Cornwall Crest

Cornwall's History
& Historical Timeline

Kernow I-stori Termyn-Linen

Web: www.historic-cornwall.org.uk

Cornwall forever

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Cornwall was settled by Man in the dawn of history. The many prehistoric remains show that Bronze Age man was here in large numbers, followed by Iron Age man. Pressure from the east by the Romans and Saxons who in turn occupied the southern part of our island led to the emigration of many of the original Brythonic-speaking people from what is now England first of all to Cornwall and then across to Armorica (roughly corresponding to modern Brittany).

Cornish Saints

This was the period of conversion to Christianity and the legacy it left behind was a large number of local saints, whose memory survives in village names and in church dedications. These saints do not appear on the official list of saints and were usually local Christian leaders who had converted the particular district. These saints names are not usually found outside Cornwall. This is also the period of King Arthur.

Boundary Fixed

Meanwhile, the Saxons prepared to attack the "West Welsh", as the Cornish were then known. This happened under Egbert in 815 and by 825 West Wales was overrun after the Cornish had been defeated at Camelford. The Danish raids gave the Cornishmen an opportunity to revolt and they did so in 836, assisted by their Danish allies. But they were crushed on Hingston Down, a high ridge of country north-east of Callington, in 838. Athelstan fixed the eastern boundary of Cornwall on the Tamar in 936 and gave the large majority of the land holdings to English landowners.

Norman Conquest

The Norman Conquest led to a change of masters for the Cornish. Most of the manors were assigned to Robert de Mortain and an Earldom was created which was usually held by the eldest son of the King. In 1337 this Earldom became a Dukedom, the oldest in the country, and the title of Duke of Cornwall was automatically conferred upon the King's eldest son. The Tinners Charter is granted by Edward 1.

War of the Roses

Cornwall supported the Lancastrians in the Wars of the Roses and for about a century afterwards it remained a centre of disaffection as it was so far from the capital. There were two rebellions in 1497 under Thomas Flamank and Perkin Warbeck, respectively and another in 1549 led by Humphrey Arundell. Cornwall was strongly Royalist in the Civil War, and the local Parliamentarian forces were roundly defeated at Braddock Down east of Lostwithiel and at Stratton just outside Bude in 1643. The Earl of Essex invaded Royalist Cornwall in August 1644 and this led to a particularly bloody campaign round Fowey and Lostwithiel. Cornwall was not finally occupied by the Parliamentarian forces until the end of the war.

The Mining Boom

At one time Cornwall boasted 2,000 tin mines and it was a world leader in tin production. Foreign competition was to change all that. Competitors overseas were producing ores far more cheaply than Cornwall. Prices for tin plummeted and dropped below the cost of production. Within half a century of the tin boom of 1870-1872, the mining industry was almost dead in the face of foreign competition. Two of the last remaining mines were Levant and Geevor, both near St. Just, which are now open as tourist attractions. But just has the mines were closing the China Clay Industry took its place.

Tamar Bridge

Peaceful Progress

Most of the subsequent history of Cornwall has been peaceful - it was an important Methodist centre in the 18th century. Wesley Cottage and Gwennap Pit can still be visited. Around the same time the tourist industry came into being. Visitors were attracted by the mild climate - in small numbers at first, but then the fashion spread and more and more began arriving in Cornwall from all parts of the country. The railway came in 1859 and the Royal Albert Bridge built by Brunel at Saltash formed a link between Cornwall and the outside world.

Modern Development

In the years between the two World Wars the motor-car gained in popularity and traffic increased rapidly. But still the motorist had to choose between the Plymouth ferries or roads north of the Tamar estuary. The Second World War in 1939 brought bombing to Cornwall, especially in the extreme south-east of the county. The years after the war saw the stream of motor traffic become a flood. At last a road bridge was built across the River Tamar at Saltash, which was opened in 1961 - 102 years after the railway bridge. In 1962 a Satellite Tracking Station was built at Goonhilly Downs on the Lizard Peninsula and pictures were received by the satellite Telstar from the United States. Tourists from other countries began to visit Cornwall in increasing numbers and today the future for Cornwall as a holiday area is bright.

Historical Timeline

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200 to 1 million years ago PREHISTORY

The granite areas were formed and weathered down to more like we see today. The dinosaurs came and went and flowering plants evolved, the climate was tropical and dominated by monsoons. Later during the Ice Ages the rotten rock was further broken up and washed down to lower areas to form soils, minerals and china clay. Ancestors of modern humans visited Cornwall for the first time. Cornwall is too far south to be under the ice sheet, and is joined to Continental Europe.

400,000 - 200,000 BC PALAEOLITHIC (EARLY STONE AGE)

From 400,000 BC to 200,000 BC, the archaeological record (ie. flint axes and blades) shows us that people, that were probably settled in Devon, were beginning to make periodic visits into Cornwall. By 40,000 BC (The Upper Palaeolithic) these modern humans have spread throughout the South West, but there is still no evidence of settlements in Cornwall at this time (as yet). Cornwall's landscape is similar to modern Arctic Tundra and The Isles of Scilly are still linked to the mainland.

10,000 BC MESOLITHIC (MIDDLE STONE AGE)

This period begins at the end of the last glacial period, when water levels began to rise cutting Cornwall off from the Continent as the Channel floods, and hunter-gatherer bands begin to settle around the coastlines of Cornwall, around the Lizard, for example, and have working sites on upland areas, such as Bodmin Moor as the lower areas would have been tree covered. The Isles of Scilly are cut off from the mainland and most of Cornwall is covered with oak and hazel woodland.

4,000 - 2,400 BC NEOLITHIC (NEW STONE AGE)

The Neolithic period is a time of great social and agricultural development. This can be seen through the adoption of farming and increased monument construction, brought about largely by an increasing population. Settlements begin to be fortified such as the one on top of Carn Brea, and structures such as Chun Quoit, Boscawen-Un, Trevethy Quoit and Chysauster Ancient Village.
The first Cornish hedges enclosed land for cereal crops during the Neolithic Age. Communal burial in long barrows and quoits is practised.

2,400 - 1,500 BC EARLY BRONZE AGE

This period is defined by the introduction of metalworking, especially in bronze, which uses Cornwall's natural resources of tin and copper. These sources are found by tin-streaming and open-cast mining for copper which then started a trade boom driven by the export of tin across Europe. The period is also characterised by its ceremonial and burial monuments: the stone circles, rows and standing stones or menhirs, the barrows with their kist graves and many other ancient monuments.

1,500 - 600 BC LATE BRONZE AGE

The climate begins to get wetter during this period which causes settlement movement to lowland sites such as Trethellan, Newquay, and a move to more seasonal and less intensive grazing on the uplands. Large scale clearance of woodland for crop cultivation begins with the use of new iron ploughs and axes. Population pressure, as a result, creates a more warlike society which often sacrifices weapons to their gods. Arrival of the first Celtics in Britain by 600 BC. Some recent scholarship suggests that it was before 1,000 BC, and possibly as early as 2,000 BC.

Corineus, in medieval British legend, was a prodigious warrior, a fighter of giants, and the first ruler of Cornwall c. 1100 BC.

600 BC - AD 43 IRON AGE

Iron gradually replaces bronze for weapons and farming tools. People are starting to live in defended settlements called rounds which are bank-and-ditch enclosures protecting a number of round-houses within. There are also economic and social centres, where manufacturing and trading occur, establishing on hill-tops and headlands, such as Trevelgue Head, near Newquay, Castle Dore near Fowey and Castle an Dinas near St. Columb.

First attempted invasion of British Mainland by Julius Caesar. Over the next century, the Romans come to rule Cornwall, then part of Dumnonia.

Greek historian Diodorus Siculus named Cornwall "Belerion" - "The Shining Land", the first recorded place name in the British Isles.

AD 19 (21st June) A total eclipse of the sun is visible in Cornwall.
AD 43 - AD 410 ROMANO-BRITISH PERIOD

(AD 47 for Exeter / AD 55 for Nanstallon)
The late 1st century ostensibly brings Roman military occupation, but no noteworthy civil presence. The Britain annexed by Rome is divided among various tribes. The south west is occupied by the Dumnonii, Iron Age Celts who had held a large area for centuries. The rural society of the previous period continues, largely unchanged by the Roman influence in the rest of Britain. One fort is established, at Nanstallon near Bodmin on the River Camel, but it is occupied for twenty years; and one villa, at Magor, Camborne, which coincides with the increased trade in tin, during the 3rd and 4th centuries AD, not only for bronze, but also to alloy with lead for pewter objects. This opened a trade route linking the south coast at Fowey to the north coast at Padstow.

New trading posts are set up such as the one at Carvossa, Probus, and a new style of housing is introduced in Penwith, the courtyard house, at villages like Chysauster.

178

St. Symphorian was beheaded at Forrabury church, Boscastle for his religious beliefs.

238 - 244 The reign of Gordian III. A milestone inscribed with the Roman's name is found at Menheer, Gwennap, in 1942. It is the earliest example in Cornwall.
250

Romans start to exploit the Cornish tin.

Saints arrive in Cornwall.

380 Reign of King Caradocus.
400 Cornwall's native name (Kernow) appeared on record.
410 - 1000 Later Roman geography indicates that there are territorial sub-groupings, and what is now Cornwall - distinguished by its Late British name, Cornouia, the land of the Cornovii - may survive as one such subdivision. Welsh sources point to a succession of Dumnonian Kings right through to the 9th century, and a 10th century memorial to King Ricatus stands in the grounds of Penlee House, Penzance. By this time, Cornouia has become Cornubia (Latin), Cernyw (Welsh) and Kernow (Cornish). The British language evolves in Dumnonia into what becomes the Cornish language. Britain gains independence from Rome.
448 Civil war and plague ravage Britain.
450 First waves of settlers from Cornwall, and Devon, go to Brittany.
460 A group of Irish hermits landed in Cornwall and founded an oratory at Crantock.
465 Arthur born around this time.
470 Rising sea levels flooded the central plain of The Isles of Scilly, forming the current 55 islands and islets.
485 Period of Arthur's "twelve battles" during which he gains reputation for invincibility.
495

A vision of the Archangel of St. Michael appeared on St. Michael's Mount.

King Mark's (Marcus Cunomorus) reign, his base was possibly Castle Dore and his name is mentioned on The Tristan Stone. Mark was the son of King Felix who died after a raid on his castle at Tintagel by the King of Ireland.

500 The Kingdom of Cornwall emerged around the 6th century which included the tribes of the Dumnonii and the Cornish Cornovii.
500-600 English invasion: period of Arthur, Doniert and other Celtic Kings; and 'The age of the Saints', with Saint Michael, Saint Petroc and Saint Piran all making an appearance. King Mark – of Tristan and Iseult fame, ruled in the late 5th century. According to Cornish folklore, he held court at Tintagel Castle.
539 King Arthur's last battle at Camlann where he died. His successor was King Constantine.
540 King Constantine takes power and King Arthur's Stone is inscribed.
547 Yellow Plague hits Britain, causing death of many people.
550 Plague of Justinian, which would affect all of Europe.
577

Battle of Deorham Down near Bristol results in the separation of the West Welsh (the Cornish) from the Welsh by the advance of the Saxons.

Earliest Cornish Saints systematically convert Cornwall to Christianity, a considerable period before the conversion of the Anglo-Saxon peoples of England (the territory east of the River Tamar). These early monastic foundations were started by Christian preachers or Christian Druids from other Celtic lands, mainly Ireland.

600

Earliest Christian church opens at St. Piran's oratory near Perranporth.

By now, the Saxons, have destroyed the remains of Roman civilisation in eastern England, and in the west it is almost forgotten. The Saxons are established as the most important tribe of invaders and they are converting to Roman Christianity.

664 The Synod of Whitby determines that England is again an ecclesiastical province of Rome, with its formal structure of dioceses and parishes. The Celtic church of Dumnonia is not party to the decision and the Cornish church remains monastic in nature.
682 The Cornish under their chieftain, Centwine,'drove the Britons as far as the sea' probably this was to the north-eastern part of Cornwall. This established the frontier around the Ottery-Tamar line.
700

English reach Bristol Channel: Celts of Cornwall cut off from Celts of Wales.

Cornwall had began to be recorded as Cornubia by the Romans, and its people as Cornovii or Cornavii.

705 Saxon westward advance is renewed and by 710 Exeter is occupied.
710-770 King Geraint of Dumnonia reigned over a reducing area that eventually encompassed only the present day Cornwall until 710. The Cornish won the Battle of Hehil, against the Wessex. Ina, King of the West Saxons, attempts to destroy the Kingdom of Dumnonia. Until 766 several battles took place, with the Saxons mainly victorious, except in 722 when Roderic, King of the Britons in Wales and Cornwall, repels Adelred, King of Wessex.
787 Viking Danes visit the coasts of Wessex, and form an alliance with the Cornish against the Saxons in 807.
815 The Saxon Egbert of Wessex conquers Cornwall but is unsuccessful in subjugating the Cornish people despite having 'laid waste the land from east to west'.
825 Cornish send army into Wessex (under attack from Mercians) but to no effect.
The Cornish rise against Ecgberht only to be defeated at Gafulford (Galford on the River Lew, West Devon).
836 The Danish raids gave the Cornishmen an opportunity to revolt and they did so, assisted by their Danish allies.
838 A Cornish-Danish alliance is initially successful in a number of skirmishes with Egbert, but is eventually defeated in a pitched battle at Hingston Down, near Callington, the last against the Saxons.
839 (4th February) Aethelwulf succeeds his father Egbert as King of Wessex.
858 (13th January) Aethelwulf died at Steyning in Sussex. His son Aelthelbald becomes King.
860 (20th Decenber) Aethelbald dies and his brother Aethelbert becomes King.
865 Aethelred becomes King on the death of his brother Aethelbert.
871 (23rd April) Alfred becomes King of Wessex following the death of his brother Aethelred.
878 King Doniert, King of the Cornish, is drowned. Doniert's Stone stands in St. Cleer parish.
890 Compilation of Anglo Saxon Chronicle is begun, perhaps at the direction of Alfred the Great.
899 (26th October) King Alfred the Great dies and is succeeded by His son Edward the Elder who consolidates Anglo-Saxon control over southern England.
900 (8th June) Edward the Elder, son of Alfred, crowned at Kingston-upon-Thames.
905 (5th December) Ealhswith, consort of King Alfred the Great, dies.
924 (17th July) Athelstan becomes King of Wessex and Mercia on the death of his father Edward the Elder.
927 Athelstan, eldest son of Edward the Elder and grandson of Alfred, attacks the south western Celts, forcing their withdrawal from Exeter. There is no record of him taking his campaigns into Cornwall. It seems probable that Hywel, King of the Cornish, agreed to pay tribute to Athelstan, as did Alfred the Great, and thus avoided more attacks and maintained a high degree of autonomy.
930 King Athelstan builds a church in St. Buryan on the site of the oratory of Saint Buriana.
931 King Athelstan sets up a Bishopric at St. Germans. It lasts until 1042 when the see is united with Credition and is later removed to Exeter, after which Cornwall remains an archdeaconry until 1876. The church of St. Germanus is finally consecrated in 1261 after its re-organisation by Bishop Bartholomew as an Augustinian priory (1161-84). Eight centuries on, St. Germans displays more of Norman planning than any other Cornish church, although two thirds of them have some Norman traces.
936

Athelstan's settlement fixes the east bank of the River Tamar as the boundary between Anglo-Saxon Wessex and Celtic Cornwall.

Benedictine monks re founded the priory in Bodmin.

939 (27th October) King Athelstan dies, childless.
940 Athelstan's successor is Edmund I of England.
946 (26th May) Eadred succeeds his brother Edmund.
955 (23rd November) King Eadred dies un-married and childless. His nephew Eadwig is crowned King of England.
959 (1st October) King Eadwig dies and Edgar King of Mercia and Northumbria becomes King of all England.
974 Saint Kew was conveyed to Plympton priory "for the support of two canons".
975 (8th July) Thirteen year old Edward succeeds to the throne.
978 (March) Ethelred, son of Edgar, becomes King of England following the murder of his half brother Edward.
981 The Vikings lay waste to Padstow.
986 Olaf Tryggvason allegedly visits the Isles of Scilly.
992 Ethelred makes a truce with Duke Richard I of Normandy.
997 Vikings travelled up the Tamar River and then the Tavy River as far as Lydford, and burned Ordwulf's monastery at Tavistock.
1015 King Canute II of Denmark and Norway again invades England.
1016

(25th April) Edmund Ironside, son of Ethelred II the Unready of England, becomes King. At the battle of Abingdon, in Essex, King Canute II of Denmark defeats Edmund who is assassinated a few months later and Canute takes the throne as King Canute of England.

Famine throughout Europe.

1017 (2nd July) King Canute marries Emma of Normandy, the widow of Aethelred II. Canute divides England into four earldoms - Northumbria, Wessex, Mercia and East Anglia.
1035 (12th November) King Canute's illegitimate son Harold Harefoot usurps the throne from his half-brother, Harthacanute, the rightful heir who is away fighting in Denmark.
1037 Harold, son of Canute and Aelfgifu of Northhampton, seizes the English throne from Harthacanute, his half-brother and reigns as King Harold I.
1040 (17th March) King Harold dies and Harthacanute accedes to the throne.
1042 (8th June) Harthacanute dies and is succeeded by Edward the Confessor, son of Ethelred II.
1045 (23rd January) King Edward the Confessor marries Edith of Wessex.
1050 Brian of Brittany, is made 1st Earl of Cornwall.
1066

(5th January) King Edward the confessor dies and Harold Godwinson becomes King Harold II.

Robert of Mortain builds a castle at Launceston. Earl Ordulf is in charge of Moresk Castle, Truro.

The Cornish and Breton languages are mutually intelligible at this point.

(14th October) William and his Norman army defeat Harold II and the Anglo Saxons at the Battle of Hastings. Harold is killed and, after subduing the south of the country William is crowned King of England.

1068 The Cornish attacked the Saxon stronghold of Exeter but were soon driven back.
1070

Earl Moreton takes Moresk Castle at St. Clements near Truro, for William the Conqueror.

Robert, Count of Mortain is made Earl of Cornwall.

1080 Richard Fitz Turold, an Anglo-Norman landowner mentioned in the Domesday Survey, had a castle built at Cardinham.
1084 William, Count of Mortain is born, he later becomes Earl of Cornwall.
1086

Domesday survey: the major landholders in Cornwall are Robert, Count of Mortain, King William, the Bishop of Exeter, and Tavistock Abbey. The entire population of Cornwall was reckoned to be 29,532.

Worthyvale Manor at Slaughterbridge near Camelford is known as 'Guerdevalan', (Battle of Avalon?).

Markets and fairs recorded are: Bodmin, Launceston, Liskeard, Methleigh in Breage, St. Germans, Trematon.

Cornwall was divided into seven (subsequently nine) administrative areas known as 'hundreds'. The original hundreds were Penwith, Kerrier, Pydar, Powder, East and West Wivel and Trigg. Trigg was tri-divided to produce an additional two hundreds of Lesnewth and Stratton. Bodmin was recorded as the largest town in Cornwall with 68 houses.

1087 (9th September) William II accedes to the throne on the death of his father, William I.
1090 Trematon Castle was established by Robert, Count of Mortain.
1092

A Benedictine priory is established in Tywardreath.

1095 (8th December) Robert, Count of Mortain dies aged 57.
1099 (11th November) Mounts Bay is inundated by the sea making St. Michael's Mount an island and also the land between Land's End and The Isles of Scilly known as Lyonesse, with several towns and 140 churches, disappeared.
1100

(2nd August) Henry I succeeds his brother, William II.

'Rugby' evolved from hurling in Penzance.

Castle Bottreaux was founded by the Bottreaux family at Boscastle.

Restormel Castle is built after the Norman conquest of England as a motte and bailey castle by Baldwin Fitz Turstin, the local sheriff.

1104 Moresk Castle, a dwelling of Edmund, Earl of Cornwall, located at St. Clements near Truro, is destroyed.
1105 Henry I gave Tresco to Tavistock Abbey which established a priory on the island, it was abolished at the Reformation.
1110 William, Count of Mortain, is made Earl of Cornwall.
1120

Ingulf's Chronicle records Cornwall as a nation distinct from England.

The Knights Templar built a little church at Temple as a hospice for travellers high on Bodmin Moor.

1126

(December) Henry persuades the barons to accept Matilda as his lawful successor to the throne.

A Priory is built at Launceston on the banks of the River Kensey.

1130

Truro receives its first Charter of Incorporation from Earl Richard de Lucy, the King's Justicar.

Geoffrey de Monmouth publishes the 'History of Britain' and claims that Tintagel was the birthplace of King Arthur.

1135

(1st December) King Henry 1st dies of food poisoning. Stephen usurps the throne from Matilda, Henry's daughter and plunges England into nineteen years of civil war.

Edward the Confessor granted St. Michael's Mount to the Benedictine monks from Mont St. Michel in France, and they built a priory on the summit of the mount. They also constructed a harbour and causeway. Henry V granted it to the Abbey of Syon in Twickenham.

1139 The Benedictine monks from Glastonbury Abbey built Lammana Chapel on the mainland facing Looe Island.
1140 Alain de Bretagne becomes Earl of Cornwall upon the death of William, Count of Mortain aged 56.
1141

The wooden castle at Launceston was replaced with the imposing stone castle known as 'Castle Terrible' (Launceston is the only Cornish town to have been surround by a stone wall, up to six feet wide, and gates for defensive purposes).

The first Tintagel Castle is constructed by Earl Reginald.

1146 (15th September) Alain de Bretagne, 1st Earl of Richmond and 1st Earl of Cornwall dies.
1150 The parish church of St. Anthony was built and dedicated to St. Antoninus King and Martyr.
1154 (25th October) Henry II accedes to the throne at the age of 21 upon the death of his second cousin, Stephen aged 57.
1160 A castle was built at Truro by Richard de Lucy, Chief Justice of England to Henry II. In 1839 the castle site was used as the site for a new cattle market. In 1984 the cattle market was relocated and the site re-developed for the new Crown Courts.
1173 Reginald de Dunstanville, Earl of Cornwall, grants a charter to his 'free bugesses of Triueru', and he addresses his meetings at Truro to 'All men both Cornish and English' suggesting a continuing differentiation. Subsequently, for Launceston, Reginald's Charter continues that distinction - 'To all my men, French, English and Cornish'.
1175 (1st July) Reginald de Dunstanville, Earl of Cornwall dies aged 65.
1177 A monk of Bodmin stole the bones of St. Petroc and fled to St. Meen in Brittany.
1180 Renfred Arundell was born at Treleigh.
1189

(6th July) Richard I becomes King of England upon the death of Henry II. Prince John is granted possession of Cornwall.

Lostwithiel is granted a Royal Charter.

1190

Prior Theobald of Tywardreath established a 'free borough' at Fowey which quickly became a major Cornish port.

Saltash also became a franchised seaport at this time.

1193 St. Michael's Mount was seized by Henry de La Pomeray (on behalf of the Earl of Cornwall – later King John).
1197 (20th November) The first Lord Warden of the Stannaries of Cornwall (and Devon) was William de Wrotham who was appointed to the post.
1198 William de Wrotham writes of those working tin in Cornwall paying twice the taxation of their Devon counterparts.
1199 (6th April) John accedes to the throne on the death of his brother, Richard I.
1201

King John grants a charter for the Cornish Stannaries. No fixed boundaries were set for the Stannaries so in effect they covered all of Cornwall and as each Stannary appointed six Stannators to the Stannary Parliament, the Parliament represents all of Cornwall.

The first Assizes in Cornwall are held in Launceston.

1202 King John visits St. Buryan after landing at Sennen from Ireland, for an inspection of the local mining works.
1204

A passenger ferry between Cremyl and Plymouth across the River Tamar is started.

Grant to William de Boterell of a market at Boscastle.

1205 Grants of markets at Derteigne and Launceston.
1207 Grant of a fair at Stratton.
1208 Sir Ralph Arundell was born at Lanherne House.
1209 (5th January) Richard, second son of King John is born. He later becomes the first Earl of Cornwall.
1214 Battle of Bouvines confirms French crown's sovereignty over the duchy of Normandy's lands in Brittany and Normandy, meaning Cornwall and Brittany are once more in separate states.
1215 (15th June) Magna Carta agreed by King John of England at Runnymede, near Windsor. Written to make peace between the unpopular King and a group of rebel barons, it promised the protection of church rights, protection for the barons from illegal imprisonment, access to swift justice, and limitations on feudal payments to the Crown.
1216 (19th October) Henry III is crowned King at the age of nine. England is ruled temporarily by two regents, Hubert de Burgh and William the Marshal.
1221

Grant of a market at St. Germans.

Cornwall is acknowledged as having the continuing right to appoint its own sheriff.

1224 Grant of a market and fair to Lostwithiel.
1225

Grant of a fair at St. Keyne.

Henry III grants the Earldom of Cornwall to his younger brother, Richard of Cornwall.

1226 Grant of a market at St. Ives.
1227 Henry III builds a stone castle at Launceston to replace the earlier wooden one.
1228 Grant of a market at Camelford.
1229 Grant of a market at Callington.
1230 Grant of a market at Launceston.
1233 Richard, Earl of Cornwall, acquired Tintagel and re-built Tintagel Castle on the headland.
1235 Cornish militia fight against the Scots.
1240

A market charter was granted by Richard, Earl of Cornwall to Liskeard and he builds a Castle there.

The Franciscan Friary at Bodmin is founded.

Reinfred Arundell is born at Lanherne House.

1242 Richard, Earl of Cornwall after returning from a campaign in France finally entered the port of Mousehole after nearly foundering in a storm.
1249 (26th December) Edmund, the son of Richard Plantagenet (Earl of Cornwall and King of the Romans) was born.
1250 Craft Guilds come into existence at Bodmin.
1256 Grant of a market at Stratton.
1257 Grant of a fair at St. Ives.
1258 Grant to Bishop of Exeter for a market and fair at Penryn.
1259

St. Mary's church, Truro is dedicated by Bishop Bronescombe (later to be absorbed within Truro Cathedral).

Walter de Bronescombe, Bishop of Exeter, makes a tour of Cornwall dedicating nineteen parish churches which had been re-built or re-modelled. They include St. Anthony-in-Roseland, Antony, Botus Fleming, St. Breoke, St. Dominick, Pillaton, and Truro St. Mary's. By this time Norman designs are considered dark and old-fashioned.

1260

Grant of market and fair at Camelford.

Fowey is the most important port in medieval Cornwall.

1261 A charter for the removal of sea sand distinguishes between rights in Cornwall and England.
1264 Sir Thomas de Tracy surrenders Restormel Castle to Sir Ralph Arundell.
1265 Bishop Bronescombe lays the foundation of Glasney College at Penryn, and within two years several buildings including a church, refectory, chapter house and mills are completed.
1266 Grants of market and fair at Porthenesse, Mousehole, and Stratton; grant to Henry de Pomeray of a fair at Tregony.
1270

Richard, Earl of Cornwall bought Trematon Castle for £300 and it has remained the property of the Earls and Dukes of Cornwall without interruption ever since.

Isolda de Cardinan granted Restormel Castle and certain lands to her over-lord Richard, Earl of Cornwall.

1271 The Tinners Arms pub is built in Zennor to accommodate the masons who constructed St. Senara's Church which is famous for its mermaid.
1272

(2nd April) The title Earl of Cornwall passes to Edmund on the death of Richard who died at Berkhamsted Castle in Hertfordshire and holds it until 1300, and on his death it then reverts to Edward I then to Edward II.

(16th November) Edward learns that he has succeeded to the throne on his way home from the Crusade after the death of Henry III.

1275 (23rd October) Sir Ralph Arundell dies aged 67.
1280 Edmund, Earl of Cornwall builds Helston Castle.
1281 Grant of market and fair at St. Germans.
1284 Earl Edmund refutes the King of England's claim to jurisdiction over Cornwall, and again similarly in 1290.
1289 Edmund acted as regent in Edward's absence abroad and later served as High Sheriff of Cornwall.
1290

Edmund, Earl of Cornwall, makes Lostwithiel the county capital where he built the 'Duchy Palace'. This once extensive building incorporated the Shire Hall, the Exchequer of the Earldom (later Duchy), the Stannary Goal and the Coinage Hall. Edmund also modernised Restormel Castle at Launceston. He was the last Earl of Cornwall to reside in the county.

Mappa Mundi [in Hereford Cathedral] shows the four constituent parts of Britain as England, Scotland, Wales and Cornwall.

A bridge is constructed across the River Fowey at Lostwithiel.

The population of Cornwall is now 34,914 persons.
1292

Edmund, Earl of Cornwall builds the Duchy Palace at Lostwithiel.

Grant to Philip Daubeney for market and fair at Polruan.

1295 Truro, Bodmin, Tregony, Launceston and Liskeard are granted the right to send two representatives each to the Parliament of Edward I. This privilege continued until the Second Reform Act of 1867.
1296 Grant of a market and fair at Lelant, near Hayle.
1300

(1st October) Edmund, Earl of Cornwall dies aged 51 and the Earldom of Cornwall reverted to the Crown.

Grant of a market and fair at Mousehole.

1302

Grants, or claims proved, to allow markets and/or fairs at Bodmin (claim of the prior of Bodmin), Boscastle (claim of W. de Boterus), Boswythgy, Callington (claim of Reg. de Ferrars), Kilkhampton (claim of R. de Grenville), Lananta (claim of W. de Boterus), Looe (claim of W. de Bodrygan), Michell (claim of J. de Arundel), Mousehole, Penryn (claim of Thomas, Bishop of Exeter), Plymouth, St. Brian, St. Germans (claim of the prior of St. Germans), Tregony (claim of H. de Pomeray); claim of the burgesses for a merchant guild at Helston proved.
Grant of a market and two fairs at St. Buryan.

1303 There is reluctance in Cornwall to supply ships to assist England against Scotland.
1305

King Edward's Stannary Charter re-affirms the Crown's right of pre-emption, its first call upon the tin mined in Cornwall and Devon.

William le Poer, coroner of The Isles of Scilly, is recorded as being worried about the extent of wrecking in the islands, and sending a petition to the King.

1307

(7th July) Edward II accedes to the throne on the death of his father, Edward I.

The Tinners Charter is granted by Edward 1.

Edward II gives the title, Earl of Cornwall, to his court favourite Piers Gaveston who holds it until his execution in 1312.

1311 Grant of market and fair to Bishop of Exeter for Lawhitton, and market and fair at Penryn; grant of market and fair at St. Breock, and St. Germans.
1312

Grant to the Bishop of Exeter of a market for Caergaule (Cargoll, Newlyn East); grant of a market and fair at Castelboterell.

The Italian, Antonio Pessaigne, obtains from the Crown a lien on coinage dues in Cornwall and Devon and the authority to buy all tin coined. This causes great hostility in the Stannaries. The miners continue to sell to whom they please and in 1316 obtain a revocation of the patent.

(19th June) Piers Gaveston Earl of Cornwall, is executed on the orders of the Earl of Lancaster.

1313 A market and two fairs were granted to Wadebridge.
1314 Grant to Nicholas Dawnye for market and fair at Sheviock.
1315

Grant to the prior of Tywardreath of a market and fair at Fowey.

Total failure of the harvest in Cornwall through bad weather.

1316 Grant of a market and fair at Helston.
1320 Grant to the Treasurer of the Cathedral of Exeter to De St. Probain (Probus) for markets and two fairs.
1321 (30th April) A cargo (including jewels) worth £6,000 was lost when the sailing vessel 'St. Bartholomew' was lost near Lizard Point.
1322 After Edward III's unpopular choice of Piers Gaveston to be Earl of Cornwall, and his execution on the orders of the Earl of Lancaster in 1312, a number of the Cornish gentry support Lancaster in rebelling against the King. Lancaster is defeated at Boroughbridge and executed.
1324 A charter for two weekly markets and two annual fairs was granted at Redruth.
1327 (25th January) Edward III accedes to the throne after his father, Edward II, is formally deposed.
1328 John of Eltham, becomes Earl of Cornwall.
1330 Edward, First Duke of Cornwall is born. He was the eldest son of King Edward III and became known as the Black Prince.
1331 Grant to Ralph de Bloyou of a market and fair at Marazion.
1332

Grant by Edward III of weekly market and seven day fair at Penzance to Alice de l'Isle.

A Charter is granted to the village of Grampound by the Earl of Cornwall.

(25th April) Penzance received its market charter from King Edward III.

1333

Grant to William Basset of two day a week market and two annual fairs at Redruth.

Grant to Sir John Arundell of market and fair at St. Columb Major.

1335

Grant of a market and fair at Inceworth (in Maker and Antony), and Shepstall (in Ruanlanihorne).

John de Boscawen Ros of St. Buryan married the heiress Johan de Tregothnan and he moved his home from the Penzance area to Tregothnan, where his descendants still live.

1336

John of Eltham, Earl of Cornwall dies aged 20.

A Charter was granted to the town of Helston. This gave the town a weekly market and four annual fairs. The income from the market and fairs helped considerably with the finances of the town.

1337

(17th March) Edward the Black Prince, eldest son of Edward III, is created first Duke of Cornwall, when the Earldom of Cornwall was raised to a Dukedom. He then makes repairs to Launceston Castle.

1340

(3rd March) The Irish vessel 'Porthlyn' was wrecked in Crantock Bay.

1342

The sailing vessel 'La Trinite' was wrecked in Widemouth Bay.

1343

Edward the Black Prince, first Duke of Cornwall is made Prince of Wales.

(10th February) The sailing vessel 'Tarite' was wrecked on the south coast of Cornwall while heading for Falmouth.

1346

(26th August) Cornish archers, conspicuous for their long bows and accurate shooting, distinguish themselves at the Battle of Crecy.

777 men from Fowey ("Gallants of Fowey") fight at the Siege of Calais.

1347

Fowey and Polruan provide more large ships than London for Royal service.

1348 The population of Cornwall is now 108,000 persons.
1350 The 'Black Death' claims half the population of towns like Bodmin and Truro.
1351 Grant of a market and fair at Polruan.
1353 Edward the Black Prince visits Launceston Castle.
1354 Edward the Black Prince visits Restormel Castle.
1357 Rev William Penfold fell out with a gang of pirates, the gang tracked him down to the church of St. Winwaloe in Poundstock, and burst in while he was holding a service to brutally murder him at the altar.
1358 Edward the Black Prince re-builds Restormel Castle with stone and make it his main administrative centre.
1360 Second outbreak of The Black Death in Cornwall lasting to 1362.
1371 John of Gaunt, the most powerful landowner in England and brother of the Edward the Black Prince arrives in Fowey with his new bride, Constance of Castile.
1376 (8th June) Edward the Black Prince dies aged 45, making Richard of Bordeaux Duke of Cornwall.
1377

(16th July) Ten year old Richard II succeeds his grandfather, Edward III; the kingdom is ruled at first by the King's uncles, John of Gaunt and Thomas of Gloucester.

A poll-tax census was taken, when it was found that the entire population of Cornwall did not exceed 61,964 persons.

1379 Castle built on Carn Brea by the Basset family.
1380 The Spanish fleet attacked the port of Fowey prompting the blockhouses at Fowey and Polruan to be built at each side of the estuary to defend the port using a chain between them.
1381 Grant to Daubeney family of market and fair at Polruan.
1385 Arwenack House is built in Falmouth by the Killigrew family.
1387 John Trevisa of Cornwall wrote the first book about England in the English language (previously latin was the language used by authors).
1390 Caerhays estate was passed by marriage to the Trevanion family after the marriage of Robert Trevanion to Johanna Arundell.
1394 The 'Gabrielle' of Milford Haven was wrecked on the Wolf Rock. Her cargo, worth £1000, was washed ashore in Cornwall and collected as wreck.
1397 The chapel on Rame Head was first licensed for Mass.
1399 (13th October) Henry IV returns from exile in France to reclaim his estates seized by Richard II; he claims the throne and is crowned. Henry of Monmouth becomes the Duke of Cornwall.
1400-1500 A period of concentrated church building occurs. Almost every Cornish church is altered or enlarged. Five centuries later, most remain substantially unchanged in form, despite subsequent restorations.
1400 Cornwall is described as Cornubia - Land of the Saints.
1402 Charter of Confirmation to the Tinners of Cornwall.
1403 Manor of Arwenack in Falmouth acquired by the Killigrew family.
1404 Grant by Henry IV to Thomas, Lord Berkeley, of a market and fair at Penzance, in lieu of one 7-day fair, three 2-day fairs to be held.
1409

The hermit's chapel on Roche Rock near St. Austell, dedicated to St. Michael, is licensed.

Launceston Technology College is established.

1411 A wooden bridge is built across the river at Looe.
1413

(9th April) Henry V accedes to the throne at the age of 25 upon the death of his father, Henry IV.

Treverbyn Bridge is built across the Rivey Fowey just east of St. Neot.

1415 100 archers sail from Fowey to take part in Battle of Agincourt.
1422 (31st August) Henry VI aged eight months becomes King of England on the death of his father, Henry V.
1425 St. Petroc's church is built at Padstow.
1427 The Vyvyan family, take over Trelowarren House.
1430 John Trewollas builds the first pier at Mevagissey.
1431 The first public clock in Cornwall is installed in the tower at St. Mary Magdalene Church, Launceston.
1436 A stone bridge is built to replace the wooden one which burned down at Looe.
1437 Horsebridge is built by French Benedictine monks across the River Tamar near Stoke Climsland.
1439

Greystone Bridge, which crosses the River Tamar on the Launceston to Tavistock Road is constructed.

Work is started on building a new quay at Newquay.

1440 St. Blazey Church is built around this time, and thoroughly restored in 1839 by W Moffat, and again in 1897.
1443 Sir Richard Edgcumbe was born at Cotehele House.
1446 Sir Nicholas Carew of Antony House, died.
1450 A new bridge is built over the River Lynher east of Callington replacing an earlier ford.
1453 (13th October) Edward, son of Henry VI becomes the Duke of Cornwall.
1455 Wars of the Roses begins as a feud between the Courtenays and Bonvilles in Cornwall and Devon.
1457 Fowey was attacked by the French and set on fire. Elizabeth Treffry defends Place House.
1460 Reverend Thomas Lovibond commenced building a bridge across the River Camel at Wadebridge.
1461 (4th March) Edward IV, son of Richard of York, is declared King following the murder of Henry VI.
1466 King Edward IV amends the Tinners charter.
1468 The 'Raphael' was wrecked in Bude Bay.
1469 Rebuilding of St. Petroc's church, Bodmin.
1470 (2nd November) Edward, son of Edward IV becomes the Duke of Cornwall.
1470's 'Piracy' against Breton, Norman and Spanish vessels (what would now be termed mutual reprisals) is rife along Channel coast . The 'Fowey gallants' are particularly notable. Determined to put an end to this, Edward IV despatches a commission to Cornwall to 'arrest all mariners, masters, pirates, victuallers of ships' of Fowey, Bodinnick, and Polruan. The independent Cornish seafarers and their ships are removed to England and placed in custody. One Harrington is executed.
1472 Sir Piers Edgcumbe was born at Cotehele.
1473

Henry Pomeroy captured St. Michael's Mount, on behalf of Prince John, against 6,000 of Edward IV's troops.

(November) Sir John Arundell VII died at his seat of Lanherne aged 52.

1474 Edward IV orders arrest of Fowey pirates and confiscates the chain between the blockhouses.
1475 The first parts of Godolphin House are built near Helston.
1478 The 'La Kateryne' was wrecked near St. Michael's Mount.
1483

(9th April) On the death of Edward IV, the crown passes to his 12 year old son, Edward V.

(6th July) Richard III declares himself King after confining and possibly ordering the murder of his two nephews, Edward V and Richard Duke of York, in the Tower of London.

1485

(22nd August) Henry VII becomes King after defeating Richard III of York at the Battle of Bosworth Field. The Wars of the Roses are ended.

Cotehele House was built by Sir Richard Edgcumbe, who also receives a Knighthood.

1486 (20th September) Arthur, eldest son of Henry VII becomes the Duke of Cornwall.
1487 Sir Henry Bodrugan in danger of being arrested for treason fled his captors with a tremendous leap over the cliffs into a waiting vessel where he escaped to France, the spot a mile south of Mevagissey, near Portmellon where he leaped at Chapel Point is still called "Bodrugan's Leap" his property and land were confiscated and given to his pursuer Sir Richard Edgcumbe of Cotehele.
1488 St. Saviours chapel at Polruan was re-built by Sir Richard Edgcumbe.
1489 (8th September) Sir Richard Edgcumbe dies in France, aged 46.
1495

Sir Richard Grenville I is born at Stowe, near Kilkhampton, Bude.

1496 Stannary Courts suspended. Restored 1508.
1497 Cornish uprising against Henry VII's taxation to pay for his war against the Scots, which is a curtailment of Cornish constitutional rights under the Stannary law Charter of 1305 (that no tax of 10ths and 15ths may be raised in Cornwall). Resistance, particularly at St. Keverne under the leadership of Michael Joseph (an gof), gains momentum at Bodmin when taken up by lawyer, Thomas Flamank. They lead a march to London, are joined by Lord Audley en route, but are confronted by 10,000 of Henry's men under Lord Daubeney. On 16th June the Cornish force, armed only with country weapons, are routed. Audley, Flamank and Joseph are executed. On September 7th Perkin Warbeck, pretender to the throne, lands at Whitesand Bay, near Land's End and then occupies St. Michael's Mount. Warmly welcomed, he is proclaimed King Richard IV at Bodmin.
1498 Plague hits Cornwall.
1499 Sir Richard Edgcumbe is born at Cotehele, he is the son of Sir Piers Edgcumbe.
1500 Poundstock Gildhouse is built near Bude.
1501 The church at St. Buryan was re-built and enlarged and a tower added.
1502 (2nd April) Henry, younger son of Henry VII becomes the Duke of Cornwall.
1503 (25th January) Margaret, Henry's daughter marries James IV of Scotland. The marriage gives James' descendants a claim to the English throne.
1504 John Trelawny is born, he later becomes an English MP. He was the son of Walter and Isabella Trelawny of Menheniot, and he was High Sheriff of Cornwall in 1547.
1508 'Charter of Pardon' granted by Henry VII states 'that no statutes, acts, ordinances... or proclamations shall take effect in...[Cornwall] or elsewhere to the prejudice or in exoneration of the said Tinners, bounders, possessors of tinworks... dealers in white tin or the heirs or successors of any of them, unless there has previously been convened 24 good and lawful men of the 4 Stannaries of the county of Cornwall...; so that no statutes ...[etc.] to be made in future by us, our heirs and successors, or by the said Prince and Duke of Cornwall for the time being shall be made except with the consent of the said 24 men so elected and appointed...' allowed the Cornish Stannary Parliament to veto English legislation.
1509

(21st April) Henry VIII accedes to the throne on the death of his father, Henry VII.

(23rd June) Henry VIII's coronation procession includes 'nine children of honour' representing 'England and France, Gascony, Guienne, Normandy, Anjou, Cornwall, Wales and Ireland.'

1510 Plague across Cornwall again.
1511 Sir Henry Trecarrel built his mansion in the parish of Lezant, near Launceston.
1512

Penzance received Royal Charters for its harbour from King Henry VIII.

Death of Thomasine Bonaventure of Week St. Mary. Known as 'the Cornish Shepherdess' (later Dame Thomasine Percival), she has been Lord Mayoress of London.

1513

Sir Humphrey Arundell is born at Helland near Bodmin. He became the leader of Cornish forces in the Prayer Book Rebellion early in the reign of King Edward VI.

1514

Marazion was attacked and burnt during a war with France that started in 1511.

Berry tower is completed as part of a chapel on Berry Down overlooking Bodmin.

1515

As part of the colonisation of Ireland an English official suggests that one man should be sent from 'every parish in England, Cornwall and Wales'.

King Henry VIII granted Sir Piers Edgcumbe permission to create a deer park at Mount Edgcumbe.

1518

Sir William Godolphin is born at Godolphin House, he later serves as an English Knight, politician, and MP.

1520

The New Bridge across the River Tamar at Gunnislake is built by Sir Piers Edgcumbe.

The population of Cornwall is now 64,000 persons.

1524 St. Mary Magdalene Church in Launceston is built by Sir Henry Trecarrel as a memorial to his infant son who died.
1527 The 'St. Anthony', the King of Portugal's treasure ship with a cargo said to be worth an estimated £100 million in today's values, foundered off Gunwalloe, near Porthleven.
1531 The appearance in the sky of Halley's comet causes widespread panic and talk of holy retribution.
1533 (25th January) King Henry VIII marries Anne Boleyn. And Princess Elizabeth (later Elizabeth I) is born.
1535

Polydore Vergil's Anglica Historia describes Britain as being made up of 'Scots, Welsh, English and Cornish people' and that 'England is limited on the West part with the bounds of Cornwall and Wales.'

King Henry VIII abolished the priory on St. Michael's Mount, turning the island into a fortress as a defence against threatened invasions by Roman Catholic France and Spain.

1536 (19th May) Anne Boleyn is executed and King Henry VIII marries Jane Seymour.
1537

(12th October) Jane Seymour dies giving birth to Edward (later Edward VI).

(12th October) Edward becomes the Duke of Cornwall.

1538 Leland's tour of Cornwall.
1539

King Henry VIII creates a chain of fortifications along the south coast, including the castles of Pendennis and St. Mawes.

King Henry VIII starts the dissolution of the Monasteries including most religious houses in Cornwall.

Sir Piers Edgcumbe built a deer park at Mount Edgcumbe.

Sir Piers Edgcumbe dies aged 67 at Cotehele.
1540

St. Catherine's Castle built by Henry VIII in Fowey to defend the port.

Sir Francis Godolphin is born near Helston.

(6th January) King Henry VIII marries Anne of Cleves, but the marriage is annulled in July.

(28th July) King Henry VIII marries Catherine Howard.

1542

Andrew Boorde's First book of 'the introduction of knowledge' records that 'In Cornwall is two speeches, the one is naughty Englysshe and the other is Cornysshe. And there may be many men and women the which cannot speak one word of Englysshe but all Cornysshe.'

(13th February) Catherine Howard is executed for treason.

(15th June) Sir Richard Grenville is born at Kilkhampton near Bude.

1543

King Henry VIII continues with the dissolution of the Monasteries and priories in Cornwall.

(12th July) King Henry VIII marries the twice-widowed Catherine Parr, his sixth and last wife.

1544

King Henry VIII visits his new castles at Pendennis and St. Mawes.

1545

(19th July) Loss of the flagship 'Mary Rose' in the Solent and the death of Sir Richard Grenville.

1547

(28th January) Edward VI accedes to the throne at the age of nine after the death of his father, Henry VIII.

Roger Palmer, a local mason, was commissioned to build Mount Edgcumbe House.

Second uprising against new government taxation laws starts in St. Keverne.

1548 Glasney College Penryn is closed and much of the cultural heritage held there is destroyed.
1549

(June-August) Uprising in protest against the imposition by Edward VI of the use of the Book of Common Prayer in English. From the 9th. June, rebels attacked St. Michael's Mount, Marazion and St. Ives. Following this the rebels, under their leader Sir Humphrey Arundell of Helland, marched to Bodmin and where they were joined by the towns mayor Nicholas Boyer. Sir William Godolphin was escorted to Dunheved Castle, Launceston, to be imprisoned. Soon after they captured the governor of Trematon Castle and plundered the buildings. They then drew a petition to the King. The 5000 strong Cornish army continued on to take Plymouth and Exeter. They were eventually beaten and forced back with at least 4000 of them killed. This spells the end for the use of the Cornish language.

Truro gained a grammar school.

1550

(27th January) Sir Humphrey Arundell, leader of the Cornish army, dies aged 37.

