one another, until the nineteenth century when the mining economy of Cornwall became an essential part of the English industrial system. The twentieth century offers either the prospect of total incorporation into England, or a cultural revival spearheaded by the several small, national and cultural organisations which now exist. [28]

However, over twenty years later, it seems unclear whether Cornwall is due for total incorporation, or will retain some residual or future autonomy.

Cornwall's distinctiveness as a national, as opposed to regional, minority has been periodically recognised by major British papers. For example, a Guardian editorial in 1990 pointed to these differences, and warned that they should be constitutionally recognised:

"Smaller minorities also have equally proud visions of themselves as irreducibly Welsh, Irish, Manx or Cornish. The Guardian (until 1959 The Manchester Guardian) is a British Newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group. These identities are distinctly national in ways which proud people from Yorkshire, much less proud people from Berkshire will never know. Yorkshire is a historic county of Northern England and the largest in Great Britain. Berkshire (ˈbɑːkʃə or /ˈbɑːkʃɪə/ say Baak-shuh/-sheer sometimes abbreviated to Berks) is a Home County in the South Any new constitutional settlement which ignores these factors will be built on uneven ground. " [29]

Cornish cultural, civic and ethnic nationalism

Main articles: Cornish people, Culture of Cornwall, Cornish nationalism, and Cornish language

While nearly all agree that Cornwall, along with Scotland, Wales and parts of Northern England forms part of the British periphery in economic and social terms, some observers express surprise at enduring sentiments in Cornwall; Adrian Lee, for example, while considering Cornwall to be part of England, also considers it to have a unique status within England:

The history of Cornwall as one of England's peripheral areas is relatively little known, as is the fact that it is the only part of England to have given rise to and sustained a nationalist/autonomist movement that has been neither spurious nor ephemeral. The Cornish people (Kernowyon are regarded as an Ethnic group of the United Kingdom originating in Cornwall. The culture of Corwall shares much with the Culture of the United Kingdom, but has some distinct customs and traditions The Cornish self-government movement (sometimes referred to as Cornish nationalism) is a Social movement which seeks greater autonomy for the area of For the Cornish-English dialect see West Country dialects and List of Cornish dialect words. Northern England, The North, The North of England or (less commonly The North Country refers to the parts of England north of an ill-defined line [30]

Some Cornish people will, in addition to making the legal or constitutional arguments mentioned above, stress that the Cornish are a distinct ethnic group, that people in Cornwall typically refer to 'England' as beginning east of the Tamar, and that there is a Cornish language. The Cornish people (Kernowyon are regarded as an Ethnic group of the United Kingdom originating in Cornwall. The Tamar is a River in south western England, that forms most of the border between Devon (to the east and Cornwall (to the west For the Cornish-English dialect see West Country dialects and List of Cornish dialect words. For the first time in a UK Census, those wishing to describe their ethnicity as Cornish were given their own code number (06) on the 2001 UK Census form, alongside those for people wishing to describe themselves as English, Welsh, Irish or Scottish. A nationwide Census, commonly known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday 29 April 2001 The English people (from the adjective in Englisc) are a Nation and Ethnic group native to England who predominantly speak English The Welsh people ( Welsh: Cymro ("Welshman" Cymraes ("Welsh woman" Cymry ("Welshmen/women" Cymry The Irish people ( Irish: Muintir na hÉireann, na hÉireannaigh, na Gaeil) are a Western European Ethnic group who originate The Scots people ( Scots Gaelic: Albannaich) are a Nation and an Ethnic group indigenous to Scotland. About 34,000 people in Cornwall and 3,500 people in the rest of the UK wrote on their census forms in 2001 that they considered their ethnic group to be Cornish. This represented nearly 7% of the population of Cornwall and is therefore a significant phenomenon. A phenomenon (from Greek φαινόμενoν, pl φαινόμενα - phenomena) is any observable occurrence [31] Although happy with this development, campaigners expressed reservations about the lack of publicity surrounding the issue, the lack of a clear tick-box for the Cornish option on the census and the need to deny being British in order to write "Cornish" in the field provided. There have been calls for the tick box option to be extended to the Cornish[32] for the 2011 Census,[33] as a Welsh and English tick box option was recently agreed by the government. [34]

Truro loving cup event

In 2007 there was some controversy when the mayor of Truro, Peter Lang, accepted an invitation for a visit from the "St George's Day Loving Cup" event, organised by Celebrate St George's Day. Truro (ˈtruːrəʊ Truru is a city in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, and is the centre for administration leisure St George's Day is celebrated by several nations kingdoms countries and cities of which Saint George is the Patron saint, including England, the The event is described as "A Tour of English Cities" to celebrate St George's day in each "English" city. In Christian hagiography Saint George is one of the most venerated saints in the Anglican Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox Cornish nationalist organisations, including the Cornish Stannary Parliament and the Celtic League, complained that this was an insult to the Cornish people as they said that Truro was not an "English" city, but a Cornish city. The Stannary Parliaments and Stannary Courts were legislative and legal institutions in Cornwall and in West Devon (in the Dartmoor area The Cornish people (Kernowyon are regarded as an Ethnic group of the United Kingdom originating in Cornwall. Cornwall ( Kernow ˈkɛɹnɔʊ is the most southwesterly county of England, on the Peninsula that lies to the west of the River Tamar They stressed that the event was not visiting any other Celtic cities in Wales or Scotland so therefore it was unacceptable that the event should be held in Cornwall. Celts (ˈkɛlts or /ˈsɛlts/, see Names of the Celts Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. "[35][36]

About forty protesters attended the rally against the loving cup on its arrival in Truro.

