The phrase Tre, Pol and Pen is used to describe people from or places in

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

, UK. The full rhyming couplet runs: ''By Tre Pol and Pen / Shall ye know all Cornishmen'', a version of which was recorded by Richard Carew in his ''Survey of Cornwall'', published in 1602. Many Cornish surnames and place names still retain these words as prefixes, such as the surname Trelawny and the village

Polzeath Polzeath (; kw, Polsegh, meaning ''dry creek'') is a small seaside resort village in the civil parish of St Minver in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is approximately north west of Wadebridge on the Atlantic coast.Ordnance Survey: Land ...

. ''Tre'' in the Cornish language means a settlement or homestead; ''Pol'', a pond, lake or well; and ''Pen'' (also Welsh and

Cumbric Cumbric was a variety of the Common Brittonic language spoken during the Early Middle Ages in the ''Hen Ogledd'' or "Old North" in what is now the counties of Westmorland, Cumberland and northern Lancashire in Northern England and the souther ...

), a hill or headland. Cornish surnames and placenames are generally pronounced with the emphasis on the second syllable.Words & Phrases, West Penwith
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Examples in Cornish surnames

Squire Trelawney Squire John Trelawney is a supporting character from Robert Louis Stevenson's 1883 novel ''Treasure Island''. Character overview Stevenson describes him as a tall man, over six feet high, and plump in proportion, and he has a bluff, rough-and-rea ...

, character in ''

Treasure Island ''Treasure Island'' (originally titled ''The Sea Cook: A Story for Boys''Hammond, J. R. 1984. "Treasure Island." In ''A Robert Louis Stevenson Companion'', Palgrave Macmillan Literary Companions. London: Palgrave Macmillan. .) is an adventure no ...

'' *

Sir Jonathan Trelawny, 3rd Baronet Sir Jonathan Trelawny, 3rd Baronet (24 March 1650 – 19 July 1721) was an English Bishop of Bristol, Bishop of Exeter and Bishop of Winchester. Trelawny is best known for his role in the events leading up to the Glorious Revolution which ar ...

Petroc Trelawny James Edward Petroc Trelawny (born 27 May 1971) is a British classical music radio and television broadcaster. Since 1998 he has been a presenter on BBC Radio 3. Career James Edward Petroc Trelawny was born in Worcester and grew up in the Mene ...

Arthur Tremayne Arthur Tremayne (15 May 1827 – 14 November 1905) was a Crimean War soldier and Cornish MP, who survived the charge of the Light Brigade, during which his horse was shot from under him. Personal life Arthur Tremayne, born on 15 May 1827, was ...

* Henry Trengrouse * John Trevaskis *

Marcus Trescothick Marcus Edward Trescothick (born 25 December 1975) is an English former cricketer who played first-class cricket for Somerset County Cricket Club, and represented England in 76 Test matches and 123 One Day Internationals.Richard Trevithick Richard Trevithick (13 April 1771 – 22 April 1833) was a British inventor and mining engineer. The son of a mining captain, and born in the mining heartland of Cornwall, Trevithick was immersed in mining and engineering from an early age. He w ...

* Richard Trevithick Tangye * Ross Poldark, fictional character in series of the same name * James Polkinghorne *

Richard Polwhele Richard Polwhele (6 January 1760 – 12 March 1838) was a Cornish clergyman, poet and historian of Cornwall and Devon. Biography Richard Polwhele's ancestors long held the manor of Treworgan, 4 3/4 miles south-east of Truro in Cornwall, whi ...

Edward William Wynne Pendarves Edward William Wynne Pendarves (6 April 1775 – 26 June 1853) was an English politician. Born Edward William Stackhouse, he was son of John Stackhouse and his wife Susanna Acton. He served as Member of Parliament (MP) for West Cornwall fro ...

David Penhaligon David Charles Penhaligon (6 June 1944 – 22 December 1986) was a British politician from Cornwall who was Liberal Member of Parliament for the constituency of Truro from 1974–86. He was a popular figure in all parties and had potential to ...

* Charles Penrose * Guy Penrose Gibson *

Dolly Pentreath Dorothy Pentreath (16 May 1692 aptised– 26 December 1777) was a fishwife from Mousehole, Cornwall, England. She is the best-known of the last fluent speakers of the Cornish language. She is also often credited as the last known native spea ...

*Sir Humphrey Pengallan, character in ''

Jamaica Inn The Jamaica Inn is a traditional inn on Bodmin Moor in Cornwall in the UK, which was built as a coaching inn in 1750, and has a historical association with smuggling. Located just off the A30, near the middle of the moor close to the hamlet ...

Examples in Cornish places

* Trethevy * Trematon *

Tregony Tregony ( kw, Trerigoni), sometimes in the past Tregoney, is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Tregony with Cuby, in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It lies on the River Fal. In the village there is a post office (now ...

Polperro Polperro ( kw, Porthpyra, meaning ''Pyra's cove'') is a large village, civil parish, and fishing harbour within the Polperro Heritage Coastline in south Cornwall, England. Its population is around 1,554. Polperro, through which runs the River ...

* Penzance * Penryn * Penponds

References

{{Cornish language Cornish-language surnames Cornish words and phrases

Examples in Cornish surnames

Examples in Cornish places

See also

References