Sir John Killigrew re-builds Arwenack House in Falmouth.

(18th March) Sir Richard Grenville I dies aged 55 at Launceston Castle.

A small fort, now known as the Old Blockhouse, is built on Tresco to protect Old Grimsby harbour.

1551 Philip Rashleigh I dies aged 51, at his home near Fowey.
1552

Thomas Godolphin becomes captain (or governor) of the Isles of Scilly.

Sir Walter Raleigh visits Falmouth.

Edward VI’s government found the money to begin building a fort to protect the port at St. Mary's on the Isles of Scilly, the unfinished remains of which are now known as Harry’s Walls. It was later replaced by Star Castle.

1553 (6th July) Edward VI dies of tuberculosis aged 15, at Greenwich Palace and Lady Jane Grey is proclaimed Queen, she is later known as Queen Mary I.
1554

King Charles's Castle is built on Tresco to defend the Isles of Scilly.

John Rashleigh II, is born, he becomes builder of the first house at Menabilly, a shipping merchant, the MP for Fowey in 1588 and 1597, and High Sheriff of Cornwall in 1608.

1555

(17th July) Richard Carew is born at Antony House.

Great famine across Cornwall.

A Royal Charter was granted to Launceston by Queen Mary.

1558 (17th November) Accession of Queen Elizabeth I on the death of her half-sister, Mary I.
1561 Sir John Arundell dies aged 66. His monumental brass survives in Stratton Church.
1562 (1st February) Sir Richard Edgcumbe dies aged 63 at Mount Edgcumbe, he was the son of Sir Piers Edgcumbe.
1563

(29th September) John Trelawny of Menheniot dies aged 59.

Bodmin received a Royal Charter from Elizabeth I.

1564

Sir Reginald Mohun, 1st Baronet of Boconnoc is born. He became a prominent member of the gentry of Cornwall.

1565

Sir Walter Raleigh brings potatoes and tobacco from the New World.

Tregrehan Estate is bought by the Carlyon Family.

1566

Richard Buller is born at Shillingham near Saltash. He was Knighted in 1608, and became MP and Sheriff of Cornwall in 1637.

1567

Spaniards land at Penryn late at night with the intent of burning the town. It is during a performance of the Miracle Play of St. Sampson and, according to Richard Carew writing in the 1590's, they are put to flight by the players.

Sir John Killigrew of Arwenack House, Falmouth dies aged 51. He was the first Governor of Pendennis Castle.

1568

(17th December) Birth of Jonathan Trelawny at Menheniot.

1569

Sir Francis Drake marries Mary Newman at Saltash.

Heligan Estate was purchased by Sampson Tremayne from the Heligan family.

1570

Birth of Sir William Lower. He became an astronomer from the early telescopic period.

(30th July) Sir William Godolphin of Godolphin House, dies aged 55.

The population of Cornwall is now 70,000 persons.

1571

Under Elizabeth I Fowey is granted the right to elect two MP's.

1572

Trerice House near Newquay was built by Sir John Arundell.

1573

The bridge at Lerryn was re-built by order of Queen Elizabeth I.

John I Rashleigh purchased the estate of Menabilly.

(2nd June) Martha Treffry is born at Place House in Fowey.

1574

Sir Richard Grenville proposes to the Queen an expedition to find the southern route around America to the Pacific and to establish new colonies, however this plan was rejected.

1575

Sir Francis Vyvyan is born at Trelowarren

1576

Birth of Sir John Arundell at Trerice.

1577

The Catholic Priest Cuthbert Mayne was captured by the High Sheriff of Cornwall, Sir Richard Grenville and executed at Launceston after which his head was impaled on the gate of Launceston Castle. This was done as a warning to Catholics to renounce their faith.

1578 Plague in Penzance.
1579 Lord Russell, Earl of Bedford sold Boconnoc House to Sir William Mohun who later re-built it.
1580 Sir Francis Drake used Trematon Castle as a store for the treasure he had amassed during his voyage of circumnavigation and privateering.
1581

(4th April) Sir Francis Drake Knighted by Queen Elizabeth I on the deck of The Golden Hind. His first wife Mary Newman also dies in this year.

1582

(10th August) John I Rashleigh of Fowey, dies aged 64.

Queen Elizabeth I awards Padstow its Borough Charter.

1583 Sir William Moyle builds six Almshouses in St Germans.
1584

Boscastle harbour, built by Sir Richard Grenville.

(5th March) Sir John Killigrew of Arwenack House, Falmouth dies aged 45, he was the 2nd Governor of Pendennis Castle, and appointed by Queen Elizabeth I.

1585

Nicholas Prideaux begins building Prideaux Place at Padstow after inheriting the estates in 1581.

Sir Walter Raleigh was Knighted and was appointed warden of the Stannaries in Cornwall.

Philip Rashleigh's ship 'Francis of Fowey' sails with Frobisher to the Arctic and with Drake to the West Indies.

1586

John Trefusis is born at St. Columb Major, he later served as an MP and a magistrate.

1587

Spanish soldiers invaded Penryn.

1588

Meeting of the Convocation of Tinners of Cornwall petitions Queen Elizabeth I to confer powers to legislate, but this goes unheeded. In 1624 the Meeting of Tinners of Cornwall assumes the power to legislate. These laws are added to in later Convocations in 1636, 1688 and 1753.

Spanish Armada seen from the Lizard on 19th July. A warning beacon was lit on St. Michael's Mount. On that evening, the English fleet was trapped in Plymouth Harbour by the incoming tide. By the 20th July they were just off Rame Head and engaging the English fleet led by Sir Francis Drake near the Eddystone Rocks. The Spanish Armada fleet was chased off up the channel towards the Isle of Wight.

1589

Truro was granted a new charter by Elizabeth I which ensured it was a free borough with a mayor and 24 Capital Burgesses.

(October) Sir William Godolphin dies aged 42.

1590

Sir John II after being imprisoned in the Tower and then less rigorously confined, died at Isleworth in this year. His body was returned to St. Columb for burial.

1591

(4th July) Jonathan Rashleigh I is born. He later serves as MP for Fowey. After the execution of King Charles I Jonathan was imprisoned at St. Mawes Castle and his estate became bankrupt.

(10th September) Death of Sir Richard Grenville of the Revenge whilst he was second in command of a fleet (vice admiral) under Lord Thomas Howard that sailed to seize the Spanish treasure ships on route to Spain from South America.

Bubonic plague recorded at Redruth.

1592

The building of Prideaux Place is completed by Sir Nicholas Prideaux.

Penzance receives Royal Charters from King Henry VIII for markets and fairs.

(11th April) John Eliot was born at Port Eliot.

1593

Sir Francis Godolphin builds Star Castle on St. Mary's.

1594

(January) John Treffry is born. He became an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1621 to 1622.

Sir Francis Basset is born. He made his fortune from tin mining and later bought St. Michael's Mount.

1595

(July) Enemy Spaniards land in Mount's Bay, attacking Mousehole, Newlyn, Penzance and Paul.

Marazion is granted its charter, the first in Penwith.

1596

Birth, near Bodmin, of Sir Bevil Grenville grandson of Sir Richard Grenville.

1597

(February) The Spanish Fleet of Indies galleon 'San Bartolomé' (Spain) was lost within the Isles of Scilly. She was carrying lead ingots and fragments of bronze bells.

Sir Jonathan Trelawny (1568–1604) is Knighted.

During the Spanish Armada two Spanish ships, a bark and a pinnace had made their way to St. Ives to seek shelter from the storm which had dispersed the Spanish fleet. They were captured by the English warship 'Warspite' of Sir Walter Raleigh leaking from the same storm. The information given by the prisoners was vital on learning the Armada's objectives.

1598

Pendennis Castle is fortified with ramparts and bastions.

1599

St. Michael's Mount sold by Queen Elizabeth I to Sir Robert Cecil (later the Earl of Salisbury).

Francis Carew created a method of producing out of season fruit.

1600

Sir Jonathan Trelawny purchased the manor of Trelawny near Pelynt from the Crown, and moved his residence to there from Menheniot.

Various small mines which are later to form Polberro Tin Mine are working at St. Agnes. By the 1830's the mine employs 480 people and in 1846 it is visited by Queen Victoria.

1601

The ancient Cornish Kendall family build Pelyn House near Lostwithiel.

(11th November) Vice Admiral Charles Trevanion of Caerhays, dies aged 41. He also served as an MP for Grampound.

1602

Publication of Richard Carew's 'The Survey of Cornwall'.

1603

(24th March) Upon the death of Queen Elizabeth I, Arthur Hopton the Venetian ambassador described her as ruling over five different peoples: English, Welsh, Cornish, Scottish and Irish. James VI of Scotland becomes King James I of England, Scotland, and Ireland uniting the thrones of Scotland and England. Henry Frederick, eldest son of James I becomes the Duke of Cornwall.

William Tremayne built Heligan House in the Jacobean style.

1604

(21st June) Sir Jonathan Trelawny from the manor of Trelawny in Pelynt dies aged 36, he served as the High Sheriff of Cornwall in 1595.

1605

(12th August) John Killigrew of Arwenack House, near Falmouth dies aged 52.

(5th November) Guy Fawkes and other Catholic dissidents attempt to blow up King and Parliament in The Gunpowder Plot. They are betrayed and arrested. The event is celebrated to this day with bonfire night.

1606

Sir William Killigrew is born. He later became Governor of Pendennis Castle.

John Robartes, son of Sir Richard Robartes is born at Lanhydrock Estate.

1607

(30th January) A coastal flood in the Bristol Channel which may have been a tsunami, also floods all the low lying villages along the north Cornwall coast.

Sir William Lower from near Bodmin, an astronomer from the early telescopic period observed Halley's comet and took a number of careful measurements and it was determined that the comet was following a curved course.

1608

Sir Francis Godolphin, born in 1540, dies aged 68. Expert in mining, he has prospered from some of the best Cornish mines of the time, bringing in German engineers to improve mining processes. His success added to Queen Elizabeth's revenues by £1,000 per year.

1609

(30th August) Sir Alexander Carew, 2nd Baronet, of Antony is born. He became an English MP executed for attempting to betray the Parliamentary cause during the English Civil War.

1610

(4th February) Hannibal Vyvyan of Trelowarren dies aged 64.

1611

(11th October) Birth of Samuel Enys at Constantine.

1612

Anthony Payne is born at the Grenville Manor house at Stratton. He became a 7 foot 4 inch Cornish giant who was enlisted as a bodyguard to the Royalist Sir Bevil Grenville.

1613

Charles, younger son of James I becomes the Duke of Cornwall.

Sir Robert Geffrey is born at Landrake. He was later to become an English merchant and Lord Mayor of London.

1614

A Royal Charter is granted by James I to Penzance and John Maddern was appointed as the first Mayor.

1615

The Market House in Penzance was built.

(12th April) Sir William Lower an astronomer who observed Halley's comet, dies aged 45.

1616

Pocahontas may have visited Indian Queens, although this is disputed.

1617

Edward Herle is born at Prideaux Place, he became an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1640 and 1689. He also fought in the Parliamentary army in the English Civil War.

(29th November) John Godolphin is born on the Isles of Scilly, he later becomes judge of the admiralty.

1618

A merchantman of unknown name is wrecked on the Lizard Peninsula. It is later called either the "Rill Cove Wreck" or the "Lizard Silver Wreck" due to the large amount of coins recovered from the site.

1619

Sir John Killigrew's lighthouse built at the Lizard Point, but was demolished again after complaints from the locals about the reduction in the number of shipwrecks.

1620

Sir Richard Robartes, a Truro tin and wool merchant. buys the Lanhydrock estate and begins to build the house which bears two dates at the front, 1636 and 1642. The gatehouse is only completed in 1658. In 1881 a large part of the house is destroyed by fire, but re-built with additions.

(16th August) The 'Mayflower', en route to America with the Pilgrim Fathers stops off at Newlyn to take on water.

(31st August) Sir John Trelawny's daughter, Anne, married Sir Francis Bassett of Tehidy.

(6th November) Richard Carew dies aged 65, at Antony House.

1621

Penryn is granted a Royal Charter by Kings James I.

1622

(19th August) A severe storm greatly damaged cereal crops in Cornwall, extreme winds blew for six hours.

1623

(13th August) Thomas Burgess of Truro, dies aged 83. He was an English merchant, and was Mayor of Truro in 1589 and an alderman of the town at the time its coat of arms was confirmed in 1620. He was also MP for Truro.

1624

(12th May) John Rashleigh II of Menabilly, near Fowey, dies aged 69. He was the builder of the first mansion house on the family estate at Menabilly.

The Bodmin Wassail Festival was started by Nicholas Sprey, a three-time mayor of Bodmin.

1625

(27th March) Charles I succeeds his father, James I.

1626

(July) Thomas Burgess of Truro, dies aged 46, was an English MP.

1627

(28th October) Charles Boscawen was born at Tregothnan, he later became an English politician who sat in the House of Commons.

Pendennis Castle is improved again with new defensive lines, and artillery, was built across the peninsula.

1628

(May) Sir William Killigrew was Knighted and became Governor of Pendennis Castle.

(1st July) The Trelawny Baronetcy was created for John Trelawny.

(August) Sir John Grenville was born at Kilkhampton. He was the third son of Sir Bevil Grenville.

1629

(4th March) Sir John Eliot imprisoned in the Tower of London.

1630

Sir John Dodridge re-interprets preceding historical records in his book An historical account of the ancient and modern state of the Principality of Wales, Duchy of Cornwall and earldom of Chester, referring to Cornwall as 'anciently reputed a Dukedom', and earlier 'an Earldom'. He states that 'until the 11th year of King Edward III, at a time it was a-new constituted a Duchy, the first erected in England after the Conquest', suggesting ancient Duchy Charters and Royal intents had been misunderstood over the preceding 300 years.

(29th May) Charles, son of Charles I becomes the Duke of Cornwall.

1631

William Noy (1577-1634) probably born in St. Buryan, MP for Grampound 1603-1614, Fowey 1623-1625 and Helston 1627-1631, becomes Attorney General. Author of several legal works.

Richard Lower is born at St. Tudy near Bodmin. He was involved in some of the earliest experiments with blood transfusions.

1632

A harbour is built at Trevaunance Cove, St. Agnes.

(27th November) Sir John Eliot dies aged 40 whilst imprisoned in the Tower of London.

1633

Trewan Hall at St. Columb Major is built.

Many clergy in Cornwall refused to read the Declaration of the Book of Sports in their churches on Sundays.

1634

(7th February) Robert Robartes is born he later became an MP and Viscount Bodmin.

Turkish Pirates infest the Cornish coast.

1635

(11th June) Sir Francis Vyvyan of Trelowarren, dies aged 60 and is succeeded by his eldest son Richard.

1636

Ralph Keats, grand-son of William Keats is buried at St. Ervan church near Padstow.

(24th March) The sailing ship 'Gift of God' of Kirkcaldy was wrecked on The Isles of Scilly.

1637

(18th February) The Battle off Lizard Point was a naval action which took place off the coast of Cornwall, during the Eighty Years' War. The Spanish admiral, Miguel de Horna, commander of the Armada of Flanders, intercepted an important Anglo-Dutch merchant convoy of 44 vessels escorted by six warships, destroying or capturing 20 of them.

1638

Sir Francis Godolphin (1605-1667), an English MP who inherited estates which included the lease of the Isles of Scilly, was appointed High Sheriff of Cornwall.

1639

A Royal Charter is granted to St. Ives by King Charles I.

(26th December) Reginald Mohun, MP, 1st Baronet of Boconnoc dies aged 74.

1640

St. Michael's Mount is sold to Sir Francis Basset.

John, 2nd Lord Robartes, the leader of the Cornish Group of Parliamentarians became Lord-Lieutenant of Cornwall.

Land was bought near Saltash by Henry Killigrew to build Ince House on.

1641

(23rd September) The 'Royal Merchant', an English merchant ship was lost at sea with 18 lives lost off Land's End. On board were at least £100,000 of gold, 400 bars of Mexican silver and nearly 500,000 pieces of eight and other coins, making it one of the most valuable wrecks of all times.

1642

(24th July) Jonathan Rashleigh II is born. He becomes Sheriff of Cornwall in 1686/7, and several times MP for Fowey.

(22nd August) War of the five peoples - Civil War in Britain, involving the English, Scots, Irish, Welsh, Cornish.

(30th September) At the start of the Civil War a Royalist force under Sir Ralph Hopton and Sir Bevil Grenville enters Cornwall and the First Battle of Lostwithiel begins.

(13th October) Sir Ralph Hopton proclaims the King's commission at Launceston gaining the support of the townspeople against the Parliamentary committee which attempted to indict him for disturbing the peace.

St. Michael's Mount seized by Charles I.

Prince Charles (Charles II) stays at Pendennis Castle, protected by the Governor, Sir John Arundell.

(Early December) Sir Ralph Hopton secures the Cornish side of Plymouth Sound.

1643

(19th January) Battle of Braddock Down. Colonel Ruthin's Parliamentarian troops are defeated by Sir Ralph Hopton with Sir Bevil Grenville's Regiment which includes the giant 7 foot 4 inch Anthony Payne carrying his colours. Two hundred Parliamentarians were killed, 1,250 were taken prisoner and two large cannon were captured by the Royalists.

(22nd January) The Cornish Royalist army captured Saltash from the Parliamentarians and forced them to cross the Tamar into England.

(8th February) During a fight between the Cornish Royalists and Parliamentarians Colonel Sidney Godolphin of the Cornish army was shot dead.

(14th March) Sir Richard Carew, 1st Baronet of Antony dies aged 63.

(22nd April) The Parliamentarian forces under the command of Oliver Cromwell advanced in an attempt to capture Launceston, from the Royalists. The Royalist army stationed their forces on the summit of Windmill Hill, the steep hill which overlooks the town. The Parliamentarians captured the town, but were unable to dislodge the Royalist forces from Windmill Hill. James Basset, brother of Sir Francis Basset and Sir Thomas Basset, was killed in battle at Polsloe Bridge near Launceston.

(25th April) The Earl of Stamford sends a detachment to hold Bodmin for Parliament and concentrates his main force at Stratton.

(16th May) Battle of Stratton. The Earl of Stamford's Parliamentarian force is repelled by Hopton's men after day-long fighting, with 300 men killed and 1700 captured, and retreats to Bideford.

(5th July) The victories for Hopton with the Cornish militia provide the impetus for campaigns in Devon and Somerset. Taunton and Bridgwater are taken by the Cornish army, but Sir Bevil Grenville, John Trevanion and Sir Nicholas Slanning are killed in the moment of victory at the Battle of Lansdown in Somerset and Hopton is seriously wounded. Bristol falls to Hopton's troops, and later Exeter.

(August) John Grenville, third son of Sir Bevil Grenville was Knighted by King Charles I after the capture of Bristol.

(7th September) The city of Exeter surrendered to the Cornish Royalist army.

(10th September) The King sent a letter thanking the Cornish for their support and for fighting for him. The letter was placed in every church and chapel in Cornwall. Some churches in Cornwall still display the letter today.

(5th October) The town of Dartmouth in Devon surrendered to the Cornish Royalist army.

(3rd December) The siege of Plymouth begins, but the result is disastrous for the Cavaliers. Sir Richard Grenville, having previously declared for Parliament, invites his troops to follow him into the King's service. Parliament proclaim him a traitor.

1644

(March) Sir Richard Grenville arrives in Plymouth to maintain a blockade, but it results in a stalemate as inhabitants obtain enough provisions to survive. The arrival of Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex, in command of the Roundhead army of 8000 men forces Grenville to retreat westwards across the River Tamar.

(May) some 300 Parliamentarians attacked and captured the fort at Mount Edgcumbe, then went on to attack the House and take Maker Church (used as a signal tower), and a battery of six guns at Cawsand.

(26th July) Robert Devereux, third Earl of Essex crossed the River Tamar at Horsebridge with 10,000 men and advanced into Cornwall, arriving at Bodmin two days later.

Campaign at Lostwithiel.
(1st August) King Charles I arrived in Cornwall and spent the night at Trecarrel south of Launceston.
(2nd August) Charles was in pursuit of the Earl of Essex and stayed at Stuart House in Liskeard.
(4th August) Charles took possession of Boconnoc House and stayed there many days. Sir John Arundell was Knighted for gallantry.
(11th August) Sir Richard Grenville's Royalist men surround them at Lostwithiel, secure Respryn Bridge and Lanhydrock House then take Bodmin.
(21st August) Grenville takes Restormel Castle and Beacon Hill, Lostwithiel. Intermittent fighting follows with gains and losses, but the Royalists push the Parliamentarians back to Castle Dore high above the Fowey River.
(31st August) Essex escapes leaving his army to surrender. They are not kindly treated by the Royalists, but sent off having had their weapons confiscated.
(2nd September) Perhaps 1000 of the 6000 Roundheads survive hunger, disease and exposure, but their time in Lostwithiel has seen the vandalism of Lostwithiel's Duchy Palace and Jonathan Rashleigh's Menabilly house, and the destruction of all the constitutional Charters and Stannary records placed in Luxulyan church for safety. The ensuing debate in London about the unsatisfactory manner of the war leads to the passage of the Self-Denying Ordinance. This is the prompt for a professional English army with a unified command and devoid of its earlier feudal nature - the New Model Army.

(End September) Sir Richard Grenville was put in command of the siege of Plymouth (surrounding Plymouth with soldiers). Plymouth supported the Parliamentarians but Sir Richard’s Cornish troops tried to make its people surrender.

(23rd December) Sir Alexander Carew, 2nd Baronet of Antony is executed aged 35 for attempting to betray the Parliamentary cause.

1645

(21st January) Sir Thomas Fairfax is chosen to command the New Model Army. The Royalist army is also reorganised and a succession of command changes and squabbling ensues. Prince Charles becomes the Commander-in-Chief. The Royalists suffers a noted defeat at Naseby in Northamptonshire and Fairfax's men overrun them in confrontations in the south and west of England.

Launceston Castle eventually fell to Cromwell.

(15th June) Sidney Godolphin is born in Godolphin Hall near Helston. He served in Parliament for most of his life.

Cornish Royalist leader Sir Richard Grenville, 1st Baronet made Launceston his base and he stationed Cornish troops along the River Tamar and issued them with instructions to keep "all foreign troops out of Cornwall".

(19th September) Sir Francis Basset dies aged 51 at Camborne.

(Late September) Prince Charles withdraws from Exeter to spend a great part of the autumn and winter in Cornwall, principally at Launceston and Truro.

1646

(January) The Prince gives Lord Hopton command of the Royalist forces, with Wentworth to command the horse and Grenville the foot. Sir Richard Grenville refuses and is imprisoned in Launceston prison initially and later in St. Michael's Mount.

(February) Hopton advances from Stratton to Torrington en route to Exeter, but is driven out by Fairfax's men, and falls back to Stratton. Fairfax proceeds into Cornwall reaching Launceston (25th February), Bodmin (2nd March) and St. Austell (3rd March). Oliver Cromwell came with 500 Dragoons and 1000 horsemen to take and hold the bridge at Wadebridge. Cornish Royalist leaders realised that they were losing the war and surrendered the east of Cornwall to the Parliamentarians at Millbrook. Hopton's army is in disarray but he refuses to surrender. News at Bodmin of an imminent Irish invasion further damages the Royalist cause locally and Fairfax offers Hopton terms. Surrender of the Royalist forces to the Parliamentarians takes place at Tresillian Bridge near Truro on 15th March.

(2nd March) Sir Arthur Basset escorted the Prince of Wales in his flight to the Isles of Scilly.

(April) The siege of Pendennis Castle began and lasted for five months. Parliamentary forces attacked the castle from both land and sea and it finally surrendered on 17th August 1646.

(23rd April) Some Cornish Royalists refused to surrender their castles. Brothers Sir Francis and Sir Arthur Basset did not surrender St. Michael's Mount to the Parliamentarians until April 1646.

1647

Plague in Penzance again.

1648

(16th May) The Gear Rout - The last Cornish armed uprising following the end of the English Civil War involving some 500 rebels who fought against the Parliamentarian forces of Sir Hardress Waller at sites in Penzance and near the Helford River. The Parliamentarians defeated both risings. To show that Cornish resistance had been crushed, Parliamentarian soldiers marched through Penryn with Cornish hurling balls stuck on the ends of their swords.

Plague hits St. Austell.

1649

(30th January) Charles I is executed. There follows eleven years of rule by Parliament as the Commonwealth under Cromwell.

(30th January) HMS 'Garland' carrying the wardrobe of the Prince of Wales was wrecked at Godrevy. She was taking shelter off St. Ives in a great storm and dragged her anchors. Only a man, boy and wolf–dog survived out of about 60 passengers and crew.

1650

(24th March) Sir Jonathan Trelawny was born near Looe. The hero of the Cornwall's National Anthem - Song of the Western Men.

The Stannary regulations were abolished, coinage duty as well as pre-emption, and there followed a decade of unprecedented prosperity when the price of tin doubled and production reached a record levels.

1651

Reverend Hugh Peters baptised at Fowey in 1598 becomes Chaplain to Oliver Cromwell. Author of numerous publications, his life ends by hanging and decapitation at Charing Cross in 1660.

(4th May) Oliver's Battery is built by Sir Robert Blake, after he invaded Tresco, to enable his attack on St. Mary's.

(23rd May) Sir John Grenville and Royalists driven out of the Isles of Scilly by Admiral Robert Blake during the Civil War.

Cromwell's Castle is built on Tresco as a replacement for the earlier King Charles Castle partially destroyed during the Civil War.

1652

Battle of Plymouth off Cornish coast, part of First Anglo-Dutch War.

1653

Charles Trelawny is born, he later serves as a British Army officer, and was the fourth son of Sir Jonathan Trelawny, 2nd Baronet.

1654

(December) Sir John VII Arundell, eldest son and heir, of Trerice, dies aged 78.

1655

William Hals, the historian, is born at Tresawsen, Merther, near Truro. Part of his projected History of Cornwall is published in 1750, covering 72 parishes alphabetically from Advent to Helston. A manuscript for Illogan survives but the remainder is unfinished.

George Fox (the founder of the Quakers) visits Falmouth.

Digory Vingoe of Treville purchased Land's End from Sir John Arundell.

1656

Quaker George Fox was imprisoned at Launceston Castle.

(March) The English man-o'-war, 'Primrose' lost her main topmast off the Longships and drifted onto the Seven Stones. She managed to free herself from the reef and sank in 60 fathoms taking sixteen men, two women and a child with her.

1657

(March) John Harris, of St. Michael's Mount, dies aged 71. He had served as an MP for Launceston.

1658

The Cornish ship 'Aleppo Merchant' was wrecked on the approaches to the River Camel at Treyarnon Bay while on passage from Smyrna bound for London.

(3rd September) Death of Oliver Cromwell. He is succeeded by his son Richard Cromwell.

(24th September) John Treffry dies aged 64 at Fowey.

1659

(May) Richard Cromwell is forced to resign. The Rump Parliament is restored.

The St. Aubyn family buys St. Michael's Mount from Sir Francis Basset.

1660

(29th May) Charles II returns to England from Holland and is restored to the throne.

(26th July) Charles Robartes is born at Lanhydrock Estate.

(20th August) The names of Smithike and Penny-come-quick changed to Falmouth by Charles II's proclamation.

The population of Cornwall is now 118,000 persons.

1661

The village of Flushing near Falmouth is founded.

Falmouth received its charter from King Charles II.

1662

Sir William Lower is born at Tremeer, St. Tudy. He becomes a noted playwright of his day. He is buried in London.

1663

The church of King Charles the Martyr is built in Falmouth.

King Charles II made Penzance a new coinage town for the tin mining industry.

1664

(16th February) Sir John Trelawny, 1st Baronet of Trelawny dies aged 72. He was High Sheriff of Cornwall in 1630.

1665

(18th January) The cargo ship 'Royal Oak' was sunk at the Isles of Scilly.

(July) Sir William Killigrew, 1st Baronet of Arwenack dies aged 65.

(3rd October) Sir Richard Vyvyan, 1st Baronet of Trelowarren dies aged 52. He was MP at different times for Penryn, Tregony and St. Mawes.

1666

Dr. Richard Lower, of Tremeer, St. Tudy, baptised in 1631, publishes information on the transfusion of blood between animals, and of an experiment practised on a man in London.

1667

(March) The 'Jonkheer' of the Dutch East India Company, loaded with a cargo of sugar, coffee, spices and Banca tin with a value of £50,000 was wrecked under Angrouse Cliff near Mullion Cove.

During the wars with the Dutch, the Dutch fleet threatens Fowey harbour but is defended by furious canon fire from St. Catherine's Castle and Polruan Blockhouse.

Great Plague reaches West Cornwall.

(7th October) The 'Santo Christo de Costello', a Genoese merchant vessel sailing from Amsterdam to Genoa on its maiden voyage with a general cargo, was driven ashore at Mullion Cove. Twenty five of the 120 people on board drowned, with the remainder escaping on the ship's boats.

1668

Thomas Basset of Tehidy, dies aged 40.

1669

The French ship 'San Salvador' is wrecked near the Lizard. This wreck may be the ship the Ferdinand Research Group discovered in 1969 below Angrouse Cliff near Mullion Cove.

(29th August) John Anstis, born at St. Neot, he later becomes Garter King at Arms.

1670

Sir Peter Killigrew built a new quay near Arwenack House in Falmouth.

1671

(23rd June) A man called John Trehenban (1650-1671) of St. Columb Major, murdered two young girls and was sentenced to imprisonment in a cage on Castle an Dinas, and he eventually starved to death.

1672

(3rd November) Walter Moyle is born at Bake near St. Germans. He became an English politician and political writer, an advocate of classical republicanism.

1673

James Williams dies. He came to Cornwall with his brothers Davey and Richard from Shropshire to make a major contribution to the development of the Cornish Mining Industry.

1674

The last Cornish language sermon was preached at Landewenack church, near Lizard village.

(27th February) The fourteen gun sloop HMS 'Lizard' was wrecked on the Seven Stones reef with the loss of over one hundred crew.

1675

(1st May) Jonathan Rashleigh I of Menabilly, near Fowey, dies aged 84, he was an English shipping-merchant and a MP for Fowey.

1676

Most of the church of St. Columb was blown up with gunpowder by three youths of the town.

Chesten Marchant, died at Gwithian, she was believed to have been the last monoglot Cornish Language speaker.

1677

(August) John Harris dies aged 46, he was an English politician from near Liskeard who sat in the House of Commons from 1661 to 1677.

1678

(4th April) John Godolphin dies aged 61. He was an English jurist and writer, an admiralty judge under the Commonwealth.

(20th September) Thomas Tonkin is born at Trevance, near Wadebridge. He served as an MP for Helston. He also advocated that copper should be smelted in Cornwall instead of being taken to Bristol and to Wales, and that it should be brought within the stannary laws.

1679

John Grenville, 1st Earl of Bath builds Stowe House near Kilkhampton.

1680

St. Agnes Lighthouse is constructed on shore at St. Agnes, Isles of Scilly.

Tregrehan House near St. Blazey is built by Thomas Carlyon.

(23rd August) Sir John Coryton, 1st Baronet of Newton, dies aged 58.

1681

(5th March) Sir Jonathan Trelawny, 2nd Baronet of Trelawny dies aged 68. He was MP for East Looe.

(25th July) Sir Thomas Carew dies aged 57. He had served as an MP for Saltash.

(December) A cargo vessel was wrecked off St. Agnes on the Isles of Scilly. The lighthouse keeper on St. Agnes was found guilty of negligence for being inattentive to the light and for plundering some of the cargo.

1682

Francis Buller of Saltash dies aged 52, he was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1659 and 1679.

1683

A 40 foot daymark is erected at the northern end of St. Martin's on The Isles of Scilly to help ships navigate around the islands.

1684

(9th February) The East Indiaman 'the President' ran aground on the Loe Bar near Porthleven. She was carrying a valuable cargo of spices.

(4th April) The 'Schiedam' a Dutch built ship and, at the time, a sixth rate transport ship of the English fleet was wrecked at Gunwalloe Church Cove, near Porthleven.

1685

(6th February) James II succeeds his brother, Charles II.

Sir Robert Geffrye, born at Landrake in 1613, becomes Lord Mayor of London. Dying in 1703 he leaves money for the building of almshouses (built in 1715). They are now renowned as the Geffrye Museum.

(17th July) John Robartes 1st Earl of Radnor, dies aged 79 at Lanhydrock Estate. He was an English politician, who fought for the Parliamentary cause during the Civil War.

1686

(February) The ship 'Prinses Maria' sank in shallow water within the Western Rocks on the Isles of Scilly. King James II sent his yacht to salvage some of the cargo and in 1973 a diving team recovered coins, iron cannon and timbers.

Fowey gets a Royal Charter and Rashleigh's ship Francis forms part of new town arms.

1687

The Duchy of Cornwall leased The Isles of Scilly to the Godolphin family.

(20th March) Peter Killgrew's son George was killed in a duel in a Tavern in Penryn.

(23rd June) Sir John St. Aubyn, 1st Baronet of Clowance dies aged 42.

(7th September) Richard Arundell, 1st Baron Arundell of Trerice, dies aged 71.

1688

Imprisonment in Tower of London of Jonathan Trelawny for refusing to sign a paper to bring back Catholicism as official religion - acquitted.

(10th June) James Francis Edward, the Old Pretender becomes the Duke of Cornwall.

Falmouth is selected as the most westward port for packets to carry mails to the Groyne (Corunna), and was named The Royal Mail Packet Station, the first sailing being in January 1689.

1689

(11th April) William and Mary become joint King and Queen after King James II abdicates and flees to exile in France.

(13th July) Philip Rashleigh II is born. He served as MP for Liskeard. He rebuilt Menabilly circa 1710–15. He was a supporter of the Jacobite Pretender. He died in 1736 without progeny.

William Scawen One of the pioneers in the revival of the Cornish Language from St. Germans, dies aged 89.

1690

Mapmaker George Withiell is commissioned to make a new map of Falmouth to keep track of the new town which was rapidly expanding.

Sir John Coryton, 2nd Baronet of Newton, dies aged 58.

1691

(17th January) Richard Lower, famous for his medical studies and work, dies aged 60.

(3rd September) HMS 'Coronation' foundered off Rame Head while at anchor in a south–east gale with the loss of approximately 600 lives.

Anthony Payne dies aged 81 at the Grenville Manor house at Stratton. He was a seven foot four inch Cornish giant who was enlisted as a bodyguard to the Royalist Sir Bevil Grenville.

1692

Sir John Tremayne re-builds Heligan house in William and Mary style using Heligans own bricks.

(28th April) The first ship named HMS 'Cornwall' is launched at Southampton.

(1st August) Sir John Carew, 3rd Baronet of Antony dies aged 56. He was MP for Lostwithiel and Saltash.

1693

(13th March) Jonathan Rashleigh III was born, he became MP for Fowey from 1727 until his death in 1764.

1694

(28th December) Death of Queen Mary, William III now rules alone.

1695

Thomas Martyn, a topographer, is born in Gwennap near Redruth. He is noted for his 'New and accurate map of the County of Cornwall from actual survey' published in a number of editions and scales, from 1748 to 1784. He dies aged 56 at Ashburton, Devon, in 1751.

(4th August) William Oliver is born at Trevarno, near Helston.

(17th October) Sir William Killigrew of Pendennis Castle, dies aged 89 in London.

1696

(2nd February) William Borlase, the Cornish antiquary, is born at Pendeen. Author of a 'Natural History of Cornwall' 1758 and 'Antiquities of Cornwall' 1754. Dies in 1772.

(15th November) William Lemon who later lived at Carclew House near Truro and made his fortune from tin mining, is born.

1697

(24th February) Sir Vyell Vyvyan, 2nd Baronet of Trelowarren dies aged 58. He was governor of St. Mawes Castle.

(8th November) Samuel Enys dies aged 86, he served as an MP for Penryn.

(9th November) Mary Vivian of Trewan Hall, St. Columb Major, marries a distant cousin Sir Richard Vyvyan, 3rd Baronet of Trewlowarren. Thus uniting two branches of the family which had been separated for three centuries.

1698

Pentillie House is built by James Tillie, overlooking The River Tamar.

The first lighthouse is built on the Eddystone Reef by Henry Winstanley.

(21st June) John Arundell, 2nd Baron Arundell of Trerice dies aged 59.

1699

Joel Gascoyne publishes a map of Cornwall commissioned by John Robartes, 1st Earl of Radnor and set new standards in county map making.

Eddystone Lighthouse is re-built with a new stone clad exterior by Henry Winstanley.

1700

(February) The East Indiaman 'Thornton' was wrecked at Port Quin.

1701

(30th May) Hugh Boscawen a MP for Cornwall dies aged 76.

(22nd August) Sir John Grenville dies aged 73. Two weeks after his death his son and heir Charles Grenville shot himself, apparently overwhelmed by the debts he had inherited.

1702

(8th March) Anne succeeds her brother-in-law, William III.

Sidney Godolphin becomes Lord Treasurer until 1710.

The first Falmouth Packet service across the Atlantic to the West Indies.

(11th September) Jonathan Rashleigh II of Menabilly near Fowey, dies aged 60. He was several times MP for Fowey.

The 32nd (Cornwall) Regiment of Foot was first raised by Colonel Edward Fox as Edward Fox’s Regiment of Marines to fight in the War of Spanish Succession.

1703

(14th April) Daniel Gumb is born at Linkinhorne. Raised as a stone-cutter, he makes a name for himself as a self-taught mathematician. He makes his home carving out a cave by The Cheesewring. The roof serves as an observatory, and the whole as a place where he can study uninterrupted but near to his work. He becomes more reclusive and the home also serves as a chapel for him as he was never seen to attend the parish church. His wife and several children also live in the rock dwelling.

(17th June) John Wesley was born in the rectory at Epworth, Lincolnshire, the 15th child of the British clergyman Samuel Wesley.

(18th October) Sir Richard Carew, 4th Baronet of Antony dies aged 20.

(27th November) A violent storm, the tail end of an American hurricane results in damaged houses, ships being driven ashore and the destruction of Eddystone Lighthouse killing six occupants, including its builder Henry Winstanley. A ship torn from its moorings in the Helford River was blown for 200 miles before grounding eight hours later on the Isle of Wight.

1704

(16th January) Approximately one hundred lives lost when HMS 'Colchester' was wrecked in Whitesand Bay near Rame Head.

1705

(8th January) Sir Peter Killigrew, 2nd Baronet of Arwenack dies aged 71.

Grant to Anthony Nicoll for two fairs or markets at St. Tudy.

1706

(September) John Arundell, 3rd Baron Arundell of Trerice dies aged 28.

(December) Sidney Godolphin was titled Earl of Godolphin for his work with Marlborough in bringing about the union of England and Scotland.

1707

(21st October) HMS 'Devonshire' sank after a battle off Lizard Point against a French fleet of twelve ships.

(22nd October) HMS 'Association', the flagship of Sir Cloudesley Shovel, wrecked on the Isles of Scilly with a loss of 800 lives, along with three other ships of the 21 strong fleet: HMS 'Firebrand', 'Eagle' and 'Romney'. In all, approximately 2,000 men died that night.

1708

Grant in fee for Robert Hooker, gent. of three fairs at Camborne.

(9th December) The East Indiaman 'Albemarle' was blown ashore with a valuable cargo of diamonds, coffee, pepper, silk and indigo near Polperro.

1709

The thatched Friends' Meeting House at Come-to-Good, near Feock is built.

Rudyerd's Tower built on the Eddystone rock, but burnt down in 1755.

Truro lost jurisdiction of Falmouth harbour.

1710

Antony House, the home of the Carew family at Torpoint, begins construction, and is completed in 1721.

(27th August) Sir William Godolphin, 1st Baronet of Godoplhin dies at Godolphin House aged 70.

1711

(29th July) A French pirate ship landed at St. Loy, near Penberth and robbed Boskenna House.

(19th August) Birth of Admiral Edward Boscawen near Falmouth.

(6th December) Sir William Coryton, 3rd Baronet of Newton, dies aged 61.

1712

(15th September) Sidney Godolphin, 1st Earl of Godolphin, who had served as an MP in Cornwall and Governor of The Isles of Scilly, dies aged 67.

(5th November) Charles Mohun, 5th Baron Mohun, is killed in a duel with the Duke of Hamilton. Mohun has previously been tried and cleared (1692-3) by the House of Peers for the murder of William Mountford.

1713

The first harbour was built at Portreath.

1714

John Williams is born. He becomes a successful mining engineer, and manager of Poldice and Gwennap mines. He is noted for driving the County Adit from Bissoe Bridge to drain the mines of Poldice, a task which lasts twenty years and the completed work, thirty miles long, takes in numerous branch adits and drains fifty mines.

(20th June) Sir John St. Aubyn, 2md Baronet of Clowance dies aged 44.

(1st August) George I, the first Hanoverian King, succeeds his distant cousin, Queen Anne after she dies aged 49, at Kensington Palace. George Augustus, son of George I becomes the Duke of Cornwall. Naturally the legitimate heir James, son of James II of England, protested against this and those who believed in his rights took stronger steps than protestations, though they took a good year to get under way.

1715

(3rd May) "The most celebrated eclipse ever recorded in England. Totality passed right across England from Cornwall to Norfolk".

(22nd September) The Jacobite uprising in Cornwall begins. John Anstis, MP for Launceston was arrested for plotting an uprising and on 6th October Sir Richard Vyvyan of Trelowarren, MP for Cornwall and the most influential Jacobite in the West, was taken and sent to London in the custody of a messenger. Mr James Paynter of Trekenning, proclaimed the Pretender in the market square at St. Columb Major. At this time the representative of the Government in Cornwall was Hugh Boscawen, of Tregothnan. He called out the militia and took measures which effectively put an end to any attempt at a rising.

Trewithen House near Probus, under re-construction by Thomas Edwards of Greenwich is bought by Philip Hawkins.

Admiral Sir Richard Spry is born at Place Manor on The Roseland Peninsula. He was in later life a Royal Navy officer who served as Commander-in-Chief, North American Station.

John Williams the First (1685–1761) built Burncoose House at Gwennap near Redruth.

1716

John Buller (1632–1716) dies aged 84. He inherited from his father the Cornish estate of Shillingham near Saltash. He inherited from his first wife the Cornish estate of Morval, near Looe. He served six times as an MP for various towns in Cornwall. And he was appointed High Sheriff of Cornwall from November 1688 to March 1689.

1717

Pendennis Castle struck by lightning and seriously damaged.

1718

John Anstis, born at St. Neot in 1669, (MP for St. Germans in 1702 and Launceston in 1713) becomes Garter King at Arms and authors of a number of heraldic works.

1719

The Jacobite uprising in Cornwall of this year was the last uprising against the British Crown to take place. John Anstis, MP for Launceston was arrested for plotting an uprising and Sir Richard Vyvyan of Trelowarren, MP for Cornwall, the most influential Jacobite in the West, was taken and sent to London.

1720

(27th January) Samuel Foote, playwright and comedian, is born at Truro.

Thomas Newcomen comes to Cornwall to erect an atmospheric engine at Wheal Fortune Mine in Ludgvan.

Thomas Pitt, otherwise known as 'Diamond Pitt', (1653-1726) buys Boconnoc, near Lostwithiel, and other manors in Cornwall with the proceeds of the sale of a famous 127 carat diamond to the Regent of Orleans (later Louis XV) in 1716 for approximately £125,000. While Governor of Fort St. George, Madras, he had bought it for around £20,400. Thomas Pitt becomes the grandfather of William Pitt the Elder (statesman) and Great Grandfather of William Pitt the Younger (Prime Minister), and 2nd Baron Camelford (see 1775).

Ralph Allen devises the first cross-country postal service. Known as 'The Man of Bath', he was born in St. Blazey in 1693, becoming Post Master in Bath; Contractor for Cross Posts (1722-1764) and Mayor of Bath 1742.

Dolcoath, near Camborne, perhaps Cornwall's most celebrated mine, is already working and by 1778 is 160 fathoms deep. By 1864, equipped with its ten engines, seven water wheels, and a man-engine, it employs about 1200 people. Underground working ceases in 1920 by which time the bottom level is at 550 fathoms, the deepest of all the Cornish mines.

William Esco Treffry is born at Fowey.

1721

Mining is in operation by this time at Botallack Mine on the cliff's edge near St. Just, and by 1800 the workings extended to over 100 fathoms and a long distance beneath the sea. It becomes one of Cornwall's richest tin mines. Operations finally end in 1914.

(19th July) Sir Jonathan Trelawny, 3rd Baronet of Trelawne dies aged 71. His body was brought back to Pelynt near Looe for burial.

(10th November) The 127 foot HMS 'Royal Anne', the last oared fighting ship built for the Royal Navy, hit rocks off Lizard Point while en route to the West Indies with Lord Belhaven, the new Governor of Barbados. 182 crew and 25 gentlemen died and there were only three survivors.

1722

The ownership of Ince Castle was transferred to John Hobart 1st Earl of Buckinghamshire when the Nosworthys died leaving many debts.

1723

(3rd August) Charles Robartes, 2nd Earl of Radnor of Lanhydrock Estate, dies aged 63.

Thomas Hawkins is born at Trewithen near Truro.

1724

A harbour is built for the tiny fishing cove of Coverack.

1725

One of the first Newcomen engines in Cornwall was installed by Joseph Hornblower at Wheal Rose Mine, near Truro.

1726

(13th March) Alexander Pendarves dies aged 64, he was at various times MP for Penryn, Saltash, Helston and Launceston.

1727

(11th June) George II succeeds his father, George I. Frederick Lewis, son of George II becomes the Duke of Cornwall.

Sir John Aubyn, the 3rd Baronet, re-built the harbour at St. Michael's Mount.

Another Newcomen engine is installed by Joseph Hornblower at Wheal Busy Mine near Chacewater.

St. Michael's Church in Helston was struck by lightning.

1728

(18th March) Francis Godolphin was appointed governor of the Isles of Scilly.

(23rd April) Birth of Samuel Wallis near Camelford.

1729

(28th December) Philip Rashleigh III is born, his collection of minerals was remarkable for its various specimens of tin. It is now held by the Royal Cornwall Museum in Truro.

1730

St. Agnes un-maintained harbour was swept away into the sea.

1731

Robert Corker of Falmouth dies aged 63, owing thousands to the Prince of Wales and the Duchy of Cornwall. He was an apprentice to a Falmouth merchant but lost all his money when he started a whale fishery of the coast of Cornwall. He was also MP for Bossiney for a while.

1732

(22nd September) Colonel Sidney Godolphin dies aged 81, he was Governor of the Isles of Scilly. He served in Parliament for nearly 50 years.

1733

John Knill who instigated the five yearly celebrations at his mausoleum near St. Ives, is born at Callington. He becomes Collector of Customs at St. Ives and is elected Mayor in 1767. Resigning his Customs post in 1782 around which time he arranges the erection of a mausoleum on Worvas Hill as he "abhorred the practice of burial within the body of the church" which prevailed in St. Ives at the time. He moves to London and buys chambers in Gray's Inn Square and is called to the Bar in 1787. In 1811 he dies aged 78 and is buried at Holborn, not St. Ives.

(29th May) The ferry at Saltash overturned and sank with the loss of twenty lives.

1734

Tehidy House, Illogan, is built for the Basset family to the design of Thomas Edwards of Greenwich. It is destroyed by fire in 1919.

1735

Daniel Gumb, a gifted 18th century thinker and stone-cutter moved his large family into a cave near Minions.

1736

John Arnold, was born in Bodmin. He later perfected the ships chronometer.

(12th August) Philip Rashleigh II, the eldest son and heir of Jonathan Rashleigh (1642–1702) by his second wife Jane Carew, dies aged 47. He served as MP for Liskeard 1710-1722.

