Cornwall

"I'll do it dreckly me 'andsome."

Ahh, Cornwall. Or Kernow in Cornish. A small, seemingly insignifigant country county at the southern tip of The West Country, but also so much more than that.

Cornwall is known for sun (which comes as a surprise to its inhabitants), sea, tin mining, surf dudes, Cornish pasties, cider, granite, fishing, farming, the Eden Project, a language few speak in real life and a dialect that is nigh-indechiperable to anyone from 'up country', otherwise known as 'England'. Historically, Cornwall was also known for wrecking and smuggling, with a surprising number of long-lost smugglers' caves having been - we're assured - located near modern pubs.

With tin gone, fish gone and farming on wobbly territory, we thrive mostly on emmets. We just wish we didn't.

One of the things emmets learn to appreciate is the Cornish road network, which is characterised by winding, single-track roads with hedges on either side. All of which sounds very English until you learn that Cornish hedges are actually seven foot high walls of mud and stone, and these roads were built before Londoners discovered the Chelsea tractor.

Cornish nationalists are fanatically proud of their Celtic heritage and will insist Cornwall is a separate country or constituent- with England but not of it. Largely because it should be. Who says Wales gets all the fun?


 * The Duchy of Cornwall is the oldest dukedom in England, dating back to 1337. The title of Duke of Cornwall is held by the eldest legitimate son of the British monarch - but only if they are next in line of succession to the throne. Hence, Prince William is the present Duke of Cornwall among his other titles; his wife, Catherine, holds the title Duchess of Cornwall.
 * Bizarrely, King Charles I offered to elevate Cornwall to a kingdom during the English Civil War in return for support from Sir Bevil Grenville.
 * Jethro: 'Comedian', if you like that sort of thing.
 * Michael Adams, Britain's current #1 chess player, was born and brought up in Cornwall.
 * Doc Martin is set in a small fishing village somewhere Cornwall-ish and filmed in Cornwall.
 * Another TV drama series filmed in Cornwall was 1990s detective drama Wycliffe, based on the characters created by W.J. Burley.
 * King Arthur, maybe.
 * Daphne Du Maurier, author of Rebecca and other works, lived and died in Cornwall but was born in London.
 * William Golding, author of the Lord of the Flies.
 * Cinque Izumi from Dog Days is half-Japanese and half-Cornish.
 * Inspector Lynley, also the 8th Earl of Asherton, has the family seat, Howenstowe, in Cornwall, and thus grew up there. He and partner Barbara Havers visit the Lynleys in a couple of episodes, only to get tangled up in a local mystery each time.
 * Arthur Christmas is set in Cornwall. (Specifically Mylor)
 * Ana Coppola from Ichigo Mashimaro is originally from Cornwall.
 * Major General Stanley from Gilbert and Sullivan's The Pirates of Penzance and his daughters.
 * Richard Bolitho, hero of a Wooden Ships and Iron Men series of novels by Douglas Reeman writing as Alexander Kent. Also Richard's nephew and Legacy Hero Adam. The family is very highly regarded in their native village.