Cornish History-Timeline
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8B.C.-1600 • 1600-
| 1602 | Survey of Cornwall by Richard Cardew published .In his book, he wrote about Cornwall, as a Cornishman, with the view of a 'modern' Englishman. On the economy of Cornwall he wrote that ' the Cornish people gave themselves principally, and in a manner wholly, to the seeking of tin and neglected husbandry'. |
| 1619 | John Killigrew's lighthouse at the Lizard Lizard Point. This led to the local population, who regarded wrecks as 'Gods grace', to complain at the loss of revenue. |
| 1629 | Sir John Elliot imprisoned. Sir John had married a rich heiress and became Member of the Parliament for St. Germans in 1614. He was knighted in 1618 and he was a witness at the execution of Raleigh in 1619. Sir John was appointed Vice Admiral of Devon in 1623 and took strong action to stop the pirates operating along the coast. He was instrumental in the capture of the most infamous of the day,John Nutt in Torbay. However Nutt had more friends at court than Sir John and was subsequently released. Eliot continued his work and was ruthless with those captured ,hanging 20 pirates on one day. He led in the Commons for the impeachment of Buckingham (following his disastrous management of the anti-Catholic war) in 1626 and was imprisoned for eleven days and dismissed as Vice Admiral. He was returned to the Parliament of 1628 where, with Pym, he led the Commons in forcing King Charles to accept the Petition of Rights and continued to attack Buckingham. Charles dismissed Parliament and imprisoned Elliot (and eight other commons leaders) in the Tower where he died 3 years later. When the family asked Charles for his body, so that he could be buried at Port Elliot, he refused replying 'Let Sir John Elliot be buried in the church of that parish where he died'. more |
| 1642 | At the start of the civil war a royalist force under Sir Ralph Hopton enters Cornwall in late September and in October they take Launceston castle for the king. |
| 1643 | Civil war battles of Bradock Down, Stratton (May noth-east Cornwall), Lansdown ( July 5th. Sir Bevil Grenville killed) and Roundway Down (July 13th.). Sir Bevil (1596-1643 born at Brinn) was a leading Cornish Royalist soldier. Educated at Exeter College, Oxford who entered Parliament in 1621 and for some years supported the Popular Party. In 1639 he became a firm supporter of the King. He helped Hopton (Ralph 1st. Baron, commander for the King in the southwest 1642-46) in October '42 organize an army of volunteers called by Parliament the Cornish Malignant's. On January 19th. 1643, at the first battle to be fought in Cornwall, on a ridge in between Bradock and Boconnoc, he led the foot. The charge was so fierce that the enemy broke and fled. He campaigned until the battle at Lansdown ridge, north of Bath, on July 5th where he held the edge of the plateau with his stand of pikes against the repeated charges of the Parliamentary horse until he was fatally wounded at the victorious conclusion of the battle. He died the following day and his body was taken back to Kilkhampton for burial. |
| Colonel Ruthin's Parliamentarian force was defeated at Liskeard in January with 1,250 of his troops being taken prisoners. This was followed by a second defeat at Saltash and the Royalist's laid siege to Plymouth. | |
| A seperate Parlimentary force under General James Chudliegh crosses Poulston Bridge and marched on Launceston. Following a long battle, where each side held the advantage at times, the Parlimentarians were forced to retreat. | |
| 1644 | Royalists roundly defeat a Parliamentary force commanded by the Earl of Essex at Lostwithiel. However this was not intime to stop the Parliamentarians desecrating Saint Barthomew's church and gutting the administrative center know as 'The Duchy Parliament'. This was a disastrous campaign for Essex as of the 7,000 troops he brought to Cornwall only 1,000 left with him. |
| 1646 | Fiarfax commanding the Parliamentary army invades Cornwall,John Arundell surrenders Pendennis Castle-Civil War ends more |
| Fox's Shipping Agency founded | |
| 1651 | John Grenville and the Royalists driven
out of Scilly. John Grenville, Earl of Bath (1628-1701).Son of Sir
Bevil, who was placed on his fathers horse and continued to lead the
battle at Lansdowne after Sir Bevil fell, at the age of sixteen. Shortly
after he was knighted and then left for dead at the second battle
of Newbury in 1644. Following the execution of the King he operated
from the Isles of Scilly with a fleet of privateers attacking Parliamentary
shipping. When Blake captured the Islands John joined Charles in France
and then returned to Stowe. During the Commonwealth Grenville actively
worked for the restoration of the monarchy and traveled to France
to tell Charles that the country was ready for his return. Charles
II showed his gratitude by making Grenville Earl of Bath, Lord Lieutenant
of Cornwall and Captain and Governor of Plymouth, overseeing the building
of the Citadel. These offices brought with them an income in excess
of £3,000 per year and allowed him to rebuild the house at Stowe.