(1st December) Sir Richard Vyvyan, 3rd Baronet of Trelowarren dies aged 55. He was involved in the Jacobite uprising in Cornwall of 1715 and was imprisoned in the Tower of London.

1737

(3rd March) Thomas Pitt, 1st Baron Camelford is born at Boconnoc.

The Sherborne Mercury newspaper commences publication in Dorset. It includes Cornish news and advertising, and circulates throughout the south west of England. It continues until 1867.

The Killigrew Monument or Pyramid is erected in Falmouth.

1738

(21st November) The 'Vigilantia' bound for Hamburg from Lisbon with a cargo of salt, tobacco, sugar and lemons was wrecked west of Porthleven with the loss of the captain, three crew and all the cargo. Five men were saved.

(November) The Dutch vessel 'Lady Lucy' was wrecked on Porthleven beach while bound for Rotterdam from Bordeaux with a cargo of wine, coffee, indigo and brandy.

(29th December) The Dutch ship the 'Nebotis Vineyard' loaded with a cargo of wine was wrecked near Porthleven.

1739

(22nd May) Sir John Coryton, 4th Baronet of Newton, dies aged 49.

Carclew House designed by the architect Thomas Edwards, is built near Truro. It was destroyed by fire in 1934.

Stowe House near Kilkhampton, a mansion built in 1679 by John Grenville is demolished.

1740

Expansion of deep copper mining in Cornwall. This heralds the Industrial Revolution in Britain.

Fearing a Spanish attack the corporation built a battery of guns, on rocks near the Old Quay, to defend Penzance.

Princes House is built in Truro for William Lemon.

1741

(18th May) Malachy Hitchins is born at Gwennap near Redruth. He later becomes an astronomer and mathematician. He was also involved the production of the Nautical Almanac.

1742

Redruth Brewery was founded by William Davey. By the middle of the 19th century, the brewery had expanded to include three malt houses, counting houses, an engine and boiler house, sheds, a carpenter's shop, beer store, aerated water factory, water tank and water reservoir.

(9th March) The 'Nancy' carrying spirits, hemp, iron and gunpowder caught fire and blew up at New Grimsby in the Isles of Scilly. There was damage to several ships in the vicinity.

John Stackhouse is born at Probus. He later becomes a famous botanist.

1743

John Wesley's Methodism becomes the dominant religious denomination. The first of 32 visits to Cornwall was to Wesley Cottage near Altarnun.

(13th June) The Dutch East India Ship 'Hollandia' was wrecked off the Isles of Scilly. The entire ship's company of 276 - crew, soldiers and passengers - all perished. In 1971 Rex Cowan found the wreck, and discovered a large quantity of silver coins, along with bronze cannons and mortars.

1744

(4th March) John Anstis the politician, dies aged 75. He rose to the highest heraldic office in England and became Garter King of Arms in 1718 after years of political manoeuvring.

(8th March) Sir William Carew, 5th Baronet, dies aged 55 after building Antony House. He was MP for Saltash.

(15th August) Sir John St. Aubyn, 3rd Baronet of Clowance dies aged 48.

(September) John Wesley is threatened with murder by a large crowd of demonstrators at St. Ives.

1745

The Jacobite rising of 1745, often referred to as "the Forty-five", was the attempt by Charles Edward Stuart to regain the British throne for the exiled House of Stuart. The rising occurred during the War of the Austrian Succession when most of the British Army was on the European continent. These plans were kept secret from Sir John St. Aubyn (a Member for Cornwall and owner of tin mines) and Sir William Carew (a Member for Cornwall).

(4th July) John Wesley faced a large crowd of demonstrators against his preachings at Falmouth.

Work starts on a 600 foot long pier for Penzance.

(24th November) The French frigate 'Medee' was wrecked during gales at St. Ives.

(26th December) Sir Francis Vyvyan, 4th Baronet of Trelowarren dies aged 47. He held the office of High Sheriff of Cornwall in 1739.

1746

William Cookworthy, (A Kingsbridge Quaker who began a wholesale chemist's business in Plymouth around 1733), having researched the Chinese manufacture of porcelain, obtains kaolin from Virginia in America, then he locates china clay and china-stone deposits on the western side of Tregonning Hill in Germoe parish, near Helston. On a later journey to Cornwall he finds much larger quantities in the vicinity of St. Stephen-in-Brannel and St. Dennis, near St. Austell.

1747

(3rd May) Admiral Boscawen wins fame at Cape Finisterre by singly engaging the French fleet until the English fleet arrive.

Shipwrights from Fowey harbour are recruited to work at the new navy dockyard in Plymouth.

(17th November) Charles Rashleigh who later developed Charlestown as a port, is born.

(December) The 'Jonge Alcida' ran aground near Porthleven and its cargo plundered.

1748

(27th February) HMS 'Lizard' was wrecked on the Seven Stones reef with the loss of one hundred lives.

(24th March) Sir Coventry Carew, 6th Baronet of Antony dies aged 32. He was an MP for Cornwall.

William Cookworthy discovers china clay deposits at Foxhole.

Poldice's chief adventurer Sir William Lemon and manager John Williams started the Great County Adit to drain the mines in the Carnon Valley.

(11th October) Sir William Lemon, who becomes MP for Penryn (1769-72) and the County (1774-1824), is born in Truro. He dies at Carclew, Mylor, in 1824.

1749

Sir William Lemon acquired the family estate at Carclew.

1750

Wheal Jane mine is opened near Redruth.

Jamaica Inn is built at Bolventor as a coaching house on the A30 road across Bodmin Moor.

1751

The Lizard lighthouse is re-built.

1752

The Cornish Stannary Parliament is suspended, subsequent to a dispute with the Lord Warden, Thomas Pitt, over the location of the Convocation in Lostwithiel contrary to the wishes of the Stannators.

(9th July) Sir Evan Nepean, 1st Baronet was born in St. Stephens near Saltash. He later became a British politician and colonial administrator.

The capital of Cornwall is transferred from Lostwithiel to Launceston.

(August) The greatest hurricane ever remembered wrecked 15 vessels between Padstow and Tintagel.

1753

(11th September) The last Stannary Parliament was convened at Hingston Down near Kit Hill by a Lord Warden of the Stannaries.

Famous pirate and smuggler, John 'Eyebrows' Thomas of Marazion, was laid to rest in Gulval graveyard.

(5th July) Jonathan Hornblower Inventor of the compound steam engine is born at Chacewater near Redruth.

The 1753 Marriage Act stops churches like the one at Temple from conducting marriages without a licence.

1754

(25th March) The Marriage Act was passed which forbade clandestine marriages such as those held in St. Catherine's church at Temple on Bodmin Moor.

'Antiquities of Cornwall' by William Borlase, published.

The first turnpike Act for Cornish roads was introduced, dealing with roads in Truro.

(5th July) Robert Were Fox the Elder was born at Fowey.

(9th September) William Bligh is born, grandson of John Bligh of Tinten Manor, St. Tudy, near Bodmin. In 1787 he sets sail as Captain of the 'Bounty' to procure bread fruit trees from the South Seas.

(12th December) The brig 'Adventure Kingdom' carrying hemp, iron and tallow from Peterburgh sank as she entered her home port of St. Michael's Mount.

1755

(6th February) Henry Bone, enamelist, is born at Truro. He becomes enamel painter to the Prince of Wales in 1800, a Royal Academician in 1811, dying in 1834.

(1st November) The Lisbon Earthquake strikes at about 09:40 hours. Its magnitude is somewhere between eight and nine on the Richter Scale, the epicentre being some 125 miles west of Cape St. Vincent. It has knock-on effects throughout Europe, mostly in the form of flooding. Further damage is done by a Tsunami hitting the city and this is followed by several massive fires. In Cornwall, at St. Michael's Mount, at about 14:00 hours, the sea is observed to rise suddenly and then to retire. After ten minutes the sea rises nearly six feet, very rapidly coming in from the South East; it then ebbs again to the West with the same speed for about ten minutes, until it is nearly six feet lower than before. It returns again, and falls again in the same space of time, and continues to do so for some five hours after. In Penzance the tide rises some eight feet, at Newlyn Pier some ten feet. The same effect is reported at St. Ives and Hayle somewhat later.

(2nd December) The wooden Eddystone Lighthouse burns down.

1756

(2nd February) Sir John Trelawny, 4th Baronet of Trelawne dies aged 65. He was MP for West Looe.

The old church of St. Enuy at Redruth is taken down and replaced by a new building in the classical style, although its 15th century tower remains.

A large work-house was built at Bodmin on the Friary lands now belonging to the corporation, at the expense of Sir William Irby.

1757

(January) St. Bartholomew's church at Lostwithiel is struck by lightning. About twenty feet of the tower was thrown down in all directions frightening many of the town's inhabitants.

(15th July) An earthquake is felt in the Penzance area. It was documented and studied by the naturalist William Borlase.

(17th July) Benjamin Franklin landed at Falmouth on his way to America.

(9th August) Francis Basset (son of Sir Francis Basset) is born at Tehidy. He later becomes Francis Basset-Bt. Lord de Dunstanville and has a 90 foot granite monument erected to him at the summit of Carn Brea.

1758

The Cornish Copper Company established premises at the eastern end of Hayle where they smelted copper, later diversifying into iron founding. The two companies competed fiercely for more than a century, particularly over the use of harbour quays, dividing the town's loyalties between themselves and Harvey and Company. The two companies merged in 1867.

(23rd April) Captain Philip Gidley King was born in Launceston, he joined the Royal Navy at the age of twelve as captain's servant, and later became Governor of New South Wales, Australia.

'Natural History of Cornwall' by William Borlase, published.

(29th May) Sir Christopher Hawkins, 1st Baronet is born. He was to become a Cornish landowner, mine-owner, Tory MP, and patron of steam power.

(20th October) The 'Bell' a vessel smuggling tea and brandy was wrecked near Porthleven while trying to escape from the 'Shaftesbury' a customs sailing cutter which was also wrecked.

(22nd November) Richard Edgcumbe, 1st Baron Edgcumbe dies aged 78. He was MP for Lostwithiel.

1759

(January) While bound for Barcelona from London and Falmouth the 'Vincento Farea' was lost at the Isles of Scilly.

(23rd February) The schooner 'Anna Adriana' was wrecked on the Isles of Scilly with the loss of her crew and cargo.

(25th April) A Dutch ship carrying cheese sank near Sennen.

Smeaton's tower built on Eddystone rock, which was replaced in 1882. The top half of the tower was dismantled and re-erected on Plymouth Hoe as a monument to the builder.

The actress Mary Ann Davenport is born in Launceston.

1760

Pirates visited Penzance.

The current harbour is built at Portreath.

The Orangery is built in the Italian gardens at Mount Edgcumbe.

(29th September) The Turkish ship 'Cavalla Bianca' was wrecked on Chimney Rocks, Penzance.

(25th October) George III becomes King on the death of his grandfather, George II.

Reverend Richard Polwhele, who becomes the Vicar of Manaccan (1794-1821) and Newlyn East (1821-1838) and the author of a two-volume seven-part History of Cornwall, a similar work on Devon and many other books, is born at Truro.

1761

(10th January) Admiral Edward Boscawen dies aged 50. A hero of his time, he assists in the capture of Porto Bello in 1740, commands a party which storms Carthagena in 1747 capturing two batteries, becomes Commander-in-Chief of the Navy in 1758, and, with General Wolff, captures Louisberg and in 1759 beats the French fleet in Port Lagos.

(10th May) Richard Edgcumbe, 2nd Baron Edgcumbe dies aged 45. He was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall in 1759.

(16th May) John Opie born near St. Agnes. He was introduced to London in 1781 as 'the Cornish Wonder'. His style as a portraitist was marked by strong realism.

(25th December) William Gregor is born near Tregony, he goes on to discover titanium.

1762

(7th April) Sir Harry Trelawny, 5th Baronet of Trelawny dies aged 75. He was MP for East Looe.

John Wesley first visits Gwennap Pit in 1762, and thereafter eighteen times until his last visit in 1798 at the age of 86. In the entry in his Journal for Sunday 22nd August 1773 he estimates that 'two and thirty thousand' were present, and other dates record upwards of 20,000 in attendance. The pit we see today was remodelled by local tin miners and their helpers, re-opening on Whit Monday 1807. The annual Whit Monday service is still a feature of the local Methodist calendar.

(12th August) George Augustus Frederick, son of George III becomes the Duke of Cornwall.

1763

The church of St. Michael in Helston was entirely rebuilt by Earl Godolphin.

1764

(17th March) Dr William Oliver from Trevarno, near Helston dies aged 68.

(24th November) Jonathan Rashleigh III, MP for Fowey from 1727, dies aged 71.

1765

Pencarrow House, near Bodmin, is built in the Palladian style by Sir John Molesworth 4th Baronet of Pencarrow.

Thomas Bond was born at Looe, he became a historian and for nearly 40 years Town Clerk of both East Looe and West Looe.

1766

(17th January) Francis Godolphin 2nd Earl of Godolphin dies 87. He was MP for Helston and Tregony.

Francis Basset inherited Tehidy and became MP for Penryn.

(4th November) Arthur Woolf Inventor of the high pressure compound steam engine is born at Camborne.

(1st December) Thomas Hawkins of Trewithen near Truro dies aged 43 after being inoculated for smallpox.

1767

(11th January) The 'Seahorse' of Newcastle, bound from Cadiz to London, laden with currants, cream of tartar, Spanish wool and fustick, was wrecked near Old Grimsby, Isles of Scilly.

(6th March) Davies Gilbert (Giddy) PRS FAS FGS is born at St. Erth. He becomes a national figure of the Industrial Revolution, an antiquarian, the President of the Royal Society, and MP for Bodmin. He later served as High Sheriff of Cornwall. He chairs several parliamentary committees concerning, for instance, the building of roads, steam power, feeding the population, and the Poor Laws. He moves in the same circles as Boulton and Watt, Peel and Canning, and Darwin, and many others; he is patron of Cornish inventors like Richard Trevithick and Jonathan Hornblower and he discovers Humphry Davy.

1768

(January) William Hennah is born at St. Austell. He became a British naval officer, whose largely undistinguished career was suddenly highlighted by his assumption of command of HMS 'Mars' at the battle of Trafalgar in 1805 upon the death of that ship's captain, George Duff, who was decapitated by a cannonball.

William Cookworthy takes out a patent for the making of porcelain using Cornish china clay, and this and the establishment of a (short-lived) porcelain factory in Plymouth is greatly supported by the Honorable Thomas Pitt of Boconnoc (later Lord Camelford) who grants Cookworthy a lease on his land in St. Stephen.

The first Jewish Synagogue in Penzance was built.

(13th August) John Arundell, 4th Baron Arundell of Trerice dies aged 67.

1769

The Bodmin to Launceston turnpike road is opened across Bodmin Moor. This later becomes the A30 road.

1770

John Smeaton, noted for the Eddystone lighthouse, constructs a pier at St. Ives, since lengthened.

John Carter is born at Breage near Helston, he matured to become one of the biggest rogues on the coast, the self styled King of Prussia.

The Liskeard to Torpoint turnpike road is opened. This becomes the A38 and A374 roads.

1771

(March) John Arnold of Bodmin produced the first production marine precision timekeeper to the Board of Longitude.

(13th April) Richard Trevithick is born at Redruth. He was later to become one of Cornwall's most famous engineers.

The 123 feet high obelisk commemorating Thomas Pitt, Lord Camelford, is erected at Boconnoc.

The Penrose Estate near Helston was bought by the Rogers family for £11,000.

1772

(18th March) Henry Trengrouse is born at Helston. He became the inventor of the rocket line apparatus that fired a rope to stricken ships on the rocks, and enabled the crew to be taken off.

(31st August) The famous author William Borlase dies aged 76 at his home in Ludgvan, hear Penzance.

(12th October) Sir John St. Aubyn, 4th Baronet of Clowance dies aged 45. He was MP for Launceston.

(11th December) Sir William Trelawny, 6th Baronet of Trelawny dies aged 50. He was MP for West Looe.

1773

The St. Columb Canal, proposed by John Edyvean, is authorised and planned to run from Mawgan Porth through parishes inland and to return to St. Columb Porth. Its purpose is to import sea-sand for manuring to improve land. Two sections are built. One, from Trenance Point to near Whitewater, and the other from Lusty Glaze to near Rialton Barton in St. Columb Minor.

(25th September) The 'Duke of Cumberland' from Boston, Massachusetts carrying oil, lumber, deal and other timber to London was wrecked north-east of St. Helen's at the Isles of Scilly.

1774

John Edyvean an engineer from Cornwall, designed and invented the inclined plane system, to reduce the necessity for locks within the Bude canal system. He started building work on the St. Columb Canal, but died in the 1780's before it was completed.

William Cookworthy passes his patent for making porcelain from Cornish china clay to Richard Champion, prompting the interest of Josiah Wedgewood, the distinguished Staffordshire potter. Following a legal battle, Champion loses his monopoly over the Cornish materials.

A grid-based design for town of Torpoint was commissioned by Reginald Pole Carew.

Tregenna Castle in St. Ives was built as a twelve bedroom private home for a wealthy Cornishman with a love for the sea. Samuel Stephens Esquire commissioned the build of the house from local granite, and the four castellated turrets and original glazed skylight with the family coat of arms can still be seen today. The house remained in the family until it was sold by their final heir, John Stephens, to a family of local bankers, the Bolithos, in 1871.

1775

(19th February) Thomas Pitt, 2nd and last Baron Camelford is born at Boconnoc, near Lostwithiel. He becomes a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy, leads a short but remarkably adventurous life, and is mortally wounded in a duel with a friend Captain Best in 1804, behind Holland House, London.

(6th April) Edward William Wynne Pendarves is born at Pendarves near Camborne.

(28th July) Richard Hussey Vivian (afterwards General Lord Vivian) is born at Truro. During a distinguished military career he became MP for Truro (1820-25) and Windsor (1825-30), and later a Privy Councillor (1834), Master General of Ordnance (1835) and MP for East Cornwall (1837-41) at which time he was created Baron Vivian of Glynn House.

Sir John Call's mansion at Stoke Climsland near Callington is built. It is demolished in 1912.

Acton Castle was built near Perranuthnoe, by John Stackhouse

(25th November) Admiral Sir Richard Spry dies aged 60 at Place Manor on the Roseland Peninsula. He was a Royal Navy officer who served as Commander-in-Chief, North American Station.

1776

William Bodinar, who had learnt the Cornish language from fishermen, wrote a letter in Cornish which was probably the last prose in the language.

(1st July) Charles Rashleigh from Duporth, marries Grace Tremayne of Heligan at St. Ewe.

Daniel Gumb, the stone mason who lived with his family in cave near Minions, dies aged 73.

1777

Dolly Pentreath, who dies aged 85 in this year, is often claimed to be the last speaker of the Cornish language. However, William Bodinar who dies in 1794 knows five people in Mousehole who speak the language. Others claim knowledge of it as late as the 1890's. It is probably safe to say that the last native speakers are alive in the late 19th century. However, the Education Act of 1870 makes the teaching of English compulsory in all schools.

(21st October) Samuel Foote Dramatist and actor from Truro dies aged 57.

1778

James Watt erects his first pumping engine in a Cornish mine at Great Wheal Busy near Chacewater, one of the oldest of Cornwall's copper mines. It replaces a Newcomen engine installed by John Smeaton. By now, the mine has worked at various times from 1700 and continues to do so until 1900.

(17th December) Sir Humphry Davy is born in Penzance, he later invents the safety lamp.

1779

Bodmin Jail is opened as the new county jail.

Scottish engineer, William Murdoch, (born in Ayrshire in 1754) comes to Cornwall in the employment of Boulton and Watt.

John Harvey established a foundry and engineering works at Hayle called Harvey and Company, which went on to become a world class engineering works producing beam engines.

(November) William Esco Treffry dies aged 59.

1780

Scorrier House near Redruth is built by the mining tycoon John Williams after profiting spectacularly from a sudden tin price rise, enlarging it substantially in 1845. After a serious fire in 1908, it is re-built.

(July) Francis Vyvyan Jago Arundell is born at Launceston. He was in later life the Rector of Landulph, an antiquary and an oriental traveller.

(31st August) The brig 'Tryal' of Bristol was wrecked in Crow Sound, Isles of Scilly en route from St. Christopher, West Indies, with sugar.

(17th October) William Cookworthy dies aged 75.

(20th November) While carrying Portland stone to Dublin, the Weymouth brig 'Charming Molly' was stranded and lost on Bryher.

1781

(18th February) Henry Martyn is born in Truro, he later becomes a missionary in India.

Jonathan Hornblower who lived in Chacewater developed a compound steam engine (the double-beat steam valve). He was originally prevented from pursuing his invention by litigation with James Watt. However following the expiration of Boulton and Watt's patent, Hornblower's compound steam engine principle was used in steam engine efficiency.

(13th October) Sir Richard Vyvyan, 5th Baronet of Trelowarren dies aged 49. He married Jane Hawkins, daughter of Christopher Hawkins, on 6th December 1754.

1782

(2nd February) A British cargo ship the 'Lady Johanna' was wrecked at Little Smith, St. Agnes. The cargo of cotton and rum was salvaged and taken to Plymouth whilst the wreck was sold and broken up.

Joseph Treffry, famous for building the railway viaduct at Luxulyan and the harbour at Par, is born in Plymouth.

John Knill built himself a triangular pyramid of granite some 50 feet high on Worvas Hill as a mausoleum for himself near St. Ives.

An oil-fed wick is developed and used for the first time on Eddystone Lighthouse.

1783

(24th January) The brig 'Oldenburger' carrying a general cargo from St. Vincent to Ostend went ashore on Tresco in New Grimsby harbour.

A Bronze Age necklace was discovered in the Gwithian area and was housed in the British Museum until 2011 when it was moved to Penlee House Museum in Penzance.

(15th April) Maria Branwell, Mother of the Brontes is born in Penzance.

(10th August) An earthquake is felt in the Launceston area.

(4th September) The 'Financier' bound for London from Charlestown, Carolina with tobacco, rice and indigo hit rocks near Annet, Isles of Scilly and sank.

1784

William Murdoch makes a small steam locomotion which he tries successfully in Redruth in Church Lane.

(26th February) The packet ship 'Nancy', carrying actress Ann Cargill and her young child, struck the Gilstone in the Western Rocks and sank in deeper water near Rosevear Ledges on the Isles of Scilly.

(9th August) William Hamley, founder of Hamleys toyshop is born in Bodmin.

(3rd September) Sir Charles Lemon, 2nd Baronet is born at Carclew House, near Truro.

1785

(18th March) Birth of General Sir Walter Raleigh Gilbert at Bodmin.

(25th May) Francis Godolphin, 2nd Baron Godolphin dies aged 79. He was governor to The Isles of Scilly from 1766.

Mail coaches were seen for the first time in Cornwall.

1786

(April) The prolific smuggler Thomas Welland, in his armed lugger 'Happy go Lucky' ,was killed in a gun battle near Mullion Island by men of the Revenue cutters 'Hawk' and 'Lark'. The rest of the crew were captured, and on board were found many illegal fighting cocks.

(25th August) James Silk Buckingham, MP, journalist and reformer, is born at Flushing near Penryn.

(December) The 'Metta Catharina' was blown onto a dangerous underwater reef off Mount Edgcumbe. The captain and crew were able to escape to safety.

(24th December) The brigantine 'Duke of Cornwall' of Penzance hit the Bartholomew Ledge and was beached on St. Agnes. She was the Duke of Cornwall's private tin ship and was carrying a general cargo from London for Falmouth and Penzance, in the teeth of a violent gale. The crew were saved but little of her cargo was retrieved for the proprietors. Also on the same day the brig 'Betsy' from Chester, and heading for London, was lost between the Bartholomew Ledge and Perconger, St. Agnes. She was carrying lead blocks and empty casks.

1787

Riots at Poldice mine due to the copper price depression.

(28th February) The 'Star Cross' was wrecked off Manacle Point on The Lizard Peninsula.

Assembly Rooms are built in Truro.

1788

(January) James Ruse, a Launceston man, is deported on the first Australian convict ship.

John Wesley's last visit to Cornwall.

(16th August) A great fire in Church Street, Falmouth extends up Well Lane, and as far as the present Public Rooms.

1789

(15th March) Jonathan Couch, Cornwall's foremost naturalist in the 19th century, is born at Polperro.

Bread riots in Truro at the outbreak of the French Revolution - the tinners are nearly starved.

(25th August) King George III and Queen Charlotte visited Cotehele House.

1790

William Gregor discoveries manaccanite, now know as Titanium at Manaccan, on the Lizard Peninsula.

Philip Rashleigh builds a lime kiln on the quay at Polkerris.

(20th April) The 'Elizabeth of London' with a cargo of salt from Alicante was wrecked under Tinklers Hill, St. Martin's.

John Williams who constructed the Great County Adit, dies aged 76.

An Act of Parliament formed a body of men called Improvement Commissioners with powers to clean and light the streets of Truro.

1791

Mr Charles Rashleigh commences creation of the new port of Charlestown for the shipment of china clay to Liverpool for Worcestershire or Staffordshire porcelain manufacturers.

(April) Scilly pilot boat sunk off Old Town Bay, St. Mary's with the loss of eleven men.

(4th July) The official ferry service across the River Tamar at Torpoint started operating.

(2nd March) John Wesley preacher of Methodism dies in London aged 87.

William Gregor from near Tregony, discovers titanium.

1792

Cornwall County Library is founded at Pydar Street, Truro, with nearly thirty subscribers, minimum subscription one guinea, and survived until 1920. In that time the library moved to Princes Street and then to the Public Rooms, situated between Quay Street and the Green.

William Murdoch lights Redruth house by gas, the foundation for today's gas industry.

(21st August) A great fire destroyed 42 houses and the theatre in Falmouth.

1793

A public meeting is held at Bodmin which resolves that a canal linking the River Camel to the River Fowey at Wadebridge would be advantageous. Sir William Molesworth arranges surveying and costings and plans are sent to John Rennie for comment. It all comes to nothing, but Marc Isambard Brunel surveys the Padstow - Fowey route in 1825 for a ship canal, proposing one 13 miles long. This too is not taken further.

(14th February) Sir Goldsworthy Gurney is born near Padstow, he later went on to be a surgeon in Wadebridge.

(September) The first Royal Cornwall Show is held at Bodmin.

(10th December) Sir Joseph Sawle Graves-Sawle is born at Penrice, near St. Austell. He later becomes a baronet.

1794

In Truro the building of Boscawen Street and Lemon Street is started.

Passing of the Truro Paving and Lighting Act enables the Corporation to improve Boscawen Street by pulling down Middle Row and to lay out and build Lemon Street (after Sir Charles Lemon).

Lanherne House was given by Lord Arundell to some Carmelite nuns who fled from Belgium during the French revolution; it remained a convent until very recently.

(1st June) Billy Bray, Cornish evangelist, is born at Twelveheads, near Chacewater.

1795

(4th February) George Edgcumbe, 1st Earl of Mount Edgcumbe dies aged 75. He was MP for Fowey.

(29th September) First Longships Lighthouse completed.

Adrian Stephens Inventor of the steam whistle is born in Penzance.

A Butter Market is built in Redruth.

1796

The American engineer and inventor, Robert Fulton, with the surveyor Charles Moody, examined the practicality of building a canal from the Helford River at Gweek to the Hayle River near St. Erth. It was not proceeded with.

(2nd April) Ann Glanville is born in Saltash, she became a champion gig rower for Cornwall.

"On Saturday 20th August at twenty minutes past two o'clock (pm) a slight Shock of an Earthquake was felt at St. Hilary near Penzance, which lasted two or three seconds being in the middle space of a rumbling noise which attended it and which lasted six or seven seconds. The Motion was from East to West. The Air was still. The Thermometer at 70" - St. Hilary parish records.

Prime Minister Pitt made Francis Basset Lord de Dunstanville, in recognition of his success in his mining exploits and his actions in quelling the food riots.

1797

(April) The ship 'Happy Return' was wrecked at St. Agnes, with the loss of all hands.

(1st November) Michael Loam who became the inventor of the man engine from Ludgvan near Penzance is born.

(7th November) John Harvey's daughter, Jane, married Richard Trevithick.

1798

A Polperro boat called the 'Lottery' was involved in an incident in which a Customs Officer was killed. One of the crew, Tom Potter, was later tried for murder at the Old Bailey and executed.

A new harbour is constructed at St. Agnes.

Wheal Wherry, a mine started offshore on a reef 240 yards off Penzance, was destroyed when it was struck by a ship which had broke its moorings and drifted out to sea.

(12th December) HMS 'Colossus' is wrecked on the Isles of Scilly with the loss of only one life.

1799

Charles Rashleigh completes his very successful development of Charlestown harbour.

(11th August) John Arnold from Bodmin, who perfected the ships chronometer dies aged 63.

(12th August) The Royal Cornwall Infirmary at Truro was opened to serve Cornwall's mining community and the poor. It had twenty beds, ten for women, and ten for men, on separate floors, and it was funded by subscription. In its first year, forty seven patients were admitted.

1800

(8th May) William Lovett, noted Chartist, is born at Newlyn. He migrates to London in 1821 where he becomes a formidable spokesman on behalf of the deprived.

(6th June) Richard Vyvyan is born at Trelowarren.

Tom Bawcock, a well known local fisherman who lived in Mousehole dies.

1801

(January) The 'Melantho' was wrecked in the Isles of Scilly while on a voyage from London to Tortola, Virgin Island.

(13th April) The collier 'North Star' struck a rock and later sank at the pier on St. Michael's Mount. Her cargo was salvaged.

Holman Brothers Limited, a mining equipment manufacturer is founded in in Camborne. At its height it employed 3,500 people.

A canal from Hayle to Carwinnen bridge near Camborne via Angarrack is proposed, but is never built.

The Cornwall Gazette and Falmouth Packet newspaper commences publication in Truro, becomes the Royal Cornwall Gazette in 1803 and continues until 1951 when it is incorporated into The West Briton.

Lemon Street is built in Truro as a new road into the centre of the city with an easier gradient for coaches.

The King's Pardon is offered to any smuggler giving information on the Mullion musket men involved in a gunfight with the crew of HM Gun Vessel 'Hecate'.

(24th December) Richard Trevithick, born in 1771 at Illogan, runs the first road-going locomotive (named Puffing Devil) in Camborne.

The population of Cornwall is now 192,281 persons.

1802

(12th February) The 'Fortune' struck the Seven Stones reef while carrying a general cargo from Dublin to London. Her crew were rescued by a Yarmouth brig while the 'Fortune' sank with the loss of two Tresco pilots who were attempting to save the ship.

Richard Trevithick (1771-1833) runs his road locomotive from Leather Lane, London - to Islington and back.

Trerice House is sold to the Acland family of Killerton in Devon.

1803

Richard Trevithick invents a high pressure steam dredge.

(3rd December) Reverend Robert Stephen Hawker, the noted vicar of Morwenstow, is born in Plymouth. Famed as a poet,and particularly for The Song of the Western Men ('Trelawny'), he is remembered for risking his life to help shipwrecked mariners, supporting his impoverished parishioners, and for reviving harvest-time festivals. He dies in 1875. His cliff-top hut is a National Trust property.

A lifeboat is stationed at Penzance, the first lifeboat was sold in 1812, having never been used.

1804

(20th January) The frigate HMS 'Fearless' was driven ashore near Redding Point on the Rame peninsula with the loss of one man.

(8th February) Richard Lemon Lander (who afterwards discovered the River Niger with his brother John) is born at the Fighting Cocks Inn, Truro.

(17th February) Edward Craggs-Eliot, 1st Baron Eliot dies aged 76. He was MP for St. Germans.

(21st February) Richard Trevithick runs his railway locomotive at Penydarren in Wales.

(26th May) HMS 'Dispatch' was a Royal Navy Cruizer-class brig-sloop built by Richard Symons & Co. at Falmouth. Dispatch was instrumental in the capture of a 40-gun French frigate and was active at the Battle of Copenhagen in 1807.

(30th May) The 'Quicksilver' was wrecked in Crow Sound, Isles of Scilly while carrying salt for Newfoundland.

Perranzabuloe's church of St. Piran, the third church of the parish, is erected in a new location at Lambourne, with material from the earlier buildings.

Arthur Woolf from Camborne, invents the high pressure compound steam engine.

(5th November) London brig 'Esperance struck Nut Rock, Isles of Scilly and was a total loss, after parting her cables during a south-west gale. She was bound for Venice from Penzance with pilchards.

1805

(31st January) HMS 'Avon' was a Royal Navy Cruizer-class brig-sloop built at Falmouth. In the War of 1812 she fought a desperate action with USS 'Wasp' that resulted in Avon sinking on 27th August 1814.

John Opie of St. Agnes, becomes Professor in Painting to the Royal Academy.

Glynn House, near Bodmin Parkway (formerly Bodmin Road) Railway Station is re-built by Edmund John Glynn.

(November) The first announcement of the death of Nelson was made from the balcony of the Union Hotel, Penzance.

(November) The news of the Battle of Trafalgar and Nelson's death was sent overland from Falmouth to the Admiralty in London. The Trafalgar Way is the name given to the historic route used to carry the dispatches. The first messenger was Lieutenant Lapenotiere, of HMS 'Pickle', who reached Falmouth on the 4th November.

1806

Zephaniah Job began issuing Bank notes in £1, £2,and £5 denominations in Polperro to support the smuggling trade.

Caerhays Castle, designed by John Nash for John Bettesworth Trevanion, is erected in St. Michael Caerhays parish.

1807

(9th April) The famous painter John Opie dies aged 46.

(5th August) HMS 'Primrose' was a Royal Navy Cruiser-class brig-sloop built by Thomas Nickells, at Fowey. She was wrecked less than two years later.

(4th November) The Portuguese brigantine 'Harmonia' was wrecked near St. Ives. Her crew were rescued. She was on a voyage from Porto, Portugal to Sligo.

(7th November) The 400-ton 'James and Rebecca' carrying the 9th Regiment of Dragoons cavalry along with their equipment and the officers' families home from a campaign against the Spanish in Buenos Aires. Ten sailors, 28 soldiers and three children drowned under Halzephron cliff at Gunwalloe on the Lizard Peninsula and 36 of them were buried in a mass grave nearby.

(29th December) The wreck of the frigate, HMS 'Anson' which went aground with the loss of 120 sailors on The Loe Bar near Porthleven, is witnessed by Henry Trengrouse, the Helston cabinet maker. The terrible loss of life spurs him on to devise at his own expense a line-throwing apparatus to be propelled across any stricken vessel by a rocket. His successful experiments in 1816 pave the way for saving the lives of thousands of seamen. Like Richard Trevithick before him, he dies aged 82 in poverty in 1854.

(29th December) John Lander (who afterwards discovered the River Niger with his brother Richard) is born at the Fighting Cocks Inn, Truro.

1808

(18th March) Thomas James Agar is born, he assumed the name Robartes in 1822. He inherited the estate from his mother in 1861. Thomas was created Baron Robartes of Lanhydrock and Truro in 1869.

(15th April) The vessel 'Hermanest August' bound for London from Porto with a cargo of wine and cork was wrecked near Porthleven. Nine of the eleven crew drowned along with two local men trying to save them.

The Board of Trade decreed that Falmouth was to become a compulsory pilotage area. The first pilot's licence was issued on 22nd December.

1809

(6th January) The 110 ton brig 'Royal Recovery' was wrecked near Porthleven while bound from Liverpool to London with a cargo of salt.

(22nd January) HMS 'Primrose', an 18-gun Cruiser, was wrecked and sank after striking the Manacle rocks off The Lizard, with only one of the 126 on board surviving. Also on the same night HMS 'Dispatch' was wrecked on the same reef.

Ordnance Survey's first mapping of Cornwall. It is published at one inch scale in 1813.

(25th October) The first rails are laid by John Williams for the Poldice Tramway to serve the St. Day mines, providing a horse-drawn rail link (for goods and minerals) to the port of Portreath. It falls into disuse in the 1850's.

1810

The West Briton newspaper commences publication at Truro.

(23rd May) Sir William Molesworth who later served as High Sheriff of Cornwall, is born.

(September) Sickness and bankruptcy forced Richard Trevithick and his family to leave London and return to Cornwall where he continued to develop new machines.

(24th October) Men of the packet service at Falmouth mutinied over pay levels.

(25th October) A huge granite rock north of Blisland is carved by locally based soldier, Lieutenant John Rogers to celebrate the golden jubilee of King George III.

1811

Joseph Mallord William Turner toured Cornwall studying artwork and gallery's centring on St. Ives.

(21st February) The HMS 'Franchise' struck a transport ship off Falmouth during a gale resulting in the loss of 269 lives. Franchise herself suffered little damage and no casualties.

(29th March) John Knill dies aged 78. Born at Callington, he was a slightly eccentric mayor of St. Ives, in 1767 and Collector of Customs from 17621782. He built his own memorial, a 50-foot high granite obelisk known as Knill's steeple.

(26th June) Philip Rashleigh a Cornish mineral expert and MP for Fowey dies aged 82 at Menabilly, near Fowey.

(17th November) William Colenso FRS was born in Penzance he became a Cornish Christian missionary to New Zealand, and also a printer, botanist, explorer and politician.

The population of Cornwall is now 220,525 persons.

1812

Work is re-started at Great Wheal Vor Mine near Tregonning Hill. By 1820 it employs over 500 men underground. In the 1860's it is described as 'probably the richest tin mine in the world' by the Mining Journal. It closes in 1877, although part of the sett sees limited working at the end of the 19th century.

(8th April) A Knighthood is given to Humphry Davy by the Prince Regent, King George III being insane.

Richard Trevithick designed the 'Cornish boiler'. These were horizontal, cylindrical boilers with a single internal fire tube or flue passing horizontally through the middle. Hot exhaust gases from the fire passed through the flue thus increasing the surface area heating the water and improving efficiency. These types were installed in the Boulton and Watt pumping engines at Dolcoath Mine and more than doubled their efficiency.

Refined soap is invented by William Pears of Mevagissey.

(16th October) The brilliant Henry Martyn, born in Truro in 1781, dies aged 31 alone in Tokat, having devoted his life to missionary work in India and Persia.

The worlds first steam powered rock boring machine was built by Harvey's of Hayle.

1813

The Cornwall Central School is founded in Fairmantle Street, Truro, as Cornwall's first Anglican elementary school. It trains men and women teachers and, with a move to Agar Road, evolves into the Truro Training College which closes in 1938.

The Royal Geological Society of Cornwall was founded by Dr. Paris.

Steam powered stamps are used for the first time to crush ore at a mine near Carn Brea.

1814

Ding Dong Mine in west Penwith is restarted and continues until 1877. Tradition says it was working in Roman times.

(14th January) The 'Queen' transport ship is wrecked in Falmouth and 195 soldiers drown.

(21st August) Lostwithiel Town Police Sergeant Joseph Burnett died aged 42. He was fatally shot attempting to disarm two drunken soldiers threatening people.

(27th August) In the War of 1812 HMS 'Avon' fought a desperate action with USS 'Wasp' that resulted in the Avon sinking.

(4th October) Sir Carew Vyvyan, 6th Baronet of Trelowarren dies aged 78.

1815

(23rd February) Jonathan Hornblower Inventor of the compound steam engine from Chacewater dies aged 62.

The miners safety lamp is devised by Sir Humphry Davy of Penzance.

(15th July) Napoleon Bonaparte was brought into Falmouth Harbour on board HMS 'Northumberland' afer his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo.

(28th November) John Eliot was created Earl of St. Germans.

1816

(18th September) HMS 'Whiting' was sent to patrol the Irish Sea for smugglers. She grounded on The Doom Bar at Padstow. When the tide rose, she was flooded and deemed impossible to re-float and was wrecked.

(10th October) Sir Charles Brune Graves-Sawle is born at Penrice, near St. Austell. He later becomes a baronet and an MP.

(20th October) Richard Trevithick goes to Peru - to superintend the Silver Mines on the Cerro de Pasco mountains, Lima and erect his engines. He returns on 9th October in 1827.

1817

(20th January) A storm caused coastal flooding along the south coast. Polperro harbour was destroyed by this storm and Looe was badly damaged.

(January) The 'Resolution', a brigantine sailing from Oporto to London carrying wine and fruit was wrecked on the west Lizard Coast. Locals attacked the ship taking away all the property of the Captain and crew, and most of the cargo of wine and in two days damaged the ship beyond repair.

Sir Charles Hawkins commences building the harbour at Pentewan for the shipment of china clay. It is the first china clay port to be linked by rail - a horse tramway - to its hinterland.

(11th June) William Gregor dies at his home at Creed near Grampound, he discovered titanium in 1791.

(7th December) Captain William Bligh dies aged 63 and is buried in Lambeth in London.

1818

(March) The steeple at Warleggan church is struck by lightning during a tremendous thunderstorm, part of the tower fell through the roof and started a fire which caused considerable damage.

The Royal Institution and Museum, situated in Pydar Street, Truro, is founded.

Morrab Library in Penzance was founded and is financed through membership subscriptions.

Robert Were Fox the Elder dies aged 64 at his home in Falmouth. He was a Quaker businessman who ran the family's ship-brokering business.

(11th October) Neville Northey Burnard is born in village of Altarnun from a long line of builders and sculptors. He later became a celebrated society sculptor.

1819

Torpoint's chapel-of-ease, dedicated to St. James the Great, is erected. Its north and south galleries are removed in the 1930's.

Tresavean Mine, near Lanner, worked through much of the 18th century, is said to have already produced over £1,500,000-worth of copper ore. In the 1830's it is for a while the third largest copper producer in Cornwall, employing over 1300 people. By 1860 another £1,500,000-worth of ore has been sold. Working finally ends in 1927. From 1819 to 1840 the Consolidated Mines of Gwennap, worked as a number of smaller concerns from the 1750's, are the richest of all the Cornish copper mines, and for many years richest of the whole world. Ores to the value of £2,250,000 are sold. By 1838 63 miles of underground workings have been driven, and the mine employs 2000 persons.

(5th June) John Couch Adams was born in Laneast parish on Bodmin Moor. He later became a great scientist.

Lower Tamar Lake was constructed to be used as the mains water supply for Bude.

Harvey's build new quays at Hayle harbour.

(22nd November) John Stackhouse, a famous botanist from Probus dies aged 77.

1820

(7th January) Jonathan Rashleigh is born at Menabilly, near Fowey.

(27th January) Sir Vyell Vyvyan, 7th Baronet of Trelowarren dies aged 52.

(29th January) George IV accedes to the throne, having spent the last nine years as Prince Regent for his blind and deranged father and becomes the Duke of Cornwall.

The Basset Mines near Redruth become important producers of copper from now on, and later of tin. By 1879 the concern employs 550 men.

1821

Silas E Martin of Crantock proposes a canal from Newquay to Retyn near St. Enoder to serve the then-prospering East Wheal Rose lead and silver mine and carry sea-sand for the land. John Edgcumbe carried out a survey but no action was then taken.

The population of St. Michael's Mount peaked with the island having 221 persons living on it. There were three schools, a Wesleyan chapel, and three public houses, mostly used by visiting sailors.

Launceston Castle will no longer be used for hangings.

The population of Cornwall is now 261,045 persons.

1822

(January) Zephaniah Job (1749–1822), a local merchant who became known as the 'Smugglers Banker' dies at Polperro.

Wheal Fortune and Wheal Chance were consolidated by Joseph Treffry to form Fowey Consolidated Mine.

(18th February) John Arthur Philips Geologist is born at Polgooth near St. Austell.

A large fire destroys part of Menabilly House, near Fowey.

Truro gained gas street lighting.

1823

(23rd March) Charles Rashleigh dies aged 76 after his development of Charlestown harbour.

(24th March) John Passmore Edwards of Blackwater near Redruth, journalist and philanthropist, is born. He amasses his fortune as a publisher and devotes his resources to helping the public library and cottage hospitals movements in particular. He realises his aim of establishing a library for every one of the 19 letters in his name (for instance at Penzance, St. Ives, Camborne, Redruth, Truro, Falmouth, and Bodmin) as well as village Institutes to help the education of the miners (Blackwater, St. Agnes, Chacewater etc.) and cottage hospitals (Liskeard, Perranporth etc.). Most were in Cornwall, but several were in London. Many of the buildings that he paid for are still in use for their original purpose.

The Bude Canal was dug twenty miles inland to Launceston to transport sea sand, rich in lime, to farms in North Cornwall.

(November) The Isles of Scilly experience very heavy gales, which cause the loss of roofs and chimneys.

(17th November) John Eliot, 1st Earl of St. Germans dies aged 62. He was MP for Liskeard.

1824

(28th January) The 'Vrow Gesina' on voyage from Lisbon to London was wrecked at Widemouth Bay.

(23rd February) A "hurricane" from the south and south–south–east caused much damage including the top of the lighthouse at Penzance and part of the pier, boats in the harbour were driven ashore and in some cases dismasted. Approximately 'a dozen boats in Mousehole and Newlyn destroyed and others damaged. Also the pier and lighthouse at Penzance were washed away.

(23rd February) The Celia' of Stockholm was driven ashore and wrecked at Lamorna Cove.

"The Song of the Western Men" was written by Robert Stephen Hawker, later known as the Cornish Anthem.

During the political battles in Fowey, the Mayor of Fowey is accused of smuggling.

Joseph Treffry purchased the ferry at Par and replaced it with a bridge.

A group of sailors the worse for drink climbed up to Logan Rock on Treryn Dinas near Porthcurno armed with crowbars and dislodged it, allowing it to fall down the cliff. Such was the disgust of the local people at this blatant act of vandalism, that they complained to the Admiralty and ordered them to replace the rock at their own expense. It took 60 labourers seven months to replace it.

(22nd November) In a storm three houses were destroyed in Polperro, the whole of one pier and half the other were swept away and nearly fifty boats in the harbour were dashed to pieces.

(11th December) Sir William Lemon of Carclew dies aged 76. He was MP for Penryn.

1825

Porthleven Harbour is completed after 15 years of difficulties during the construction.

Trelissick House is built by Thomas Daniell overlooking Falmouth harbour.

William Jago of St. Columb Major announces plans to build a new port at St. Columb Porth for the conveyance of china clay.

A causeway is built around Hayle estuary to avoid the dangerous crossing on the sands.

Sir Goldsworthy Gurney from Bude, invents the Steam Jet.

1826

(30th January) Redruth and Chacewater Railway (for goods and minerals) opens, running from Wheal Buller to Devoran, with a branch to Redruth. It closes in 1915.

(5th February) The ketch 'Ida' bound from Messina for Stockholm with a cargo of oranges was wrecked on Porthleven beach near the newly completed harbour. Three crew members drowned and the captain and mate saved by a line from the shore. Waves breaking over nearby Loe Bar were an indication of the ferocity of the storm and a 14-year-old girl was swept into Loe Pool while crossing the bar and drowned as she was rushing to site of the wreck.

An explosives factory is opened at Herodsfoot near Liskeard.

The Bude Canal is opened to transport sea sand, rich in lime, to farms in North Cornwall.

(26th August) The ship 'Providence' was wrecked off Polkerris. The crew were saved by the lifeboat from Polkerris.

The harbour at Pentewan is completed by Sir Christopher Hawkins.

Enys House near Penryn is completely burnt down by a large fire.

Tregullow House was built near to Scorrier House by Sir William Williams, 1st Baronet.

1827

Penwerris St. Michael's church at Falmouth is erected, and is made parochial in 1848.

Richard Trevithick arrives back in England, penniless.

1828

The Liskeard and Looe Canal opens to transport copper ore and later granite from Caradon Hill and Cheesewring Quarry to the sea.

