Deane and Shaw Tony Deane. Folksinger, songwriter, folklorist Tony Shaw. Folksinger, folklorist Their book Folklore of Cornwall contains a wealth of information about Cornish folklore, folksong, traditions and tales. Stories are mentioned in passing rather than retold: a glimpse of a ghostly white hare on West Looe Hill, a nod to Liskeard’s droll teller Bill Chubb. Folklore of Cornwall 1975, 2003…
Crétien de Troyes Poet, storyteller, trouvère Writing 1160-1190 Crétien de Troyes was a trouvère at the court of Marie de Champagne - trouvères were poet-composers from Northern France writing in old French (while travelling troubadours, from Southern France, sang stories in everyday French.) He told tales of chivalry and romance at the court of King Arthur, and wrote down 5 of these tales as epic…
Sabine Baring-Gould Squire, vicar, writer, song and tale collector 1834-1924 Sabine Baring-Gould was born into a wealthy family, lords of the manor in Lewtrenchard in Devon: his father was a magistrate and deputy Lieutenant of Devon. As a boy he travelled widely in Europe with his family and was educated by tutors. From 1852-1857 he studied at Clare College, Cambridge then taught at Hurstpierpoint…
Rev H A Lewis Missionary, parish priest, tale collector 1879-1957 Born in Worcester, the son of a vicar, Henry Arden Lewis was educated at Oxford and Leeds, and ordained as a Church of England priest in 1904. The following year he travelled to South Africa as a missionary, followed by spells as a missionary in Canada and Nigeria. He came to South East Cornwall in 1929 as Vicar of St Cleer, on the…
Sir Thomas Malory Knight, prisoner, writer, collator of tales 1414-1471 ‘The very purpose of a knight is to fight on behalf of a lady’ From Newbold Revel in Warwickshire (there were other contemporary Sir Thomas Malorys but this Malory seems to fit the bill.) Born in 1414, the son of a knight, himself a knight, he wrote about knights, compiling a full life of King Arthur and his knights of the…
Geoffrey of Monmouth Cleric, writer, tale collator 1095-1155 Geoffrey of Monmouth, Galfridus Arturus as he was known in his day, was born on 1095 in Monmouth, Wales. He may have served at Monmouth Priory, then from 1129 he lived at Oxford where he was probably a secular canon at St George’s College. He was ordained as a priest in 1152 in Westminster and 10 days later consecrated as Bishop of St…
Bob Keys Rame resident, academic, tale teller Bob Key’s family have lived on the Rame Peninsula in South East Cornwall for generations. A former university lecturer and now Director of Film Studies for Cornish Story, he recorded the local folktales told by his family in his article ‘ Genius Loci: Landscape, Legend and Locality; the role of folklore in the farming and fishing communities of the…
Canon Gilbert Doble Priest, historian, hagiographer 1880 - 1945 Canon Doble was born in Penzance, studied history at Exeter College, Oxford then divinity at Ely Theological College. He was ordained as an Anglican priest in 1907, appointed curate in Redruth in 1919, made the vicar of Wendron near Helston in 1925, where he stayed for 20 years, and also became a canon of Truro Cathedral in 1935.…
William Bottrell Farmer, adventurer, tale collector 1816 - 1881 William Bottrell grew up on a farm at Raftra, near St Levan. His Sennen granny and his mother told young William tales by the fireside which he never forgot. William went to Penzance then Bodmin Grammar schools. He was good at languages and became fluent in French and Spanish. After school he worked on the family farm, but he longed…
Donald Rawe Author, playwright, poet and publisher 1930-2018 Donald Ryley Rawe was born in Padstow, where he lived for most of his life. He wrote about Cornish history, places and folklore and started up Lodenek Press in 1972, which published a wide range of books on Cornish subjects. A founding and valued member of the Cornish Heritage Trust, and member of Mebwyn Kernow, he was one of founding…