The Cornish Diaspora
The Cornwall has global connections across its past, present and future. With a long-established ‘culture of mobility’, the 19th century saw wide dispersals of Cornish people to the colonies and new worlds. Often, but not exclusively, these waves of migration were driven by the need for workforce and industrial expertise in new mineral discoveries, resulting in the establishment of ‘Little Cornwalls’ across the globe – for example, in the copper towns of South Australia, the diamond mines of South Africa, silver mines in Mexico, and in many places across the USA. Today, a range of interest groups, organisations and festivals across the diaspora continue to recognize the heritage of Cornish migration, and maintain ongoing links with Cornwall itself. The stories of the Cornish diaspora offer opportunities to explore rich social histories, the intertwining of local, national and international cultures and identities, and the ongoing impacts of colonization and environmental exploitation.
This section contains short pieces written about by people living in, or working on, different communities in the Cornish diaspora. These articles explore history, heritage, culture, folklore, culture, and contemporary life. As we add more pieces to this section, we aim to present a diversity of voices and perspectives from our overseas communities.
Author: Ronald M. James, University of Nevada
Key points:
- Cornish traditions about knockers, supernatural miners, changed with industrialization and emigration.
- In the American West, knockers transformed into tommyknockers and became the shared property of many, regardless of background.
- Despite a muddled confusion with ghosts, tommyknockers served – and continue to serve – as a powerful reinforcement of Cornish ethnicity during the global diaspora.
Key points
- Cornish migration to the lead and zinc mining region of southwest Wisconsin began during the 1820s.
- Three communities in particular - Mineral Point, Dodgeville and Linden - developed high proportions of Cornish migrants from a wide range of trade backgrounds.
- The area continues to celebrate its Cornish heritage with an annual Cornish festival, the twinning of Mineral Point and Redruth as well as ongoing exchange links with Cornish schools.
Author: Philip Payton
Key findings:
- Mass emigration from Cornwall in the century 1815-1914 created a dynamic transnational identity, in which ethnicity (‘the myth of Cousin Jack’) was often deployed as a social and economic strategy
- Cornish emigrants played a significant role in the expansion of the international mining frontier and its attendant labour market, practices and technology
- Cornish emigrants were often visible in the social, economic and political life of host societies, especially in the anglosphere
Kate Neale, University of Exeter
Key Findings:
- Cornish carols remain a part of diaspora communities in both California and South Australia.
- Heritage is not static, but is part of a process, or dialogue between the past and the present.
- The cultural meanings and significances given to heritage shift over time.
Author: Joel Griffet
Key aims:
- To highlight the arrival of the first Cornish miners to Latin America (Peru) and to understand why they never left a legacy like they did in places like Mexico.
- Attempting to separate fact from fiction, made possible by the archives of Peru and Costa Rica and to write the first in-depth study of Trevithick in Latin America.
- To redefine Trevithick not only as an inventor, but as an adventurer, explorer, sailor, diver, arms dealer and perhaps even solider in the service of Latin American liberation.