St. Paul's church at Chacewater is erected, and is later repaired in 1886 following a lightning strike. Except for the tower, it is completely re-built in 1892 to the design of Edmund Sedding. Nearby St. Day church is built. Its original galleries are removed in 1930 and it was condemned in 1956 as unsafe and closed. A preservation scheme of the 1990's sees it re-open as stabilised ruin with a historical display. In west Penwith, Morvah church, dedicated to St. Bridget of Sweden is constructed.

(27th July) King William IV and Queen Adelaide make a visit to Mount Edgcumbe.

(27th November) Thomas Spry of Place Manor, a Captain in the Royal Navy, dies aged 76.

1829

The Falmouth Packet and Cornish Herald newspaper commences publication in Falmouth and continues until 1848.

The St. Austell to Pentewan Railway (for goods and minerals) opens. It closes in 1918.

Sir Goldsworthy Gurney journeys from London to Bath and back in his steam carriage. Born in 1793 at Treator, near Padstow, he devises a steam jet, which is applied to boats and carriages in 1824.

(6th April) Sir Christopher Hawkins, 1st Baronet dies aged 71 in his home at Trewithen. He was appointed High Sheriff of Cornwall for 1783.

(29th May) Sir Humphry Davy of safety lamp fame, dies aged 51.

1830

(26th June) William IV succeeds his brother, George IV, at the age of 64.

Richard and John Lander (born in Truro in 1804 and 1807 respectively) go out to Africa to discover the course of the Niger and become the first to find its source in November, returning home in June 1831.

St. Martin-in-Meneage church is erected, with the 15th century tower of an older building remaining.

Sir Goldsworthy Gurney builds himself a house on the sand in Bude (The Castle) just to prove it could be done.

Penzance gains gas street lights and a piped water supply.

A lighthouse was added to Smeaton's Pier at St. Ives.

(December) Severe storms across the whole of southern England cause about twenty shipwrecks in a few days along the south coast of Cornwall.

1831

William Bickford (born in Devonshire in 1744) who is a leather merchant in Tuckingmill (near. Camborne) devised and patented the Safety Fuse - in doing so, he saves countless miners and quarry workers from death.

(August) Cholera outbreak reaches Cornwall.

A Daymark is built on Stepper Point near Padstow to mark the entrance to The Camel Estuary.

The population of Cornwall is now 301,306 persons.

1832

St. Anne' church at Hessenford, near Looe, is built. It is re-built in 1871 to a design by G E Street.

(6th May) The 'Ospra' was wrecked on Asparagus Island near Kynance Cove.

Brenton Symons AICI is born at Rosehill, Gwennap. He is educated at Truro Grammar School, becomes a noted lithographer, assayer, draughtsman and mineralogist, Civil Engineer of the Chontales Mining Co., Central America, 1866-68, Managing Director of the Servian Copper Mining and Smelting Co, 1871, and publishes maps of Falmouth, the Redruth Mining District and the Bodmin and Liskeard District.

Since 1823 Gwennap Mine has produced 30.1% of the total production of Great Britain's copper, and 37.7% of the Cornwall total.

The Reform Act is introduced reducing the number of Cornish MP's from 42 to 12.

Construction of Newquay harbour begins.

An 84 foot granite tower is built on Gribbin Head near Fowey to help guide shipping. It was never lighted, but is painted in broad red and white bands as a daymark.

(23rd December) Captain William Hennah dies. He became a British naval officer, whose largely undistinguished career was suddenly highlighted by his assumption of command of HMS 'Mars' at the battle of Trafalgar in 1805 upon the death of that ship's captain, George Duff, who was decapitated by a cannonball.

1833

(14th February) HMS 'Forester' ran aground on a reef off St. Martin's, Isles of Scilly with the loss of a crew member. She was later re-floated and towed to Plymouth.

(22nd April) Richard Trevithick, Cornwall's greatest engineer, dies aged 62 in Dartford, Kent.

The Cornish Polytechnic Society in Falmouth is founded by 'the exertions of some ladies, among the most active of whom were the Misses Fox . . ' (reports RCPS, 1864). It was the first society to describe itself as 'polytechnic' and Miss Caroline Fox, (1820-1871), then aged thirteen, is credited with the idea.

Webb's Hotel, one of the finest in Cornwall, is built on the Parade at Liskeard.

Cholera breaks out at Falmouth.

Adrian Stephens, from Penzance invents of the steam whistle.

(27th September) St. Just Wesleyan Methodist Chapel opens.

(24th November) Sir Richard Trevithick Tangye is born at Illogan, near Redruth. He became an engineer producing hydraulic jacks amongst other items along with his two brothers. He was the grandfather of the authors Derek Tangye and Nigel Tangye. Tangye lived in Birmingham after he married, and latterly London, but often returned to his cliff-edge house in Newquay. He died in 1906 aged 72.

1834

(6th February) Richard Lemon Lander (who discovered the River Niger with his brother John) is killed by a bullet during a fight with natives.

(25th February) Sir Harry Trelawny, 7th Baronet of Trelawny dies aged 78. He was ordained a Catholic priest in Rome.

The Isles of Scilly becomes the first place in Britain to have compulsory education, introduced by Augustus Smith (1804-1872) who acquired the lease on the Isles of Scilly from the Duchy of Cornwall for £20,000.

(17th April) Humphry Millet Grylls dies aged 45. He has a Victorian Gothic gate-like structure in his remembrance. This is the Grylls Monument in Helston.

(8th May) Henry Jenner FSA a Cornish Language revivalist, born in St. Columb Major but later lived in Hayle, dies aged 86.

St. Mary's church at Hugh Town, Isles of Scilly, is begun at the instigation of William IV. Penzance's church of St. Mary-the-Virgin, designed by Charles Hutchins, is built on the site of the ancient chapel on the headland which gives the town its name. It is made parochial in 1871. Severely damaged by an arson attack on 23rd March 1985 when it is restored.

Reverend Robert Stephen Hawker became the vicar of Morwenstow.

A new dry dock opened in Penzance.

(4th July) The Bodmin and Wadebridge Railway opens to carry sea-sand to farming districts for soil improvement.

The ferry at Torpoint is replaced with steam-powered floating bridges which pull themselves across on chains.

Stithians agricultural show is established.

(17th December) Henry Bone, an enamelist from Truro dies aged 79.

1835

(April) Reverend Pender Hodge Cudlip is born at Porthleven.

The church of St. Michael, Bude Haven, is built to the designs of architect, George Wightwick.

The West Briton joins the campaign against 'oppressive' Royal taxation in Cornwall and miners rally in London to protest.

St. Anthony Lighthouse is built at the entrance to Falmouth Harbour.

(25th November) St. Mary's church is completed and opened at Penzance.

1836

Police forces are established in most towns across Cornwall.

A 90 foot high granite monument is erected on Carn Brea to the memory of Francis Lord de Dunstanville and Basset of Tehidy (1757-1835).

(17th May) Mr William Coryton was found drowned off the quay at Pentillie Castle.

St. Mary's church in Penzance is built to the design of Charles Hutchins of St. Buryan, who also designed St. Day church (1828), now a preserved ruin.

(2nd October) HMS 'Beagle' anchored at Falmouth at the end of its famous survey voyage around the world.

(12th October) The brig 'Experiment' on her maiden voyage from Newfoundland to Poole with fish and oil was found drifting off the Isles of Scilly after losing her mast and taking on water. Three of the nine crew survived.

(10th November) Clowance House near Camborne, burns down, it was once the seat of the St. Aubyns family (from 1671 they were Baronets but the line ended with Sir John St. Aubyn, 5th Baronet in 1839).

1837

Discovery of copper at Caradon Hill on Bodmin Moor, which started the mining boom in the area.

A gold cup called the Rillaton Cup was found in Rillaton Barrow, a copy of which can be seen in the Royal Cornwall Museum.

A Lifeboat station opened at St. Mary's on the Isles of Scilly, and another at Bude.

(20th June) HRH Queen Victoria succeeds her uncle, William IV

Shire Hall at Bodmin is built.

Walsingham Place is built in Truro by Edmund Turner MP for Truro.

(16th October) The steam engine engineer Arthur Woolf dies aged 71.

(18th December) Thomas Bond, historian of Looe dies aged 73 at his home in Looe.

(December) The Hayle Railway, the first passenger-carrying line in West Cornwall, opens primarily as a mineral transport route for the Camborne and Redruth mines to the ports of Hayle and Portreath.

1838

The earliest known published reference to the Cornish Banner - the Cross of St. Piran.

The Redruth Union Workhouse at Barncoose, Illogan is constructed to the design of George Gilbert Scott. Its remaining buildings now form part of the Camborne-Redruth Community Hospital.

The new Bodmin Union workhouse was built to designs by William Dwelly and was intended to accommodate up to 250 inmates.

China clay production increases to around 13,000 tons a year from approximately 2,000 tons in the 1820's

Abolition of tin coinage (stannary), it was replaced by customs duties.

Construction of Newquay harbour is completed.

(May) Massive explosion at Kennall Vale Gunpowder Works at Ponsanooth due to an appalling accident at the works. "Five mills blew up in succession, and part of a roof was found a mile from the premises.

A tin mine is opened at the spectacular location of Cape Cornwall.

The capital of Cornwall is changed from Launceston to Bodmin.

1839

The Penzance Gazette newspaper commences publication, becoming the Penzance and Cornwall Gazette in 1855, and continues until 1858.

The Liskeard Union Workhouse is constructed, designed by John Foulston of Plymouth. It later becomes the Lamellion Hospital.

A chapel-of-ease for Liskeard parish is erected at Dobwalls.

Falmouth was the scene of a gold dust robbery when £47,600 worth of gold dust from Brazil was stolen on arrival at the port.

The St. Austell Union workhouse was built to the north of the town in Priory Road.

John Trethewey is given permission by the Duchy of Cornwall to start a granite quarry near the Cheesewring.

(10th August) Sir John St. Aubyn of Clowance dies aged 81. The Baronetcy became extinct on his death. However, his illegitimate son Edward was created a Baronet in his own right in 1866 and was the ancestor of the Barons St. Levan.

(26th September) Richard Edgcumbe, 2nd Earl of Mount Edgcumbe dies aged 75. He was Lord Lieutenant and Vice-Admiral of Cornwall.

(6th November) John Lander (who discovered the River Niger with his brother Richard Lander) dies aged 32 from a disease he had contracted in Africa.

Trevemper bridge near Newquay is washed away by storm water. The two arches were repaired with only one arch.

1840

Since 1823 Great Britain has produced 231,163 tons of copper, of which 198,200 tons, or 82.6%, have come from Cornwall's Mines.

(13th April) William and James Lightfoot were hanged at Bodmin Jail with an audience of 25,000 for the murder of businessman, Neville Norway. A special train was laid on to carry people from Wadebridge.

(September) A 30-strong gang of smugglers using several carts broke open the custom-house at Helford, and removed 126 half ankers of Brandy.

Par harbour, built by Joseph Treffry was completed and opened.

Place Manor was built in front of the church at St. Anthony's Head.

Significant emigration begins of Cornish Miners to Mexico and the Real del Monte silver mines; also to the iron mines of Lake Huron in Canada; and to the Wisconsin lead mines in America; and to Australia following the discovery of copper at Kapunda and Burra Burra.

1841

(4th January) The Dublin steam packet SS 'Thames', en route from Dublin to London sank in a strong north-east gale off The Western Rocks on the Isles of Scilly. 62 of the 64 passengers and crew drowned when her Captain mistook the St. Agnes light for the Longships Lighthouse and changed course to head north. Pilot gig Whale, the only boat which managed to reach the wreck, saved three women. Her figurehead is in the Valhalla Museum at Tresco Abbey Gardens.

Treslothan church, near Camborne, the chapel to Pendarves House and dedicated to St. John the Evangelist, is erected to a design by George Wightwick.

Samuel Pidwell, a local brewer, built Morrab House surrounded by a walled garden in Penzance.

(1st September) A lightship was provided by Trinity House to warn shipping of the dangerous reef at Seven Stones between Land's End and The Isles of Scilly.

(9th November) Albert Edward, eldest son of Queen Victoria becomes the Duke of Cornwall.

The population of Cornwall is now 342,159 persons.

1842

Children's Employment Commission publishes a report by Dr. Charles Barham (of Truro) examining employment of children and young persons in the mines of Cornwall and Devon.

(17th February) An earthquake is felt in the Helston area.

The Truro Dispensary was set up as a charity. Subscribers could nominate poor 'worthy' cases for medical and surgical care and free medicines.

St. Peter's church at Flushing, near Falmouth, is erected in a mock-Norman style. Porthleven's St. Bartholomew's is also built.

Cornwall's first man engine is installed at Tresaven Mine, near Redruth, it had been invented a year earlier by Michael Loam.

(20th August) Sir Richard Hussey Vivian 1st Baron Vivian of Truro dies aged 67. He saw active service in the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, which earned him the thanks of both houses of Parliament, and many honours.

(8th September) The Scottish brig 'Caledonia' foundered on the rocks at Sharp nose Point, near Morwenstow. There was only one survivor.

(12th October) The 600-tonne paddle steamer 'Brigand', a packet boat, en route from Liverpool to St. Petersburg, struck the Bishop's Rock with such force that it stove in two large bow plates. The rocks then acted as a pivot, and she swung round and heeled into the rock port-side, crushing the paddle-wheel and box to such an extent that it penetrated the engine room. She drifted over seven miles in two hours, before sinking. All the crew were saved.

(22nd October) The author Charles Dickens starts a week long tour of Cornwall, visiting Padstow, Tintagel and St. Michaels Mount amongst other places in west Cornwall.

1843

(28th January) Registered in Liverpool, the 'Douro' was travelling to Portugal with a declared cargo of textiles and munitions, but was wrecked on the Western Rocks on the Isles of Scilly. She had an undeclared cargo of brass manillas, a currency widely used in the slave trade on the West African Coast.

All Saints Church at Tuckingmill near Camborne is erected to designs by J Hayward of Exeter.

(12th May) A railway service opened between Hayle and Redruth.

St. Piran's oratory was excavated before the site was engulfed by sand again.

(1st September) HRH Queen Victoria and Prince Albert visited Mr Joseph Fox, Mayor at Falmouth.

(7th September) The brig 'Caledonia' was on a year-long voyage from Rio and Odessa, and was two days away from her destination of Gloucester when she wrecked on Sharpnose Point, Morwenstow with the loss of all the crew bar one. One of the memorials in Morwenstow churchyard was the white figurehead of the 'Caledonia'. The captain and crew are buried in the churchyard.

(1st October) Robert Stephen Hawker introduced the harvest festival service.

(21st November) The schooner 'Challenger' carrying fruit to her home port of London was wrecked on the Nundeeps, Isles of Scilly. Her crew of eight managed to row to Bryher with only one oar and the whole island was put under quarantine.

1844

(1st January) Thomas Charles Robartes is born, he later succeeded as the 2nd Baron Robartes and began the reconstruction of Lanhydrock.

(21st March) The Dutch East Indiaman, 'Nickerie' was wrecked with the loss of nine crew off St. Agnes, Isles of Scilly.

(14th April) Charlotte Dymond was murdered on the slopes of Rough Tor. Her murderer Matthew Weeks was hanged in Bodmin Jail in front of a crowd of 20,000.

Completion in the Luxulyan Valley of the 100 feet high, 700 feet long viaduct\aqueduct serving Joseph Treffry's mineral tramway from the china clay area around Bugle to the port of Par.

Holy Trinity church at Penponds, near Camborne, is erected.

(20th October) Part of the Rame Peninsula including Cawsand and Mount Edgcumbe was in Devon until the Counties (Detached Parts) Act 1844 was enforced, when the parishes of Kingsand, Maker and Rame were transferred from Devon to Cornwall.

The Liskeard and Caradon Railway opens from Cheesewring Quarry down to Moorswater, powered only by gravity and horse power until 1862, transporting goods and minerals.

A new Market House is opened in St. Austell.

1845

(19th January) William Eliot, 2nd Earl of St. Germans dies aged 78. He was MP for St. Germans.

Christ church, Lanner, is built. A south aisle is added in 1883.

(31st July) St. Luke's church at Tideford, near Saltash, is consecrated.

The first pan-kilns for the artificial drying of Cornish china clay are introduced at Greensplat and Parkandillick and by 1858 annual production increases to 65,600 tons from 89 active china clay works.

1846

A new church is built at Illogan on a new site. The 14th century tower of the old one with a ring of six bells remains nearby.

Truro St. Paul's church is built as a chapel-of-ease for St. Clement. It becomes parochial in 1865.

A new church is built at Bolventor by Squire Rodd at the cost of £666.

The Hayle Railway was taken over by West Cornwall Railway.

(9th July) A mining disaster at East Wheal Rose mine, Newlyn East near Newquay with 39 lives lost during flooding.

(3rd August) The Cornwall Railway Act to build a railway through Cornwall received the Royal Assent.

(6th September) HRH Queen Victoria and Prince Albert visit Calstock, Lostwithiel, Fowey, Land's End, Botallack Mine, Falmouth, The Lizard, Penzance and St. Michael's Mount.

(23rd September) John Couch Adams, born at Laneast in 1819, reported on his 1841-5 calculations regarding a new planet - Neptune. His submission to the Astronomer Royal was put aside until 1846 when calculations by the French scientist Le Verrier were verified.

(October) The 'Good Samaritan' was wrecked on Bedruthan Steps with a loss of nine lives.

(19th November) The ship 'Duke of Clarence'was driven ashore at Downderry. Her crew were rescued. She was on a voyage from London to Newport, Monmouthshire.

(20th November) The 'Elizabeth Bergen' was wrecked while carrying a cargo of salt back to Norway. As the vessel tried to weather a storm it was blown aground at the base of the cliffs at Gunwalloe on the Lizard Peninsula and, according to reports at the time, was "smashed to matchsticks" within half an hour. The Master and three of the crew saved by breeches-buoy but two men and the boy were lost.

1847

A railway from Plymouth to Falmouth is begun.

The Penzance Journal newspaper commences publication and continues until 1850.

A decision was made by Trinity House to erect a screw-pile iron lighthouse at a cost of £12,500 on Bishop Rock at the western extremity of The Isles of Scilly.

(June) A crowd of 3000 miners were rioting in the streets of Redruth after failed harvests had bought them to near starvation.

(11th June) Food riots in St. Austell were suppressed by Nicholas Kendall.

(16th July) Devastating floods swept down from Davidstow Moor, caused terrible damage in Boscastle and washed away all but two of the bridges along the River Camel - Wadebridge and Helland being the only survivors.

(4th August) Sir John Colman Rashleigh, 1st Baronet of Menabilly dies aged 74. He was High Sheriff of Cornwall in 1813.

Par Canal which was built by Joseph Treffry opened for the carriage of tin, lead ore and china clay trans-shipped in containers onto boats from a tramway which ran up into the Luxulyan Valley.

(1st December) Trevose Head Lighthouse completed.

(8th December) The 'Marchioness of Abercorn' was driven ashore at Crantock Beach in heavy gales, most of the crew were saved and the vessel was repaired and re-floated several weeks later.

1848

(5th April) William Copeland Borlase is born in Penzance.

The church of St. Michael, designed by the architect William White, is built at Baldhu near Truro. The revivalist preacher Billy Bray is buried in the graveyard in 1868. Baldhu church is now closed.

St. Agnes church, formerly a chapelry of Perranzabuloe, is re-built to the design of J P St. Aubyn.

Alfred Lord Tennyson visits Slaughter bridge, near Camelford and later writes Idylls of King Arthur.

1849

(23rd May) Francis Aylmer Graves Sawle is born at Penrice, near St. Austell.

St. Paul's church, Charlestown, designed by Christopher Eales is built and consecrated in 1851. A fibreglass spire is added to the completed tower in 1971, and a peal of six bells by Taylor of Loughborough in 1972. In the same year St. Mary's church at Par is erected to the design of G E Street, his first complete church.

Cholera outbreaks in Mevagissey and Truro.

Granite quarries started at Lamorna Cove.

1850

(29th January) Joseph Treffry, famous for building the viaduct at Luxulyan and the harbour at Par, dies aged 68 at Place House in Fowey.

(5th February) The newly built Bishop Rock Lighthouse is swept away by a terrific storm which lashed The Isles of Scilly for three days.

(15th February) Francis Godolphin Osborne, 1st Baron Godolphin dies aged 73. He was MP for Helston.

(24th March) Silas Kitto Hocking is the author is born at St. Stephen near St. Austell.

(May) A huge explosion occurs at the gunpowder works at Herodsfoot near Liskeard demolishing the whole site and killing two men.

Rhododendron arboretum specimen at Carclew, planted about now by Sir Charles Lemon, becomes one of the most famous in Cornwall. By 1928 it is about 35 feet high.

Holy Trinity church at Carnmenellis is erected to serve the thriving mining community. In the same year Herodsfoot All Saints is constructed for similar reasons. G E Street's church at Treverbyn, St. Austell, dedicated to St. Peter, is also built. Declining population around Carnmenellis in the 20th century leads to the eventual demolition of its church in 1970.

A religious preaching pit is constructed by local miners at Indian Queens.

(24th November) The 'Windrush' from Malaga was wrecked near Porthleven. The five crew members were all drowned and the wreck quickly became matchwood. It was carrying a cargo which included a large quantity of lemons and raisins and was recalled as the "Fruit wreck".

1850-65

Period of greatest mining prosperity.

1850's - The greatest influx of Cornish miners to South Africa, to mine in the Namaqual and copper mines in the northern Cape.

1851

(1st January) The 'Alessandro II Grande' was wrecked when she was blown on the Mare ledges, off the south shore of Tresco. There was no loss of life. The figurehead from the wreck, is of Tsar Alexander I and is now in the Valhalla Museum on Tresco.

(11th January) The 250 ton Whitby-built brig 'New Commercial' hit the Brisons ledge off Cape Cornwall. Only two members of the crew were saved form the wreck.

The Census on Religious Worship showed that in Cornwall 27% are Anglicans. 60% are Methodists and the remaining are mostly non-conformists of other denominations.

(28th April) Charles John Graves Sawle is born at Penrice, near St. Austell.

(30th April) The last packet ship arrived at Falmouth. Instead, the Post Office contracted for the carriage of mail with companies running other regularly timetabled services.

The Cornish Telegraph newspaper commences publication in Penzance and continues until 1915.

Mary Kelynack, a Madron fishwife born in 1777 at Newlyn, walks alone from Cornwall to London to see the Great Exhibition where she met HRH Queen Victoria.

J P St. Aubyn's design for the church of St. John Baptist at Godolphin is realised. The Rev Robert Aitken's church of St. John Baptist at Pendeen is also erected by the villagers to his designs.

West Wheal Basset near Redruth is re-started and yields good quantities of copper. By the 1860's it employs over 400 men. The adjacent South Wheal Frances is successfully worked at the same time.

St. Austell Brewery is founded in St. Austell by Walter Hicks.

(11th November) Cornish architect Silvanus Trevail is born in Luxulyan. He was Mayor of Truro 1894 - 1895 and, President of the Society of Architects.

The population of Cornwall is now 355,558 persons.

1852

(11th March) A grand new railway station is opened at the terminus of the new railway at Penzance, the line is now opened between Penzance and Truro.

(13th April) The 'Mary Hay' was wrecked after hitting the Steeple Rock, on the Bream Ledges which is between Mincarlo and Samson on The Isles of Scilly.

Wheal Sophia, near Greystone Bridge on the River Tamar becomes the first Cornish mine to detonate a blasting charge with electricity.

The bridge at Wadebridge was widened from 9.8 feet to 16.4 feet

(11th August) An earthquake is felt in the Callington area.

(25th August) Chacewater railway station was opened by the West Cornwall Railway.

1853

Caerhays Castle was bought and restored by a Cornish MP, Michael Williams.

(24th March) The cargo ship 'Sultana' was lost on the Nundeeps, Isles of Scilly and her crew drowned. A name-board was washed ashore near Padstow nearly a month later.

Lifeboat station opened at Sennen Cove.

(12th May) General Sir Walter Raleigh Gilbert dies aged 68.

A new seven-arched stone bridge is opened in Looe.

(26th June) Edward William Wynne Pendarves MP for West Cornwall, dies aged 78.

Work is started by Isambard Kingdom Brunel on building The Royal Albert Bridge at Saltash.

1854

(14th February) Henry Trengrouse from at Helston dies aged 82. He became the inventor of the rocket line apparatus that fired a rope to stricken ships on the rocks, and enabled the crew to be taken off.

The Fitzroy barometer was originally ‘loaned’ to Mousehole by Admiral Fitzroy, founder of the Meteorological Office. Its purpose was to provide data to the Met Office to improve storm warnings but also to give the fishermen of the village warning of pending bad weather.

(November) Two steam engines named 'Miner' and 'Smelter' were bought by The Redruth and Chasewater Railway to replace the horses used up until this date.

(18th November) At Newlyn a 36 foot fishing boat called 'Mystery', sails 12,000 miles to Australia arriving in Melbourne on the 14th March 1855, with seven men leaving the collapsing tin industry behind. Five of them later returned to Cornwall.

(30th November) The 'Nile', a passenger steamer was wrecked with the loss of all hands on the Stones at Godrevy Point.

1855

(10th February) John Henry Vivian of Truro dies aged 70.

St. George's church in Truro, designed by Rev William Haslam, vicar of Baldhu, is erected.

(3rd May) The barque 'John' hit The Manacles Reef near St. Keverne with the loss of over 190 of its passengers, despite the efforts of the local fishermen.

Augustus Smith, Lord Proprietor of The Isles of Scilly, expelled the ten inhabitants of Samson, in order to turn the island into a deer park.

A two-gun battery was added below St. Catherine's Castle to defend the port of Fowey during the Crimean War.

(3rd July) Joseph Trewavas an able seaman from Mousehole won the Victoria Cross during the Crimean War.

(1st August) A new lighthouse was opened on the new pier at Penzance.

(22nd October) Sir William Molesworth 8th Baronet of Pencarrow, who served as High Sheriff of Cornwall, dies aged 45.

1855-58

Legal arguments of the Duchy of Cornwall defeat the Crown's aspirations of sovereignty of the Cornish foreshore. The Duchy argues that the Duke has sovereignty of Cornwall and not the Crown. During the same case, Parliament defines the Cornish as 'aborigines'.

Also on behalf of the Duchy, the following submission was made.

  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 Seigniory 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 seigniory 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 it's 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.

Thenceforth mineral rights above the Low Water Mark belonged to the Duchy and below it to the Crown.

1856

(22nd January) The SS 'Czar' broke in half and sank after hitting Vroge Rocks during a south-westerly gale off the Lizard Peninsula.

The Launceston Weekly News commences publication and continues until 1931, when it is incorporated into the Cornish and Devon Post

John Verran, who becomes Premier of South Australia in 1910, is born at Cusgarne, Gwennap. Working in the Australian mines he becomes a strong trades unionist and is elected for Parliament in 1901, achieving leadership of the Labour Party in 1908. He dies aged 76 in 1932.

Year of maximum copper production, 209,000 tons of ore produced.

A new quay is built at East Looe to handle the demands of the shipping trade.

The RNLI takes over the lifeboat station at Padstow.

(6th October) Tamsin Blight from Gwennap, near Redruth, who one of Cornwall's most famous witches, dies aged 58. People believed that she had the power to read fortunes, find lost objects and cure illness. As a 'white witch', Tamsin only used her powers for good.

(15th November) Sir William Lewis Salusbury-Trelawny, 8th Baronet of Trelawny dies aged 75. He served as High Sheriff of Cornwall in 1811 and later sat as MP for Cornwall East from 1832 to 1837. He served as Lord-Lieutenant of Cornwall from 1839 to 1856.

1857

(3rd January) The Cornish Times newspaper commences publication at Liskeard.

The 144 foot high obelisk commemorating Lt-Gen. Sir W R Gilbert is erected at Bodmin.

The china clay industry now employs about 1700 men producing an annual output of 68,000 tons

(1st June) The Padstow brig 'Voluna' while on route to Quebec went ashore on the south shore of St. Agnes during dense fog. The crew managed to get ashore but the boat broke up in the surf.

Richard Trevithick Tangye, from Redruth invents the hydraulic jack.

A man engine is installed at Levant Mine to carry the men many fathoms up and down the mine each day.

Cornwall County Constabulary is formed combining the police forces across Cornwall.

(October) Another explosion occurs at Herodsfoot gunpowder works, which destroyed the mill, and four men were killed. Shock waves were felt as far away as Liskeard and Lostwithiel.

1858

(February) St. Luke's Chapel is built about a mile south of Bolventor.

(February) The SS 'Cornubia' a 210 foot fast iron paddle steamer built by Harvey and Company at Hayle is launched.

Lake's Falmouth Packet Newspaper commences its publication in Falmouth.

Construction of Godrevy Lighthouse begun.

Bishop Rock Lighthouse completed at a cost of £34,560.

The Miners Association established by Robert Hunt FRS, and the Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society.

An 80 foot ornate summit chimney stack built on Kit Hill to serve the mining complex of Kit Hill Great Consols.

(24th August) Seven miners were killed when a surface pond collapsed into a mine near Helston, flooding it.

(26th August) The Liskeard and Caradon Railway is extended to Kilmar Tor serve the new granite quarries high on Bodmin Moor.

The Camelford Union workhouse was built to the west of Camelford. It was a small establishment, accommodating up to 80 inmates

(1st September) James Walker completes a new 115 foot granite tower lighthouse on Bishop Rock on The Isles of Scilly.

The Scilly Isles Steam Navigation Company is founded to provide shipping services between Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

1859

A new lifeboat house is built at the top of the roadway leading down to Polpeor Cove, on the Lizard Peninsula.

(May) The Royal Albert Bridge, Saltash is Isambard Kingdom Brunel's spectacular solution to bridging the River Tamar to allow the connection of the railway through Cornwall with the rest of the GWR system. 2,200 feet long and 100 feet above the water, it is officially opened on 2nd May 1859 by HRH Prince Albert, having cost £225,000 and is opened to the public on 4th May 1859. Although there were through services, passengers had to change trains at Truro because of the change in gauge.

The East Cornwall Times newspaper commences publication in Launceston, and continues until 1877, when it is incorporated into the Cornish and Devon Post.

The Liskeard to Looe canal carried a colossal 48,193 tons of freight in this year, prompting the need for a railway.

(26th October) Storm, said to be the worst since 1823, with numerous shipwrecks off Cornish coasts.

(November) A lifeboat, the 'Catherine Rashleigh' was stationed in Polkerris.

1860

(11th January) Liskeard adopts Greenwich Mean Time to simplify timekeeping on the railway.

(13th January) An earthquake is felt throughout the county – from Land's End to Callington.

The St. Day Brick Works is begun at about this time by a Mr. Hawke. A large kiln is erected in 1874 and daily output is eventually 20,000 bricks per day. It closes down in 1912.

A Lifeboat station is opened in Newquay. The lifeboat 'Joshua' was bought to Newquay by six horses.

The foundation stone for Falmouth Docks was laid by Viscount Falmouth.

The first cottage hospital opens in Webb Street, Fowey. It is only the third in country.

The First and Last House is built at Land's End.

(7th November) Joseph Hocking the author is born at St. Stephen near St. Austell.

(27th December) The Liskeard and Looe Railway opened from Moorswater, near Liskeard to Looe thus extending The Liskeard and Caradon Railway down to the sea.

1861

The Falmouth and Penryn Weekly Times newspaper commences publication, and continues until 1952 after a change of title in 1896 to the Cornish Echo.

Marazion's All Saints church, designed by J P St. Aubyn, is built, replacing an old chapel-of-ease, which had become ruinous by 1735 and was re-built. In the same year St. Peter's church, Mithian is erected to a design by William White. Its spire is taken down in 1898 and a new three-stage tower is built in 1928.

Lifeboat station opened in St. Ives.

(19th March) While on her second voyage and bound from Liverpool for New Orleans, the 846 ton sailing ship 'Award' struck rocks 1.5 miles off Gweal in the Isles of Scilly. After twelve hours the crew of twenty four managed to scramble ashore.

(3rd September) Ernest Edgcumbe, 3rd Earl of Mount Edgcumbe dies aged 64. He was MP for Fowey and Lostwithiel.

The population of Cornwall is now 369,390 persons.

1862

'Cornwall Works' in Birmingham is built by the Tangye's, tool-makers of Illogan, near Camborne. The growth of their business follows success in moving Brunel's 'Great Eastern' ship from its stocks when all else had failed.

Cornwall's first Mining Exchange, where mining men could gather and transact business, is established in November in Camborne by Charles Carkeek in the former premises of the Miners' Bank. It closes around 1865. The Redruth Mining Exchange is established at the end of 1863 and its later premises in Alma Place still stand.

(21st October) The ship 'Bencoolen' was wrecked by the jagged reefs which fringe the cliffs at Bude.

1863

John Tabois Tregellas, 'the Cornish Matthews', a gifted lecturer and story-teller, dies aged 71 and is buried at Llantysilio in Wales. Born at St. Agnes in 1792, and a merchant and mine purser by trade, he is best known for his dialect stories - for example Specimens of Cornish provincial dialect (1846) and Peeps into the haunts and homes of the rural population of Cornwall (1879).

The Duchy of Cornwall Management Act confirms that the Duke possesses seigniory and territorial rights befitting a King.

(26th May) Bob Fitzsimmons, who later becomes a boxing champion is born at Helston.

(August) Sir Goldsworthy Gurney was Knighted by HRH Queen Victoria for improving the lighting and ventilation of the House of Commons.

(24th August) The Cornish Railway reached Falmouth, serving both tourists and the port.

(26th October) Thomas Merritt, composer of famous carols is born at Broad Lane, Illogan, near Redruth.

(21st November) Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch, was born at Bodmin.

At Botallack Mine the chain which pulled the mine gig suddenly broke, causing eight men and a boy to plummet their deaths down the shaft.

1864

(17th February) Mines Commission introduced.

(22nd April) John Harris, the poet (1820-1884) of Bolenowe, Camborne, wins the Shakespeare tercentenary first prize.

(April) Giuseppe Garibaldi, Italian patriot, arrives in Fowey to see his friend, Colonel John Peard, and is greeted by large crowds.

A dispute arose over silver and gold coins which were found in the Luxulyan parish churchyard. The Duchy of Cornwall had asserted its right to them as treasure trove, but the Solicitor to the Treasury questioned this, asking for copy documents under which "the claim of the Duchy was founded." The Duchy sent copies of the Charters of its creation and correspondence stating that, as the Coroner is the officer responsible for treasure trove, and the Duke has the right of appointing the Coroner within Cornwall, the treasure trove belonged to the Duchy.

On the death of Lady Anne Grenville the Boconnoc Estate was bequeathed to George Matthew Fortescue.

A chimney for Cape Cornwall Mine is erected on Cape Cornwall. It is later maintained as a navigation marker.

(4th December) Selina Cooper (1864-1946) Suffragette and the first woman to represent the Independent Labour Party was born in Callington.

1865

(13th January) Sir Joseph Sawle Graves Sawle dies at Penrice, near St. Austell, aged 72.

St. Stephens' church at Treleigh, Redruth commences construction to a design by James Piers St. Aubyn.

Penlee House is built in Penzance for the wealthy Branwell family.

(July) The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall visit Lostwithiel, Falmouth, St. Michaels Mount, Penzance and Botallack Mine where they descended underground.

(22nd July) The Trago Powder Mill located between Liskeard and Bodmin blew up. The roof was blown off and the end walls were blown out. The explosion was heard for miles around.

(25th October) The 'Georgina' was wrecked near Bude, with the loss of two of her six crew. She was on a voyage from Archangelsk, Russia to Cardiff, Glamorgan.

(25th November) The SS 'Wearmouth' is wrecked on Par Sands.

(29th October) The 'St. Malo' was wrecked at Hayle with the loss of two of her crew. Survivors were rescued by the Hayle Lifeboat.

1866

(2nd January) The Lizard lifeboat was washed among rocks and smashed while on exercise in a hurricane. Three of the ten crew drowned – Coxswain Peter Mitchell, Richard Harris and Nicholas Stevens. Institution gave £130 to local fund.

Newlyn St. Peter's church is built in the 14th century style. A north aisle is added in 1888.

Collapse of copper prices begins the de-industrialisation of Cornwall and increases Cornish emigration.

Halsetown church, St. Ives, dedicated to St. John Evangelist, and designed by J P St. Aubyn is built.

The new South Pier in Newlyn was opened so that boats could now moor up here instead of in the bay.

Cornwall's farms were hit with "Rinderpest" which decimated Cornish cattle herds and there were outbreaks of cholera.

The Royal Naval Training ship HMS 'Ganges' arrives in Cornwall and is moored off Mylor near Penryn.

(28th December) A lifeboat station is established at Looe following the loss of several lives when local boatmen went to the assistance of a fishing vessel. Sadly their boat capsized in the breakers on returning ashore.

1867

(6th February) Five of the crew of thirteen of Padstow lifeboatmen were drowned when going to the rescue of the schooner "Georgiana".

(26th March) The Dutch Barque 'The Jonkheer' ran aground close to Mullion. There was only one survivor and twenty four lives were lost.

The Redruth Times and Camborne Advertiser newspaper commences publication and continues until 1925, after changing its title to The Cornubian in 1879, and the Cornwall County Times in 1924.

The High Sheriff appeals for aid to prevent 'severe distress and great destitution' in Cornwall. Between 1860 and 1870 700 people die of poverty-related diseases in Truro alone.

New Lifeboat stations opened in Cadgwith, Falmouth and St. Ives.

The two fiercely competing companies Harvey Company and the Cornish Copper Company merged to gain control of Hayle's harbour.

The china clay industry now employs about 4000 men producing an annual output of 160,000 tons.

1868

(13th February) Sir Charles Lemon, 2nd Baronet of Carclew, famous for development of much of Truro, dies aged 84. Hew was MP for Penryn.

The greatest number of pilchards ever taken in one seine was 5,600 hogsheads at St. Ives in this year.

(25th May) Billy Bray the revivalist preacher dies aged 74.

(29th June) Sir Samuel Thomas Spry of Place Manor, and MP for Bodmin, dies aged 64.

Truro gained a volunteer fire brigade.

(24th October) The steamer 'Augusta', of Bristol, was wrecked on The Doom Bar, near Padstow.

1869

The Wolf Rock Lighthouse is completed at a cost of £62,726.

(1st June) The Lostwithiel and Fowey Railway was opened and the first shipment of china clay is made from new jetties. Fowey Harbour Commission established.

Lifeboat station opened in Port Isaac.

1870

(5th February) The West Cornwall Steam Ship Company was established to operate ferry services between Penzance and the Isles of Scilly.

(24th March) Sir William Williams, 1st Baronet of Tregullow dies aged 79. He served as Deputy-Lieutenant of Cornwall, High Sheriff of Cornwall and Deputy-Warden of the Stannaries.

Cornwall is the premier tin mining field in the world, boasting over 2000 mines.

(13th April) Dr Jonathan Couch dies aged 81 in is home at Polperro.

A new international telegraph cable was laid from Porthcurno to Carcavellos in Portugal.

1871

(12th January) Caroline Fox dies aged 52. As a Quaker, she wanted to end slavery and improve conditions for people in prison. She helped to establish the Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society in Falmouth.

(24th June) The 'Primos' was wrecked on the Seven Stones reef.

Royal Cornwall Yacht Club (RCYC) was formed in Falmouth.

(14th July) Michael Loam The inventor of the man engine from Ludgvan near Penzance dies aged 74.

The first recorded End to End walk, from John O'Groats to Land's End, was undertaken by two brothers, Robert and John Naylor.

(20th December) The SS 'Delaware' is wrecked on the Isles of Scilly, most of the crew were lost.

The population of Cornwall is now 362,343 persons.

1872

(7th May) The East Cornwall Mineral Railway opened from Kelly Bray near Callington to Calstock.

(16th July) The passenger steamer SS 'Earl of Arran', was wrecked on Nornour in St. Martin's, Isles of Scilly and sank soon afterwards.

(31st July) Augustus Smith Governor of The Isles of Scilly, dies aged 68. His son Thomas Algernon Smith-Dorrien-Smith takes over as Governor.

(8th August) Sir George Godolphin Osborne, The Right Honourable The Lord Godolphin, 8th Duke of Leeds dies aged 70. He married Harriet Stewart, with who he had eight children.

Trenython Manor is built near the village of Tywardreath by an Italian architect commissioned by the famous General Garibaldi.

(6th October) The passenger steamer SS 'Little Western' was wrecked on Southward Wells Reef, off Samson in The Isles of Scilly while attempting to give assistance to a disabled brigantine ship.

(17th October) Sir Humphry Davy's Monument erected in Penzance.

(22nd November) The Italian barque 'Rosa Tacchini' wrecked on the Paper Ledges, near Tresco, Isles of Scilly after her anchors dragged during a severe south-west gale. No one was hurt.

(30th November) Sir Edward St. Aubyn, 1st Baronet of St. Michaels Mount dies aged 73.

1873

A telegraph cable was laid from Porthcurno to Vigo in Spain.

Longships lighthouse was re-built at a cost of £43,870.

(March) A miners strike took place in Geevor Mine and the miners 'rioted' when wages were not paid.

(15th March) All the crew were lost when the 'Elizabeth' was wrecked on St. Agnes.

(10th June) Mousehole sailing lugger 'Cornish Girl' sank after striking the Round Rock in the Spanish Ledges, Isles of Scilly in fine weather. No lives lost.

(24th July) Robert Barclay Fox is born at Falmouth. He later served as a Cornwall County Councillor and as a governor of a number of local schools, and of the Falmouth School of Art.

(3rd October) Elizabeth Bennett walked free from Camborne magistrates court to a tumultuous public welcome. She had been cleared of a charge of stealing £15 by a tyrannical police Superintendent Stephens. He was later dismissed.

(2nd December) There was a major collision between two goods trains on the railway near Menheniot.

1874

(18th January) The 'Minnehaha', cargo ship, bound for Dublin, wrecked on Peninnis Head, St. Mary's with the loss of ten lives including the Pilot.

(16th April) The SS 'Zelda', on her maiden voyage, became stranded on rocks off The Isles of Scilly in fog. Her crew and passengers were saved, and some cargo was salvaged by divers. When the wreck was inspected in 1966, it was found that not only had the SS 'Brinkburn' sank on top of the Zelda in 1898, but that evidence of an unknown wooden warship was found beneath it.

(1st June) The Par to Newquay railway was taken over by Cornwall Minerals Railway and extended to Fowey via the newly constructed Pinnock Tunnel (The longest in Cornwall at 1173 yards) to transport china clay to the dock.

(28th August) The 'Josephine' on route from Cardiff to Newquay loaded with coal was wrecked 1.5 miles off Trevose Head with the loss of four crew.

1875

(28th February) Sir Goldsworthy Gurney dies aged 82.

(7th May) The SS 'Schiller' one of the largest vessels of her time was wrecked in fog off The Isles of Scilly, there were 335 fatalities.

The Duke of Cornwall sails down the River Nile accompanied by six blue and gold steamers towing supply barges. One carried 3,000 bottles of champagne, 4,000 bottles of claret, 10,000 pints of beer and four French chefs.

(15th August) Reverend Robert Stephen Hawker dies aged 72.

The 'Lady of the Isles' is built by Harvey's of Hayle to work the Isles of Scilly ferry service, which she did until 1904.

Harvey's of Hayle acquired its rival company, the Cornish Copper Company.

(November) Heavy rain resulted in serious flooding in Bude, Camelford, Hayle, St. Just, Penzance and Truro.

1876

(12th May) Another explosion occurs at Herodsfoot gunpowder works, caused merely by a spark from a workman’s mallet hitting a grain of grit, destroying the mill again, and killing three men.

(20th June) A railway station is opened in both Newquay and St. Blazey and a new passenger service is started.

(17th August) Act creates the Bishopric of Truro, and St. Mary's becomes the cathedral church.

A new bridge is built across the River Fowey at Draynes to replace an earlier ford.

1877

The Cornish and Devon Post newspaper commences publication at Launceston.

(1st May) Bishop Benson is enthroned at St. Mary's church, Truro as the first Bishop of Truro.

(1st June) The railway branch line to St. Ives was opened.

Kit Hill Tunnel Limited began work on both the south and north sides of the hill to create a tunnel which would be two miles long.

(17th August) City status granted to Truro which then becomes the capital of Cornwall.

(September) The first use of a high-pressure hose in the extraction of Cornish china clay is introduced by the West Of England Company, but is sabotaged by the workers fearing the future of their jobs.

(7th October) Edward Granville Eliot, 3rd Earl of St. Germans dies aged 79. He was MP for Liskeard.

St. Nicholas' church, Tresco, Isles of Scilly, is erected.

(December) A hurricane strikes across Bodmin Moor.

The Ding Dong Mine near Land's End ceases production and closes.

1878

(18th July) The Cornishman newspaper commences publication in Penzance.

(15th August) Selina Wadge was hanged at Bodmin Jail for the murder of her child.

A telegraph cable was laid from Porthcurno to the Isles of Scilly.

(3rd September) Sir Frederick Martin Williams, 2nd Baronet of Tregullow dies aged 48.

Mount Hawke church, designed by the architect Charles Hancock, is built.

(27th November) Neville Northey Burnard who achieved national fame by sculpting the head of the Prince of Wales, later Edward VII, dies aged 60.

A cholera outbreak in Portreath caused the death of almost half the population of the village.

1879

The Redruth Independent newspaper commences publication and continues until 1895.

(27th July) Both the barque 'River Lune' and the barque 'Maipu' were wrecked in heavy fog off The Isles of Scilly.

(15th August) Sir Richard Rawlinson Vyvyan, 8th Baronet of Trelowarren dies aged 79. He was Lieutenant-Colonel Commandant of the Cornwall Yeomanry Cavalry on 5th September 1820. He held the office of High Sheriff of Cornwall in 1840.

(11th September) Passenger services commenced on the Liskeard to Looe Railway.

Penlee Quarry is started on the coast near Newlyn.

(18th November) The present Penzance railway station was opened, the new stonework replacing the earlier wooden structure.

1880

(25th May) HRH Prince of Wales, Duke of Cornwall, lays foundation stone of Truro Cathedral (St. Mary's church is demolished except for the South Aisle). Work starts on the cathedral under John Loughborough Pearson. The Royal party was accommodated at Tregothnan for their stay in Cornwall.

Tresmere church is wholly re-built except for the tower, and re-consecrated in 1881.

A telegraph cable was laid from Porthcurno to Brest in France.

(7th October) The road between Penzance and Newlyn was washed away by rough sea conditions.

(October) Extreme rainfall resulted in serious flooding in both Bodmin and Truro.

Large scale quarrying for granite began at Kit Hill.

Greenwich Mean Time was legally adopted throughout the island of Great Britain. Until then clocks in Cornwall were set about twenty minutes later than London.

1881

St. Andrew's church, Pencoys is built, as is Penzance's St. John Baptist church.

(19th March) William Gordon Cornwallis Eliot, 4th Earl of St. Germans dies aged 52. He was MP for Devonport.

(28th March) The French vessel 'Cecile Caroline' of Croisec, left Charlestown bound for Nantes, France. She was wrecked later that night with all five crew lost.

(4th April) Most of Lanhydrock House is destroyed by fire.

Holman Brothers of Camborne began producing the Cornish Rock Drill which went on to achieve great commercial success.

(1st July) The Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry (DCLI) is formed at Bodmin.

The population of Cornwall is now 330,686 persons.

1882

(9th March) Thomas James Agar-Robartes dies aged 74, he had inherited Lanhydrock Estate from his mother in 1861.

Walter Langley settles in Newlyn, the first of those who become known as artists of the Newlyn School to reside there.

(24th April) The London barge 'St. Vincent' sank on Toll Island, near Pelistry, St. Mary's after striking the Spanish Ledges. The crew escaped, but there was much embarrassment as she was carrying a St. Agnes pilot.

