The Cornish Historian

05/03/2023

Gool Perran Lowen. Happy St.Pirans Day. Let's love celebrating all things Cornish

02/03/2023

This is my most recent Radio Cornwall Cornish history recording on the Gurnards Head- Zennor Walk. Enjoy!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0f5ngfk

01/03/2023

Cornish history is thriving! 60 people took part in my community Cornish history classes in Polgooth and Gorran this week. St.Piran's weekend coming up too and so many community celebrations. Kernow is special and it's a privilege to help share our history.

16/02/2023

It was an absolute pleasure to speak at Grampound Garden Club last night on Cornish plant hunters, the history of our wonderful local gardens & the people who created them. I do all my talks for charity & donated the £60 fee to Truro Foodbank, so good to raise funds for this crucial organisation too. Lovely to have a good turn out, to hear the fascinating history of local people like the Lobb brothers, William Colenso and Elizabeth Warren from Flushing.

30/11/2022

Last afternoon of term for my Cornish history Level 3 class in Gorran! We have our final lesson on the inter-war years this afternoon and then a celebratory Christmas meal in the Barley Sheaf across the road :) we restart our lessons on Jan 11th and will be learning about Cornwall & the Second World War. Please get in touch if you'd like to join us :) please email [email protected]
Meur ras

11/11/2022

Today is Armistice & Remembrance Day and we will be remembering those who gave their lives, so we can enjoy freedom today. I will be joining the service at 10.45am in Grampound and laying a wreath. Everyone is welcome to join us and there will be Remembrance Sunday services across all our parishes. Having taught history for over 21years and led school trips to the Western Front and Normandy beaches I know how crucial it is that we continue to remember and show our respect. I will be laying wreaths over the weekend in every parish that I represent. On Sunday from 10am to 1pm our Old Cornwall Society is holding our Remembrance Exhibition at Gorran Old School Room, to compliment the service at the war memorial. All are welcome to see the photos and information about the men and women who gave so much. We will remember them.

04/11/2022

Cornish history is back! Meur ras 🤩 Our new Cornish history class starts on Tuesday evenings at Gorran Old School Room on the 8th November. All welcome, for a 7.30pm start. Please email Michael Bunney if you would like to reserve a place, email [email protected]
KBV!

07/09/2022

It was great to restart our Cornish history lessons this afternoon at Gorran Old School Room. A full class and lots of enthusiasm, discussion and cake. It's such a privilege to teach Cornish history in the school room where my Gt Grandad was a pupil! We were learning about inspirational Cornish women and men. A new class will start in November, with 15 places, probably on Tuesday evenings. If anyone is interested please email me [email protected]
Meur ras
Michael Bunney

05/08/2022

Thoroughly enjoyed leading this guided walk on a beautiful evening yesterday. Gorran to Treveor, Tregavarras, Caerhays, Boswinger and back to the Barley Sheaf for fantastic food. It was a beautiful evening to explore the agricultural history of wonderful Kernow and we walked on ancient farm labourers paths that have been used for thousands of years. It was a particular honour as the walk included the cottage where my great, great grandparents lived with their 13 children.

20/07/2022

Over the last few days I've been preparing for my next Radio Cornwall Cornish history recordings, by visiting two very special places. Yesterday I was in Lerryn, to research Lerryn Regatta, which used be as famous as Henley and includes the grounds of Tivoli pleasure gardens. Today I visited Come-To-Good to research the unique Quaker meeting house, which is one of the most spiritual buildings I have ever been in. I'm recording my episodes early next week, so they should be aired on the Julie Skentelbery show soon, usually on Thursdays. How lucky are we to have so many special historic places in our wonderful Kernow!

26/05/2022

It was a pleasure to take these lovely local folk on my tour of the Dodman today. So much history and we learnt a lot from each other 🤩ober da!

07/04/2022

Great Cornish history class and lovely meal at the Barley Sheaf, Gorran this evening. Tis lovely to combine Cornish history with 🍺 and great food 🤩

28/02/2022

Myttin da all. Just a reminder it's St.Piran's Day on Saturday and a chance to celebrate our wonderful Cornwall and all things Cornish. Get your decorations, Cornish flags and black and gold up ready! In Gorran we are having an 8am singalong on the beach and then some folk may even have a swim in the sea. We will be helping at the St.Austell St.Pirans Festival all day and then up at the Barley at Gorran to join in the Trelawney Shout in the evening. All welcome to join us. St.Piran's Day is a wonderful opportunity for all of us who love Cornwall to celebrate, so whether you were born here, belong here, live here or visit as often as possible, let's join together and celebrate our wonderful little part of the world.

