James C. A. Whetter (20 September 1935 – 24 February 2018) was a Cornish historian and politician, noted as a
Cornish nationalist
Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the State (polity), state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation,Anthony D. Smith, Smith, A ...
and editor of ''The Cornish Banner'' (''An Baner Kernewek''). He contested elections for two
Cornish independence parties. A prolific writer, Dr James Whetter was the editor of
Mebyon Kernow
Mebyon Kernow – The Party for Cornwall (, MK; Cornish language, Cornish for ''Sons of Cornwall'') is a Cornish nationalism, Cornish nationalist, Left-wing politics, centre-left political party in Cornwall, in southwestern Britain. It currentl ...
's monthly magazine
Cornish Nation in the early 1970s before later becoming active in the
Cornish Nationalist Party. While active in Mebyon Kernow he authored ''A Celtic Tomorrow - Essays in Cornish Nationalism'' (MK Publications 1973) and ''The Celtic Background of Kernow'' (MK Publications 1971), the latter intended to assist schoolchildren in a better understanding of Cornish
Celtic
Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to:
Language and ethnicity
*pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia
**Celts (modern)
*Celtic languages
**Proto-Celtic language
*Celtic music
*Celtic nations
Sports Foot ...
history and culture.
Whetter's books include ''The History of
Glasney College'' (Padstow: Tabb House, 1988), ''Cornwall in the Seventeenth Century'' (Padstow: Lodenek Press, 1974) and ''The History of
Falmouth'' (Redruth: Dyllansow Truran, 1981).
Whetter gained a
PhD
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...
from
London University
The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degr ...
and was
director
Director may refer to:
Literature
* ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine
* ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker
* ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty
Music
* Director (band), an Irish rock band
* ''D ...
of the Roseland Institute, a centre for Cornish Studies at
Gorran Haven near
St Austell
Saint Austell (, ; ) is a town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, south of Bodmin and west of the border with Devon.
At the 2021 Census in the United Kingdom, census it had a population of 20,900.
History
St Austell was a village centred ...
. The institute contains a library of over 20,000 books in the process of being catalogued and put on-line and is the base for the publishing activities of Lyfrow Trelyspen and CNP Publications. The former produces works on Cornish history, essays and related subjects, and the latter, the quarterly Cornish magazine, ''The Cornish Banner'' (''An Baner Kernewek'').
The Roseland Institute at Gorran Haven
/ref>
Political activity
In 1974, Whetter stood twice as the Mebyon Kernow
Mebyon Kernow – The Party for Cornwall (, MK; Cornish language, Cornish for ''Sons of Cornwall'') is a Cornish nationalism, Cornish nationalist, Left-wing politics, centre-left political party in Cornwall, in southwestern Britain. It currentl ...
parliamentary candidate before founding, in 1975, the Cornish Nationalist Party, a political party that split from Mebyon Kernow to campaign for Cornish independence, and for which he was a candidate at the 1979 general election.
Elections contested
UK Parliament elections
Dr Whetter also contested the Cornwall and Plymouth European Parliamentary seat in 1984 as the CNP candidate polling 1,892 votes (1.0).
See also
*List of topics related to Cornwall
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Cornwall:
Cornwall – ceremonial county and unitary authority area of England within the United Kingdom. Cornwall is a peninsula bordered to the north and west by ...
References
External links
Obituary and Tribute to Dr James Whetter published on the Transceltic website
Dr James Whetter Obituary on the ''Cornwall Live'' news website including tributes by Dick Cole, the leader of Mebyon Kernow, historian Bernard Deacon and Michael Bunney, chairman of St Gorran Parish History Society and a parish councillor
1935 births
2018 deaths
People from St Austell
British historians
British male writers
British political party founders
Historians of Cornwall
Politicians from Cornwall
Cornish nationalists
Cornish language activists
Mebyon Kernow politicians
20th-century English politicians
20th-century English writers
Cornish independence activists
{{Cornwall-stub