St. Peter's church at Port Isaac, is built, and St. Mary's church at Looe begins construction on the site of an old chapel. Its 13th century tower remains.

Douglass's tower built on Eddystone rock.

(9th August) The German passenger liner 'Mosel' was wrecked on the Lizard, but no lives were lost.

(18th August) The London and South West Railway agreed the arrangements for building and working the North Cornwall Railway from Launceston to Padstow.

(October) High tides resulted in flooding in Boscastle, Truro, Wadebridge and Padstow.

Bishop Benson leaves Truro to become Archbishop of Canterbury.

1883

(14th April) Frances Gerald Agar-Robartes is born at Lanhydrock, he later becomes the 3rd Baron Robartes.

At Temple on Bodmin Moor, the site of a 12th century Knights Templar commandery, St. Catherine's church is built to a design by Sylvanus Trevail in the location of an earlier one which had become ruinous by the 18th century.

Artists' colony established at Newlyn.

(25th June) An earthquake was felt in the Launceston area of Cornwall, it measured 4.2 on the Richter scale.

(15th August) Twelve miners are killed at Wheal Agar, near Redruth when a cage fell down a shaft.

1884

(7th January) John Harris FRHS dies aged 64. A Cornish poet from Camborne who started life as a miner.

St. Andrew's at Redruth, daughter church to St. Euny's, is erected and completed in 1938.

Henry Vivian, builds a house at Bosahan near Helston.

During quarrying for building materials at Carne Farm near Morvah a hoard of gold ornaments was found dating from the late Bronze Age.

Herodsfoot's mine finally closed and went into liquidation, owing various monies.

1885

(2nd February) The Norwegian three-masted sailing barque 'Petrellen' was washed ashore on Lomg Rock Beach, Penzance. The lifeboat saved the captain and crew, leaving the vessel to become a total wreck in the westerly, strong and heavy seas.

A larger lifeboat was provided for the Polpeor Station on the Lizard Peninsula, and the old (smaller) boat moved to a new station at Church Cove, where a new boathouse was built for £300.

The church of St. John and St. Petroc designed by J L Pearson (architect of Truro Cathedral) is built at Devoran.

Torpoint's parish church, dedicated to St. James was built in this year.

(25th June) The Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 reduced the number of Cornish MP's to six.

(4th August) Sir John Salusbury Salusbury-Trelawny, 9th Baronet of Trelawny dies aged 69. He MP for Tavistock and for Cornwall East.

(17th December) The SS 'Sussex' was wrecked on the Isles of Scilly, all the crew were saved.

1886

(23rd January) An earthquake which shook buildings is felt across Cornwall.

(24th April) Charles Crespigny Vivian, 2nd Baron Vivian of Truro dies aged 78. He sat as MP for Bodmin and served as Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall.

Cornwall's first free public library service was founded by the creation of the Truro Free Public Library at the Public Rooms, Truro.

(21st July) The North Cornwall Railway arrives at Launceston.

J D Sedding's St. Elwyn's church at Hayle is erected, and is considered to be one of the architect's best works.

(28th September) The 2,924 ton steamship 'Suffolk' was wrecked near Lizard Point in dense fog. The forty five persons aboard were all saved.

(17th October) The 'Sarah Anderson' was wrecked at Trebarwith and all on board perished.

(9th December) The 'Alliance' was wrecked on the seaward side of the Albert Pier, Penzance.

(9th December) The SV 'Petrel' was wrecked off Trevose Head in a force ten gale.

1887

(March) A new 600 feet long south pier was completed at Newlyn.

(9th May) Helston Railway opened for traffic.

(27th May) A new railway branch line opened from Bodmin Road (now Bodmin Parkway) to Bodmin.

(9th June) The 'Castleford' was wrecked near the Bishop Rock Lighthouse whilst carrying 450 head of cattle. Some of the cattle were landed on the uninhabited island of Annet.

(9th June) Arthur Victor Agar-Robartes is born at Lanhydrock House.

The Newquay Guardian newspaper commences publication, and continues until 1911 when it is incorporated into the Newquay Express.

All Saints church is built at Falmouth to the designs of J D Sedding. It becomes parochial in 1924.

Round Island Lighthouse completed on the most northerly outpost of the Isles of Scilly.

(21st August) The first Launceston agricultural show is held.

Visit of HRH the Prince of Wales, to Falmouth who laid the foundation stone of All Saints' Church.

(October) Sir James Douglass re-built Bishop Rock Lighthouse making it forty feet taller and much stronger.

1888

The Cambornian newspaper commences publication in Camborne, changes its title to The Western Star in 1890 and continues until 1896.

Camborne School of Mines was established.

(17th May) The French schooner 'Jeune Hortense' was wrecked near Penzance. The Penzance lifeboat saved the crew.

(31st May) A new Town Hall is opened in Wadebridge.

Artists' colony established at St. Ives.

(3rd September) A railway line, from Bodmin to Boscarne Junction, a distance of three miles, was opened.

The King Harry Steam Ferry Company Limited is formed to better manage the ferry crossing across the River Fal from Trelissick to The Roseland Peninsula. The ferry crossing saves a detour by road of about 27 miles.

1889

(1st April) Cornwall County Council is created by the Local Government Act of 1888. Committees include County Rate Basis, Finance, Highways and Bridges, Lunatic Asylum, Contagious Diseases of Animals, General Purposes and Parliamentary, Standing Joint, and Sea Fisheries.

The Cornish Post and Mining News newspaper commences publication in Camborne, and continues until 1944 when it is incorporated into The Cornishman. The St. Austell Star newspaper commences publication and continues until 1915. The Western Echo newspaper commences publication in St. Ives and continues until 1957 when it is incorporated in the St. Ives Times.

(27th September) Morrab Gardens are opened in Penzance.

The Cornish Football Association is founded.

(15th October) The Cunard liner 'Malta' run ashore in dense fog near Botallack. The vessel was a complete loss, but no lives were lost.

1890

(4th January) Sir Paul William Molesworth died at his residence, the Towers in Newquay.

(8th February) The 'Spyridon Vagliano', a Greek steamer carrying grain from Russia to Falmouth sank on The Manacles Reef off the Lizard Peninsula with the loss of 14 of the 22 crew.

Bob Fitzsimmons of Helston is the first native Briton heavy-weight boxing champion. He also wins three world titles at different weights at an age when most of today's boxers would have retired.

(June) Commencement of the 'Cornishman' train service from Paddington to Penzance.

King Edward Mine, near Camborne is abandoned. It was re-opened in 1897, and developed as a fully operational/training mine.

1891

(30th January) Anne Treneer is born at Gorran Haven she later becomes an well known author.

(9th March) A blizzard swept through Cornwall bringing snowdrifts up to twenty feet deep. But it is the hurricane force wind that causes most damage: over 200 lives are lost, the majority at sea where 63 ships founder, one of them being the British Barque 'Bay of Panama' which was wrecked on the east coast of the Lizard Peninsula. Upwards of 6,000 sheep and lambs die, and half a million trees are brought down.

The schooner 'Mary Barrow' was built and launched by W H Lean at Falmouth. The ship was originally built for the trans Atlantic trade but nearly came to grief when stranded on Porthminster beach in St. Ives in 1908. She was wrecked in 1938 when she stuck rocks.

The population of Cornwall is now 322,571 persons.

1892

(21st February) The 'Fratelli' hit The Runnel Stone and sank in deep water. Five of her crew were sighted from Lamorna in a punt which capsized off Carn Du throwing her occupants into the water where they all drowned. One body was washed up at Chyandour, Penzance, while the punt, plus another, was later brought into Newlyn.

(March) The famous children’s writer Beatrix Potter first visited Cornwall for an Easter holiday with her family at Falmouth.

(20th May) All the broad gauge railway lines on The Great Western Railway were re-laid to the standard gauge.

(July) The North Cornwall Railway is built to carry on westwards from Launceston.

1893

(10th January) Wheal Owles (St. Just) mine disaster, twenty lives lost in flooding.

(4th March) The Lizard and Cadgwith lifeboats were called to the aid of the SS 'Gustav Bitter' which had run aground on rocks. The Lizard lifeboat recovered three of the four men from the ship, whilst the Cadgwith lifeboat recovered eight further crew members including the ships Master from the ship’s boat.

(6th June) John Passmore Edwards is made the first Freeman of the City of Truro for his generous gifts to the City and the County.

The St. Ives Weekly Summary newspaper commences publication and continues until 1918. From 1910 it becomes a local edition of The Cornishman.

The first free public library building in Cornwall is provided when Penzance's Public Library is opened in Morrab Road. It is established with a bequest of £1,947 from Octavius Allen Ferris of Highgate, London, who gives similar amounts to Truro, Falmouth, Camborne and Redruth. Thomas Bedford Bolitho and John Passmore Edwards each present 1,000 volumes. Passmore Edwards finances the building of these libraries too, as well as those at St. Ives, Bodmin, Liskeard and Launceston.

(14th August) The North Cornwall Railway arrives at Camelford.

(20th September) Seven miners were killed at an accident in Dolcoath Mine near Carn Brea.

Passmore Edwards Cottage Hospital is built in Falmouth.

(18th October) The North Cornwall Railway arrives at Delabole.

(21st October) Hussey Crespigny Vivian, 3rd Baron Vivian of Truro dies aged 59. He was appointed to be a Deputy Lieutenant of the County of Cornwall in 1887.

(18th November) During a raging gale three colliers, 'Cintra', 'Bessie' and 'Vulture', were all wrecked in Carbis Bay, near St. Ives.

(24th November) The SS 'Serica' nearly foundered and took shelter in St. Mary's Roads on the 19th. As she left she struck an uncharted rock (later named Serica Rock) and sank.

(20th December) The barque 'Iota' was driven against the cliffs at Lye Rock, Trebarwith, all but one were saved.

1894

Newlyn Art Gallery opened.

(26th June) The 'Busby' cargo ship was wrecked and sank at Trevose Head.

An new longer North Pier was completed in Newlyn, enabling every boat to tie up alongside the quay for safety.

1895

(1st January) The largest ship wrecked on The Doom Bar is believed to be the 'Antoinette', a barque of 1,118 tonnes. She set sail from Newport in South Wales with a cargo of coal for Brazil, but foundered near Lundy Island, losing parts of her mast. She was towed by a steam tug towards Padstow but struck The Doom Bar. Her crew of fourteen and several men who had attempted to salvage her were rescued by lifeboats, following which she rapidly sank.

(25th January) The 1,187 ton steamer 'Escurial' was wrecked with a loss of eleven hands out of a full crew of nineteen in a severe winter storm off Portreath.

All Saints church, Millbrook, is built echoing the 15th century style.

(14th March) Botallack Mine finally closed during the mining depression.

(7th April) The Russian barque 'Pallas' was wrecked on Great Perhaver Beach off Gorran Haven after grounding on The Gwineas in an easterly gale. The vessel's cargo was timber and all the crew were rescued.

Mullion harbour was completed and financed by Lord Robartes.

Great Western Railway purchased Tregenna Castle in St. Ives. With the help of local craftsmen, the original house was extended to include new function rooms, a restaurant, adjoining kitchens, and a hallway leading to the main reception area. It wasn't long before Tregenna became the 'Jewel in the Crown’ of the GWR hotels.

(1st June) St. Kew Highway railway station opened on the North Cornwall Railway.

(18th June) The North Cornwall Railway arrives at Wadebridge.

A slipway was built at Towan Head, Newquay so the lifeboat could launch directly into the sea.

(2nd October) The British schooner 'Jessie Mcclew' on voyage from Porthcawl to Hayle with coal, was driven ashore off Trevose Head and wrecked.

1896

January) Newlyn Lighthouse caught fire. The keeper, William Maddern, tried to withdraw the oil supply, but the pipes melted. He was badly burned trying to contain the fire when more oil washed over him.

(6th January) The schooner 'Cornish Lass' was wrecked at Trevellas while trying to enter St. Agnes harbour with coal.

(March) The sailing ship 'Bay of Panama' was wrecked under Nare Head, near St. Keverne, during a great blizzard. The ship carried jute from Calcutta; eighteen of those on board died but nineteen were saved.

(18th May) The fishermen of Newlyn spent three days rioting with fishermen from Lowestoft over fishing on the sabbath, which the local men did not agree with.

Stannaries Court (Abolition) Act enforced.

The church of The Good Shepherd was built in Par Green and the total cost of £850 met by Bishop John Gott.

(1st July) A railway station is opened at Golant on the Fowey to Lostwithiel line.

The Charles Buller Memorial Library is built in Liskeard.

A large granite cross is erected on Dodman Point to help protect shipping from this headland.

A lighthouse is built on the southern quay at Mevagissey.

(27th October) Sir Colman Rashleigh, 2nd Baronet of Menabilly dies aged 77. He was High Sheriff of Cornwall in 1852 and Deputy-Warden of the Stannaries. He was a MP for East Cornwall from 1874 to 1880.

1897

A serious outbreak of typhoid in the town of Wadebridge led to better water supplies.

The County Library is built in Union Place at Truro. The building was designed by Cornish architect Sylvanus Trevail and financed by local benefactor John Passmore Edwards.

(24th of May) The Bodmin Free Library was formally opened to the public by Right Hon. Leonard H Courtenay, MP for Bodmin.

Passmore Edwards Cottage Hospital is built in Liskeard.

Blue Hiils Tin mine finally closes.

St. Anthony Battery is built on St. Anthony Head on the Roseland as part of Falmouth's coastal defences.

Jubilee Rock north of Blisland has more carvings added to it to celebrate The Golden Jubilee of HRH Queen Victoria.

(29th November) The 'Rose of Devon' was wrecked off Porthtowan.

1898

The Victoria Gardens in Truro are laid out and opened for public use in commemoration of the 60th year of the reign of Queen Victoria.

(3rd July) The famous motor engineer and designer Donald Healey was born in Perranporth.

(10th August) The North Cornwall Railway arrives at Bude.

A telegraph cable was laid from Porthcurno to Gibraltar.

(14th October) The SS 'Mohegan' was wrecked after striking the Manacle rocks off The Lizard. 106 lives were lost. Most of the recovered bodies of the drowned were buried in a mass grave in St. Keverne churchyard, which was given a memorial stained glass window by the Atlantic Transport Line. A magnificent staircase salvaged from the wreck stands in Coverack youth hostel.

(10th November) The SS 'Bluejacket' was wrecked on rocks near Longships lighthouse nearly demolishing the lighthouse in the process. All 22 of the crew were saved by the Sennen lifeboat.

(15th December) The SS 'Brinkburn' was wrecked if fog on the Maiden Bower in the Isles of Scilly.

(19th December) Principal keeper John Ball was swept to his death from Bishop Rock Lighthouse. His body was never found.

1899

(5th January) The 2066 ton Italian steamer 'Voorwarts' was wrecked on the cliffs at Morwenstow. nine of her crew were saved but thirteen more were drowned.

(23rd March) The North Cornwall Railway arrives at Padstow.

(2nd May) The liner 'The Paris', was stranded on The Manacles Reefoff Porthoustock on the Lizard.

(28th August) HMS 'Ganges' left Falmouth.

The Western Echo Newspaper was founded by William J. Jacobs in St. Ives.

(2nd October) Cardiff collier 'Llandaff' a small Welsh steamer broke down off the Bude coast while on passage from Saint Malo to Swansea in ballast. She was washed onto the end of the breakwater in a force ten gale and the crew were taken off by rocket apparatus. Later, on the incoming tide, she shifted position, ending up overlooking Tommy’s Pit. A few days later she refloated herself and drifted out to sea, from where she was scrapped.

1900

(11th April) The fishing boat 'Peace and Plenty' was driven onto the rocks near Padstow. Two lifeboats attended but eleven lives were lost.

(June) The Headland Hotel at Newquay, designed by the Cornish architect Silvanus Trevail is opened despite much opposition from locals.

The first motor cars arrive in Cornwall.

Annual production of Cornish china clay mainly from the St. Austell area is over 550,000 tons.

(26th September) Pendeen Lighthouse is commissioned.

(29th October) A. K. Hamilton Jenkins is born at Redruth, he later becomes a famous Cornish Author.

(28th December) The Austrian barque 'Capricorno' was wrecked on Bude breakwater.

1901

(19th January) The 'Marie Celene' was wrecked off Falmouth after hitting rocks.

(22nd January) Edward VII becomes King on the death of his mother, HRH Queen Victoria.

(28th February) The sailing vessel 'Concord' was wrecked on the Outer Trigg rocks at the harbour entrance to Porthleven.

(7th March) The 'Voorspoed' ran ashore in a northerly gale at Perranporth while travelling from Cardiff to Bahia. The wreck was one of the last to be looted.

(15th May) A new railway line opened with a climbing curving link line from Coombe Junction, a little south of Moorswater, to the now Great Western Railway station at Liskeard. The new connecting line had to climb a considerable vertical interval to reach the Cornish Main Line which passed above Moorswater on a 147 feet high viaduct.

The Cornish Guardian newspaper commences publication in Bodmin.

A lifeboat station is opened at Coverack.

A telegraph cable was laid from Porthcurno to Maderia.

A new barracks is built at Pendennis Castle.

Bude Canal closes due to the competition from the railway.

(9th November) George Frederick Ernest Albert, second son of Albert Edward becomes the Duke of Cornwall.

(18th November) The Penzance schooner 'Mary James' bound for Swansea from Newlyn with copper ore lost her mast and sails off the Longships and the wreckage was washed up the next day. The crew of six had been taken off by the Sennen Lifeboat.

(7th December) The cargo ship 'Rodney' was wrecked, a total loss, at Downderry, near Looe on the return voyage from Chile to France with a cargo of nitrate.

(12th December) Marconi sends first transatlantic signal from Poldhu between Porthleven and Mullion to Newfoundland, Canada. The site is marked by the Marconi Visitors Centre, near Mullion.

The population of Cornwall is now 322,957 persons.

1902

(January) The 800 ton Scottish barque 'Glenbervie' became stranded on Lowland Point near Coverack. Her crew of 16 were rescued by lifeboat.

(2nd February) The 'Lofaro' was wrecked after striking Merrick Rock, St. Martin's with the loss of all her crew.

(9th April) Visit of HRH King Edward VII to Penzance and St. Michael's Mount.

(1st September) A new railway station is opened at St. Keyne on the Looe branch line.

(7th November) The Camborne and Redruth Tramway opens, Cornwall's only electric street tramway, and unique in Britain in providing for the transport of minerals too. The last passenger service ran in 1927.

(27th November) The Penlee Quarry Light Railway opens near Newlyn.

(December) Truro holds its first annual primestock show.

1903

(4th February) The 'Berwick' of Newcastle was wrecked on The Runnel Stone; the crew took to two boats one of which reached land and the other with five crew taken to Penzance in the Sennen Cove lifeboat.

New Iceworks are built at Newlyn harbour.

(20th April) Sir Charles Brune Graves Sawle, 2nd Baronet of Penrice and MP for Bodmin, dies aged 87. He had served as a Justice of the Peace, Special Deputy Warden of the Stannaries and Honorary Lieutenant Colonel of the Royal Cornwall and Devon Miner's Militia.

(16th May) Sir William Robert Williams, 3rd Baronet of Tregullow dies aged 43.

The Old Post Office at Tintagel is acquired by The National Trust.

(July) HRH The Prince and Princess of Wales visit Truro for the opening ceremony of the new Cathedral. They also make a visit to Marconi's Wireless Station at Poldhu, near Mullion.

(6th July) A railway station is opened at Perranporth.

(15th July) HRH The Prince and Princess of Wales visit Truro.

(3rd August) Francis Aylmer Graves Sawle, 3rd Baronet of Penrice dies aged 54.

(August) The Great Western Railway Company ran the first scheduled bus service in Cornwall. It ran from Helston to the Lizard. By the 1920's it had become one of the largest operators in the south west covering forty four routes.

(27th October) Heavy rains caused a severe flood to be swept down the Glynn Valley washing away Wainsford Bridge, near St. Neot. Lostwithiel was also badly flooded.

(7th November) Silvanus Trevail Cornwall's most famous 19th century architect born in Luxulyan near St. Austell, dies aged 52.

(4th December) The author A. L. Rowse is born at Tregonissey near St. Austell.

(26th December) Lancelot Stephen Bosanquet was born at St. Stephen's-by-Saltash, he later became a British mathematician who worked in analysis, especially Fourier series.

1904

(5th January) A terrible explosion at the Hayle Royal Navy dynamite factory killed five men and several others were injured.

Publication of Jenner's 'Handbook of the Cornish language', prompts the revival of Cornish.

(1st July) The first Cornish Riviera Express was run, reducing the Paddington to Penzance railway journey time to 7 hours from 8.5 hours.

Cornwall accepted into Celtic Congress.

(1st September) The SS 'Lady of the Isles' on an excursion to the Isles of Scilly hit a sunken ledge off Carn Du and later beached at Lamorna Cove. The passengers had to walk the four miles back to Penzance.

Harvey's Foundry at Hayle finally closed.

The main tower and spire of the new Truro Cathedral are completed.

A young woman, by the name Jessie Rickard, was murdered at Castle an Dinas by a jealous lover, who then took his own life.

1905

(14th March) The barque 'Khyber', a triple mast iron cargo ship en-route from Melbourne, Australia, to Falmouth was blown ashore in heavy gales and wrecked on the rocks at Porthgwarra.

(12th April) Jonathan Rashleigh of Menabilly, near Fowey dies aged 85.

The Newquay Express newspaper commences publication, and continues until 1945, when it becomes the Newquay Guardian and Cornwall County Chronicle. In 1955 it is incorporated as a local edition of the Cornish Guardian.

Geevor Mine is the name given to the former North Levant Mine which has worked from about 1810. It survives as a working mine until August 1986. It re-opens as a mining heritage centre in August 1993.

(4th August) The French barque 'Noisiel' was beached on Praa Sands during a gale.

(20th September) Sir William Frederick Williams, 4th Baronet of Tregullow dies aged 19.

1906

A telegraph cable was laid from Porthcurno to Fayal in the Azores via the island of St. Helena.

Dense fogs infested the coast of West Cornwall continuously from May to August.

(5th June) The steam-trawler 'General Roberts' of Hull sank after taking on water in the fishing grounds north of St. Martins, Isles of Scilly. Her crew abandoned ship in the punt and rowed towards Round Island.

(15th June) Six railway carriages accidentally left without their brakes on ran away down the incline from Liskeard Station to Moorswater where they demolished the engine shed and caused much other damage, but luckily no-one was hurt.

(22nd July)The 'King Cadwallon' was on voyage from Cardiff to Naples with a cargo of coal in foggy conditions when she struck the rocks off St. Martin's, Isles of Scilly at about 5am. On striking the head canted to starboard and the forehold filled with water within ten minutes. The crew abandoned ship and awaited rescue. The ship became a total loss after slipping back into deeper water.

(31st July) The French ship 'Socoa' struck rocks near Cadgwith.

The 'Morgawr', a giant sea serpent said to measure 12-14 feet long, was reportedly sighted swimming in the waters beyond Land's End.

(28th August) Sir John Betjeman the famous author is born.

1907

(17th March) The 12,000 tonne liner SS 'Suevic' hit the Maenheere Reef near Lizard Point. In a strong gale and dense fog RNLI lifeboat volunteers rescued 456 passengers, including 70 babies. Crews from the Lizard, Cadgwith, Coverack and Porthleven rowed out repeatedly for sixteen hours to rescue all of the people on board.

A twelve-arched viaduct of some 120 feet in height and 870 feet long is built at Calstock to carry the railway across the River Tamar.

(13th May) Author Daphne du Maurier is born.

(23rd August) Par stack is demolished, it was the tallest stack in Cornwall at 235 feet.

(28th October) Sir Colman Battie Rashleigh, 3rd Baronet of Menabilly dies aged 61. He was Mayor of Lostwithiel.

(14th December) The seven masted schooner 'Thomas W. Lawson' was wrecked on The Isles of Scilly with the loss of fifteen out of the seventeen crew.

1908

(7th January) Both the 'Lizzie R. Wilce' and the ' Mary Barrow' were wrecked on St. Ives beach, both crews were saved.

Thomas Merritt, composer of famous carols was born at Broad Lane, Illogan on October 26th 1863, the son of a copper miner. He attended Pool School until his father died when Thomas was age eleven. For a time Thomas then worked at Carn Brea mine and later Tolvaddon Tin Streams. Mr Humphrey Broad taught him music for about six months at Redruth when he was about eighteen, but apart from that he appears to have had no formal training. He was organist at Chili Road Chapel and Illogan Highway Chapel. In addition to his carols, Merritt also composed (among others) The Christian Solider, an Oratorio and Shepherd of Israel, a Sacred Cantata. Merritt died on April 17th 1908, aged 46.

(2nd March) Calstock railway station opened.

(7th March) A serious fire at Scorrier House destroyed large parts of the property.

(16th March) The 'Hodbarrow Miner' Bound from Runcorn to Truro with coal. Went ashore and wrecked at Mawgan Porth having been abandoned by the crew, of which only one survived.

(14th May) Sir John St. Aubyn, 1st Baron St. Levan dies aged 78. He was MP for St. Ives.

(19th May) A viaduct at Forder, near Saltash was demolished after the main line was diverted to a more inland alignment.

Lifeboat station opened at Newlyn.

(4th October) The 'Alice Marie' was wrecked in Mounts Bay after hitting The Runnel Stone.

A breakwater is built at Sennen Cove.

Par has the honour of being the first troop of Scouts formed in Cornwall.

1909

(1st January) The Bude County Secondary School first opened.

(10th June) HRH The Prince and Princess of Wales' visit Liskeard, Minions, Bodmin, St. Columb Major, St. Austell, Newquay and Padstow before presenting cups at the Royal Cornwall Show.

(20th July) William Hampton was hung for the murder of Emily Tredrea. This was the last hanging is performed in Bodmin Jail.

(14th August) The 300 foot 'Plympton' struck the Lethegus' Ledge off St. Agnes and sank in thick fog.

A new cable station is built to house the large amount of new telegraph cables which come ashore at Porthcurno.

1910

(18th April) The SS 'Minnehaha', first-class liner hit Scilly Rock off Bryher in dense fog. Later re-floated with no loss of life. She was the first vessel to send an SOS call to the Marconi radio station on the Lizard Peninsula.

(6th May) George V becomes King and Emperor of India on the death of his father, Edward VII, and his son Edward becomes the Duke of Cornwall.

Truro's new three-spired cathedral is completed.

Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch, is Knighted.

(July) Claude Grahame-White brought his aeroplane to Cornwall by train to put on a display – flying over Mount's Bay and Penzance. This was the first time the majority of west Cornwall people had seen an aircraft.

The St. Ives Times started by Martin Osbourne Clock commences publication and continues until 1971.

(5th September) The 1500 ton 'William Cory' was en route from Finland to Newport in south Wales with a cargo of pit props when she struck the rocks near Pendeen and was wrecked while the skipper was navigating without charts.

St. Piran's oratory was excavated and a number of skeletons, including one of a large headless man, were found before the remains were encased in a large concrete structure.

Winston Churchill visited Bodmin as a Liberal MP, accompanied by his wife Clementine.

A new coal-fired power station is opened on Hayle Quay, it closed in 1977.

(3rd October) The 180 ton French schooner 'Olympe' ran aground and was wrecked at Gunwalloe Church Cove, near Porthleven.

(8th November) The steamer 'Wimborne' was wrecked near Land's End.

1911

(3rd May) The Norwegian ship 'Hansy' was wrecked on the eastern side of the Lizard Peninsula.

Newquay St. Michael's, a large church in the Cornish style designed by Sir Ninian Comper, is erected. It is destroyed by an arson attack on 29th June 1993 but re-opens following complete restoration.

The granite quarries at Lamorna Cove ceased production.

A new lifeboat station is built on the quay at St. Ives.

HRH Edward, Prince of Wales, and his brother Prince Albert (later Kings Edward VIII and George VI respectively) recuperated at the Headland Hotel in Newquay after catching measles and mumps while studying at Royal Naval College, Dartmouth.

Polperro Lighthouse is completed.

(31st July) A whole shoal of whales were beached at Longrock, Penzance.

(19th September) Author Sir William Golding born at Newquay.

(24th September) Henry Cornwallis Eliot, 5th Earl of St. Germans dies aged 76.

Peninnis Lighthouse is built on the southern extremity of St. Mary's, in the Isles of Scilly.

(12th November) Both the 'Angele' and the 'Island Maid' were wrecked on The Doom Bar in the Camel Estuary during a gale.

(13th December) The barque 'Saluto' was driven ashore close to St. Michael's Mount during a fierce gale. Her crew of thirteen were all saved.

The population of Cornwall is now 328,098 persons.

1912

(11th February) The 'Maud' from the Isle of Man was wrecked at Kynance Cove. All her crew were saved.

(5th March) The three-masted schooner 'Bessie' was forced to shelter in Newquay Bay, in a strong north wind, but drifted ashore and wrecked when her anchor fouled. Two of the crew were saved by breeches buoy, the others clambered up the 100 foot cliff on the cliff ladder.

75% of Cornish china clay production is for shipment overseas.

(21st March) The SS 'City of Cardiff' was wrecked two miles south of Land's End. The Sennen Life–Saving Apparatus Team took the crew off by breeches buoy.

(15th April) Among the 2,200 people on board the ill-fated RMS 'Titanic', there was a group of Cornish miners hoping to build a new life in America.

(4th October) Visit of HRH the Duchess of Albany to Penzance and St. Michael's Mount.

(12th November) R. B. Kitson from Lanreath, near Looe became the first Cornishman to pass his flying test and qualify as a pilot.

(8th December) The Greek steamer 'Antonios' was lost on Old Bess, Isles of Scilly with the loss of her crew. The wreck went unnoticed for three days until wreckage and thousands of oranges were washed up on St. Agnes.

(26th December) The SS 'Tripolitania' ran aground and wrecked on the Loe Sand Bar near Porthleven. Most of the crew were saved.

1913

The St. Ives Times newspaper commences publication and continues from 1957 as the St. Ives Times and Echo (incorporating the Western Echo).

(5th May) The four-masted steel barque 'Queen Margaret', laden with 4500 tons of wheat from Australia hit the Maenheere Rock of Lizard Point and was wrecked.

(23rd May) The square rigger 'Cromdale' was wrecked on the Lizard.

A wooden mission church is constructed at Carbis Bay. Foundations for a new church are laid in 1927, the tower is finished in 1959 and the nave is completed in 1964-8.

(14th August) The 'Susanna', was wrecked on Zantman's Rock, Isles of Scilly.

A major strike occurs in support of a minimum wage of £1 5s 0d (equal to approx £82.00 in 2005) for the china clay industry in the St. Austell area. 200 policemen met 2,000 strikers at Bugle and charged the strikers and beat them back with truncheons.

Carn Brea power station was closed down.

(1st October) Sir Frederick William Williams, 5th Baronet of Tregullow dies aged 25.

(10th October) The public house the Farmers Arms in St. Columb Minor, near Newquay, caught fire and was burnt to the ground. The cause of which was a firework. The Inn was rebuilt in 1914.

(28th November) The SV 'Thornliebank' was wrecked off the Isles of Scilly.

1914

(16th January) HMS 'A7', an early Royal Navy submarine, sank in Whitsand Bay with the loss of all her crew whilst carrying out dummy torpedo attacks.

(1st February) The German steel barque 'Hera' was wrecked on Gull rock off Nare Head on the Roseland Peninsula and was sunk with a loss of nineteen lives. The sailors are all buried at Veryan churchyard.

(15th March) The steel barque 'Trifolium' was wrecked at Sennen Cove. Six of her crew were saved by the coastguard but five others were drowned.

(28th July) Start of World War One.

(1st August) W J Burley author born in Falmouth. The Cornish TV detective series Wycliffe is based on novels by him. His first novel was published in 1966, he died in Cornwall in 2002.

(4th August) Young men across Cornwall flocked to join the services at the start of World War One.

159 China clay works are in operation in Cornwall.

(2nd November) Richard Graves Sawle, from Porthpean, St. Austell, was killed in battle. He was the son of Sir Charles Graves Sawle.

(11th November) A large fire gutted several buildings and the clock tower in the centre of Truro.

1915

Newlyn was selected as the Ordnance Survey datum point, the mean sea level from which all heights throughout Britain are calculated. A tidal observatory was built on the pier. Also Newlyn Lighthouse was built on the same pier.

(22nd May) Thomas Bedford Bolitho dies in Penzance aged 80.

Tehidy House was vacated and after 700 years of Basset family ownership, the estate was sold in 1916.

(25th September) The Redruth and Chasewater Railway closes.

Many ships were torpedoed and sunk by German submarines around the Cornish coast.

(12th November) Terrific gales caused much damage to property and uprooted large trees in and around Penzance.

1916

The novelist, D.H.Lawrence, and his wife Frieda moved to Zennor in West Cornwall, as a first step toward emigrating to America.

(11th March) The poet and writer Jack Clemo was born at St. Stephen near St. Austell.

(June) RNAS Mullion was opened as an airship station at Bonython on the Lizard Peninsula.

The 'Enrico Parodi', a 339 foot long, 3,800-ton steel vessel, struck Gurnard's Head near Zennor during thick fog. While being towed, it sank off The Carracks and remains there, thirty yards below the surface as a diving attraction.

Private James Henry Finn from St. Clement near Truro, earned the Victoria Cross for his most conspicuous bravery in Iraq.

(13th October) The 'Henrietta' was wrecked on the Loe Bar near Porthleven.

(3rd November) The SS 'Ponus' was travelling from Trinidad to Britain. While off of the coast of Cornwall, she encountered a gale. Her anchor could not hold her in place and she was driven ashore on Gyllyngvase beach, Falmouth. She then caught fire. All the crew were safely landed, with the aid of the Falmouth lifeboat.

(1st December) Two French sailing ships were torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine 'UB-18' north of Trevose Head.

(December) The fishing trawler 'St.Ives' hit a mine just off St. Anthony Head whilst carrying out mine sweeping work near Falmouth.

(31st December) The Liskeard and Caradon Railway closes all lines north of Moorswater.

1917

(March to June) Shortage of Potatoes around Penzance, the majority of households having none for weeks.

(11th May) Two steam colliers were wrecked during heavy fog. The SS 'Italia' and SS 'Lady Charlotte' both hit rocks off The Isles of Scilly.

(27th May) Sir Vyell Donnithorne Vyvyan, 9th Baronet of Trelowarren dies aged 90. He was Rector at Withiel.

(24th August) The author Charles Causley was born in Launceston.

(25th September) William Henry Edgcumbe, 4th Earl of Mount Edgcumbe dies aged 83. He was an Aide-de-Camp to Queen Victoria from 1887 to 1897 and a Member of the Council to the Prince of Wales from 1901 to 1917 as well as Keeper of the Seal of the Duchy of Cornwall from 1907 to 1917. Between 1877 and 1917 he served as Lord-Lieutenant of Cornwall.

(3rd October) Sir Burton Robert Williams, 6th Baronet of Tregullow dies aged 28. He died at the Battle of Passchendaele and was killed in action.

(7th October) The SV 'Carl' was wrecked at Booby's Bay near Trevose Head while on towed by the Royal Navy to London.

(30th November) Sir William Lewis Salusbury-Trelawny, 10th Baronet of Trelawny dies aged 73. He was High Sheriff of Cornwall.

(6th December) The USS 'Jacob Jones', an American destroyer, was hit in the stern by a torpedo while on convoy duty. She exploded killing her crew of 66 and sank within eight minutes, twenty five miles south-east of the Bishop Rock.

Many more ships were torpedoed and sunk by German submarines around the Cornish coast.

(17th December) Newquay lifeboat, 'James Stevens No.5', was wrecked on service after launching into a gale to assist the steamship 'Osten' from Copenhagen, in difficulties at Holywell.

1918

(2nd March) The St. Austell to Pentewan Railway closed.

(23rd July) The SS 'Annie Sofie' was torpedoed and sunk off Trevose Head by the German submarine U-55 with the loss of one life.

(6th August) Lieutenant Thomas Algernon Smith-Dorrien-Smith dies aged 72 and his son Arthur Algernon Dorrien-Smith takes over as Governor of The Isles of Scilly.

(17th October) A torpedoed tramp steamer 'Anthony Radcliffe' beaches near Land's End.

(11th November) Celebrations across Cornwall as World War One finally ends.

The artist Jack Pender was born in Mousehole.

Hundreds of people died across Cornwall when an epidemic of Spanish flu swept through the county.

1919

(23rd February) Tehidy House, near Illogan, is destroyed by fire.

(15th March) Penzance Naval Base Closes.

(11th June) HRH The Prince of Wales visits Truro.

(20th October) Levant Mine (St. Just) disaster, 31 lives lost when main rod of man-engine broke.

Royal Institution of Cornwall occupies its present building in River Street, Truro with The Royal Cornwall Museum.

The amalgamation takes place of three large china clay companies - Martin Brothers, the west of England and Great Beam Company, and the North Cornwall China Clay Company, to become English China Clays Ltd or ECC based near St. Austell. It controls 50% of the production.

1920

Donald Healey transmits an air-to-ground radio message over Perranporth, the first in Cornwall and possibly in the country.

(26th March) The Isles of Scilly Steamship Company Ltd was formed by the inhabitants of the Islands to provide regular, cost effective and enjoyable travel between the mainland and the Isles of Scilly.

First Old Cornwall Society founded by Robert Morton Nance at St. Ives

Bernard Leach started the Leach Pottery in St. Ives.

(27th August) HMS 'Hood', the largest battleship in the world, visited Mount' s Bay.

(29th November) The 'Capitaine Remy' ran aground just off Polkerris.

Robert Barclay Fox (1873-1934), becomes High Sheriff of Cornwall.

(2nd December) A big German steamer the 'Hathor', of 7,060 tons gross, sank right across the wreck of the 'Plympton', at the base of Lethegus Rocks, Isles of Scilly.

Ownership of The Isles of Scilly is passed back to the Duchy of Cornwall.

A new clock tower is built in St. Teath as a war memorial.

1921

(20th January) The HMS 'K5' a British submarine, sunk about 120 miles south-west of the Isles of Scilly with the loss of 57 lives.

Cornwall's deepest mine, the 3,500 foot Dolcoath, near Camborne closes.

The butter-market in the centre of Launceston is demolished to make way for a new war memorial.

The telegraph cable from Bilbao in Spain which had previously landed at the Lizard was diverted into Porthcurno.

Joan Rendell, the author was born in Launceston.

(September) West Penwith District Council proposed a new canal to run from Hayle to Marazion. The idea was shelved due to cost.

Percy Lane Oliver from St. Ives was the founder of the first voluntary blood donor service.

(20th December) Sir Frederick Law Williams, 7th Baronet of Tregullow dies aged 59. He was a Lieutenant 1st Battalion Dorsetshire Regiment.

The population of Cornwall is now 320,705 persons.

1922

Lifeboat station opened in Fowey after a move from Polkerris.

The Forestry Commission purchase Cardinham Woods.

(3rd March) The French trawler 'Marguerite' went aground in Talland Bay near Looe, having lost her bearings in a south-westerly gale.

(22nd March) John Granville Cornwallis Eliot, 6th Earl of St. Germans dies aged 32.

The lease of The Isles of Scilly passed to Arthur Dorrien-Smith, who agreed to pass several properties on Tresco, including King Charles's Castle, into the guardianship of the Ministry of Works.

1923

(9th February) The five-masted schooner 'Adolf Vinnen' was wrecked off the Lizard in a gale during her maiden voyage.

The Cornish Wrestling Association was formed to standardise the rules of the sport and to promote Cornish wrestling throughout Cornwall and the world.

Thomas Hardy writes "The Queen of Cornwall", a one-act play based on the Tristan and Iseult story.

(8th October) The 6,000-ton cargo ship SS 'City of Westminster' was wrecked on The Runnel Stone just south of Land's End, slicing off the top of the stone. Fortunately the 72 crew were rescued by local lifeboats.

The Federation of Old Cornwall Societies (FOCS) was formed on the initiative of Robert Morton Nance.

1924

(March) The first Western Commercial Horticultural Show was held at Penzance. The show is now known as The West Cornwall Spring Show.

(24th March) The schooner 'Wyoming', the longest wooden ship ever built, was wrecked with the loss of all hands, off the Isles of Scilly.

(11th May) Antony Hewish is born in Fowey. He becomes a British radio astronomer who won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1974.

(22nd September) Rosamunde Pilcher, a best selling novelist was born in Lelant near St. Ives.

1925

(January) The County Library Service begins. Cornwall County Council adopts the Public Libraries Acts, and by 1926 48 villages have boxes of up to 30 volumes sent out by bus and rail. In 1928 the first 'exhibition library van' is purchased, to carry about 2,000 books, visiting each village regularly to permit the public to select books for their village centre.

The Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry Museum is opened in Bodmin.

The A30 road through Cornwall is extended to Land's End

(1st July) Falmouth gets second railway station.

(21st September) St. Blazey station closed to passengers, and the town is now served by Par station.

(17th November) RMV 'Scillonian' was built for the Isles of Scilly Steamship Company by the Ailsa Shipbuilding Company Ltd of Troon, Scotland. She was designed to carry 400 passengers and cargo between Penzance and the Isles of Scilly. She was launched and named 'Scillonian' by Mrs. A. A. Dorrien-Smith of Tresco Abbey.

1926

(2nd February) The new 'Scillonian' made her first time-tabled, commercial trip from St. Mary's to Penzance. It took her three and a quarter hours.

(11th March) HMS 'Cornwall' was launched at Devonport Dockyard, watched from across the river at Saltash by the crowds.

(3rd May) General Strike proclaimed. Train and other Services curtailed.

(8th June) Emily Hobhouse from St. Ive near Liskeard, and who formed a relief fund for Boer women in South Africa, dies aged 66.

(7th October) David Treffry, a member of the old Cornish family of Treffry, was born at Porthpean near St. Austell.

St. Austell gets a new by-pass built around the southern edge of the town.

Daphne du Maurier's parents bought Ferryside, the house on the Bodinnick side of the River Fowey overlooking the Ferry Crossing, where she spent so many happy early years and wrote her first book.

1927

(1st January) The first BBC radio broadcasts become receivable in Cornwall.

The St. Ives Society of Artists was founded.

(8th June) HRH The Prince of Wales visits Truro.

Carclew House Gardens first opened to the public.

Bodmin Jail, the last County Jail in Cornwall, eventually closed.

HRH King George V and Queen Mary visit Trewithen Gardens near Truro.

(29th September) The Camborne and Redruth Tramway which opened in 1902, closes its passenger service.

1928

Cornwall College at Camborne is the first college of further education in the county.

The Cornish artists Alfred Wallis, Ben Nicholson and Christopher Wood met at St. Ives and laid the foundation for the artists' colony.

Mousehole Bird Hospital founded by the Misses Dorothy and Phyllis Yglesias.

Tresavean Mine, near Redruth closed for the last time.

(21st September) First Cornish Gorsedd at Boscawen-un, (instituted by Henry Jenner) symbolising the resurgent interest in Cornwall's cultural and linguistic heritage conducted by Pedrog, Archdruid of Britain.

1929

The old narrow Treverbyn Bridge near St. Neot which crosses the River Fowey is replaced by a new wider one, a few yards south.

(16th June) HRH Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother visits Truro.

(June) Callington Old Cornwall Society holds the first Annual Midsummer Eve Bonfire on Kit Hill.

(6th December) Wreck of SS 'Frances Duncan' off Land's End.

(7th December) Wreck of SS 'Ornais II' at Perranuthnoe near Marazion.

1930

(January) The cargo ship 'Romanie' was wrecked off Polridmouth Bay near Fowey but the crew managed to scramble ashore to safety.

(31st March) The British World War One submarine 'L1' ran aground Near Cape Cornwall and was wrecked whist under tow.

The Council for the Preservation of Rural England publishes Cornwall: a survey of its coast, moors and valleys, with suggestions for the preservation of amenities. Its preface is contributed by Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch.

(18th July) Visit of HMS 'Renown' and HMS 'Tiger' to Penzance.

(19th July) Thomas Charles Robartes of Lanhydrock, dies aged 86, he was the 2nd Baron Robartes.

Bude Sea Pool is opened on Summerleaze Beach in Bude.

After a steady decline in profits Levant Mine finally closes.

HRH The Prince of Wales makes a visit to the china clay mines around the St. Austell area.

A large fire destroys the workhouse in St. Austell.

1931

(January) The Regal cinema situated at the end of The Platt in Wadebridge was built by the Pope family of Padstow.

The Roman Villa at Magor Farm, Camborne, is discovered.

Daphne du Maurier publishes her first book 'The Loving Spirit'.

(May) Lane Theatre is formed near Newquay.

Sir John Betjeman publishes his first book of poems 'Mount Zion'.

A new lifeboat boathouse and roller slipway were built at Padstow.

(3rd November) Wreck of SV 'St. Anne' at Porthleven.

The population of Cornwall is now 317,968 persons.

1932

Miss Rowena Cade and her gardener begin to carve out the amphitheatre on the cliffs at Porthcurno which becomes the remarkable Minack Theatre. The first performance of "The Tempest" was held in the summer.

(18th February) Charles John Graves Sawle, 4th Baronet of Penrice dies aged 81. He became a Rear Admiral in the Royal Navy.

The process of the amalgamation of Cornish china clay companies begun in 1919 continues with the formation of English Clays, Lovering, Pochin and Company (ECLP) which controls 75% of the industry.

(4th March) Wreck of Belgian Trawler, 'Omer Denise', and the SS 'Ocklinge' at Coverack.

(8th August) Protestant agitators broke into St. Hilary church near Penzance and removed or destroyed many of the fittings and furnishings that had been installed by the much-loved Father Bernard Walke.

(13th September) Wreck of SS 'Glamorgan Coast' at Cape Cornwall.

(30th October) Wreck of Auxiliary Schooner, 'Sarah Evans', at Portreath.

A statue depicting Richard Trevithick is erected outside Camborne Public Library was unveiled by Prince George, Duke of Kent, in front of a crowd of thousands of local people.

1933

King Arthur's Great Halls in Tintagel are opened to the public.

Newquay Airport opens as an airfield.

(August) A major fire occurred on Samson, in The Isles of Scilly which was put out by the staff of Major Dorrien-Smith, by digging ditches to stop the spread.

1934

Carclew House owned by the Lemon family was destroyed by fire.

(22nd April) Robert Barclay Fox of Falmouth dies aged 61.

An Air Service between London and Penzance was started by Provincial Airways.

(August) The Camborne and Redruth Electric Tramway closes.

1935

(27th January) Donald Michael Thomas the Cornish novelist and poet is born in Redruth.

(28th March) Wreck of French Trawler 'Le Vieux Tigre' at the Lizard.

The Wayside Folk Museum in Zennor is opened.

(May) The Jubilee Bathing Pool in Penzance was opened.

(21st June) Wreck of 15,000 ton Oil Tanker 'D. L. Harper' at the Lizard.

A new North Quay was added to Padstow Harbour.

(15th September) Cornish author Silas Kitto Hocking from St. Stephen, became the first author to sell one million books in his lifetime, dies aged 85.

Levant beam engine has been preserved on its working site by private individuals.

(2nd December) The Regal Cinema opens in Redruth.

(25th December) The French schooner 'Loustic' was driven ashore during a gale on Gyllyngvase Beach at Falmouth.

1936

(1st January) The Hayle Railway branch-line finally closes.

(February) The Plaza Cinema opens in Lemon Street, Truro.

A large coal-fired power station is built by ECLP at Drinnick to serve most of the china clay pits in the whole Hensbarrow and St. Austell areas.

The struggling South Crofty Mine takes over the neighbouring Dolcoath mine.

(1st November) The SS 'Bessemer City' was wrecked near St. Ives.