Under James II he lost most of his offices because od his strong Protestant
beliefs. However he kept Plymouth and surrendered it to William of
Orange when he arrived there with his fleet. William made him Lord
Lieutenant of Devon and Cornwall but he was not satisfied wanting
the vacant title of Duke of Albermarle. The title went to William's
friend Keppel and Grenville tried to contest this in the courts for
seven years. He spent his fortune on this and died in debt. |
| 1665 | Richard Lower experimented with blood transfusion, transferring blood from one dog's artery to another |
| 1688 | Imprisonment of Bishop Trelawny more |
| 1689 | The Falmouth Packets service, carrying the mail come into being, the first was from Falmouth to Corunna in Spain |
| 1699 | Joel Gascoyne produces the first 1 inch to 1 mile County map using Cornwall as his subject |
| 1702 | The first Falmouth Packet service across the Atlantic to the West Indies |
| 1702-1710 | Earl of Godophin`s ministry more |
| c.1710 | First steam pump in Cornwall |
| 1743 | John Wesley`s first visit to Cornwall |
| 1746 | William Cookworthy discoveries china clay at Tregonning Hill ,Helston and soon afterwards he found better deposits at St Stephen in Brannel which led to the china clay industry in the county. |
| 1754 | Antiquities of Cornwall by William Borlase published |
| 1773 | William Bligh discovered bread fruit on the island of Otaheite (also known as King George the Third's Island) |
| 1776 | John Edyvean invented the inclined plane system, to reduce the necessity for locks within the canal system |
| 1777 | James Watt erects his first steam engine in Cornwall |
| Jonathan Hornblower invented the double cylinder engine | |
| 1787 | Riots at Poldice mine-copper depression |
| 1789 | Wesley`s last visit to Cornwall |
| 1790 | William Gregor discoveries manaccanite, now know as Titanium at Manaccan, Lizard |
| 1792 | The first convict ship sailed for Australia with James Ruse of Launceston on board |
| 1801 | Richard Trevithick constructed the first passenger carrying steam engine known locally as the puffing devil at Penydaren more |
| Cornwall's first newspaper "The Cornwall Gazette and Falmouth Packet" is published | |
| 1805 | The first announcement of the death of Nelson was made from the balcony of the Union Hotel, Penzance |
| 1808 | Henry Trengrouse invented the 'Breeches Boy' |
| 1810 | July 20th saw the first publication of "The West Briton and Cornwall Advertiser" |
| 1812 | Andrew Pears from Mevagissey, perfected the process of refining soap. |
| The worlds first steam powered rock boring machine was built by Harvey's of Hayle | |
| 1813 | The Royal Geological Society of Cornwall was founded |
| 1800-40 | Expansion of mining following Richard Trevithick`s high pressure engine |
| 1818 | Royal Institute of Cornwall founded |
| 1822 | Robert Were Fox ll. discovered that heat increased with depth relating to the internal temperature of the earth |
| 1829 | Goldsworthy Gurney made the first long distance journey in a steam powered vehicle from Bath to London at an average speed of 15 miles per hour |
| 1830 | The source of the river Niger was discovered by Richard Lander, who in recognition of his discovery received the Royal Geographical Society's first medal. |
| 1832 | Reform Act-Cornish M. P.`S reduced from 42 to 12 |
| 1834 | Bodmin-Wadebridge Railway |
| Augustus Smith lessee of the Scilly Isles introduced compulsory education, 30 years before it was introduced on the mainland | |
| 1837 | Discovery of copper at Caradon |
| 1838 | Abolition of tin coinage |
| 1842 | Man engine installed at Tresaven mine, it had been invented 8 years earlier by Michael Loam |
| 1843 | Robert Stephen Hawker introduced the harvest festival service |
| 1847 | Plymouth-Falmouth railway started |
| 1852 | West Cornwall Railway (Penzance-Truro ) finished |
| 1856 | Maximum copper production-209,000 tons of ore |
| 1859 | Royal Albert Bridge completed |
| 1864 | Mines Commission |
| 1866 | Collapse of copper mining-emigration of miners |
| 1876 | Diocese of Cornwall revived with see at Truro |
| 1928 | First Cornish Gorsedd |