08/01/2022

Lovely trip down Lizard, to do a bit of historical research for future Radio Cornwall recordings. Tis wild down here. Be very careful on the roads everyone!

04/01/2022

Getting ready to speak at Grampound WI this evening, all about Cornish history. It will be lovely to speak to a new audience, in the historic town of Grampound! I'll be happy to answer questions about my role as their Cornwall Councillor too of course. Happy January everyone.

23/11/2021

Great spot to be teaching Cornish history this evening!

02/11/2021

Kresen Kernow is always worth visiting and this new exhibition makes it even more so :)

Two historical manuscripts, including the oldest complete Cornish text, are on loan to the county.

30/10/2021

Great to be back leading the guided history walks again. Fantastic to be running them from the Lamledra Barns too. Thanks to everyone for coming and to Jenny Crowe for all her help. Meur ras!

22/10/2021

New class starting! To respond to popular demand, I am starting a new Cornish history class on Wednesday 10th November at Gorran Old School Room. The classes will on every Wednesday afternoon 3-4.30pm. Quite a few folk are booked in already and there are five spare places! Please email or msg for more details and to book a place. Email [email protected]
Meur ras 🤩

21/10/2021

Beautiful evening to teach Cornish history at Gorran Old School Room

31/08/2021

Who's interested in learning the Cornish language? A new class starts tomorrow (Weds 1st Sept) at 7pm at St.Austell Arts Centre. Please contact Andrew Johnson if you are interested. Email [email protected]
Meur ras!
Oll an gwella
Michael

21/08/2021

Today is the grand relaunch and reopening of St.Austell Market House and I'll be there all day helping out. There's a full day of performances, art, shopping and family fun to celebrate St.Austell and Cornwall's history. All are welcome and the restoration of our market house really needs to be seen. This month I became a director of the Market House, because I wanted to help our town and help preserve and regenerate the historic heart. Please come along to enjoy a day in St.Austell.

10/08/2021

Fantastic afternoon, teaching my Cornish history class at St.Ewe 🤩

26/07/2021

To respond to requests, I'm running two guided heritage walks of Gorran Haven this week. They will be on Weds evening and Saturday morning. The tours last about 2 hours and start from GH car park. Please get in touch if you would like to book a place. Email me [email protected] or via messenger
The walks help raise funds for Gorran Haven toilets :)

22/07/2021

Our Cornish history is precious and it's great to be back this evening for our Cornish history classes at Gorran Old School Room. Classes run at St.Ewe Village Hall too. If anyone is interested in starting new classes please contact Michael Bunney email [email protected]

29/06/2021

Great visit to Kresen Kernow this afternoon to see the Ordinalia Exhibition and do some historical research on the St.Austell Rural District Council area. It was lovely to catch up with Tamsin Mallett and Kensa Broadhurst too. The Ordinalia Exhibition is incredible and well worth booking a visit. Many medieval Cornish manuscripts back home in Kernow! If you haven't been to Kresen Kernow, you should book a visit; it's an incredible Cornish archive and study centre in Redruth 🤩

15/06/2021

Dear all. I hope you are well. In light of the continued covid restrictions and increasing infection rates we will have to postpone restarting our Cornish History lessons until July 19th. The priority must be keeping everyone safe and supporting the NHS. I hope you understand and appreciate the reasons for postponing. I want us to recommence when we all feel it is safe to do so. Stay safe everyone and do keep in touch. Best wishes
Oll an gwella
Michael

06/06/2021

We will remember them

31/05/2021

It's been a long wait, but I can now relaunch my guided walks of Gorran Parish. I'll be running them on Friday afternoons and weekends from now on. Please message me or email [email protected] if you would like to book in. Options are Gorran Haven, Gorran to Portmellon, Chapel Point or the Dodman. 50% of all funds raised go to our Gorran Haven Toilets fund. The walks will run all summer 🤩☀️

23/03/2021

Had a brilliant day today, taking Gorran School top class, the Y6s from Gorran & St.Ewe, on a history tour around the Dodman & down to Hemmick. They were all brilliantly behaved and very enthusiastic; the sun also shone, so it was a perfect day. It was such a privilege to share my local knowledge with local children, particularly as I know almost all of them. Great to tell them local stories and some family history too. Our family has gone to Gorran School since it was built 💜 especially lovely to have my nieces with me too and all their class mates. After 23 years teaching, it was nice to be back with a primary class. Our future is safe in the hands of Mrs Towe, Lucy and these lovely youngsters :) I'd be very happy to lead a history tour for other local schools, especially St.Mewan, Grampound or Mevagissey 💜