(11th December) George VI accedes to the throne upon the abdication of his brother, Edward VIII.

1937

(4th March) Joseph Hocking, An author born at St. Stephen, dies aged 77.

(16th March) HMS 'Torrid' an R-class destroyer ran aground at Flushing, near Falmouth while under tow to the breakers. Declared unsalvable, the wreck was scrapped in situ in 1940.

Godolphin House was acquired by the Schofields.

(1st July) The Italian steamer 'Aida Lauro' was wrecked near Botallack Head.

Channel Air Ferries developed the Land's End airport and started a service to St. Mary's in The Isles of Scilly.

1938

(31st January) The SS 'Alba' ran aground and sank on the rocks off St. Ives.

The German battleship 'Schleswig Holstein' pays a courtesy visit to Falmouth.

The entire village of St. Eval near Wadebridge, with the exception of the church, is compulsory purchased and demolished to make space for a new RAF airfield.

1939

(23rd January) The St. Ives lifeboat capsized with the loss of seven of her crew when proceeding to a vessel in distress off the Cornish coast.

A new by-pass and a new bridge over the River Fowey are built at Lostwithiel to relive the congestion through the narrow roads and bridge in the town.

(August) St. Mary's Airport is opened on The Isles of Scilly.

(3rd September) Start of World War Two.

(September) 300 infantrymen are sent to protect the telegraph cable station at Porthcurno.

(2nd October) A new RAF airfield is built and opened to serve Coastal Command at St. Eval between Newquay and Padstow.

(17th November) Christopher Craft is born at Porthleven, he later went to become a British racing driver who competed in many different forms of motor sport.

(22nd December) The SS 'Longships' a British cargo ship, was wrecked on Seven Stones, the crew were rescued by the St. Mary's lifeboat, Cunard.

1940

(4th January) The SS 'Ardangorm', a 5,000-ton vessel, struck the Gwineas off Gorran Haven in an ESE gale at night when en route from Cardiff to Fowey. The 36 crew were saved by the lifeboat from Fowey.

(8th January) Food rationing is introduced.

(9th January) HMS Raleigh at Torpoint was commissioned as a training establishment for Ordinary Seamen.

(30th January) The Greek ship 'Keramiai', part of Convoy OA 80G, was torpedoed and sunk by German submarine 'U-55' off Land's End.

(May) Four harbour tugs from Falmouth and a fishing boat from Fowey join the flotilla of small boats in the Dunkirk evacuation.

(June) 16,971 British Servicemen from the final evacuations of France and the Channel Islands landed in Falmouth.

(7th June) Penhale camp near Holywell Bay was bombed by a single German bomber, probably looking for the nearby St. Eval airfield; twenty two British soldiers were killed in the raid, most were subsequently buried in nearby Perranporth.

(29th June) Bombs fall on Torpoint during a German air raid.

Charlestown dock taken over for fitting out mine sweepers.

Argal Reservoir was built near Penryn.

(7th July) Four bombs fell on Penhale Army Camp at Holywell Bay. Some soldiers were killed and damage done to a number of Army huts.

(7th July) The Dutch tanker 'Lucretia' was torpedoed and sank by the German submarine 'U-34' west of The Isles of Scilly, two of the crew were lost but thirty were saved.

(10th July) The tanker 'British Chancellor' was bombed by Luftwaffe aircraft and sank in Falmouth harbour.

(21st August) RAF St. Eval, north of Newquay was the target for a quite concentrated attack by German Messerschmitts which caused seventeen casualties and destroyed or damaged a number of aircraft on the ground.

(1st September) British mine-sweeping trawler HMT 'Royalo' hit a mine and sank off Penzance, all seven crew were killed.

(14th October) A tremendous fire in Fore Street, St. Austell destroys many shops.

(October) The coaster 'Jersey Queen', after suffering an aerial attack sank in Falmouth Bay with the loss of two crew.

(9th November) A German bomber crashed landed on the Boconnoc Estate during the night, there were no survivors.

(26th November) The French patrol boat 'Medoc' was torpedoed and sank off Rame Head with the loss of 41 crew.

(November) Porthoustock survived a German bombing raid with no casualties.

(10th November) John Townshend St. Aubyn, 2nd Baron St. Levan of St. Michael's Mount dies aged 83. He was a Colonel in The Grenadier Guards.

(28th December) George Crespigny Brabazon Vivian, 4th Baron Vivian of Truro dies aged 62. He served with considerable distinction in the Second Anglo-Boer War.

1941

(January) Captain Dick Yelland retires after sixty years work at the same china clay works.

(16th March) The steamer 'Elna E' struck a mine and sunk ten miles north of Crackington Haven.

(19th February) Falmouth docks were bombed. One workshop extensively damaged but no casualties.

(March) An RAF airfield is opened north of Portreath to serve as a RAF Fighter Command station.

(20th March) Redruth railway station and viaduct were hit by eleven bombs. Two houses were demolished and considerable damage resulted to many houses and business premises. Six people were killed and five seriously injured.

(21st March) Mount Edgcumbe house suffered a direct hit by a German bomb and was gutted by fire.

(8th April) Five bombs were dropped on Falmouth, with no injuries.

(11th April) Saltash was attacked by many German bombers, possibly targeting the railway bridge. Seventeen People lost their lives that night.

(13th April) Par Docks was bombed around midnight; one house was demolished and telephone and electricity cables, gas mains and sewers were damaged.

(14th April) The 'Arbel' of Antwerp was bombed and sunk off Cape Cornwall. Of her twenty crew seventeen survived.

(22nd April) Naval storage tanks at Torpoint were bombed with a loss of seventeen lives.

(28th April) An RAF airfield is opened south-west of Perranporth. The airfield was used by twenty one different squadrons flying Spitfires. Another bombing raid was targeted at Saltash and Torpoint. HMS Raleigh took a direct hit causing much damage and killing 43 sailors.

(7th May) A bombing raid demolished two houses at Cawsand.

(13th May) Penryn was hit by a German air raid which destroyed twenty three houses a shop, the church institute and left three people dead.

(8th June) Ten high explosive bombs were dropped on Penzance destroying six houses and killing nine persons including a Police Sergeant.

(21st June) Penzance railway station is bombed killing one person.

(14th November) A bomb dropped on Redruth failed to explode causing a four day movement restriction in the area.

(1st October) RAF Predannack is opened on the Lizard Peninsula to help defend the south-west approaches. The airfield was closed in March 1946.

(13th November) Five bombs were drooped on St. Austell causing much damage to houses.

(15th November) Sir Courtenay Bourchier Vyvyan, 10th Baronet of Trelowarren dies aged 83. He fought in the First Boer War in 1879 and he fought in the Matabele War in 1896, where he was mentioned in dispatches. He fought in the Boer War between 1899 and 1902 and he gained the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel and Brevet Colonel in the Royal East Kent Regiment.

(25th November) Five bombs aimed at Falmouth Docks missed their target and fell on the town. Three houses were demolished and eighty damaged. Five persons were killed and three seriously injured.

A Luftwaffe plane, returning from a raid on Cardiff, jettisoned its bombs on the hotel at Land's End destroying the oldest sections of the building. One man was killed and many other local people and military personnel were injured.

(1st December) Nineteen bombs were dropped on Falmouth. There were many injuries.

(12th December) Fourteen bombs were dropped on Falmouth. Three houses were demolished, the Hydro Hotel on the seafront was damaged, Leaving one person killed and nine injured.

1942

A medium wave radio transmitting mast is erected at Four Lanes near Redruth.

(20th March) The steamer 'Risoy' carrying 450 tons of scrap iron from Southampton to Swansea sunk in an air raid off Trevose Head with the loss of one crew.

(24th March) Two RAF Spifires collided over St. Erth near Hayle killing both pilots.

(28th March) Falmouth was used as the launching point for the famous British Commando raid on St. Nazaire in France. Of the 611 who set off on the raid, 169 were killed in action.

(6th May) HRH King George VI and Queen Elizabeth visit Trewithen Gardens, Falmouth, Liskeard and the Duchy home farm at Stoke Climsland.

(6th August) Two 500 pound bombs were dropped over Truro, one virtually demolished the south wing of the hospital. A ward sister, a nurse and three visiting relatives were killed. Two more bombs were dropped on St. Breward completely demolishing the Sunday school and damaging thirty houses. The same planes went on to Truro and bombed the hospital killing nine people.

(7th August) Bodmin was hit by two 500 pound bombs dropped by German aircraft leaving the gas works on fire and eight people killed.

(17th August) An audacious daylight raid on Coverack in which three bombs were dropped, resulted in the deaths of four persons, with twenty one being injured; five houses demolished and twenty-five damaged, adding up to a disaster for the small community.

(28th August) Pentewan village was bombed damaging several buildings but nobody was killed.

(29th August) Alfred Wallis, an artist and fisherman from Penzance, dies aged 87.

(30th August) The gas works at St. Ives were bombed and destroyed by German planes.

(26th September) German bombers attacked Penzance destroying several houses and shops.

(1st October) An RAF airfield was built at Davidstow on Bodmin Moor.

(22nd October) Four bombs fell on Menheniot Station and Quarry during the morning, causing one death, nine other casualties and damage to machinery in the stone quarry, to the railway line and ten dwelling houses.

(8th November) Captain Michael Lempriere Bolitho was killed on HMS 'Walney', a Royal Navy tug; her task was to crash through the boom at the entrance to Oran Harbour in Operation Torch.

(20th November) Granville John Eliot, 7th Earl of St. Germans dies aged 75.

1943

(12th January) At about 1 o’clock whilst passing over Hayle Viaduct, one of the vans of a GWR goods train by some means exploded. Although blowing up to a height of 30 feet above the viaduct and then falling down into the middle of the town right in front of Clark’s Restaurant (now Warrens) the half-ton van failed to cause any damage to property or to injure any people.

(February) RAF St. Mawgan opened near Newquay, it became one of the busiest airfields in Britain. Today it is the site of Cornwall's airport.

(22nd March) A fighter plane from St. Eval airfield near Newquay bombed and sank the German submarine 'U-665' in the Bay of Biscay.

(2nd June) After an air battle against eight German planes in the Bay of Biscay, a British Sunderland plane had been heavily damaged. The crew made it back 800 miles to the Cornish coast, where pilot Colin Walker managed to land and beach it at Praa Sands.

(30th May) At Launceston a link between the LSWR and GWR railway lines opened to facilitate the ease of movement of military trains.

(7th June) British Commandos were involved in a mock seaborne raid codenamed "Exercise Brandyball", which took place on the 300 foot cliffs at Bosigran, about two miles south-west of Zennor.

(12th August) One of the St. Mary's based Hurricane fighter planes crashed into the masts of the 'Scillonian' ferry boat killing the pilot.

(11th October) John Nettles the actor was born at St. Austell.

(23rd December) An American war plane crashed into the summit of Brown Willy on Bodmin Moor in fog. The four crew were killed.

Daphne du Maurier moved to Menabilly where wrote many of her books in a writing-hut in the grounds with a view over the Gribbin, which she rented for many years from the Rashleigh family.

1944

(20th Febuary) HMS 'Warwick' was sunk by the German submarine 'U-413' off Trevose Head. Over half of her crew were lost.

(February) HRH The Duchess of Kent spends a week holidaying at Trebetherick, near Polzeath.

(7th February) Sir John William Salusbury-Trelawny, 11th Baronet of Trelawny dies aged 75. He was Lieutenant 3rd Battalion Welsh Regiment, and 7th Battalion Somerset Light Infantry.

(March) Field Marshall Montgomery visits Carlyon Bay, near St. Austell to see members of his old school who had been evacuated there.

(18th April) Piers Alexander Hamilton Edgcumbe, 5th Earl of Mount Edgcumbe, dies aged 79. He was appointed a Captain in the 3rd (Militia) Battalion of The Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry on 23rd March 1891.

(12th May) Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch, dies at Fowey aged 81.

(30th May) Falmouth is bombed during a German air raid, destroying a large petrol storage tank and the Pentargon Hotel.

(6th June) Troops left from various ports and beaches all along the south Cornish coast for the WW2 D-day invasion. Hill 112 in Normandy acquired the name "Cornwall Hill" after Cornish soldiers of 5th Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry suffered 320 casualties in the fighting here.

(6th June) David Penhaligon was born in Truro, he later became an MP for Cornwall.

(8th August) The freighter 'Ezra Weston' was sunk by the German submarine 'U-667' off Trevose Head.

(1st September) The German submarine 'U-247' was wrecked near the Isles of Scilly.

(2nd October) The LostwithielFowey branch line recommences its passenger services.

(18th October) An American aircraft on route to St. Mawgan crashed near Sharptor on Bodmin Moor and then caught fire. All nine aircrew survived.

(15th December) The German submarine 'U-400' was wrecked near Padstow.

(18th December) The German submarine 'U-1209' was wrecked on the Wolf Rock.

1945

(12th January) A merchant ship was torpedoed by a German submarine off Isles of Scilly.

(21st January) The German submarine 'U-1199' was wrecked near the Isles of Scilly.

(24th February) The German submarines 'U-1208' and 'U-480' were wrecked near the Isles of Scilly.

(10th March) The German submarine 'U-681' was wrecked near the Isles of Scilly.

(14th March) The German submarine 'U-102' hit a mine and was sunk off Padstow.

(15th March) The SS 'James Eagan Layne' was hit by German torpedo's off the Eddystone reef, but all of its 69 crew survived the attack. The ship sank in Whitsand Bay near Rame Head.

(21st March) The Dutch coaster 'Pacific' on voyage from Maryport to Penryn torpedoed by German submarines.

(20th April) The German submarine 'U-325' hit a mine and was sunk off the Lizard Peninsula.

(8th May) VE day celebrated across the county marking the end of World War Two.

(15th August) VJ day is celebrated with many street parties etc to mark the end of the war in the far east.

(14th September) A Royal Air Force Handley Page Halifax Mk VII was operating a flight from RAF Tarrant Rushton, Dorset to Lajes Field, Azores, Portugal. During the flight an electrical failure occurred causing a dingy inside the wing to inflate dislodge from stowage. The dingy wrapped around the tail assembly and the aircraft went into a nose dive, crashing into the Priddacombe area of Bolventor. All twenty one onboard, seven crew and fourteen passengers died in the crash.

East Pool mine closed and its engine was given to The National Trust in 1967.

Winston Graham published the first of his Poldark novels - Ross Poldark.

(December) RAF Davidstow on Bodmin Moor is de-commissioned and closed.

1946

(6th February) The SS 'Sphene' a coal carrying coaster, was wrecked and sank after striking the Mouls rocks off Port Isaac in bad weather.

(16th March) The fishing vessel 'Finisterre' was driven ashore at St. Ives with a loss of three lives.

(April) Perranporth airfield is de-commissioned.

(1st August) British European Airways take over the service between Land's End airport and St. Mary's in The Isles of Scilly.

(11th November) Selina Cooper (1864-1946) Suffragette from Callington and the first woman to represent the Independent Labour Party dies aged 82.

The Ferguson family sold Penlee House to Penzance Borough Council.

1947

(16th January) Two BBC reporters were rescued from Bishop Rock Lighthouse after bad weather stranded them at the lighthouse for 29 days. The two men had planned to stay on the lighthouse for only a few days, but the same gale-force winds and heavy seas that featured in their Christmas round-up were also preventing their scheduled relief.

Cotehele House was donated to The National Trust.

(2nd March) Stanhope Forbes, artist and a founding member of the influential Newlyn Society of Artists, dies aged 89.

(24th March) The Coal ship 'Empire Contamar' grounded on Kallyvarder Rock on Par Beach. The crew was saved and the cargo recovered.

The Royal Navy opened Culdrose airbase near Helston.

(23rd April) HMS 'Warspite' ran aground at Prussia Cove near Marazion while being towed to the breakers yard.

(24th June) Mick Fleetwood, Drummer and co-founder of the band Fleetwood Mac was born at Redruth.

(29th October) HRH King George VI and Queen Elizabeth visit Wheal Martyn.

1948

(1st January) The Great Western Railway Company was finally nationalised into British Railways.

(8th March) Jethro (real name Geoffrey Rowe) was born in St. Buryan.

(25th June) The fishing vessel 'Energetic' was hit by the American steamer USS 'Chrysanthy star' in thick fog ten miles SSE of the Lizard. Of the six brothers on board, five were killed. One holidaymaker on a fishing trip was also killed.

(29th August) The writer and poet Nick Darke is born near Bodmin.

(1st November) The motor tanker 'Saint Guénolé' ran aground at Penberth Cove while bound for Irvine from Nantes in ballast. She was found bottom up and eleven of her twelve crew drowned.

1949

(8th February) Barbara Hepworth moved into Trewyn Studios in St. Ives and founded the Penwith Society of Arts.

Helston Folk Museum is opened in the former Market House.

Penlee House Art Gallery and Museum is opened in Penzance.

(May) A new Cornish Stadium is opened for Speedway at Par Moor Road, near St. Austell. It was later used for Greyhound Racing and Stock Car Racing. After 1988 it was closed and redeveloped into Par Market.

HRH Princess Elizabeth visits various properties on the Duchy of Cornwall Estate.

(10th June) The MP Harold Macmillan visits Liskeard.

Hugh Town, on St. Mary's, Isles of Scilly was sold to the inhabitants by the British crown.

The magazine Cornish Review edited by Denys Val Baker is launched from St. Ives. It ran until 1952.

(6th October) The 6,300 ton cargo ship 'Fantree' struck the Seven Stones reef. Her cargo of hardwood was still being salvaged in 1992. Her crew of fifty-eight were rescued by launches Kittern and Goldern Spray from Scilly.

1950

(9th June) The Cable and Wireless Telegraph Engineering College opens at Porthcurno.

(June) HRH King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (later Queen Mother) along with Princess Margaret visit farms on the Duchy of Cornwall Estate, and also to the Royal Cornwall Show and Restormel Castle at Lostwithiel.

Wesley Cottage at Trewint was restored and opened to the public.

Derek and Jeannie Tangye move from London to a cottage at Minack near Lamorna. He later writes a series of books about his life in Cornwall.

Chemical Defence Establishment Nancekuke was established as a production plant for nerve gas on the site of a disused World War II airfield, RAF Portreath.

(6th September) Torrential rain causes terrible floods in Boscastle.

The Cornish Rex cat breed was started from a cat owned by Mrs Ennismore from Bugle, near St. Austell.

1951

(22nd February) Sir Colman Battie Walpole Rashleigh, 4th Baronet of Menabilly dies aged 77.

(13th March) Menabilly House near Fowey, where author Daphne du Maurier once lived, and home of the Rashleigh family from the 16th century, received a Grade II listing.

Royal Institution of Cornwall suggests to the County Council the establishment of a County Record Office.

Mebyon Kernow (The Sons of Cornwall) is formed, initially as a pressure group working within existing political parties, canvassing for Cornwall to have greater control of its own destiny.

Charles Causley's first volume of poetry is published - 'Farewell Aggie Weston'.

(10th September) The SS 'Scillonian' ran ashore on Wingletang Rock, Isles of Scilly in the fog, but was later re-floated.

The population of Cornwall is now 345,442 persons.

1952

(10th January) The SS 'Flying Enterprise' sank fifty miles off Falmouth after getting into difficulties during a storm further out in the channel and whilst being towed in.

(17th January) The cargo ship 'Liberty' was wrecked when she ran aground at Pendeen.

(6th February) HRH Queen Elizabeth II's reign begins on the death of her father, King George VI, and Charles her son becomes the Duke of Cornwall.

(May) The Duchess of Kent launches a new lifeboat at Padstow.

(30th June) Launceston railway station closed.

Fowey Aquarium is opened to the public.

A telegraph cable was laid from Porthcurno to Harbour Grace in Newfoundland.

(16th September) A Helicopter Crash at Par Moor Stadium, St. Austell kills two people.

(October) The Royal Navy warship HMS 'Wave' ran aground near St. Ives. The ship was later salvaged, repaired and returned to service. A propeller believed to be from HMS 'Wave' was washed ashore in 2008.

1953

(January) Reverend Frederick Densham dies aged 83, alone in his vicarage at Warleggan, which he is now said to haunt.

Lanhydrock House and its estate was given to The National Trust by the 7th Viscount Clifden.

Mebyon Kernow wins its first council seat.

Australian surfers formed the first Surf Life Saving Club in the country in Bude.

John Elton gave Trerice to The National Trust on the understanding that his family could remain at the house.

1954

St. Michael's Mount was given to the National Trust by Lord St. Levan.

The inhabitants of Isles of Scilly finally become subject to income tax.

(7th June) The first of three Formula 1 motor races was held at the Davidstow Circuit on Bodmin Moor.

(4th July) The last of the wartime rationing is removed.

(27th July) The coaster 'Traute Sarnow' bound from Cardiff to Ostend with coal struck rocks and was wrecked at Gurnard's Head, near Zennor. The crew and dog were saved by breeches buoy.

(2nd August) The second of three Formula 1 motor races was held at the Davidstow Circuit on Bodmin Moor.

(26th November) Heavy rainfall combined with high tides and strong winds resulted in flooding right across Cornwall. More than 150 properties are affected, some under six feet of water.

1955

(21st January) The cargo ship 'Mando' ran aground off Round Island, Isles of Scilly. All 26 crew rescued by the St. Mary's lifeboat.

Trelissick Garden was given to the National Trust by Mrs Ida Copeland.

The Pendarves family home known as Pendarves House near Camborne was demolished and the grounds used as a nature reserve.

The quarries on Kit Hill ceased all workings.

(30th May) The last of three Formula 1 motor races was held at the Davidstow Circuit on Bodmin Moor.

(25th July) The Panamanian registered steamer SS 'Punta' drove onto the Seven Stones reef and was abandoned by her crew. She filled and sank soon afterwards.

(3rd September) The first traction engine rally ever to be staged in Cornwall is held near Camborne.

ECLP and Company's output of china clay reached the 1 million tonne mark.

1956

(2nd January) The MV 'Citrine', of Glasgow, sank off the Lizard coast. The Lizard lifeboat rescued three of her crew from the sea, and the Coverack lifeboat rescued four others from the sea, one of whom died later.

(14th March) The 'Vert Prairal', a French trawler, was capsized near Porthcurno. A man out looking for driftwood discovered the wreckage and called the coastguard. There were no survivors. The captain and most of the seventeen crew were found drowned.

(23rd March) The 'Scillonian I' is sold and replaced with the new 'Scillonian II' ferry which makes her first trip to the Isles of Scilly.

(10th May) HRH Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip visit Liskeard and Truro.

(7th July) The 'Yewcroft' an 827-ton steamship was stranded and wrecked in dense fog on the rocks of Trevean Cove, near Praa Sands while carrying cement between Cliffe and Bristol.

(7th August) Television came to Cornwall with the opening of the new transmitter at North Hessary Tor on Dartmoor.

St. Day old church was abandoned from this date.

A nuclear bomb proof bunker is built on the outskirts of Coverack and named RAF Treliever.

(28th November) Sir John William Robin Maurice Salusbury-Trelawny, 12th Baronet of Trelawny dies aged 48. He was Flight Lieutenant Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve in World War Two.

1957

Geevor Tin Mine was visited by HRH Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip.

(8th June) A severe thunderstorm and heavy rainfall caused flooding in Boscastle and Camelford.

The Seal Sanctuary opens at St. Agnes.

The St. Ives Times and Echo is started from the amalgamation of The Western Echo and The St. Ives Times.

(14th November) HRH Prince Philip visits St. Blazey and Par and ended the day watching a football match at St. Blazey.

1958

(17th February) The Cornish Riviera Express was taken over by diesels, reducing the Paddington to Penzance time to 5.5 hours.

(16th May) HRH The Duke of Edinburgh visits Falmouth to open the new Queen Elizabeth Dock.

(3rd June) Serious flooding occurs at Boscastle in which Mr Charlie Berryman, the local Bandmaster, loses his life by drowning, and Miss Rachel Beadon, trapped in a telephone box, has to be rescued by fishermen.

1959

The Greensplat Cornish beam engine in the china clay district ceases working, the last such engine to work in Cornwall, is moved to The Poldark Mine near Helston.

The Atomic Energy Authority took over operations in the tunnel under Kit Hill, and used the tunnel for underground explosions.

The biggest mako shark ever caught in British waters, weighing 214 pounds was caught off Looe.

St. Anthony Head was purchased by the National Trust

(5th October) The Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry is merged with the Somerset Light Infantry (Prince Albert's) to form the Somerset and Cornwall Light Infantry.

1960

Mount Edgcumbe House, originally erected in 1547-54, is re-built following its destruction in the Second World War.

Porth Reservoir near Newquay is built to improve the water supply to the town.

(June) The Royal Cornwall Show moves to a permanent site near Wadebridge and is visited by HRH Princess Alexandra.

The witchcraft museum was opened in Boscastle.

(1st July) Sir William Law Williams, 8th Baronet of Tregullow dies aged 53. He gained the rank of Captain in the Royal Welsh Fusiliers.

Counter-urbanisation results in major inward migration to Cornwall.

(12th September) Liskeard County Secondary School is opened at Luxstowe.

(19th September) Montague Charles Eliot, 8th Earl of St. Germans dies aged 90. In 1923, he was appointed Member of the Royal Victorian Order (MVO), and from 19241936 he became Extra Groom-in-Waiting.

Drift reservoir the principal source of water for the Penwith area, is built one mile west of Penzance.

(13th December) Isaac Foot, politician and MP For Bodmin dies aged 80 at his home at Pencrebar near Callington.

1961

St. Austell Public Library is built to the design of F K Hicklin, County Architect. It is now a listed building.

(March) Cornish Author, Derek Tangye, published his first book, 'A Gull on the Roof'.

(29th April) Westward Television launched by Peter Cadbury to serve Cornwall from a studio in Plymouth.

(7th July) A new lifeboat station opened at the Lizard by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh.

Antony House and Gardens are donated to The National Trust by Sir John Carew Pole.

An 800 foot television mast is erected by ITV on Caradon Hill to supply East Cornwall with an improved TV service and some commercial channels.

Trengwainton Garden is donated to The National Trust by Sir Edward Bolitho.

(September) Bodmin College opened a large state comprehensive school on the outskirts of the town.

(23rd October) The ferry over the River Tamar at Saltash closes after 700 years of service.

(24th October) Tamar Road Bridge opens for traffic (at 6am) at Saltash.

(22nd December) The coastal tanker 'Allegrity' is driven onto the rocks in Veryan Bay. Her crew of 14 were saved by the Falmouth lifeboat.

The population of Cornwall is now 342,301 persons.

1962

(18th February) Evelyn Hugh John Boscawen, 8th Viscount Falmouth, dies aged 75.

(26th April) The Tamar bridge at Saltash was officially opened by the HRH Queen Mother.

(11th July) Goonhilly Earth Satellite Station's first aerial ready for the launch of Telstar. This was the first satellite communication between the UK and the rest of the world.

(25th July) HRH Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip visit Trematon Castle, Fowey and Lostwithiel.

Sir James Smith Comprehensive School at Camelford, designed by F K Hicklin, is built.

The Roseland Community College is built near Tregony.

Cornwall Wildlife Trust is founded near Truro.

Newquay County Branch Library is built to the design of F K Hicklin, County Architect.

Glendurgan Garden was given to the National Trust by Cuthbert and Philip Fox.

(3rd November) The railway branch line to Helston was closed to passenger traffic.

(3rd November) The French trawler 'Jeanne Gougy' was on its return journey to Dieppe in Normandy from Irish fishing grounds around Waterford when the vessel ran into trouble in bad weather and capsized near Land's End.

Troika Pottery was started by Leslie Illsley, Jan Thompson and Benny Sirota at St Ives. It moved to Newlyn in 1970.

(26th December) Boxing Day brought blizzards to the South West of England and by January 1963 the West Country was blanketed with snowdrifts up to 18 feet deep in places.

(29th December) The bulk coaster carrier MV 'Ardgarry' was lost in a heavy storm, in over thirty foot high waves, off Lizard Point. All twelve crewmen perished and were never found.

1963

A pedestrian precinct is begun in the centre of St. Austell, containing a supermarket and shops, flats, offices, a restaurant and a multi-storey car park. It is designed by Alister MacDonald and Partners.

(February) Heavy rain led to flooding in Boscastle and Launceston.

(4th February) The Truro and Newquay Railway which carried traffic through St. Agnes and Perranporth closes due to lack of use.

Cadgwith Lifeboat Station is closed and replaced by Lizard Lifeboat Station.

The bridge at Wadebridge was widened to 39 feet to carry modern traffic.

(11th June) Barbara Windsor films 'Crooks in Cloisters' at Portloe.

(23rd June) A large explosion at the gunpowder works at Herodsfoot, near Liskeard caused the death of two people.

Barnes Museum of Cinematography opened in St. Ives.

(23rd October) The small coaster 'Juan Ferrer' ran aground on Boscawen point, one mile west of Lamorna. The vessel capsized with the loss of eleven lives.

(December) The first Christmas Lights Display was held at Mousehole.

1964

(1st May) Land's End to the Isles of Scilly helicopter service is launched by BEA. This is the first scheduled passenger helicopter service in Europe.

Lawrence House Museum in Launceston was given to The National Trust.

An 500 foot television mast is erected at Four Lanes near Redruth to supply West Cornwall with an improved TV service.

(1st September) St. Austell gets a new maternity hospital built at Penrice.

(1st September) BEA moved the helicopter service from Land's End to the new Penzance Heliport.

(5th September) The last steam train (The Atlantic Coast Express) ran between Plymouth and Penzance.

The Monkey Sanctuary is opened near Looe.

Peter Denis Mitchell acquired Glynn House near Cardinham and founded Glynn Research there, to promote biological research.

ECLP and Company's output of china clay reached the two million tonne mark.

(4th October) The railway branch line to Helston was closed to goods traffic.

(5th October) Six main line railway stations closed, Doublebois, Grampound Road, Chacewater, Scorrier, Gwinnear Road and Marazion.

1965

(2nd January) The Fowey to Lostwithiel passenger railway closes.

(10th February) Kenelm William Edward Edgcumbe, 6th Earl of Mount Edgcumbe dies aged 92.

(14th March) Frederick Browning, husband of Daphne du Maurier dies aged 68.

Tater Du Lighthouse built near to Lamorna Cove.

(July) Wadebridge was flooded after five and a half inches of rain fell in four and a half hours around high tide. The Swan Hotel on The Platt was flooded to a depth of one and a half feet.

Glynn House near Cardinham is restored by Peter Denis Mitchell.

Looe Island was purchased buy two sisters called Babs and Evelyn Atkins, who lived on the island until 2004, when it was left to The Cornish Wildlife Trust.

1966

Cornwall's new County Hall in Truro, now a listed building, is completed to the design of the County Architect's Department under Alan J Groves.

(April) County border changes meant that North Petherwin and Werrington villages were moved from Devon to Cornwall.

(April) The Dutch coaster 'Saba' was aided by the Scillonian III after her steel cargo shifted and she sank off Porthgwarra.

(8th June) Leo Walmsley, a Yorkshire born author who lived most of his life in Cornwall, dies aged 74 at Fowey.

(13th July) HRH Queen Elizabeth II visited china clay operations in the St. Austell area. She also meets Dame Barbara Hepworth, the former Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall, Sir Edward Bolitho and Lady Bolitho at County Hall, Truro.

(14th July) HRH Queen and Prince Philip visit Truro Cathedral and the new County Hall at Truro.

(15th July) Francis Gerald Agar-Robartes, 3rd Baron Robartes, 7th Viscount Clifden, dies aged 83, he was a British Liberal politician.

(31st July) A pleasure boat named the 'Darlwyne' left Fowey on route to Falmouth and just disappeared in strong winds, presumed wrecked, the boat and all thirty one on board were never seen again.

(August) The Tall Ships Race started in Falmouth.

(3rd October) Closure of the railway line between Okehampton and Bude.

(3rd October) Closure of the railway line between Halwill Junction and Wadebridge.

(7th November) Closure of the railway line between Callington and Gunnislake.

The Tall Ships Race started in Falmouth.

1967

(30th January) Closure of the railway line between Wadebridge and Padstow.

(18th March) The 1,000 foot long SS 'Torrey Canyon' goes aground on the Seven Stones reef between Land's End and The Isles of Scilly with a cargo of 119,328 tons of crude oil en route from the Persian Gulf to the BP Refinery in Milford Haven. Salvage preparations are begun, but by 21st March the oil slick was 35 by 20 miles in extent and the ship is abandoned. The entire Cornish coastline, north and south, is polluted by the end of the month. It could not be re-floated and broke up on the rocks.

Levant Beam Engine was given to the National Trust.

(28th May) The Lizard Lifeboat was launched to welcome Sir Francis Chichester home after sailing single-handed around the world.

(1st June) Devon and Cornwall Constabulary is formed, merging the police forces across the two counties.

(June) HRH Queen Mother visits St. Michael's Mount. She arrived by sea, using a small pinnace to travel from the Royal Yacht Britannia anchored off-shore.

(15th June) The Isles of Scilly Museum opened on St. Mary's.

A Chapter House is added to Truro Cathedral.

(14th July) People watched in horror as a runaway lorry went out of control at the top of the steep Lemon Street, in Truro careering past the Georgian houses and offices, heading directly towards the city centre and crashed into the Red Lion hotel leaving it irreparable and the magnificent building had to be demolished.

(1st August) HRH Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip accompanied by Prince Charles and Princess Anne visit the Isles of Scilly.

(8th August) HRH Queen Elizabeth visits the Isles of Scilly Museum.

The National Trust took ownership of Trevithick Cottage at Camborne.

Paul Corin's Magnificent Music Machines Museum opens at St. Keyne, near Liskeard.

(13th October) Stithians Dam was completed to create a 270 acre reservoir to the west of the village, which supplies water to a large part of the west of Cornwall.

A new boathouse for the lifeboat and 240 foot slipway were built at Trevose Head.

Magical Mystery Tour, a British television film starring the Beatles is partly filmed in Cornwall. Scenes were filmed in Newquay and Watergate Bay.

1968

The wreck of HMS 'Association' was discovered just off The Isles of Scilly. More than 2,000 coins and other artefacts were finally recovered from the wreck site and auctioned by Sotheby's in July 1969.

After an appeal by the Blue Peter TV programme, the RNLI established a lifeboat station at St. Agnes.

(14th June) Robin Knox-Johnston left Falmouth in his 32-foot boat 'Suhaili', one of the smallest boats to enter the Sunday Times Golden Globe Race.

(1st July) The railway line that connected Par Docks to Fowey Docks was closed and converted to a private surfaced road to enable lorries to continue transporting the china clay.

(12th July) HRH Princess Alexandra officially opened the new hospital at Treliske, near Truro.

Holman Brothers Limited a major employer in Camborne lays off hundreds of its staff.

(14th November) A large fire completely destroys a shop in Liskeard town centre.

1969

(23rd March) A large fire in Market Jew Street, Penzance destroyed several shops in the street.

(15th April) Kilbrandon Report into the British constitution recommends that, when referring to Cornwall - official sources should cite the Duchy not the County. This was suggested in recognition of its constitutional position.

(22nd April) Robin Knox-Johnston sailed back into Falmouth, and not only became the first person to circumnavigate the globe solo, but he also completed it in the fastest time, he donated the 5,000 prize to fellow competitor Donald Crowhursts family, after Crowhurst committed suicide during the race.

(12th May) An empty tanker bound for breaking, the 'Hemsley I', was wrecked in Fox Cove, Treyarnon bay after the master mistook his location. The vessel was broken up on site.

(26th May) Newquay Zoo is opened by Cornwall County Council.

(June) Daphne du Maurier is made a Dame of the British Empire. Also in this year she passes the tenancy of Menabilly back to the Rashleigh Family and moves into nearby Kilmarth.

(5th July) Colour TV arrived in Cornwall, being transmitted from Caradon Hill.

A Roman fort was discovered at Nanstallon near Bodmin.

Siblyback Lake is built one mile west of Minions and covers 140 acres.

Tolgus Tin was opened as a major industrial heritage attraction near Portreath.

Sir John Betjeman receives a Knighthood.

Ginsters Pasties are founded in Callington by farmer Geoffrey Ginster, they became the biggest selling pasty maker in the UK.

HRH Prince Charles purchases a house named 'Tamarisk' on St. Mary's, Isles of Scilly.

(18th December) Sir Edward Hoblyn Warren Bolitho of Trengwainton dies aged 87.

1970

(25th February) The French channel trawler 'Jean Gougy' was lost on the Western Rocks, Isles of Scilly. The crew of thirteen were never found.

Foundation of the Institute of Cornish Studies in Exeter University.

Troika Pottery moves from St. Ives to Newlyn.

(June) HRH Prince Charles visits Bodmin and the Royal Cornwall Show.

The Dobwalls Adventure Park and Steam Railway opens near Liskeard.

(7th December) Falmouth gets third railway station named 'The Dell'.

(31st December) Porthcurno Telegraph Station, the largest cable station in the world finally closes.

1971

(February) A proposal was made to restore Restormel Castle to attract more visitors. But after many lengthy and heated discussions the idea was abandoned.

(10th February) An episode of Dr Who was filmed at Carclaze near St. Austell.

(15th February) Cornwall along with the rest of the UK changed its monetary system to the decimal system.

A country park is created around Mount Edgcumbe House which is then leased back to the Edgcumbe family.

(21st August) Lostwithiel Museum was opened to the public.

Institute of Cornish Studies set up at Trevenson House, Pool, near Camborne with Professor Charles Thomas as its first Director.

Westward TV began broadcasting in colour, initially from the Redruth transmitter, and a few months later colour was extended to the Stockland Hill and Caradon Hill transmitters.

Padstow Museum is opened to the public.

Seth Cardew started a pottery at Wenford Bridge.

The population of Cornwall is now 381,672 persons.

(14th December) Mrs Joan Cobbold Sawle as she became, died aged 80 without an heir. Under the terms of her will, Penrice House and much of the proceeds of the estate went to establish a rest home for the elderly.

1972

(27th January) The cruise ship 'Queen Frederica' was driven aground in the Fowey Estuary after breaking free from her moorings in a storm.

(18th May) The Right Honorable Lord Aberconway, President of the Royal Horticultural Society and Head of ECLP of St. Austell, opened Probus Gardens at Probus.

Peninsula West, Cornwall's first modern-day free newspaper, commences publication and continues until 1974.

The Shire Horse Farm and Carriage Museum is established near Redruth.

The narrow hump-backed bridge in Par which carries the A3082 is demolished and widened to cope with modern traffic.

Sir John Betjeman is made Poet Laureate.

Poldark Mine near Helston first opened to the public. It was known as Wendron Forge until 1975.

(5th November) The Greek Coaster 'Nefeli' was wrecked at Land’s End.

1973

(1st January) The United Kingdom joins the EEC, which was later to become the European Union.

Elliott's grocery store in Saltash was opened as a museum.

The Cornish Chough became extinct in Cornwall.

(17th March) HRH Prince Charles was officially proclaimed Duke of Cornwall at Launceston Castle.

(27th March) An RAF Hawker Hunter aircraft hit the stays of the TV mast on Caradon Hill, near Liskeard. Fortunately, the pilot baled out ok, but the aircraft crashed in nearby fields.

Crowdy Reservoir is constructed on Bodmin Moor covering some 115 acres about two miles east of Camelford.

(21st July) Liskeard Swimming Pool was opened by HRH Princess Margaret.

Wolf Rock became the first rock lighthouse to install a helipad, easing the delivery of food, water and oil and bringing keepers and mechanics to the tower.

Carnglaze Caverns near St. Neot are opened to the public.

Paradise Park opens in Hayle.

1974

Reform of Cornish Stannary Parliament.

(21st March) A Sea King helicopter from RNAS Culdrose came down near the top of a cliff on the Lizard and burst into flames, killing all four on board.

(1st April) Local Government re-organisation establishes six new districts, Penwith, Kerrier, Carrick, Restormel, Caradon and North Cornwall.

Creation of the Cornish Studies Library in Redruth.

The North Cornwall Museum and Gallery is opened at Camelford.

Most of the Penrose Estate near Porthleven was gifted to the National Trust by Lt Cdr J P Rogers, which comprises of over 1500 acres of farmland and woods, cottages, four miles of coastline and the Loe Pool.

Polkyth Recreation Centre in St. Austell was built.

Lappa Valley Steam Railway opens near Newquay.

(July) The mail train bound for Penzance was robbed by a gang of thieves at Bodmin railway station, they were soon caught. It was later known as Cornwall's Great Little Train Robbery.

The Duchy of Cornwall Nursery opens to the public.

The Sawmills recording studio on the west bank of the River Fowey south of Golant, is established.

Anthony Hewish from Fowey was awarded a Noble Prize for discovering pulsars.

(22nd December) Arthur Victor Agar-Robartes, 4th Baron Robartes of Lanhydrock dies aged 87. He served as a machine-gun officer in the 2nd Battalion Grenadier Guards.

1975

(25th January) The coaster 'Lovat' sank in a WNW gale gusting to hurricane force, twenty five miles south of Penzance. All crew were lost.

The North Cornwall Courier newspaper commences publication in Bodmin, continues as the Cornwall Courier, published in Falmouth, and thence until 1986, to be succeeded by the Newquay Packet and the St. Austell Packet (local editions of the Falmouth Packet).

The engine house at Pool near Redruth was re-built by the National Trust.

(20th May) Dame Barbara Hepworth dies at St. Ives aged 72.

(4th July) The A30 Camborne/Redruth by-pass is completed and opened. Work on Launceston by-pass is started to provide a new dual carriageway section on the A30.

(2nd August) Dairyland Farmworld near Newquay opens to the public.

The filming of the famous Poldark series begins using many locations on the north coast.

Wheal Martyn China Clay Museum was established near St. Austell.

1976

(12th February) Sir Robert Ernest Williams, 9th Baronet of Tregullow dies aged 52.

(March) Extensive flooding around Par and St. Blazey.

(10th June) Cornwall Aircraft Park opens near Helston. It was soon re-named Aeropark, and later again to Flambards.

(June) Liskeard by-pass opened thus relieving the town centre of most of the heavy traffic travelling along the A38.

(24th September) 80 properties in Polperro are seriously flooded.

(29th September) The Romanian fish factory ship 'Rarau' was wrecked on the Seven Stones, where she later sank, although the crew were all rescued.

Charlestown Shipwreck and Heritage Centre opened.

The Seal Sanctuary moves to a large new site at Gweek.

St. Winnow Barton Farm Museum is opened.

A new by-pass is opened at Launceston to carry the A30 trunk road south of the town.

1977

(13th February) The St. Malo trawler 'Enfant du Bretagne' was lost on the Western Rocks, Isles of Scilly at night. The lifeboat came within hearing distance of the crew, but all drowned in the heavy seas before they could be brought aboard.

(13th May) HRH Princess Alexandra visits RNAS Culdrose, near Helston.

(19th May) The 'Scillonian II' is replaced by the new 'Scillonian III'.

(21st May) The fishing boat 'Boy Piran' sunk at her moorings at Porthleven.

(6th August) HRH The Queen and Prince Philip arrived at Falmouth on the Royal Yacht Britannia during their Silver Jubilee tour of Cornwall and went on to Truro, St. Columb, Bodmin and St. Austell during their visit. They also attended The Royal Cornwall Show.

The Stannators right to veto Westminster legislation is confirmed by Parliament.

A new by-pass is opened at Bodmin to carry the A30 trunk road south of the town.

Upper Tamar Lake near Bude is opened covering approximately 75 acres.

Hayle power station which opened in 1910 is closed.

(14th November) The fishing vessel 'Sea Gay' developed a leak and sunk 24 miles south of Dodman Point on the Roseland Peninsula.

1978

(January) A vocal version of the music for Helston Flora Day by Terry Wogan accompanied by the Hanwell Band reached number 21 on the UK singles chart.

Peter Denis Mitchell who lived at Glynn House near Cardinham receives the Nobel Prize for Chemistry for his contribution to the understanding of biological energy transfer through the formulation of the chemiosmotic theory.

(15th May) Sir Richard Philip Vyvyan, 11th Baronet of Trelowarren dies aged 86.

(27th May) A new Park-and-Ride facility opened for visitors to St. Ives with parking at Lelant Saltings railway station.

(June) Indian Queens Preaching Pit is restored.

(10th July) Major Francis Cecil St. Aubyn, 3rd Baron St. Levan of St. Michaels Mount dies aged 83. He was a Major in the Grenadier Guards.

(September) The railway between Bodmin Road and Wadebridge is closed.

(September) HRH Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother visits RNAS Culdrose, near Helston.

(October) The ancient Lowender Peran Festival is revived by Betty Pitman in Perranporth.

The final section of The Coastal Footpath was designated as a National Trail.

(8th November) HRH Princess Margaret visits RNAS Culdrose, near Helston.

(30th December) The Scottish trawler 'Ben Asdale' was wrecked just off Falmouth during a storm.

1979

(6th May) Bernard Leach founder of the Leach Pottery dies aged 92.

(6th July) An RAF plane crashed into the village of Tintagel after suffering engine failure. Amazingly no one was killed, especially as it was just yards away from a loaded petrol tanker.

(14th August) 25 yachts sank off Land's End in the extreme weather in the Fastnet race with the loss of 18 lives.

The ATV Center is established at Blackwater, near Truro.

(December) Winds of over 100mph swept across west Cornwall.

1980

(4th January) The Scottish trawler 'Bounteous' sank in Mount's Bay, Penzance with the loss of three lives.

(January) Miss Dorothy Yglesias is awarded an MBE in recognition of the many years of dedication at the Mousehole Bird Sanctuary.

Mid Cornwall Galleries opened at St. Blazey Gate.

(27th March) Coverack Lifeboat Station is closed and replaced with a faster lifeboat based in Falmouth.

A motor museum is opened at St. Stephen.

(June) Beynon Shipping Company, donated the harbour at Portreath to Kerrier District Council.

(6th October) Cornwall Hospice Care opened Mount Edgcumbe Hospice in St. Austell.

(29th October) The Cornish author A. K. Hamilton Jenkins dies aged 80, he was best known for writing 'The Cornish Miner'.

(28th November) HRH The Queen Elizabeth makes a visit to Penzance and Geevor tin mine. Then later opened the new Mary Williams Pier at Newlyn.

1981

(8th April) HRH Prince Andrew's helicopter flying training was conducted at RNAS Culdrose. He was presented with his 'Wings' and the award for the best pilot.

(10th April) HRH The Queen Mother visits Falmouth, Truro and St. Mawes.

(23rd June) HRH Princess Margaret visits RAF St. Mawgan, near Newquay.

(July 30th) The Elephant Fayre is held at Port Elliot House in St. Germans.

(19th September) The Icelandic fishing boat 'Tungufoss' sank south of Gwennap Head, near Porthgwarra. The crew were saved by the Sennen Cove Lifeboat.

(19th December) The MV 'Mark' got into difficulty off Penzance resulting in six crew losing their lives.

(20th December) Penlee Lifeboat Disaster - eight lifeboatmen, all unpaid volunteers, perished today off Land's End with four shipwrecked sailors they had rescued. The lifeboat 'Solomon Browne' was launched from the fishing village of Mousehole into hurricane-lashed seas and was crushed against the 1,400ton coaster, 'Union Star', by 60 foot waves.

(31st December) Westward TV is taken over by Television South West.

The population of Cornwall is now 418,631 persons.

1982

(2nd April) Argentina invades the Falkland Islands, an event that instigated the Falklands War.

(20th April) HRH Prince Charles and Princess Diana visit St. Mary's and Tresco on the Isles of Scilly.

(May) The QE2 moored off Falmouth on route to The Falkland Islands is stocked and re-fuelled by helicopter from RNAS Culdrose airfield.

