Kernow Matters to Us's blog

Although the Westminster Government and Cornwall Council seem completely unaware of it, public concerns over the growing urbanisation of Cornwall continues to grow.

Never before have we witnessed so many protest sites occurring on social media accompanied by condemnatory postings.

Since just 2006 school children in Cornwall have rightly been allowed to record themselves (or via their parents for the younger ones) as ‘ethnically’ Cornish or at least identifying as Cornish, on the annual Schools Census - the Census and Pupil Level Annual Schools Census (PLASC).

Since then the number identifying as Cornish has risen from 24% to 51.1%

2006: 24 percent

2007: 27 percent

2008: 30 percent

2009: 34 percent

2010: 37 percent

2011: 41 percent

2012: 43.2 percent

2013: 46 percent

With huge sadness, we hear of the passing of Cornish Patriot, Donald Rawe.

Born in Padstow in 1930 of a very longstanding Padstow family, Donald became a Bard of Gorseth Kernow in 1970 with the Bardic name of Scryfer Lanwednoc ('Writer of Padstow') 

He was a hugely influential in Cornish culture, politics, heritage and publishing. 

Donald was a driving force behind the Cornish Literary Guild.

Wetherspoon's News magazine Summer 2018 edition carries a full page article on the Cornish St Piran celebrations at its 10 pubs in Cornwall.

You have a right in law to declare Cornish as your National Identity!

On 4th June, 2018, Steve Double MP for St Austell & Newquay said in a letter written to the Grand Bard of Gorseth Kernow, Dr. Merv Davey:

“The Cornish identity and language are indeed distinct from other identities and languages in the UK, and I am glad that the Council of Europe paved the way towards proper recognition of Cornish cultural identity and linguistic distinctiveness.

Kernow

6 mis Metheven 2018

Contained in the inspection report of National Minorities published following the publication of the fourth opinion on the United Kingdom by the Council of Europe on 27 February, 2017 following their visit and fact taking tour, the following was said of the BBC:

Kernow

6 mis Metheven 2018

The call for increased rights for Cornish people continues.

There has been much inaccurate reportage instigated by the BBC following a recent You Gov survey. Small numbers of people were asked misleading questions and of this organisation’s many hundreds of members, many subscribe to YouGov but not one has been involved in this survey. The results of this survey has been interpreted incorrectly by a number of mainstream media outlets and English extremists in an attempt to declare Cornish identity subsumed by England.

Response from the campaign group 'Kernow Matters'

We note with some wry amusement the comments made by the organisation 'Campaign for an English Parliament'

Edward Lhuyd

Edward Lhuyd was born in 1660 and was educated at Oswestry Grammar School before going to study law at Jesus College, Oxford in 1682. Lhuyd had a great interest in antiquities, botany and geology and shortly after going to college he turned his attention to the experimental scientific work that was conducted at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. He left the college before graduating and he was appointed as one of the vice-curators of the Museum in 1687 and then as curator in 1691.

Steve Double, Member of Parliament for St Austell and Newquay has secured a debate in Parliament on the case for recognition of Cornish national identity in the 2021 census.

Coming up on Monday 11 June, the Adjournment Debate will look at Cornwall’s unique identity and the case for a tick box for people to identify as being ‘Cornish’ in the next national census.

Commenting, Steve said:

“I am absolutely delighted to have secured an Adjournment Debate on the Cornish national identity and the 2021 census.”