11/03/2021

A year ago today I spoke to the Y5 class at Gorran School about local history, which includes my lovely nieces Abi & Imi. The great news is we are planning a guided tour for them around the Dodman soon too. I'm doing my best to foster a love of Cornish history in our future generations :)

22/02/2021

Friday 5th March is St.Piran's Day and the day to celebrate our love of Cornwall and all things Cornish. Get your Cornish flags ready, start planning traditional food and follow the online events. Due to the pandemic, we can't hold the event/parade in St.Austell, that we've organised over the last few years, or singing in the pubs. But there will be lots of culture, music and events online. The Trelawney Shout will also be happening online. Please post images of your flags flying or the ways you will be celebrating St.Pirans Day. Why not post a picture of the pasty you've baked! St.Piran's Day is for everyone, for all of us that live here or love it from afar, so get involved and let's celebrate safely 🤩

In the run up to St Piran's Day please post your pictures of the Cornish flag!
Working with the Rescorla Centre and the online St Piran's Day collaboration, we will have a variety of 'events' to share! There will be music, story telling and much more!

20/02/2021

Dodman Iron Age hillfort nr Gorran is the largest cliff castle in Cornwall and the whole of Southern Britain. It is especially well worth a visit at the moment, if you are close enough for your daily local exercise. The National Trust owned site has been cut back, so the fortifications are especially clear. There are also Bronze Age barrows, Iron Age hut remains, a signal station from the Napoleonic Wars and the cross. In normal times I run guided walks around the site, with donations to the National Trust Roseland who do such a brilliant job managing the site. Looking forward to when it is safe to restart these safely :)
Please do email me if you'd like to register an interest in future walks. [email protected]
Ps it will wild up there today, so be careful!

15/02/2021

This is Arthur James Wilson. He was a student of Camborne School of Mines and was lost at the 3rd Battle of Ypres. He was an outstanding sportsman and won a silver medal at the 1908 London Olympics, when the Cornish Rugby team regresented Great Britain. He is remembered on the Menin Gate.
We should remember him too.
Thank you to Barbara Hocking for sharing with me

Arthur James Wilson was born in Newcastle and excelled at both rugby and cricket as a youth. He moved south to attend Camborne School of Mines where he represented both the school and Cornwall in rugby.

He won the silver medal in the 1908 London Olympics (Cornwall represented Great Britain in the event) and went on to earn his first cap for England.

Wilson was marked 'presumed dead' following the Battle of Pilckem Ridge, which took place during the first days of 3rd Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele). He is remembered on the Menin Gate.

Photo courtesy of the World Rugby Museum.

03/02/2021

RIP Sir Captain Tom Moore.
May we all continue to be inspired by you

"We will get through it in the end but it might take time, but at the end of the day we shall all be ok again .... the sun will shine on you again and the clouds will go away"

01/02/2021

Happy ! Everyone here at Stonewall is so excited to welcome this month long cultural celebration of the lives, legacies and histories of LGBT people in the UK and abroad!

27/01/2021

Today is Holocaust Memorial Day, marking the 76th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. I have been with the Holocaust Educational Trust to Auschwitz and to Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp and have taken students to learn about these horrors. I know it as important as ever to remember the victims today, especially as there are so few survivors still living. I will be spending some quiet time remembering them, and also reflecting on the work we all need to continue. Many Cornish men and women also gave their lives fighting Na**sm and I will be remembering them too.

01/01/2021

Blydhen Nowydh Da. Wishing everyone a happy and HEALTHY 2021. Picture is from last year's fireworks in our lovely village, Gorran Haven 🌈

29/12/2020

Dear all. A belated NADELIK LOWEN. I hope you are well and have had a lovely Christmas. In light of the increasing covid infection rates and reviews of tiers I feel the right thing to do is postpone all our Cornish History lessons until February. In tier 2 we are allowed to continue classes, but I anticipate this changing and the guidance for schools and colleges advises staggering or postponing classes where possible. The priority must be keeping everyone safe and supporting the NHS. I hope you understand and appreciate the reasons for postponing. I want us to recommence when we all feel it is safe to do so. Stay safe everyone and do keep in touch. Best wishes
Oll an gwella
Michael