(May) The Launceston Steam Rally started at the Launceston Rugby Club.

(15th June) The Falklands war ends when Argentine troops surrender to the British.

(August) The Tall Ships Race started in Falmouth.

Construction of Colliford Lake begins on Bodmin Moor.

(28th November) Chris Harris was born in Truro, he went on to become British Speedway Champion.

(9th December) Edward Piers Edgcumbe, 7th Earl of Mount Edgcumbe dies aged 79.

1983

(17th January) Radio Cornwall begins its service in Truro.

Tehidy Country Park was bought by Cornwall County Council.

(26th March) Rowena Cade, founder of the Minack Theatre, dies aged 90.

(28th April) A new annual event is started to celebrate Trevithick Day in Camborne.

(27th May) St. Columb was visited by HRH Prince and Princess of Wales (Charles and Diana) to commemorate the 650th anniversary of the signing of the town charter by Edward III.

(16th July) A British Airways Sikorsky S-61 Helicopter crashed in the Atlantic Ocean, when en route from Penzance to St. Mary's, Isles of Scilly in thick fog. Only six of the twenty six on board survived.

Channel 4 TV finally arrived in Cornwall and is transmitted from the two main television transmitting stations at Four Lanes near Redruth and Caradon Hill.

Troika Pottery based in Newlyn finally closes.

Winston Graham, author of the Poldark novels is awarded an OBE.

(3rd October) Freight finally ceased on The Bodmin and Wenford Railway when a need to invest in new track forced closure of the line.

(26th December) Launceston Steam Railway opens on the original LSWR Track.

1984

The Gazette: Launceston and Bude newspaper commences publication in Launceston. In 1987 it becomes The Launceston and Bude Gazette, in 1989 the Launceston, Bude and Holsworthy Gazette, and changes its title again, to the Journal Gazette in 1991.

(19th May) Author Sir John Betjeman dies aged 78.

(7th June) HRH Prince Charles and the Princess of Wales visit the Royal Cornwall Show.

(10th June) HRH The Queen Mother visits The Isles of Scilly.

Construction of Colliford Lake is completed and the area of 900 acres is flooded.

Wilfred Melville Benetto wrote the first full-length novel in the Cornish Language.

(6th September) Sir Harry Evelyn Battie Rashleigh, 5th Baronet of Menabilly dies aged 61.

English Heritage takes over management of Restormel Castle and starts charging admission.

(16th October) HRH Princess Anne visits The John Daniel Centre for adults with learning disabilities at Penzance.

1985

(January) High tides, severe gales and torrential rain caused flooding in Falmouth and Penryn.

Geo-thermal experiments using hot-rock energy are successful at Rosemanowes, Longdowns, near Helston.

(18th May) The fishing vessel 'Sarah Jane' overturned one mile west of the Cowloe Rocks at Sennen Cove. Her crew of one was rescued by the lifeboat from Sennen Cove.

(31st May) A fire at St. Dennis church destroys most of the building, only the porch and the tower survived. The church is re-built, mostly by local people, over the next two years.

(June) HRH Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother makes a visit to the Royal Cornwall Show.

Kit Hill Country Park was given to the people of Cornwall to mark the birth of Prince William, by his father, HRH Prince Charles the Duke of Cornwall.

(12th August) Simon Le Bon aboard the yacht 'Drum' capsized off the coast at Falmouth when their keel sheared off, all were rescued by helicopter.

HRH Prince Charles, The Duke of Cornwall converted the Duchy Home Farm at Stoke Climsland, near Callington to a completely organic farming system.

The Wadebridge to Padstow railway line is surfaced and opened as The Camel Trail for recreational use.

The Cornwall Heritage Trust is founded.

(14th October) A new HMS 'Cornwall' type 22 frigate is launched by HRH Diana, Princess of Wales and based at Devonport. She was commissioned in 1988 at Falmouth.

1986

(22nd February) Jeannie Tangye, husband of Derek Tangye, famous for the Minack Chronicles, dies aged 66.

(March) The toll-house beside Palmers Bridge on Bodmin Moor is demolished to make way for a A30 road improvement scheme.

(May) The Saints' Way is officially opened.

Creation of the new Courts of Justice at Truro, designed by Evans and Shalev, begins.

(1st June) Bodmin and Wenford Railway opens at Bodmin General Station.

Kay and David Healey launch Healeys Cyder Farm near Perranporth.

1.6 million tons of china clay handled by Fowey docks.

Kartworld opens near Menheniot.

(22nd December) Cornwall's most popular MP, the member for Truro, David Penhaligon, is killed in a car accident, aged 42.

1987

(1st April) Britain's first Air Ambulance service is launched in Cornwall.

(April) Isles of Scilly Skybus started an aircraft service from Land's End to The Isles of Scilly.

The Duke of Cornwall suggests the formation of a Devon and Cornwall Development Corporation thereby promoting closer administrative links. Concerned Cornish label this concept 'Devonwall'.

(May) Perranzabuloe Folk Museum is officially opened.

(30th July) HRH Princess Diana and Prince Charles visit Trewithen Gardens on the 650th anniversary of the Duchy of Cornwall.

Trebah Gardens near Falmouth is opened to the public.

(August) The Cornish Stadium which hosted stock car racing at St. Austell closes.

Cape Cornwall is donated to the nation by the H. J. Heinz Company.

Entrepreneur and property developer, Peter de Savary, bought Land's End from David Goldstone for nearly seven million pounds and over the next four years, de Savary invested five million pounds restoring the site and upgrading the facilities.

(16th October) A great storm hits Cornwall along with the rest of southern Britain. Winds of 80mph flatten many trees and destroys many roofs.

1988

(13th January) The famous motor engineer and designer Donald Healey died aged 89 in Perranporth.

(11th March) Nicholas Richard Michael Eliot, 9th Earl of St. Germans dies aged 74. He was educated at Eton and became a Captain in the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry, attached to the Royal Armoured Corps.

(10th April) Pool Market opens to the public at a site near Camborne.

(2nd June) Nigel Tangye, brother of Derek Tangye, dies aged 79. He was employed by the RAF to train pilots. In later life he became a hotelier at the Glendorgal in Newquay.

(30th June) HRH Princess Diana opened a new market building on Newlyn Harbour.

(6th July) Pollution of Lowermoor Water Treatment Works, Camelford with twenty tonnes of aluminium sulphate. Many people who came into contact with the contaminated water experienced a range of short-term health effects. The event was described as Britain's worst mass poisoning event.

(11th August) The Rebel Cinema opens at Poundstock near Bude.

Mount Edgcumbe House is opened to the public.

Cornwall produces over 3.25 million tons of refined china clay, mostly from the St. Austell area.

The town of Saltash is by-passed with a three lane tunnel on the Cornish side carrying the A38.

(11th October) A severe thunderstorm hit mid Cornwall, many properties in Truro and Perranporth are flooded.

A 700 pound leatherback turtle was washed up on Porthtowan beach. It can now be seen in St. Agnes Museum.

1989

(1st April) The John Betjeman Centre is opened in Wadebridge on the old railway station site.

Newquay's Martin Potter was World Surfing Champion.

Work began to restore Stuart House in Liskeard.

(19th April) Author Daphne Du Maurier dies aged 81 at her home, Kilmarth near Par.

(18th May) HRH Princess Diana, Duchess of Cornwall, breezed into Truro for a fleeting visit.

(1st June) HRH Prince Charles and the Princess of Wales and their children, William and Harry, visited Tresco on the Isles of Scilly.

(11th June) HRH The Queen and Prince Philip visit the Royal Cornwall Show at Wadebridge. The following day they visited Lostwithiel.

Lakeside Gallery is opened by Linda and Roger Garland near Launceston.

Duporth manor house near St. Austell is demolished to make way for housing developments.

Porteath Bee Centre is opened near Polzeath.

Camel Valley Vineyard is started by Bob and Annie Lindo on the sunny slopes of the Camel Estuary.

(15th December) A major storm damages most of the Christmas illuminations around Mousehole harbour.

1990

(25th January) Storm winds of 77 mph are recorded in Falmouth. The Polurian Hotel at Mullion loses its roof. 400,000 South West residents are left without power for two hours. 50,000 Cornish residents lose power for over 24 hours.

(16th February) Derelict lost gardens of Heligan discovered by Tim Smit.

(16th February) Geevor tin mine finally closes.

(April) The first World Pilot Gig Championships are held at The Isles of Scilly.

(2nd June) Sterts Theatre opened near Upton Cross on the edge of Bodmin Moor.

(17th June) Bodmin and Wenford Railway opened between Bodmin Parkway and Bodmin General.

Geevor tin mine closes.

The Trinity House National Lighthouse Centre is established in Penzance.

(December) A new quay was constructed on Bryher by Anneka Rice and her team for the TV series "Challenge Anneka".

1991

(January) HRH Princess Diana makes a visit to Truro Cathedral.

Cornwall's unemployment has increased by 300% since 1961 to 20,000.

A new footbridge is constructed across the River Camel at Wadebridge by Anneka Rice and her team for the TV series "Challenge Anneka".

(3rd March) Restoration of The Lost Gardens of Heligan is begun.

A visitor centre is opened at Gwennap Pit.

Caerhays Gardens first opened to the public.

(June) HRH Prince Charles and Princess Diana visit The Isles of Scilly.

(5th June) National Lighthouse Centre at Penzance was officially opened by HRH Prince Andrew.

(23rd June) The Golowan Festival is revived in Penzance it has many ancient customs and has grown to become a major arts and culture festival.

(24th June) Anthony Crespigny Claude Vivian, 5th Baron Vivian of Truro dies aged 85. He was a member of the House of Lords.

(17th November) Thousands of gallons of heavily polluted water overflow into the Carnon River near Redruth from the recently closed Wheal Jane Mine after the drainage pumps had been turned off.

(November) Cornish Market World opens on the old stadium site near Par.

(December) Cornwall's first commercial wind-farm in service at Delabole.

Cornwall Coliseum at Carlyon Bay, near St. Austell finally closes.

The population of Cornwall is now 468,425 persons.

1992

(Easter) The Lost Gardens of Heligan open to the public.

(3rd April) Cornwall's first commercial radio station, Pirate FM102, begins broadcasting from Redruth.

(10th April) Peter Denis Mitchell who lived at Glynn House near Cardinham, dies aged 71.

(17th April) The British Cycling Museum opens at The old Railway Station, Camelford.

New lifeboat station opened in Looe.

The Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust was established at Treliske, Truro. HRH Princess Diana performed the opening.

1993

(12th June) There was major damage caused by surface water flooding due to severe storms around Bude.

(23rd June) HRH Prince Charles visits Trewithen Gardens and opens the Tate Gallery at St. Ives.

(29th June) St. Michael's church in Newquay was destroyed by an arson attack.

The joint Cornwall and Devon bid for Objective One funds fails because of Devon's high GDP.

(16th July) A new Visitor Centre is opened at Bude.

With the pumps no longer de-watering Wheal Jane Mine near Chacewater, acid water rose through the abandoned workings and escaped into the surface water systems, which then flowed into the Carnon Valley and eventually into Falmouth Bay, killing fish and contaminating wild fowl. By 1994, remedial measures including the construction of large settling ponds, were in place. By 2002 the water treatment had cost more than £20 million.

The port of Charlestown is purchased by Square Sail Shipyard.

(August) Geevor tin mine opens as a heritage centre.

A by-pass to carry the A39 is built around the town of Wadebridge to relieve the gridlock of traffic which occurred every summer.

The Cable and Wireless college at Porthcurno closed.

(30th December) Polperro suffers extensive flooding and 99 properties are deluged.

1994

(11th March) Brenda Wooton, the folk singer, dies aged 66 at her home in Penzance.

(31st March) HRH The Queen handed out maundy money during a visit to Truro Cathedral.

Launch of new campaign for a University for Cornwall by Sir Geoffrey Holland, Vice-Chancellor of University of Exeter. Eventually campuses are based at Penryn and Truro.

(April) The Lost Gardens of Heligan became a Founder Member of the Five Great Gardens of Cornwall.

Hidden Valley Discovery Park opens near Launceston.

New lifeboat station opened at Rock.

(2nd June) Callington Heritage Centre opened.

(21st June) HRH Prince of Wales makes a visit to the Phoenix United Mine at Minions.

Screech Owl Sanctuary opened near Indian Queens.

A new Visitor Centre is opened at Boscastle.

(July) Sharp's Brewery is established in Rock by Bill Sharp.

(25th July) The poet and writer Jack Clemo from St. Austell, dies aged 78.

(26th July) The fishing vessel 'Kwester' sprang a leak while on passage from Falmouth to Fowey and sank between Portholland and Porthluney Cove.

(August) Newquay holds the UK's first World Surfing Championship.

A new by-pass is opened to move the A39 main road out and around Penryn.

(24th November) The 'Chrisande' capsized North West of Bude.

(November) The NCI opened its first look-out at Bass Point on the Lizard Peninsula.

1995

The Pilchard Works in Newlyn opens with a visit from HRH Prince Charles.

Seaton Valley Country Park is opened by Caradon District Council.

Richard Trevithick's Cottage at Penponds is opened to the public.

(30th May) The sailing ship 'Maria Asumpta' was wrecked on Pentire Head near Newquay with the loss of three lives.

(6th June) Harold Wilson was buried at St. Mary's old church, Isles of Scilly.

(July) HRH The Queen visits Pendennis Castle.

The Ministry of Agriculture conducted an official investigation into the Beast of Bodmin.

(6th October) Sir John Stanley Vyvyan, 12th Baronet of Trelowarren dies aged 79. He fought in the Second World War and he gained the rank of Major in the Royal Signals.

Flicka Donkey Sanctuary is opened near Penryn.

(November) HRH Prince Charles visits author AL Rowse at his home Trenarren near St. Austell.

1996

Land's End goes on sale in a package deal with John O'Groats.

Statistics reveal that out of 56 deprived communities in Cornwall, Devon and Somerset, 51 are in Cornwall.

Melinsey Mill near Veryan opened to the public

St. Martin's Vineyard is established on the Isles of Scilly.

(July) The first Lafrowda Festival is held at St. Just.

(15th August) Bodmin and Wenford Railway is extended to Boscarne Junction.

(26th October) Author of the Minack Chronicles, Derek Tangye dies aged 84.

(11th November) West Cornwall was hit by its biggest earthquake in 15 years. The British Geological Survey said the tremor was felt in towns and villages from Padstow to Land's End, and measured 3.8 on the Richter scale.

1997

(13th February) The container ship 'Tokio Express' was hit by freak wave and 62 containers, one of them filled with nearly 4.8 million pieces of Lego bound for New York were lost overboard about twenty miles off Land's End.

(11th March) The St. Ives fishing vessel 'Gorah Lass' sank north–east of St. Ives. All three crew lost their lives.

(26th March) The Antiguan registered 3,000 ton 'Cita', a container ship travelling from Southampton to Belfast. was wrecked off the Isles of Scilly. This gave the islanders a fantastic bounty of goods to pick from.

(1st May) The Japanese Garden opens near the village of St. Mawgan.

(24th May) 500 Keskerdh Kernow marchers set off from St. Keverne in remembrance of 1497 events.

(July) A major restoration programme is carried out at Penlee House Art Gallery and Museum.

HRH Prince Charles, Duke of Cornwall visits The Lost Gardens of Heligan and re-visits author AL Rowse at his home Trenarren near St. Austell

Skinner's Brewery was founded in Truro by Steve and Sarah Skinner.

Channel 5 TV comes to Cornwall from the transmitting station at Four Lanes near Redruth.

(3rd October) The author A. L. Rowse dies aged 93 at Trenarren near St. Austell.

(15th November) The inaugural performance at The Hall for Cornwall takes place.

The annual value of fish landed at Newlyn was a record breaking £23.4 million.

1998

Trevarno Gardens are opened to the public.

(6th March) Closure of South Crofty mine is widely believed to mark an end to 4000 years of metal mining in Cornwall.

(May) Porthcurno Telegraph Museum opened to the public.

(3rd June) Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Arscott Molesworth-St Aubyn, aged 71, shot himself in the butler's pantry at his Georgian mansion as his wife Lady Iona slept upstairs at Pencarrow House

(19th July) The Tall Ships Race started in Falmouth.

(6th August) English Heritage revealed that during the digging on the Eastern terraces of Tintagel Castle, a broken piece of Cornish slate was discovered bearing the name "Artognov" (Arthur?).

The Count House and Workshop at Botallack Mine were restored by the National Trust.

The new £27 million Trelawny Wing at Treliske Hospital, Truro was officially opened.

Alison Streeter swam from Isles of Scilly to the mainland, the first person ever to complete this swim.

1999

(February) Cornwall County Council vote in support of the campaign to include Cornish as a minority ethnic group for the purposes of the forthcoming 2001 Census. The Government's Office of National Statistics subsequently agrees the inclusion.

(20th March) The artist Patrick Heron died at his home in Zennor in aged 79.

(25th March) Cornwall is awarded Objective One status.

(April) The Scillonian III ferry is put back into service serving the Isles of Scilly after £1,700,000 refit carried out by Devonport Dockyard.

(April) The English China Clays business around St. Austell is taken over by French owned company, Imerys, in a £756 million deal.

(May) The Halfway House Inn near St. Neot was gutted by fire causing £300,000 of damage.

(19th May) The new Wharfside Shopping Centre is opened by HRH Prince Charles in Penzance, he also travelled over to the Isles of Scilly and opened the new Health Centre on St. Mary's.

(22nd May) Cornwall beat Gloucestershire at Twickenham in the Rugby Union County Championship.

(June) A new Visitor Centre is opened at Tintagel.

(July) A memorial stone is erected for the author A L Rowse on Black Head near St. Austell.

(August) The Government's Compliance Report to the Council of Europe's Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities declines to recognise the term 'national minority' as applicable and applies the Council of Europe principles to ethnic groups and visible minorities, using the Race Relations Act 1976 to define racial groups. The Scots, Welsh and Irish, although not 'national minorities' as defined by the Government, are included as racial groups, implying that the Cornish are neither.

(11th August) A total eclipse of the Sun occurs over the south-western part of the UK mainland.

(23rd August) An iron-age grave, containing a sword and a mirror, was discovered on Bryher, Isles of Scilly by a farmer.

(11th October) John Mackintosh Foot, Baron Foot a Liberal politician dies at his home in Callington aged 90.

Tea is grown and harvested at Tregothnan, near Truro. The first ever tea grown in the UK.

(13th December) The last china clay shipment from Charlestown was shipped out on the M.V 'Ellen'.

2000

(3rd April) David Treffry OBE, colonial servant, international financier and High Sheriff of Cornwall dies aged 74 at Truro.

(June) HRH the Queen visits the Royal Cornwall Show near Wadebridge.

(June) HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh visits Polzeath to open a new surf lifesaving centre.

Saltash Museum opened.

(August) The National Lobster Hatchery is opened in Padstow.

(3rd September) The refurbished Lane Theatre at Newquay was opened by Philip Schofield.

The Godolphin Estate (not including the house) passed into the ownership of the National Trust.

The Camelford Way is opened.

The sea lock gates on Bude Canal were replaced at a cost of £500,000.

(30th October) Cornwall is lashed with heavy rain and gale force winds causing much damage and flooding.

2001

(March) Foot and mouth disease spreads to Cornwall causing many restrictions of access to farms and the cancellation of agricultural shows.

(17th March) The Eden Project opens near St. Austell.

(April) A sturgeon is caught off Cadgwith and is offered to the Duke of Cornwall. When landed in other parts of Britain the fish is customarily offered to the monarch.

(End April) A replica of Trevithick's first full size steam road locomotive was first displayed at Camborne's Trevithick Day.

(15th May) HRH Prince Charles visits The Eden Project.

(31st May) Dozens of householders were woken during the night after an earthquake measuring 3.6 on the Richter scale was felt in the Liskeard and Launceston areas.

(13th June) A reclusive octogenarian has turned down a multi-million-pound offer to turn her Cornish island into a theme park. Babs Atkins, 83, rejected the money in order to protect the wildlife on St. George's Island, off Looe. She refused to name the business that offered her the money, but has said she will leave the island to the Cornwall Wildlife Trust.

(18th June) The Eden Project, celebrated its one millionth visitor just three months after its official opening.

(16th August) Tony and Cherie Blair visited Charlestown as part of their holiday.

(September) The Newquay Voice, a local weekly newspaper is launched by Andrew and Chrissie Laming from Newquay.

(22nd October) The Cornwall Centre opens at Alma Place, Redruth, as a significant town centre regeneration project, at a cost of £2.6million. It incorporates the much-enlarged Cornish Studies Library with a visitor centre, twelve shop units with a market stall area, and Cornwall's first 'Forum' scheme for housing and training homeless young people.

Llama Land opens near Truro.

The Cornish Chough returns to the cliffs around the Lizard in Cornwall.

(December) The Tamar Bridge at Saltash is strengthened and widened to five lanes at a total cost of £34 million.

(12th December) The Marconi Visitors Centre, is opened near Mullion.

The population of Cornwall is now 501,267 persons.

2002

(March) The Council of Europe request the Government to consult the Cornish with a view to incorporating Cornish language, history and culture into the education curriculum.

(April) Liskeard and District Museum was re-opened in the refurbished and extended Foresters Hall.

(April) The former Admiralty supply boat 'Sanu' took shelter in the Gannel Estuary while heading along the north Cornish coast bound for Bristol and restoration. She was driven up the estuary on a spring tide and grounded. The wreck was finally removed in October 2013.

(26th April) The Tamar Bridge at Saltash was officially re-opened by HRH Princess Anne, exactly forty years after the initial opening.

(1st May) HRH The Queen and Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh, as part of the Golden Jubilee celebrations visited the National Maritime Museum in Falmouth; The Queen viewed a Celebration of Cornish Gardens at Trelissick, whilst The Duke of Edinburgh visited the Falmouth College of Arts.

(6th June) HRH Prince Charles visited Stuart House in Liskeard, and later the Royal Cornwall Show.

(5th November) UK Government confirms that Cornish will be included in the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, joining Welsh, Scottish Gaelic, Irish, Scots and Ulster Scots as a protected and promoted language within the United Kingdom.

(15th November) Author W J Burley dies aged 88 at his home in Holywell.

2003

(18th January) A fire broke out on the Queens Wharf dock at Falmouth which spanned 360 feet; the dock was well alight. Eleven appliances attended as well as a fire-boat, which surveyed the situation from the bay.

A new lifeboat boathouse and slipway were built on the east side of the river at Looe.

Port Elliot House and grounds are opened to the public.

The Cornish language is recognised under the Charter for Regional and Minority Languages and the Government has provided up to £150,000 a year to support its development.

Tuckingmill Valley Park, an old derelict mining site in Camborne is cleared and opened to the public.

St. Kitts Herbery opened near Camelford.

(14th March) The National Maritime Museum officially opened by HRH the Duke of York in Falmouth.

(22nd March) RMS 'Mulheim' on a voyage from Cork, Ireland, to Lubeck, Germany, transporting 2,200 tonnes of scrap car plastic ran aground in Gamper Bay, between Land's End and Sennen Cove.

(17th June) HRH Princess Alexandra visited Cornwall to open a number of projects in the county. She began the day by launching a Home Start scheme in Helston. Her day culminated in a trip to Paradise Park in Hayle.

(10th July) The author of the Poldark novels Winston Graham dies aged 95.

(4th November) Charles Causley, the poet from Launceston, dies aged 86.

2004

(15th January) The MFV 'Bugaled Breizh', a French fishing boat sank with the loss of all five crew fourteen miles off the Lizard Peninsula.

(28th February) Brigadier Nicholas Crespigny Laurence Vivian, 6th Baron Vivian of Truro dies aged 69. He became deputy commander of the land forces in Cyprus in 1984. He joined the House of Lords, where he was Shadow Minister for Defence between 1994 and 2000.

(18th March) Redruth Brewery closes.

(27th March) HMS 'Scylla' was sunk in Whitsand Bay near Rame Head to provide a living reef.

(13th April) Baseresult claims a new era of mining has begun at South Crofty mine, which it acquired in 2001, with the blasting of a new tunnel to link the Tuckingmill Decline with New Cook's Kitchen shaft. The company estimates an 80-year life for the mine.

(15th April) HRH Prince Edward visits a gallery on the Isles of Scilly.

(11th July) A new boathouse for the lifeboat is built at Bude.

(13th August) Bill Bishop, Rugby Football Union President in 1995-96, the year the game went open, dies aged 74 in St Julia's Hospice, Hayle.

(16th August) Boscastle and Crackington Haven are inundated with devastating floods, which result in extensive damage and loss of property but no loss of life. A major incident was declared and search and rescue helicopters from RNAS Culdrose along with other helicopters throughout the south-west assisted the fire brigade and Coastguard in evacuating people.

(September) Probus Gardens are closed after disputes regarding the lease.

Gerrans Heritage Centre opened on the site of an old forge, built in the 1790's.

(1st October) The Delabole Wind Farm closes.

Bodmin Jail re-opened as a restaurant and museum.

(November) Cornwall's first undercover ice rink opens at Eden.

2005

(February) Trinity House announced the closure of the National Lighthouse Centre in Penzance.

(March) The scenic clay trails opened in the St. Austell area.

(9th April) HRH Prince Charles Duke of Cornwall marries Camilla Parker Bowles and upon their marriage she became the Duchess of Cornwall.

(26th April) The Earl and Countess of Wessex visited Dairyland Farm World near Newquay.

(28th April) Work starts on clearing the overgrown Helston Railway.

The annual value of china clay sold from the UK is over £200 million. UK china clay from the St. Austell area is used for paper coatings (21%), paper filling (49%), ceramics (21%) and plastics, rubber, paint, etc (9%).

(10th June) Nick Darke a well known Cornish playwright dies aged 57. He was born in 1948 in St. Eval near Padstow.

(June) Constantine Heritage Centre opens to the public.

(19th July) Seaton Valley Country Park became Cornwall's first Green Flag Countryside Park and Local Nature Reserve after passing a tough inspection with flying colours.

(4th August) Rear Admiral HRH The Princess Royal witnesses the arrival of The New Trafalgar Dispatch onshore at Fish Strand Quay, Falmouth. Then she greets the post-chaise outside the Art Gallery where the first plaque is unveiled, before "Lt Lapenotiere" actor Alex Price embarks on his six-week mission to recreate the 37-hour journey of 1805. This is now known as The Trafalgar Way.

The St. Austell Voice newspaper commences publication.

(September) The Eden Project opens its new building called the 'Core' which includes an education facility, incorporating classrooms and exhibition spaces designed to help communicate Eden's central message about the relationship between people and plants.

(25th November) Hundreds of cars became stuck on the A30 over Bodmin Moor after heavy snow and slippery conditions caused a crash involving several cars. Many children also got stuck in their schools for several hours, as the snow meant they could not leave and parents could not come to collect them. Almost 70 of Cornwall's 273 schools were closed.

2006

(2nd March) Cornish MP Dan Rogerson asked the government to make 5th March a public holiday in Cornwall to recognise St. Piran's Day celebrations.

(19th May) Jamie Oliver opens a new restaurant 'Fifteen' at Watergate Bay.

(1st June) HRH the Queen visits The Eden Project to officially open the new Core building.

(8th June) Mevagissey Aquarium re-opens after the replacement of its 50 year old tanks.

(4th July) Imerys announce the loss of 800 jobs from the china clay industry around St. Austell. Also Par docks ceased to operate as a port and is now used just as a drying plant, with the railway line to Fowey docks converted to road used to ship the clay from there.

(July) A boathouse to accommodate a new Tamar class lifeboat was completed in Padstow.

(24th July) Cornwall hosted the Inter-Celtic Water-sports Festival ending at Falmouth.

The university at Penryn starts offering courses on Cornish Studies.

Wingz bird sanctuary opens at Treesmill, near Par.

(12th September) BT announced it would shut down satellite operations at Goonhilly in 2008

Two extensions to the Camel Trail were completed. The first was from Scarlett’s Well car park in Bodmin up into the town. The second was from Poley's Bridge near St.Breward to Wenfordbridge through the old clay dries, which was made possible by Imerys donating the land.

2007

(9th February) Heavy rain disrupted much of Cornwall with roads, homes and businesses severely affected. At Calenick near Truro three people had to be rescued from a car by fire crews after they got stuck in floodwater.

(4th March) A large fire at Callington Heritage Centre caused extensive damage to the building and the exhibits.

(1st April) The Cornish Birds of Prey Centre opens near St. Columb Major.

(May) A Roman fortlet is discovered close to Restormel Castle.

(May) Watergate Bay played host to the English Nationals Surfing Championships.

(11th May) The Goss Moor Multi-use Trail was officially opened.

(29th May) HRH The Princess Royal makes a visit to Truro and St. Columb Major.

(7th June) HRH Prince Edward, The Earl of Wessex visited the Royal Cornwall Show.

(11th June) A 70-tonne granite sculpture of a seed has been 'planted' at The Eden Project. The 13 foot high work carved by sculptor Peter Randall-Page and blasted from De Lank Quarry on Bodmin Moor is the centrepiece of Eden's new £15m Core education centre.

(21st June) Boscastle is flooded again with three feet of water flowing down the roads.

(25th June) The A30 from the end of the Bodmin by-pass across Goss Moor is finally upgraded to a dual carriageway providing much a better traffic flow and avoiding a low bridge. Part of the old route was made into the Goss Moor Cycle Path.

(23rd July) Godolphin House was acquired by the National Trust.

(18th August) Penhallow hotel in Newquay was destroyed by fire and cost the lives of three people.

(21st August) Dr Roger Slack, St. Ives GP and resident, dies aged 88. He started his career in St. Ives in 1947 and cared for local artists including Barbara Hepworth.

(2nd September) 300 surfers arrived at Polzeath beach to set a new world record for the highest number of surfers riding the same wave.

(3rd September) Radio Scilly is launched on the The Isles of Scilly.

(18th October) The Castle, Bude is opened to the public as a restaurant and heritage centre.

(November) The Hall for Cornwall holds a Celebration Gala Concert which was attended by HRH Prince Edward.

(21st December) Lescudjack Hill Fort was formally handed over to public use as part of the Montol Festival.

2008

(January) Wheal Peevor Mine Site and Multi-use Trail is opened.

(January) Radio St. Austell Bay launched in the St. Austell area.

(January) A Roman fort, only the third known in Cornwall, was discovered next to the church in Calstock.

(February) Builders unearth a 200 year old smugglers network of tunnels in Penzance. The tunnels are thought to lead to the Admiral Benbow pub.

(9th February) HRH Prince William and friends from the RAF visits a bar in Newquay.

(10th March) High spring tides combined with strong winds and a storm surge resulted in flooding in Cornwall at both north and south coasts, from Bude to The Isles of Scilly.

(April) A bronze sculpture of a Cornish miner standing six feet seven inches tall and produced by artist David Annand is erected in Redruth town centre.

(19th May) The standard written form of the Cornish language was agreed.

(29th May) Newlyn fishing boat 'The Girl Patricia' sank 28 nautical miles north-west of Land's End. All four crew winched to safety by a RNAS Culdrose helicopter.

The pedestrian precinct in St. Austell is re-developed again and called White River Place.

The Leach Pottery was re-opened to the public as a Museum, Shop and Studio at St. Ives.

Looe Valley Vineyard is started south of Liskeard.

(7th June) HRH Princess Anne, The Princess Royal visited the Royal Cornwall Show.

(10th June) 26 Dolphins were found dead in different river creeks near St. Mawes. Another 40 were helped to safety and guided back to deeper waters.

(10th July) The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall visit Tintagel, Ladock, Bodmin, St. Mawes and Truro.

(July) The Eden Project welcomed its ten millionth visitor.

(August) A million pounds has been awarded to 'Funding for Cornish Museums'. Four major museums: the Royal Cornwall Museum, Geevor Tin Mine, Porthcurno Telegraph Museum and the Penlee House Gallery and Museum, will be reaping the benefits.

(August) The Tall Ships Race started in Falmouth.

(15th September) HRH The Duke of Edinburgh visits Healey's Cornish Cyder Farm to officially open Kay's Cyderhouse.

(20th October) The 'Spirit of Mystery', a 37 foot lugger crewed by Pete Goss left Newlyn at 18:00, bound for Cape Town, just as 'Mystery' did in 1854. She arrived in Melbourne on the 9th March 2009.

(30th October) Parts of north Cornwall are hit by serious flooding.

(November) The last china clay ship left Par Docks, all the trade now leaves from Fowey.

(19th December) The new by-pass relieving Dobwalls near Liskeard of its heavy traffic burden along the A38 is finally opened.

2009

(20th January) Three people were injured when an aircraft crashed at Land's End Airport as it tried to take off.

An Eco-Town has been short listed for construction in the St. Austell area.

(Easter) The UK's Longest Zip Wire opened at Adrenalin Quarry, Menheniot.

(Easter) Newquay Zoo is expanded by 3.5 acres to include an African Savanna area.

(2nd May) The town of Saltash celebrated the 150th Anniversary of the opening of the Tamar Bridge by Prince Albert in 1859.

(14th May) A large fire caused the destruction of the fishermen's stores at Padstow.

(May) HRH Prince Charles and Camilla visit The Isles of Scilly.

(4th June) An election for Cornwall's new unitary council took place. There are now 123 councillors.

(6th June) HRH Sophie, the Countess of Wessex visits the Royal Cornwall Show near Wadebridge.

(19th June) First cases of swine flu hit Penzance.

(13th July) A private buyer bought the Upton Towans beach near Hayle for £80,000.

(13th July) HRH The Princess Royal officially opened the Lizard Lighthouse Heritage Centre.

The Spirit of the West theme park closes for re-development.

(29th July) Sir John Barry Salusbury-Trelawny, 13th Baronet of Trelawny dies aged 75. He gained the rank of Sub-Lieutenant in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve.

(November) Cornwall is crowned Best UK Holiday Destination.

(23rd December) Two women died and another 47 people were injured in a coach crash. The coach rolled on to its side after skidding on sheet ice on an un-gritted road in Townshend, near Hayle.

2010

(January) Heavy snow hits Newquay bringing the town to a standstill for hours.

(3rd March) Michael Foot a British Labour Party politician dies at his home in Callington aged 96.

(11th March) The fishing vessel 'Ben My Chree' started to sink seventeen miles north-east of the Isles of Scilly and four of the crew taken off by RNAS Culdrose helicopter and one by the St. Mary's relief lifeboat 'Daniel L Gibson', she later sank a mile off Gwennap Head.

(31st March) The visitor centre at Goonhilly Earth Satellite Station finally closes after years of threats to do so.

(4th May) Joan Rendell, a famous Cornish author dies aged 89 in a fire at her bungalow near Launceston.

(12th May) A very ancient tomb was discovered in St. James's church in St. Kew near Wadebridge.

(10th June) The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall visit the Royal Cornwall Show.

(17th June) A Scilly shrew made headlines on BBC Cornwall when it stowed away from the Isles of Scilly on 'Scillonian III'. It was safely returned home the next day.

(21st June) Stanley Lucas Super-centenarian born in Morwenstow, near Bude dies aged 110.

(August) Sir David Attenborough films a wildlife documentary at The Eden Project.

(20th August) The world's largest Cornish pasty was made by "Proper Cornish" bakers from Bodmin.

(24th August) David Cameron's wife Samantha gives birth to their fourth child in Truro hospital.

(16th September) Trewey Mill at Zennor Wayside Folk Museum is restored and put into working condition.

(29th September) Cornish Country Larder near Newquay won several gold awards and a trophy at a national cheese making competition.

(September) Wave Hub installed off the Cornish coast near Hayle. The world's largest wave energy site.

(27th October) The Fish Factory ship the 'Athena' caught fire 230 miles of the south-west coast of the Isles of Scilly. 98 of the 111 crew were forced to abandon ship into the life rafts; these were picked up by the container ship the 'Vega'. The 'Athena' which was on fire for thirteen days before being finally extinguished was then taken under tow to Falmouth Bay,

(17th November) More than 100 homes are evacuated after floods and gale-force winds caused disruption across Cornwall. Altarnun, St. Blazey, St. Austell, Mevagissey, Pentewan and Lostwithiel are the worst hit areas. The Eden Project was hit by three foot of flood-water in places, was expecting to be closed for at least a week. The Lost Gardens of Heligan were also closed for three days.

The British Cycling Museum, at Camelford closes.

2011

(11th January) It was announced that part of the site at Goonhilly is to be sold to create a space science centre.

(20th January) Tim Smit, founder of the Eden Project receives a Knighthood.

(2nd February) Sharp's Brewery at Rock was bought by Molson Coors Brewing Company for £20 million.

(4th February) An episode of Dr Who is filmed at Charlestown.

(22nd February) Delabole wind farm re-opened with four new huge wind turbines replacing the ten earlier smaller ones.

(22nd February) The term "Cornish Pasty" has been given protected status by the European Commission.

(17th March) The Eden Project celebrates its tenth anniversary.

(April) St. Hilary Heritage Centre opened to the public.

(13th May) More than fifty firefighters spent several hours tackling a large fire at the derelict Redruth Brewery.

(17th May) Visit by HRH Countess of Wessex to the Du Maurier Festival in Fowey and a visit to the Lost Gardens of Heligan the next day.

(21st May) Edward James Buckingham, a postman from Saltash became the first Cornishman to climb Mount Everest.

(18th May) Land's End is announced as the starting point for the 2012 Olympic torch relay across Britain.

(4th June) HRH Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip visit the Isles of Scilly.

(16th June) St. Austell Museum opened to the public.

(17th June) A fire involving gas cylinders occurred on Falmouth Docks. The fire brigade extinguished the initial fire but then had to cool the cylinders constantly for 24 hours to prevent the cylinders from exploding due to the heat and pressure build-up.

(29th June) A mini tsunami, caused by an underwater landslide, sweeps up the south west coast of Cornwall, felt first at St. Michael's Mount, later causing some rivers to briefly appear to change direction, and fish to jump out of the water.

(12th July) The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall visited The Eden Project to celebrate its 10th anniversary and followed on to open a new £4.2m biomass plant at Davidstow Creamery. Later they formally opened The Duchy of Cornwall Nursery Cafe near Lostwithiel.

(3rd August) The 9000 tonne MV 'Karin Schepers', a Dutch cargo ship, ran aground with its skipper intoxicated, between Cape Cornwall and Pendeen Watch. The crew managed to re-float the ship and continue on its journey from Cork to Rotterdam.

(8th September) A 13th century solid silver seal found on farmland near Newquay has been declared treasure trove at an inquest.

(12th September) The new Five Islands School opens in St. Mary's on the Isles of Scilly.

(23rd September) A large cliff fall occurred at Hell's Mouth, near Portreath. The whole event was caught on camera as two council engineers were on site.

(28th September) The Tortoise Garden near St. Austell made national headlines after Cornwall Council reclassified the sanctuary as a zoo and ordered owner Joy Bloor to pay £1,000 for a licence. The local authority said the tortoises were 'wild animals', not domestic pets, and Joy, who was unable to pay the licence costs, closed the attraction.

(September) A contemporary School of Art was formed in Newlyn with Arts Council funding which offers short courses taught by some of the most well known artists working in Cornwall.

(November) A new Lifeboat Station is opened at Kilcobben Cove on the Lizard.

(4th December) An earthquake was felt in the Bodmin area of Cornwall. The 2.2-magnitude tremor hit at 02:40 GMT.

(6th December) HRH Princess Anne visits the Tamar Bridge at Saltash which celebrates its 50th anniversary.

(December) Helston Railway is re-opened for passengers.

(20th December) The fishing vessel 'Heather Anne' sank in Gerrans Bay on The Roseland Peninsula with the loss of one of the two crew.

The population of Cornwall is now 537,400 persons.

2012

(February) The Newquay Coastguard Association was formed.

(3rd March) The first World Cornish Pasty Championship is held at the Eden Project.

(14th March) St. Austell looses its bid to be given city status.

(27th March) A St. Mabyn parish councillor became the first in Cornwall to be disqualified from holding public office,and was banned for two years for bullying and showing disrespect to members.

(April) The Trevarno Estate is sold off as separate lots and the gardens closed to the public.

(20th April) The new Heartlands visitor centre at Camborne opens to the public.

(23rd April) The tug 'Aquarius' sank 45 miles off the Lizard with one of the three crew missing.

(30th April) Falmouth Beach Hotel was devastated by a fire which caused significant damage to the building.

(19th May) The 2012 Olympic torch parade sets off from Land's End on its journey across Cornwall.

(6th June) Camilla, The Duchess of Cornwall visits the Royal Cornwall Show near Wadebridge.

(16th June) Floods and gales hit Cornwall causing several dramatic sea rescues close to The Isles of Scilly.

(29th June) Imerys opens new china clay pit in St. Austell. The Higher Moor Pit will cover 42 acres, and is 230 feet deep in places.

(2nd July) The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall visit The Isles of Scilly, Trewithen Gardens and Heartlands.

(7th July) Lieutenant Commander John Peverell Rogers of the Penrose Estate near Porthleven dies aged 87.

(13th July) The Grade II listed 18th century harbour of Charlestown has gone on sale for £4.4 million.

(18th July) Three lifeboat crew members were awarded medals for their bravery in saving the life of a man who had become trapped in dangerous waters off Port Isaac.

(20th July) The Cornish author E. V. Thompson dies aged 81 at his Launceston home.

(23rd July) Four unusual medieval carvings are discovered on a cross in Gulval churchyard near Penzance.

(26th July) Boconnoc House wins Sotheby's Restoration Award after Anthony and Elizabeth Fortescue spent years restoring it.

(July) The Eden Project opened the longest zip wire in England, giving visitors an exhilarating ride across the top of the world-famous Biomes.

(August) Works starts on building The Cornwall Energy Recovery Centre near St. Dennis.

(15th September) Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens near Penzance open to the public.

(16th October) Floods occur due to weather and tidal conditions in Looe, Fowey and Mevagissey.

(31st October) British International Helicopters last flight from Penzance to the Isles of Scilly, its operator decided it was not profitable.

(27th November) It was announced that University College Falmouth, located at Penryn, is to be granted full university status and to be known as Falmouth University.

(21st December) Heavy rain over Bodmin Moor caused the River Fowey to flood, bringing down many trees and blocking many roads.

2013

(21st January) St. Odulphus church at Pillaton, near Saltash is struck by lightning. One of the pinnacles smashed down through the roof leaving a large hole and major damage.

(6th March) BT announces plans to connect the Isles of Scilly to the Internet by fibre optic cable.

(7th March) Ben Ainslie receives Knighthood to mark the culmination of over twenty years dedicated to the Olympics and the pursuit of gold.

(22nd March) After days of heavy rain a house in Looe is swept away in a landslide with one person killed. Serious flooding occurs in Newlyn, Penzance, Mevagissey and St. Ives.

(29th March) The Classic Aircraft Museum opened to the public at Newquay.

(7th April) John Francis Arthur St. Aubyn, 4th Baron St. Levan of St. Michaels Mount dies aged 94. He was a Captain in the Royal Navy taking part in the Dunkirk Evacuation.

(9th April) A new £1 million passenger terminal was officially opened at Land's End airport. Work included new baggage handling and arrivals facilities and a new control tower.

(21st April) A new landmark to mark the county's boundary - a 65 foot high Celtic cross was erected on the Saltash side of the River Tamar.

(5th May) A 51 year old man and his eight year old daughter, have died after a speedboat crashed off Padstow harbour.

(5th May) Anthony Rogers of Carwinion House near Falmouth dies aged 75. His widow, Jane, must now leave the house which has been her home for more than 20 years as under the terms of an agreement signed in 1969 the property now passes completely to the National Trust.

(17th May) HRH the Queen and Prince Philip visit St. Ives, The Tate Gallery, Marazion, RNAS Culdrose and St. Michael's Mount.

(7th June) - HRH Princess Anne, The Princess Royal visits the Royal Cornwall Show.

(15th July) HRH The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall make a summer heat wave visit to Bude, St. Austell and Lostwithiel where they toured the renovated Duchy Palace.

(6th August) Helston, Perranporth, Camborne, Newquay and Truro are flooded after hours of torrential rain.

(20th August) A devastating fire destroys Great Trethew Manor near Liskeard.

(28th August) The French trawler 'Scuderia' ran aground at Lankidden Cove, on the east side of the Lizard between Coverack and Cadgwith. None of the five crew were injured. She was re-floated on 3rd September and towed to Falmouth for repairs.

(August) Hayle Heritage Centre was opened at John Harvey House on Foundry Square, Hayle.

(28th September) Wadebridge Museum opened on a re-developed site.

(5th October) The Old Ship Inn on Garrett Street in Cawsand had been derelict for four years when it caught fire and burned down on Saturday.

(3rd November) The French fishing vessel 'Panamera' sank off Lizard Point. There was no loss of life amongst her French and Portuguese crew.

(25th December) A road collapsed during stormy weather trapping several cars at Calstock.

2014

(3rd January) Severe storms hit north Cornwall demolishing part of the sea wall at Portreath.

(5th January) More heavy storms batter the coasts of Cornwall causing much damage, flooding and power cuts. A road down to the beach at Newquay is washed away.

(9th January) A bottle-nosed dolphin is washed up on Par beach and successfully redirected back out to sea.

(1st February) The French trawler 'Le Sillon' went aground at Park Head near Porthcothan Bay after losing power and steering approximately five miles off Trevose Head. All six of the crew were safely rescued. Five crew members were recovered by a rescue helicopter from RNAS Culdrose, the skipper was picked up by the Padstow Lifeboat.

(3rd February) Many storms lash across Cornwall causing much damage and flooding especially along the coasts in place such as Looe and Newlyn. At Penzance much damage was caused to the Jubilee Pool and to the promenade and harbour. One violent storm smashed the harbour gates at Porthleven and sank several fishing boats moored in the harbour.

(4th February) Cornwall was cut-off from the rest of the country's railways because of the collapse of the sea wall at Dawlish in Devon.

(13th February) Harvey's Foundry Trust has been awarded £4million from HLF to conserve and adapt for commercial use the remaining derelict Grade II listed buildings at the 19th century Harvey’s Foundry in Hayle.

(15th February) Lanhydrock opens a series of cycle trails, car parks and a cafe.

(3rd March) Jamaica Inn on Bodmin Moor, immortalised by author Daphne du Maurier, has sold for more than £2 million. It was bought by businessman Allen Jackson from Dorking in Surrey.

(9th March) The cargo ship 'Sea Breeze' from Barbados was abandoned in the English Channel 10 nautical miles off The Lizard. Her six crew were rescued by the Falmouth and Lizard Lifeboats.

(31st March) HRH Sophie, the Countess of Wessex visits Lynher Dairies Cheese Company near Truro.

(14th April) A new 100 foot rope bridge is opened across the Jungle at The Lost Gardens of Heligan.

(24th April) Cornwall is given National Minority' status under EU law.

(6th June) HRH Sophie, the Countess of Wessex visits the Royal Cornwall Show near Wadebridge.

(21st June) The capstone was added to the restored 5,000 year old Carwynnen Quoit near Camborne.

(29th June) A giant 44 pound jellyfish was filmed in an estuary near St. Mawes.

(July) Land's End airport finally gets its grass runways surfaced after many winters of being waterlogged for weeks at a time.

(14th July) The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall tour Looe, where they meet members of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and visit businesses affected by flooding earlier in the year. Later they visit Cornish Orchards in Duloe and Trewithen Dairy in Lostwithiel to celebrate their 20th anniversary.

(16th July) The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall visit Tregunnel Hill, Newquay a mixed-use neighbourhood of 174 homes on Duchy of Cornwall land which is due to be completed in 2015. The Duchess of Cornwall visited Camel Valley Vineyard to celebrate the their 25th anniversary.

(23rd July) A woman from Somerset, who overcame ME, became the first person to swim from the Cornish mainland to the Isles of Scilly.