See also

External links

References

  1. ^ The Duchy of Cornwall - A history supported by references to primary source material
  2. ^ Hansard 6 March 2007 column 1878W
  3. ^ Della Hooke, Pre-Conquest Charter Bounds of Devon and Cornwall, Boydell, Woodbridge 1994, pp. 16-7
  4. ^ Simon Keynes and Michael Lapidge (tr. ), Alfred the Great - Asser's Life of King Alfred and other contemporary sources, London, Penguin, 1983, pp. 61, 175-6, 193-4; cf. ibid, p. 89.
  5. ^ William of Malmesbury - Gesta regum Anglorum about 1120
  6. ^ Professor Philip Payton - Cornwall 1996 p82
  7. ^ English Historical Documents, vol. Biography The education William received at Malmesbury Abbey included a smattering of Logic and Physics; Moral philosophy and History, Philip John Payton is professor of Cornish and Australian Studies at the University of Exeter and Director of the Institute of Cornish Studies 2 (c500-1042), ed. Dorothy Whitelock, 2nd edition, Methuen, London 1979, pp. 566-7, 597-9 (nos. 115, 131)
  8. ^ Della Hooke, Pre-Conquest Charter Bounds of Devon and Cornwall, Boydell, Woodbridge 1994, pp. 16-69
  9. ^ The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles, tr. Michael Swanton (2nd ed. ), London, Phoenix Press, 2000, p. 177
  10. ^ Holinshed, Ralph (1587) Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland
  11. ^ TAXATION NO TYRANNY by Samuel Johnson, From The Works of Samuel Johnson published by Pafraets & Company, Troy, New York (1913). Retrieved 15 July 2006.
  12. ^ Hamilton Jenkin, A. K. (1927) The Cornish Miner. Newton Abbot. Newton Abbot is a market Town in Devon, England on the River Teign, with a population of 23580 (2001 census David & Charles (reprint 1972). Page 274.
  13. ^ Collins, Wilkie (1851) Rambles Beyond Railways, or Notes in Cornwall taken a-foot . William Wilkie Collins ( 8 January 1824 &ndash 23 September 1889) was an English Novelist, Playwright, and London. Richard Bentley. Page 124.
  14. ^ Chambers Journal 17th February, 1861.
  15. ^ Hudson, W. H. (1908) The Land's End: A Naturalist's Impressions of West Cornwall. London. Wildwood (reprint 1981). Page 34.
  16. ^ John Norden - "A Topographical and Historical Survey of Cornwall" (1650) page 23
  17. ^ see History of the Cornish Constabulary - written at the time of its being subsumed into an English 'Devon & Cornwall' Force in 1967 (proper details being located!)
  18. ^ Bona Vacantia - See Jusrisdiction
  19. ^ John, H, The Penguin Historical Atlas of the Vikings, Penguin (1995)
  20. ^ Lund, Niels (1997). Harald Blåtands Død (The Death of Harold Bluetooth). Roskilde Museum's publishing house, Denmark 1997.
  21. ^ Trow, M. J. , Cnut: Emperor of the North
  22. ^ Hastings, Adrian (1997) The construction of nationhood: ethnicity, religion, and nationalism (Cambridge)
  23. ^ 1977 - The Stannators right to veto Westminster legislation is confirmed by Parliament
  24. ^ Dafydd Wigley's question (on behalf of Mebyon Kernow) is contained in Hansard vol 931 No. The Rt Hon Dafydd Wigley (formerly David Wigley; born 1 April 1943) is a Welsh politician Mebyon Kernow ( Cornish for "Sons of Cornwall" often abbreviated MK) is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Hansard is the traditional name for the printed transcripts of Parliamentary debates in the Westminster system of Government. 97 p. 115 3rd May 1977 (parliamentary question no. 125). The written reply on 14th May 1977 from the Lord Chancellor ref. 3039/39 was deposited at the National Library of Wales by Dafydd Wigley. The National Library of Wales (Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru is the national Legal deposit library of Wales, located in Aberystwyth.
  25. ^ West Britons, by Mark Stoyle (Senior Lecturer in History at the University of Southampton) University of Exeter Press, 2002
  26. ^ Give Cornwall what it wants. [1]
  27. ^ House of Lords debates, Wednesday, 21 March 2001, "Devolution: England" transcript of speech
  28. ^ Eastlake, Rosalie (1981) Cornwall: The Development of a Celtic Periphery. The House of Lords is the second house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is also commonly referred to as "the Lords" Unpublished MA thesis McGill University
  29. ^ The Guardian, editorial, 8th May 1990
  30. ^ Lee, Adrian (1978) Cornwall: Aspects of Regionalism and Nationalism. The Guardian (until 1959 The Manchester Guardian) is a British Newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group. Unpublished paper presented to the Workshop on Nationalist and Regionalist Movements in Western Europe, Strathclyde University (Glasgow), p13
  31. ^ Cornish ethnicity data from the 2001 Census
  32. ^ Cornish demand 2011 Census tick box option
  33. ^ Fight goes on to include Cornish ethnicity and language in census options
  34. ^ Mebyon Kernow support the campaign for a Cornish tick-box on 2011 census
  35. ^ Celtic League - St George celebrations inappropriate in Kernow
  36. ^ Kernow Protest as Truro labelled "English" city
The University of Strathclyde (Oilthigh Srath Chluaidh is a university in Glasgow, Scotland.
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