(1st August) HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh visited Newquay and the Lobster Hatchery at Padstow then later visited Tregothnan to taste the tea.

(28th August) The Tall Ships Race started in Falmouth.

(September) The Eden Project starts employing apprentices.

(24th October) A YHA Hostel opens at the Eden Project.

(26th October) Seven people were washed away whilst surfing at Mawgan Porth near Newquay, three lives were lost despite the efforts of the Coastguards and lifeboats.

(November) The main railway line through Cornwall is closed between Truro and Penzance for two weeks for repairs to Hayle viaduct.

(December) A red phone box re-opens as tourist information centre. The box at Crafthole near Torpoint was bought by the local community shop.

2015

(9th January) A 65 foot long fin whale was washed up on Wanson Beach near Bude.

(12th January) Two new helicopters to serve the people of Cornwall have been unveiled before the staff and volunteers of Cornwall Air Ambulance Trust.

(15th February) A 2,500 year old Egyptian bronze cat found in Penzance which was nearly thrown in a skip, has been sold at auction for £52,000.

(11th March) HRH Sophie, the Countess of Wessex visits The Farm and Country Day at the Royal Cornwall Showground near Wadebridge.

(13th March) The Western Greyhound bus company based near Newquay went into liquidation and all their drivers made redundant.

(23rd March) Work starts on widening the last stretch of the A30 road at Temple on Bodmin Moor to dual carriageway.

(15th April) The Cornwall Coliseum entertainment complex built at Carlyon Bay near St. Austell in the 1930's is demolished to make way for new developments.

(April) The Eden Project starts planting a Redwood Forest.

(21st May) 771 Naval Air Squadron from RNAS Culdrose perform a flypast over West Cornwall to celebrate their 76th and last anniversary. The squadron will be disbanded early next year when the Coastguard takes over SAR duties.

(5th June) HRH Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy visits the Royal Cornwall Show.

(22nd June) Sculptor Barbara Hepworth's former workshop Palais de Danse has been given to The Tate at St. Ives by her family.

(9th July) The fishing trawler 'JMT' suddenly capsized and sank off Rame Head killing two fishermen.

(16th July) Cornwall is to become the first county to gain historic new powers after a devolution deal was announced.

(17th July) Prime Minister David Cameron visits Truro and The Lost Gardens of Heligan to give a speech urging people to visit Cornwall this summer.

(20th July) The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall start a three day visit to the Duchy, taking in The Isles of Scilly, Newquay, Padstow and The Lost Gardens of Heligan.

(27th August) An £11.7m grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund to build Kresen Kernow, Cornwall's new archive record centre at the old brewery site in Redruth, has been won.

(2nd September) A blue whale is spotted off the Cornish coast 250 miles from Land's End for first time ever by a stunned scientist.

(17th September) HRH Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex visited Mount Edgcumbe Hospice at St. Austell to mark its 35th anniversary.

(18th September) HRH Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex makes a visit to The King Edward Mine near Camborne.

(8th October) Hugh Scully, TV presenter dies aged 72 at his home near Truro.

(16th October) Bodmin community cinema closes.

(25th October) Three sightings of the Beast of Bodmin have been reported in just one week in Cornwall by seven unrelated holidaymakers.

(9th November) Anthony Fortescue, owner of Boconnoc and High Sheriff of Cornwall, was found dead aged 69 following a firearms incident which is not being treated as suspicious.

(27th November) A large chunk of an American space rocket measuring about 32 feet by 13 feet was found in the sea off the Isles of Scilly.

(31st December) The James Stevens No 10 lifeboat which served in St. Ives, sunk in Hayle estuary during a storm. The thirty five foot vessel was restored in 2002 and had been in use for pleasure trips.

2016

(1st January) RNAS Culdrose 771 Squadron at Helston hands over the search and rescue service to Bristow Helicopters at Newquay.

(25th January) The Coxless Crew, led by Laura Penhaul from Redruth, Cornwall, have set two world records; the first all-female team to complete the challenge and the first team of four to row the Pacific.

(8th February) Storm Imogen bought strong winds, with gusts of more than 70mph, brought down power lines and numerous trees, causing widespread disruption to traffic across Cornwall. Flooding occurs at Portreath.

(February) The go-ahead is given to build the new Callywith College at Bodmin.

(7th March) A former fish merchants building is to become the home to Newlyn's first cinema in more than fifty years.

(9th March) Cornwall is lashed by winds of up to 90mph causing lots of damage to roofs and bringing down many trees.

(14th March) A 300 foot mineshaft swallowed up a rear garden at a house in Scorrier, near Camborne. Research shows it to be part of Wheal Chance Mine.

(23rd March) The designers of a £4 million footbridge at Tintagel Castle have been chosen by English Heritage.

(4th April) HRH The Princess Royal made the first Royal visit to GCHQ Bude Station. She arrived by helicopter and was greeted by the head of GCHQ Bude Station, along with the Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall, Colonel Edward Bolitho. The visit consisted of a short tour of the site, and the princess met many members of staff, of all grades, from whom she learnt about some of the activities carried out at Bude.

(21st April) Cornish language funding stopped by government. Cornwall council is yet to confirm whether any jobs will be lost as a result of the funding cut.

(6th May) St. Ives holds a referendum (which was successful) to stop the building of second homes, meaning that new housing projects will only get planning permission if reserved for full-time residents.

(11th May) Boris Johnson kicked off a west country bus tour to galvanise support for the Brexit referendum with stop at Lemon Quay in Truro.

(28th May) The Jubilee Open Air Bathing Pool in Penzance re-opens after a £3m refurbishment to repair damage caused during the winter storms of February 2014.

(23rd June) Cornwall along with the rest of the UK votes to leave the EU in a referendum.

(10th July) A 40 foot sperm whale is washed up dead on Perranporth beach.

(15th July) Tributes are paid to the 10th Earl of St. Germans, Peregrine Nicholas Eliot, founder of the Port Eliot Festival - who has died aged 75.

(20th July) The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall finish a three day tour of the west country which included visits to The Jubilee Pool in Penzance, The Minack Theatre, Port Isaac and The Duchy of Cornwall Nursery at Lostwihiel.

(31st July) The wreck of the 'Darlwyne' is discovered off Dodman Point near Mevagissey, exactly fifty years after it disappeared in 1966.

(1st August) The National Trust purchase Trevose Head near Padstow after an appeal to protect this prominent headland.

(3rd August) The royal residence of 6th century rulers is believed to have been discovered at Tintagel Castle in the first excavation of a five-year English Heritage project.

(6th August) A 30 foot high mechanical giant named 'The Man Engine' spent two weeks steaming through the Cornish Mining Landscape, starting from Tavistock and ending at Geevor Mine.

(8th August) A "significant fire" which broke out at a recycling centre at St. Erth near Hayle continued to blaze throughout the night. A large diesel and oil tank was caught up in the fire and the large plume of smoke could be seen for miles. The main railway line was closed as was the A30 road. The fire burnt for three days and the whole site was completely destroyed.

(24th August) Olympic gold medal winner Helen Glover is welcomed back to her home town of Penzance.

(1st September) The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (William and Kate) start a two-day visit to Cornwall beginning at Truro Cathedral and Healeys Cider Farm.

(2nd September) The Royal couple continue their tour with visits to The Eden Project and The Isles of Scilly.

(8th September) The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester makes a visit to Penryn, Saltash and HMS Raleigh at Torpoint.

(12th September) The Cornish landmark Brown Willy is up for sale for £2.8 million. The 1,378 ft tor, which is Cornwall's highest peak, forms part of the 1,221 acres of land up for sale on Bodmin Moor.

(14th September) Heavy rain caused flooding in Falmouth, Camborne, Helston and Redruth.

(20th October) A so-called "six star" holiday resort to be developed by Alton Towers founder John Broome has been given planning approval. John Broome plans to build more than 200 lodges, a "tropical pool", restaurants and an activities centre, at his Camel Creek resort near Wadebridge.

(27th October) A 2.3-magnitude earthquake was felt by people living as far as twenty miles from the epicentre on Bodmin Moor, who reported being woken up by the tremor which hit at about 03:00 BST.

(27th October) The Prime Minister Theresa May flew into Cornwall to meet with local business leaders at Newquay Airport.

(November) The Charlestown Shipwreck Centre was bought by Sir Tim Smit.

(November) Work starts on converting the old brewery site in Redruth to house the new Kresen Kernow records office.

(22nd November) Heavy rain followed by flooding closes many roads across the county and the railway line between Liskeard and Looe for several days.

(13th December) A shipwreck has been rediscovered at the same spot a similar wreckage was filmed for the BBC TV drama Poldark. The remains of the Schiedam - which sank in 1684 - were first found off the coast of Cornwall in 1971 but then buried under shifting sands. Divers David Gibbins and Mark Milburn made the find after many attempts at Gunwalloe Church Cove, near Mullion.

(20th December) Thousands of fish were washed up on Marazion Beach near Penzance, a fortnight after a similar mass beaching nearby. A carpet of sardines and other fish appeared on the beach on Saturday evening and many remained there on Monday.

2017

(2nd January) West Carclaze located north of St. Austell has been designated as one of the countries 14 new 'Garden Villages' proposed by the Government.

(30th January) A dolphin which was stranded on the coast at the Lizard was rescued and released back into the sea.

(2nd February) Planning permission is applied for, to build a new Heliport at Penzance to serve the Isles of Scilly.

(17th February) Peter Skellern the singer/songwriter who lived in Polruan dies aged 69.

(4th March) The main power cable which supplies the Isles of Scilly with electricity from the mainland was broken, leaving the islanders to rely on generators for many days.

(20th March) It has been announced that the only care home on the Isles of Scilly, Park House, is to close due to staffing issues.

(22nd March) A new Rainforest Canopy Walkway opens at The Eden Project offering breathtaking views across the Tropical Biome.

(31st March) HRH The Princess Royal visited HMS Raleigh, the basic training facility of the Royal Navy at Torpoint.

(11th April) St. Ives bay has been voted as the fourth best view in Britain.

(28th April) A large fire was started in a scrap yard at Dobwalls near Liskeard after a gas cannister left in a car, exploded. The fire burned overnight and caused an estimated £10,000 of damage.

(2nd May) Prime Minister Theresa May makes a visit to Helston and Mevagissey after announcing a general election.

(22nd May) Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson visits St. Ives during his election campaign.

(June) Two adult beavers, one male, one female, were released into a pond at Ladock near Truro and have been left to re-engineer the area through dam and canal building.

(9th June) HRH Prince Edward the Earl of Wessex makes a visit to the Royal Cornwall Show.

(9th June) Lady Mary Christina Holborow, DCVO, daughter of the 8th Earl of Courtown and the former Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall, dies aged 81 at her home near Truro. She had also served as chair on the board of trustees at Cornwall Air Ambulance Trust.

(30th June) Four men were arrested on suspicion of immigration offences after a yacht was raided off the Isles of Scilly.

(14th July) The long awaited completion of the A30 dual carriageway across Bodmin Moor at Temple is finally opened to traffic, removing the long hold-ups that occurred every summer.

(18th July) The village of Coverack is severely flooded after heavy storms in the area. About fifty properties were damaged and roads were swept away, and although people had to be rescued nobody was hurt.

(19th July) The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall (Charles and Camilla) start a three day visit to Cornwall. They will include Porthleven, Truro and Newquay in their tour.

(2nd August) The biggest blue shark ever caught in British waters, weighing 256 pounds was caught off Penzance, smashing a 58-year-old record.

(10th August) Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the Labour party, visits Cornwall and addresses crowds at Heartlands near Camborne, then later visited Treliske hospital at Truro.

(3rd September) After hours of heavy rain many places were hit by flooding including Looe, Polperro, Fowey, Launceston and Bodmin.

(7th September) The new Callywith College at Bodmin opens its doors to its first batch of students.

(11th September) A huge Leatherback turtle was washed up dead in Portreath harbour.

(12th September) Record numbers of Portuguese man-of-war have washed up on Cornish beaches. Perranporth beach was closed for a few hours because of the numbers of them.

(18th September) HRH Sophie, the Countess of Wessex starts a two day visit to Bosence Farm near Hayle, Falmouth, Stithians, Falmouth and Penzance.

(10th October) Rugby union legend from Cornwall, Brian 'Stack' Stevens, passed away aged 77.

(14th October) The Tate Gallery in St. Ives completes a £20 million expansion project to double the size of the gallery.

(26th October) The Bloodhound supersonic car which is aiming to break the world land speed record, is tested at 200 mph at Newquay Airport.

(30th October) The former Labour MP for Falmouth and Camborne, Candy Atherton died suddenly aged 62.

(10th December) Storm Ana brought strong winds downed power lines, trees and caused travel disruption across the county.

(15th December) Legendary Cornish football manager Trevor Mewton who managed Truro City, Falmouth Town and many others dies aged 73.

(17th December) A huge fire forced part of a Cornish holiday park at Summercourt near Newquay to shut, with just a week to go until Christmas.

(23rd December) The house near Fowey where Daphne du Maurier wrote her first novel and once lived has been given Grade II listed status.

(31st December) A woman died after a massive house fire in Looe that broke out just hours before the Cornish town welcomed in the New Year. The bungalow was completely destroyed.

2018

(3rd January) Storm Eleanor caused significant damage to coastal villages, with gusts of up to 80mph and powerful tides. 65 feet of the harbour wall at Portreath was washed away by the high tide.

(11th January) HRH The Princess Royal, Princess Anne has been in Cornwall to visit Truro Cathedral, the Cornish Cheese Company at Liskeard and the Save The Children charity at Helston.

(15th January) Surgeon Captain Rick Jolly, from Torpoint dies aged 71. He saved the life of every British serviceman he treated, working amid terrible conditions in the field during the Falklands conflict.

(22nd February) An £8.4 million space communication base to track missions to the Moon and Mars will be created at Goonhilly Earth Station, on the Lizard peninsula by upgrading one of its satellite antenna.

(2nd March) Storm Emma causes heavy snow falls across most of Cornwall causing chaos on the roads. A seven year old girl was killed after a car collied with a house in Looe.

(15th March) Work has begun to create the first lido in the UK to be heated by geothermal energy. Drilling has started at Jubilee Pool, Penzance to make a geothermal well which will draw up water that has been heated deep underground. The heat will then be transferred to water in adjacent pipes which carry water to the pool.

(22nd March) HRH Prince Charles visits Truro Cathedral, the Royal Cornwall Museum and the Nansledan development in Newquay.

(30th March) Camel Valley Vineyard near Bodmin became the first English wine producer to be granted a Royal warrant.

(2nd April) The streets of Mevagissey are flooded after hours of heavy rain.

(5th April) The Duke of Gloucester visits Coverack and the Lizard Peninsula.

(20th May) A new astronomical observatory is to be built on St. Martin's in The Isles of Scilly after a £59,000 government grant was secured and planning permission was granted for the site, owned by the Duchy of Cornwall. There is no virtually no light pollution on the islands.

(20th May) Flames were seen shooting from the Atlantic Hotel at Newquay. Five fire engines were used to deal with the fire but nobody was hurt.

(21st May) A new helicopter service is started from Land's End Airport to The Isles of Scilly.

(23rd May) Dairy Crest invests 85 million pounds in Davidstow cheese factory at Camelford as overseas demand grows.

(25th May) A thirty foot tall ceramic structure weighing in at twenty tonnes and inspired by the shape of cyanobacteria, one of the world's smallest living beings, has opened to the public at the Eden Project.

(1st June) The Hall for Cornwall closes for a major refurbishment.

(6th June) Lamorna Cove is up for sale at £2.65 million.

(7th June) The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall visit the Royal Cornwall Show.

(13th June) Three homes were destroyed after a large fire swept through a social housing complex in Truro.

(15th June) A 7th century piece of slate inscribed with ancient letters was found in Tintagel Castle.

(27th June) The historic Charlestown harbour used to film scenes in BBC One drama Poldark has been sold for an undisclosed sum to Eden Project co-founder Sir Tim Smit.

(13th July) A derelict hotel in Newquay caught fire, nobody was hurt.

(16th July) The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall start a three day visit to Cornwall taking in Fowey and Lostwithiel.

(17th July) The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall continue their tour by visiting The Isles of Scilly.

(18th July) The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall visited St. Tudy near Bodmin before heading over to Devon.

(2nd August) Planning permission is granted for a new Heliport at Penzance to serve the Isles of Scilly.

(3rd August) Charles Rogers of The Penrose Estate dies aged 62, apparently without an heir.

(20th August) A baby boy (Torran) was born mid-flight 1,400 feet up on the way to hospital in a coastguard helicopter over Penzance. Emergency crews received a call on Saturday night to urgently assist a woman who had gone into labour while visiting the Isles of Scilly.

(5th September) Work starts on a new Penlee lifeboat station near Mousehole.

(11th September) Work starts on a new park and ride scheme at St. Erth railway station to provide a better rail service to St. Ives.

(12th September) Cornwall Council has voted to add an official apostrophe to "Land's End". Clarification on the punctuation was needed because of proposed changes to electoral boundaries that left some council ward areas needing new names.

(15th September) After a change in the law, the first hill-climb event on public roads is held at Watergate Bay, near Newquay.

(19th September) Two Sea King military helicopters have completed their final farewell flypast, starting from RNAS Culdrose, after nearly 50 years of service. The two aircraft of 849 Naval Air Squadron will now be retired. They are being replaced by a new radar system on Merlin Mark 2 helicopters.

(11th October) The popular attraction Screech Owl Sanctuary is put up for sale as the current owners wish to retire.

(12th October) Storm Callum brings 75mph winds and heavy rain across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

(October) Holywell Bay Fun Park closes for re-development into holiday lodges.

(6th November) Drilling work is begun near Redruth on what may become the first deep geothermal power plant in the UK.

(22nd November) Flights between Newquay Airport and London will switch from Gatwick Airport to Heathrow Airport from April, it has been announced.

(23rd November) A house at Coverack caught fire when it was struck twice by lightning.

(15th December) Heavy day long rain from Storm Deirdre causes flooding across many parts of Cornwall and forced the Eden Project to close for most of the day.

(18th December) The 16,000-tonne Russian cargo ship 'Kuzma Minin' ran aground off Gyllyngvase Beach in Falmouth. Three harbour tugs and a lifeboat were able to tow the ship off the beach.

2019

(4th January) A large fire broke out in a garage at Redruth. seventy fire-fighters were required on scene to control and extinguish the flames.

(31st January) After hours of heavy rain which then turned to snow, many roads became impassable. Hundreds of motorists were stranded all night on the counties roads. Many on Bodmin Moor made their way to the Jamaica Inn at Bolventor for emergency accommodation.

(5th February) Dairy Crest unveils £75million expansion for Davidstow Creamery, near Camelford. The company said it will boost cheddar production capacity at the plant by 40 per cent from 54,000 tonnes a year to 77,000 tonnes.

(6th February) The Cornish author Rosamunde Pilcher dies aged 94.

(7th February) The Countess of Wessex visits Wheal Martyn at St. Austell and attended the Truro Primestock Show Annual Dinner at Hotel Tresanton, St. Mawes.

(25th February) A major fire destroyed the Fisherman's Arms pub in Newlyn. Four people had to be taken to hospital and their dog also died in the blaze.

(21st March) Work begins on the new Penzance Heliport which will provide services to the Isles of Scilly.

(22nd March) It was announced that the 2020 Tour of Britain cycle race will begin in Cornwall. 120 riders will start in Penzance and finish in Bodmin with organisers hoping for 180,000 spectators. Independent economic reports estimate the event will generate more than £3 million of extra spending in the county.

(26th March) Callestick Farm near Truro wins a major national award for its ice cream.

(3rd April) Direct flights four times daily begin from Newquay to Heathrow.

(5th April) HRH Prince Charles Duke of Cornwall visits the St. Austell Brewery and his new housing estate in Newquay.

(13th April) Firefighters tackle major pub fire in Padstow.

(15th April) A new lifeguard visitor centre has opened at Fistral beach, Newquay to teach vital skills to keep people safe in the sea.

(April) A new Observatory was built on St. Martin's, Isles of Scilly and opened to the public. It's located on what was a disused field behind the Island Hall & Reading Room.

(3rd May) HRH The Princess Royal visits Redruth, St. Day and the Lizard Peninsula.

(15th May) Seven of Cornwall's beaches are awarded blue flag status.

(21st May) Jordan Adlard Rogers inherits The Penrose Estate after a DNA test proved he was the heir to the estate.

(28th May) The beach cafe at Maenporth, near Falmouth caught fire and was completely gutted, but nobody was hurt.

(6th June) HRH Princess Alexandra visits the Royal Cornwall Show.

(11th June) The government has agreed to give £47 million to help build a road to serve a proposed new town in Cornwall. Sites on the outskirts of Truro have planning permission for thousands of new homes as well as schools, supermarkets and a new stadium. Cornwall Council said the new development could cater for up to 8,000 residents.

(28th June) Gale force winds blast across Cornwall bringing down many trees and blowing the roof from a football stand at Illogan, near Redruth.

(3rd July) Archaeologists digging near a Roman fort near Calstock have unearthed remains of a mine and a Roman road.

(14th July) A giant jellyfish was spotted off Falmouth by Lizzie Daly, a biologist with Wild Ocean Week. The creature was as big as her body.

(15th July) HRH The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall start their three day visit to Cornwall with a trip to Mevagissey, Boscastle and the Eden Project. The next day they went to the Ginsters factory at Callington and the Duchy Nursery at Lostwithiel.

(26th July) HRH The Princess Royal visits maternity services at Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro.

(30th July) A fire caused considerable damage at the White Hart Hotel in Launceston, but nobody was hurt.

(3rd August) Glynn House was put on the market with a guide price of around £3.5 million.

(9th August) Cornwall is hit by an earthquake of 2.2 magnitude in the Helston area. Also bad weather and gale force winds bring down many trees and cause many events to be cancelled including the Boardmasters Festival at Newquay.

(11th August) Tintagel Castle's new £4 million, 229 foot bridge opens after delays due to bad weather.

(19th August) Prime Minister Boris Johnson visits Treliske Hospital in Truro.

(28th August) The Scillonian III breaks down off Land's End when both its engines failed, it had to be towed back to Penzance. The repairs took five days to complete which left many holiday makers stranded for days.

(8th September) Marjorie Netta Blamey MBE, an English painter and illustrator from Sri Lanka, dies at her home in St. Germans aged 101.

(11th September) Kresen Kernow, Cornwall's brand new, state-of-the-art archive centre, opens in Redruth.

(29th September) HRH Prince Edward visits The Hall for Cornwall in Truro and Newquay Zoo.

(20th October) The graves of fifteen men have been restored as part of the centenary commemorations of a Cornish mining disaster at Levant Mine in 1919.

(22nd October) It was confirmed that the Roche-based fishing business 'Ocean Fish' has taken a controlling interest in Cornwall's best known trawler fleet 'W Stevenson and Sons' at Newlyn.

(2nd November) The whole of Cornwall is hit by 80mph winds and heavy rain bringing down many trees and causing some flooding.

(26th November) Jo Swinson, leader of the Liberal party visits St. Agnes as part of her general election campaign.

(27th November) Prime Minister Boris Johnson visits the hospitals in Penzance and Truro, then continues on to Roddas Creamery, Healeys Cider Farm and Goonhilly before ending up at Falmouth. On the same day Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn also visited Falmouth.

(9th Decenber) Cornwall was battered by 73mph winds from Storm Atiyah. There were many blocked roads as a result of fallen trees. In Bude, a road was closed after part of a Sainsbury's supermarket roof came off.

(12th December) Jamie Oliver's restaurant 'Fifteen' at Watergate Bay closes leaving 100 people out of work.

(19th December) Heavy rain floods over fifty shops and homes in Hayle.

2020

(4th January) David Hosking a well known painter from Porthleven dies aged 76 after a battle with cancer.

(11th January) A World War Two Lancaster Bomber is being re-built in Newquay. One of the few remaining Lancaster Bombers is being re-built from spares so it can be exhibited to the public. The parts are being gathered from across the world to reconstruct the 1943 aircraft.

(13th January) Storm Brendan brought heavy rain and gale force winds to Cornwall.

(16th January) Flybe announced that it will switch its Newquay to Heathrow flights to Gatwick in March.

(31st January) The United Kingdom leaves the European Union.

(3rd February) Cornwall's most successful movie 'Bait', which was made in Newlyn has won a BAFTA.

(9th February) Storm Ciara hits Cornwall with storm force winds and heavy rain which bought down many trees and caused much damage.

(12th February) More gale force winds and heavy rain cause flooding at Looe and Fowey.

(14th February) A 63 foot long fin whale was beached on rocks just south of the Helford Estuary. The animal was in poor condition and died soon after.

(16th February) Storm Dennis lashed Cornwall with more heavy rain and strong winds bringing down more trees, causing power cuts.

(3rd March) Harry Billinge a 94 year old from St. Austell and a D-Day veteran, was given MBE for all his fund-raising efforts.

(6th March) HRH Prince Charles make a one day visit to Newquay.

(16th March) In response to the Coronavirus Pandemic, Prime Minister Boris Johnson made an announcement advising against all non-essential travel and social contact, suggesting people work from home where possible and avoid venues such as pubs, restaurants, and theatres. On 20th March, the government announced that all leisure establishments such as pubs and gyms were to close as soon as possible, and promised to pay up to 80% of workers' wages to a limit of £2,500 per month to prevent unemployment in the crisis. Many businesses across Cornwall (and the rest of the UK) are now closed until the threat is over.

(17th March) Flights to St. Mary's and Tresco on the Isles of Scilly begin from the new Penzance Heliport.

(23rd March) First National Lockdown Begins

(1st April) The new Cornwall Air Ambulance AW169 helicopter has gone into active service, taking off on its first lifesaving missions in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. The people of Cornwall have raised an amazing £2.8m to make this possible.

(20th April) St. Ives is voted Britain's best Seaside Resort.

(1st May) All businesses including schools, hotels, holiday parks, tourist attractions, pubs and restaurants are still closed due to the pandemic.

(1st June) All businesses including schools, hotels, holiday parks, tourist attractions, pubs and restaurants are still closed due to the pandemic, making this the longest shut-down in history.

(2nd June) A fisherman from Porthleven rescued a Deer from the sea a mile out to sea. The Deer was unharmed and later released in to some woodland.

(4th July) Most businesses including schools, hotels, holiday parks, tourist attractions, pubs and restaurants are allowed to open again but must maintain social distancing to prevent the transmission of the Coronavirus Pandemic.

(8th July) A serious fire occurred at at the former Carclaze Infants School, near St. Austell. Fire engines from all over Cornwall were called out in the early hours to tackle the fire which gutted the historic building.

(20th July) HRH The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall start their three day visit to Cornwall, firstly going to see the new Cornwall Air Ambulance at Newquay. Later they went on to see the new footbridge at Tintagel Castle. The pair also made an appearance at Mevagissey after recent flooding.

(21st July) HRH The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall make a visit to St. Austell Healthcare, at the Wheal Northey Centre. Later they arrived at Treverbyn Community Hall, in Stenalees, where they were received by the Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall, Colonel Edward Bolitho. Charles and Camilla also attended a garden party celebrating Ginsters' 50th anniversary at the factory in Callington, followed by engagements in Tavistock and Lostwithiel.

(29th July) Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer visits Falmouth to give support for local businesses.

(14th August) Three people were hurt in a kitchen explosion at a bar on the waterfront in St. Ives.

(19th August) The thirty two foot long vessel, Dynamite, was washed up against the promenade in Penzance. The sailor on board, who was due to be sailing to the Caribbean, was described as very shaken but unhurt.

(21st August) Storm Ellen brings high winds and heavy rain to Cornwall.

(25th August) Storm Francis brings even more high winds and heavy rain to Cornwall.

(11th September) A kayaker has an encounter with a thirty foot Minke Whale five miles of the coast at Fowey.

(18th September) The Secretary of State for International Trade Liz Truss makes a visit to Cornish farmers at Davidstow Creamery at Camelford and Roddas Creamery at Redruth.

(30th September) Cornwall Council has stepped in to provide six million pounds to the operator of Cornwall's Leisure Centres so that they can all re-open within two weeks.

(1st October) Bodmin Jail opens its new eight and a half million pound visitor attraction 'The Dark Walk' allowing for a more impressive experience.

(7th October) Ninety-five-year-old Harry Billinge MBE, D-Day veteran has had a high-speed train named after him at Penzance station in honour of his bravery and fund-raising work.

(October) Kate Middleton and Prince William holiday in The Isles of Scilly.

(3rd November) Two people were swept into the sea at Mullion Cove. They were rescued in conditions that were at the limit of what was possible by the lifeboat and coastguards. The two were winched aboard a coastguard helicopter and taken to the Royal Cornwall Hospital at Truro were they later died.

(3rd November) Cornwall Air Ambulance features in a new TV series about their work across the county.

(5th November) Second National Lockdown Begins

(9th November) Newquay Airport has temporarily closed with all scheduled flights to and from the airport suspended due to the impact of the second Covid lockdown.

(5th December) A major fire broke out among the shops on St. Ives seafront. Crews from at least seven stations in Cornwall rushed to the scene, closing off the area around Lifeboat Hill.

(9th December) Covid 19 vaccinations begin at Treliske Hospital in Truro.

(12th December) Author John Le Carré died from pneumonia at Royal Cornwall Hospital, Truro, age 89. He lived near Lamorna for more than sixty years.

(27th December) Storm Bella batters Cornwall with gale force winds and heavy rain causing flooding in coastal areas especially around Fowey and Lostwithiel.

2021

(4th January) Third National Lockdown Begins

(17th January) Cornwall has been chosen to host the G7 summit in June 2021 at Carbis bay near St. Ives. The £50 million economic boost for the region includes an increase in future tourism.

(7th February) A man has died following an incident on a fishing boat fifty miles off the Isles of Scilly in which another crew member was injured. The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) confirmed the vessel was a beam trawler called The 'Cornishman', which is now back in Newlyn.

(12th February) Part of Charlestown Harbour wall collapsed following strong winds and adverse weather conditions.

(19th February) Cornish Kern cheese produced by Lynher Dairies wins taste of the west’s supreme champion product award 2020.

(21st February) A beaver has been spotted on the bank of the River Fal on the Tregothnan Estate near Truro. It is thought to be the first in the county sighted in the wild since the creatures' reintroduction.

(8th March) Most schools across Cornwall return to normal after the lockdown.

(25th March) A Royal Navy Hawk T1 jet from Culdrose has crashed in woodland near Helston. Neither of the two pilots were injured.

(7th April) Prime Minister Boris Johnson makes a visit to Newquay, Perranporth and Truro. Where he announced a £23.6m fund to 'transform' the city.

(6th April) A Cornwall nature reserve near St. Just has been devastated by 120-acre gorse fire.

(9th April) Buckingham Palace announce that HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh has died aged 99.

(5th May) Penzance dry dock is to close by the end of May after nearly 190 years of operation.

(7th May) Orca killer whales are spotted off the west coast of Cornwall, near the Minack Theatre.

(21st May) An Arctic Walrus was spotted off the coast at Padstow.

(6th June) Veteran Harry Billinge from St. Austell - one of the first to land on the Normandy beaches in 1944 - has finally seen his dream of a British national memorial in France completed and opened. He raised more than £25,000 for the memorial to honour fallen soldiers.

(8th June) Prime Minister Boris Johnson announces three new 'Town Deals' for Cornwall, in the week of the G7. New funding deals for Penzance, St. Ives and Camborne, worth a total of £65m will begin 'a major drive to restore Cornwall's renowned natural environment.

(10th June) President Biden arrives at Newquay airport for the G7 Summit.

(11th June) The World Leaders start talks at the G7 summit at Carbis Bay, near St. Ives.

(11th June) HRH The Queen, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge all attended The Eden Project for a banquet along with the leaders from the G7 Summit.

(12th and 13th June) The G7 talks continue at Carbis Bay, near St. Ives to a close and during the evening they have a barbecue on the beach, while the Red Arrows do a flypast and musicians perform sea shanties.

(20th July) HRH The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall, Charles and Camilla visit the Isles of Scilly. They spent time at Five Islands Academy School on St. Mary's and various business on Bryher.

(22nd July) HRH The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall, Charles and Camilla visit The Duchy of Cornwall Nursery at Lostwithiel.

(30th July) 75mph winds from Storm Evert caused much damage across Cornwall and The Isles of Scilly. Coastguards and lifeboats were called to many incidents, and fallen trees were reported from across the county.

(30th July) HRH The Princess Royal visited Wheal Martyn Clay Works to celebrate and officially open the museum’s new facilities. These improvements and facilities were created as part of Wheal Martyn’s ‘Clay Works’ project, with a major grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

(13th August) Firefighters from across Cornwall and Devon have battled a major fire at a hotel in Bude. Nobody was hurt but the building was destroyed.

(5th September) Cornwall hosted the first stage of the Tour of Britain cycle race which saw some of the world’s best cyclists racing over 111 miles from Penzance to a sprint finish in Bodmin.

(7th September) The West Kernow Way 150 mile cycle route is opened. It covers a figure of eight trail from Penzance to Land's End, Camborne and The Lizard.

(14th September) A 'Massive' transatlantic data cable was landed on beach in Bude.

(13th October) The Hall for Cornwall re-opens after a £26 million refurbishment.

(21st October) An Atlantic Blue Fin Tuna was spotted in St. Ives Bay.

(27th November) Storm Arwen batters Cornwall with gale force winds and flattens many trees.

(5th December) Storm Barra causes 70 mph winds and much damage across the County.

(14th December) Comedian Jethro dies aged 73.

(24th December) The Cheesewring Hotel at Minions is completely burnt down during a large fire at the property.

2022

(January) The Stock Car and Banger Racetrack at St. Day has received a twelve month lease extension from Cornwall Council to continue racing. The track has been under threat of closure for a number of years because of redevelopment.

(4th February) Cornwall Heritage Trust announced the purchase of an important multi-age hill-fort site near Sancreed in West Cornwall. Caer Bran contains archaeological remains from both the Bronze Age and Iron Age periods.

(Mid February) Storms Dudley, Eunice and Franklin all within a few days caused heavy rain and storm force winds which bought down many trees and removed many roofs across the county. The roof from the lifeboat station at Sennen Cove was also destroyed.

(7th March) HRH Prince Charles: Duke of Cornwall visited The Lynher Dairies Cheese Company in Ponsanooth near Truro. The company produces Cornish Yarg which is wrapped in nettles, as well as Cornish Kern. He later visited the Royal British Legion Centenary Woodland at Nansledan in Newquay.

(7th March) Lord Falmouth George Boscawen 9th Viscount Falmouth of Tregothnan dies aged 102. His eldest son, Evelyn Arthur Hugh Boscawen, will inherit the Viscountcy and become 10th Viscount Falmouth.

(24th March) RNAS Culdrose Hawk jets undertake final flight before being retired. The fast jets have been a mainstay for decades in training Royal Navy and NATO ships in air defence.

(5th April) Harry Billinge (1926-2022): Cornwall D-Day veteran from St. Austell dies aged 96.

(6th April) More than 150 sailors marched through the streets of Helston to mark the 75th anniversary of Culdrose Naval Air Station.

(8th April) Portscatho Vineyard is opened by the owners of Knightor Winery.

(7th May) Helston Flora Day returns for first time in three years. One of Cornwall's most celebrated traditional events has returned after two years off because of Covid-19.

(3rd June) Platinum Jubilee Beacons were lit across Cornwall to celebrate the Queens 70 years on the throne. Among the locations was St. Agnes Lighthouse on the Isles of Scilly, which was lit for the first time in 111 years.

(9th June) The Royal Cornwall Show returns after it was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 because of the Covid pandemic.

(10th June) HRH Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall visited the Royal Cornwall Show. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has also made an unannounced visit to the three day agricultural event held near Wadebridge.

(22nd June) Dairy Crest was found guilty of environmental offences at Davidstow Creamery, near Camelford over a five-year period and fined £1.5 million.

(18th July) HRH The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall began a two day visit to Cornwall and Devon today with a visit Mousehole. The Duke and Duchess then left for Newlyn where they were due to visit the fish market.

(2nd August) The clifftop Minack Theatre in West Cornwall celebrates the 90th anniversary of performances there.

(6th September) HRH The Duchess of Cornwall visits the Eden Project.

(8th September) HRH The Queen dies at Balmoral in Scotland, aged 96. and was succeeded by her eldest child, Charles III.

(31st September) Skinners Brewery at Truro goes into administration.

(21st October) HRH Princess Anne visits Goonhilly Earth Station and Spaceport Cornwall at Newquay.

(16th November) Spaceport Cornwall based at Newquay receives first-ever UK spaceport licence.

(24th November) HRH The Duke of Cornwall's first official visit to Cornwall. Prince William was named Prince of Wales and the Duke of Cornwall after his father acceded to the throne. He visited Newquay Orchard, a community project founded in 2015 on Duchy land.

(30th November) The first two stretches of the new Saints Trails near to St. Agnes for use by cyclists, walkers, runners and horse-riders have opened.

(16th December) A Cornish headland including a popular leisure centre is set to be sold to a town council for £1. Ships and Castles Leisure Centre on Pendennis Headland in Falmouth closed earlier this year after former operator Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL) said it could no longer afford to keep it open.

2023

(10th January) The first ever satellite mission launched from UK soil and in Newquay ended in failure. A jumbo jet operated by the American Virgin Orbit company carried a rocket out of Newquay airport to release it high over the Atlantic Ocean. The rocket ignited and appeared to be ascending correctly. But word then came from the company that the rocket had suffered an "anomaly".

(14th January) A dead fin whale washes up on rocks at Perranuthnoe beach near Marazion.

(17th January) Snow across Cornwall causes schools to be closed and many roads blocked. The A30 and A39 at Carland Cross, near Truro, were both blocked.

(20th January) Hotel guests were evacuated from the 19th Century Pier House hotel in Charlestown after a fire broke out. Kevin Georgel, chief executive of St. Austell Brewery, which owns the hotel, said all staff and guests had been safely evacuated from the site. He said the fire was caused by an electrical fault.

(9th February) Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and wife Akshata Murty met parents, babies and toddlers during a visit to the St. Austell family support centre.

(9th February) HRH The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall visit the National Maritime Museum in Falmouth.

(14th February) Belgian trawler 'Sylvia-Mary' sinks after striking rock off Land’s End. All the crew were saved by the Lifeboat.

(16th February) Launceston leisure centre has re-opened after the community stepped forward to run it.

(20th March) The Royal Cornwall Museum in Truro, which last year faced closure, is to receive nearly £1.5m of extra funding.

(31st March) Storm Mathis brought strong winds and heavy rain to Cornwall, with gusts of up to 93mph recorded at Gwennap Head near Penzance, and has left more than 400 properties without power.

(11th April) The Cornwall Aviation Heritage Centre.at Newquay closed.

(13th April) Storm Noa hits Cornwall with winds more than 60 mph at Cape Cornwall causing power cuts and many trees down in other locations.

(21st April) HRH The Princess Royal visited HMS Raleigh, the basic training facility of the Royal Navy at Torpoint.

(2nd May) A fish and chip restaurant near Looe was destroyed by fire.

(8th May) A woman had to be rescued by helicopter from the top of the highest church tower in Cornwall at Probus. She became ill after climbing the tower.

(17th May) HRH Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh,visits Falmouth, the Lizard Peninsula, and Colwith Farm Distillery at Lanlivery.

(23rd May) Lynher Dairies won one of seven awards made at the prestigious Virtual Cheese Awards for its Cornish Yarg.

(15th June) Three Post Office branches are closing in Cornwall this month. The affected areas are Wadebridge, Portreath, and St. Breward.

(24th June) The National Armed Forces day is held in Falmouth

(25th June) A five-year-old boy has died following what has been described as a "tragic accident" in Padstow Harbour today.

(1st July) Skinners Brewery re-opens with new owners at Truro.

(10th July) The 31,000-tonne 'Mazarine' grounded on rocks near Wolf Rock lighthouse nine miles off Cornwall. After refloating and drifting for several hours under a lifeboat escort, the ship was towed to Falmouth Harbour by a tug.

(11th July) HRH The Prince of Wales, Duke of Cornwall opened a new restaurant at the Duchy of Cornwall's Nursery at Lostwithiel.

(11th July) A new walking route that links the south coast of Cornwall with the north is now open to walkers. Called the Tamara Coast to Coast Way, this 87 mile waymarked route follows the Tamar River from Plymouth, all the way to Morwenstow on the border between Cornwall and Devon, north of Bude.

(13th July) HRH King Charles and Queen Camilla meet crowds during a visit to the Tate Gallery at St. Ives.

(14th July) The Camel Creek theme park goes into administration, but remains open.

(21st July) A sundial has been installed at the Minack Theatre to mark thirty years of performances by a theatre company.

(July) Lammana Chapel, an historic site on the mainland near West Looe was taken into the care of Cornwall Heritage Trust.

(August) The Tall Ships Race started in Falmouth.

(5th August) Storm Antoni causes many fallen trees to block rail lines to Penzance and roads throughout Cornwall.

(14th August) The Pendennis Headland in Falmouth, and the Ships and Castles Leisure Centre have been handed over by Cornwall Council to Falmouth Town Council for £1.

(19th August) Strong winds battered parts of Cornwall and Devon as Storm Betty struck, leading to multiple coastguard call-outs. The UK Coastguard dealt with twenty incidents, including a boat that ran onto rocks and sank near Mevagissey after a man onboard was rescued.

(30th August) The National Trust has acquired 55 acres of coastal land located at Smith's Cliff near Tintagel in north Cornwall.

(11th September) The home of spy author John Le Carré (1869–1955) is put up for sale at £3 million pounds. It lies on the coast between Lamorna and Porthcurno.

(15th September) HRH Prince Edward visits the Hall for Cornwall theatre in Truro.

(16th September) HRH Prince Edward visits Healeys Cyder Farm.

(19th September) Iona, Lady Molesworth-St. Aubyn dies aged 88 at Pencarrow House near Bodmin.

(27th September) Power has been restored to hundreds of homes across Cornwall after Storm Agnes caused outages and flooding. The Isles of Scilly, where wind speeds reached 63mph were among the worst-hit.

(October) Porteath Bee Center closed down due to retirement.

(3rd October) Judi Dench visits the National Seal Sanctuary and gets a seal named after her. She also visits the Flicks Donkey Sanctuary near Penryn,

(4th October) HRH The Princess Royal visits Porthleven and Truro.

(16th October) The Venerable Paul Bryer, Archdeacon of Cornwall, has died aged 65. He had served in the diocese since September 2019, when he was installed at Truro Cathedral.

(15th October) A £1.5m regeneration project is set to give St. Ives Theatre a new lease of life.

(17th October) Truro clock tower restoration is completed. The tower in Truro needed to be dismantled and reconstructed due to being in poor condition.

(17th October) Private Herbert 'Herbie' Samuel Bray from Mullion, died at the age of 97. He served in the Parachute Regiment during the Second World War — at the Rhine Crossing — and afterwards in Palestine.

(18th October) Thunderstorms and trains cancelled in Cornwall as Storm Babet hits. The promenade at Penzance took the brunt of this with waves crashing right over the road.

(20th October) Lamorna Cove with private beach, restaurant, gift shop and car park up for sale for £1.45m.

(25th October) Cornwall-based St. Austell Brewery has agreed a deal to sell seventeen of its pubs across the South West.

(26th October) Work gets under way to pump millions of litres of floodwater out of a former tin mine South Crofty. Water pumped from the mine will be cleaned at the company's newly-built £7m treatment plant. It will then be released into the Red River, which meets the sea at Godrevy in St. Ives Bay. The dewatering process, which is expected to take 18 months to complete, is part of work to make the tin and copper mine operational again.

(29th October) Cornish coastal towns affected by flooding after heavey rain and spring tides include St. Mary's, on the Isles of Scilly, Truro, Falmouth, St. Mawes, Polruan, Fowey, Looe, Mevagissey and Penryn.

(2nd November) Storm Ciarán causes flooding, power cuts, trees down, as winds up to 80mph swept across Cornwall.

(5th November) A Leatherback sea turtle is washed up on Perranporth beach.

(9th November) Recently added to the Historic England at risk list is the 19th Century gig shed on St. Agnes on the Isles of Scilly. Now within the reach of the highest waves, its seaward end has been washed away and is at risk of further erosion.

(10th November) Cornwall Heritage Trust have purchased Tregonning Hill, near Helston to protect it for future generations. This great granite hill covering 70 acres and overlooking Mount's Bay has a diverse archaeological landscape with monuments dating back to the Bronze Age and is known as the birthplace of the Cornish china clay industry in 1746.

(15th November) A large fin whale has been found dead on Fistral beach in Newquay. Marine experts are working to identify the cause of death and people are asked to avoid the area

(19th November) An 2.7 magnitude earthquake has shaken parts of Cornwall in the Mounts Bay area, with people saying it felt like an explosion or avalanche.

(24th November) A new devolution deal was proposed for Cornwall in the Chancellor's Autumn Statement - giving it more funding and power from Whitehall.

(5th December) The crossing between the Isles of Scilly and Cornwall has been called the best ferry route for spotting different wildlife in the UK.

(6th December) A humpback whale was sighted off the coast of Cornwall at Sennen Cove and has been confirmed by the Cornwall Wildlife Trust

(7th December) Fishermen at Newlyn have been catching and selling blue fin tuna from UK waters on a trial basis.

(17th December) A decision to set the pollack catch quota to zero on January 1st will be "damaging" to the Cornish Fishing Industry, said those working in the industry.

(29th December) A photographer who took pictures of visitors at the Land's End signpost for 28 years has retired at the age of 79.

2024

(1st January) The pollack catch quota is causing great hardship to the fishermen in places like Mevagissey.

(2nd January) Storm Henk bought heavy rain and winds which have caused train cancellations, power outages and blocked roads across Cornwall.

(11th January) The alarm was raised in Looe Harbour after a suspected bomb was found on a fishing trawler. The Coastguard, police and the Royal Navy's explosive ordnance disposal team were all called in. It was taken out to sea to a location south of the Plymouth Breakwater.

(11th January) People are being warned to keep away from the cliffs at Mawgan Porth beach after they collapsed for a second time in as many weeks. The incident follows another collapse in the same area on New Year's Day.

(12th January) The Royal Cornwall Museum at Truro gets a £2.1m funding boost to save it from closure.

(22nd January) Storm Isha has left homes without power, trees down, roads blocked and flights and trains cancelled in Devon and Cornwall. A wind speed of 91mph was recorded at Gwennap Head, near Land's End.

(25th January) Small earthquake tremors were felt in the Helston and Constantine areas, near Falmouth, according to local people.

(31st January) Heartlands visitor attraction, near Camborne closed due to financial problems.

(4th February) A man has been rescued after becoming trapped inside an abandoned mine near Minions.

(4th February) A dolphin was rescued after it was stranded in a muddy creek at Carnon Down, near Falmouth.

(6th February) A humpback whale is spotted in St. Ives Bay.

(8th February) Prime Minster Rishi Sunak visited Newquay and Penzance.

(20th February) Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, visited Truro to attend a council meeting on housing.

(21st February) A landslip in Looe has led to emergency repairs to be carried out. A large amount of soil had fallen onto the road. It happened after Cornwall was battered by heavy rainfall, with a weather warning and flood warnings issued.

(5th March) A suspected unexploded ordnance on Widemouth Bay was 'made safe' by the disposal team.

(7th March) A humpback whale has been caught on camera off the coast at Porthleven.

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Ancient Sites in Cornwall       1497 The Cornish Rebellion       Cornish Stannary (Tin) Law

The Civil War in Cornwall       The Duchy of Cornwall       Cornwall's Patron Saints

Famous Cornish People       Notable Cornish Families       Mining in Cornwall