HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Mousehole () is a village and fishing port in
Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...
, England, UK. It is approximately south of
Penzance Penzance ( ; ) is a town, civil parish and port in the Penwith district of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is the westernmost major town in Cornwall and is about west-southwest of Plymouth and west-southwest of London. Situated in the ...
on the shore of
Mount's Bay Mount's Bay () is a bay on the English Channel coast of Cornwall, England, stretching from the Lizard Point, Cornwall, Lizard Point to Gwennap Head. In the north of the bay, near Marazion, is St Michael's Mount; the origin of name of the bay. ...
. The village is in the
civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...
of Penzance. An
islet An islet ( ) is generally a small island. Definitions vary, and are not precise, but some suggest that an islet is a very small, often unnamed, island with little or no vegetation to support human habitation. It may be made of rock, sand and/ ...
called St Clement's Isle lies about offshore from the harbour entrance. Mousehole lies within the Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). 27% of Cornwall has AONB designation, with the same status and protection as a National Park.


History

The first mention of the village of ''Mousehole'' is in 1283 and the first mention of ''Portheness'' is in 1267. Although usually thought of as the same place, a document from 1309 names ''Porthenys juxta Mousehole'' (i.e., next to Mousehole), implying two separate places. Compare with nearby
Newlyn Newlyn () is a seaside town and fishing port in south-west Cornwall, England, United Kingdom.Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 203 ''Land's End'' It is the largest fishing port in England. Newlyn lies on the shore of Mount's Bay and for ...
which is separated by a stream from Tolcarne and both were once considered individual places. There is also a 1339 document naming ''Porthengrous juxta Porthenes'' (harbour by the cross, next to the harbour by the island). If the amount of tax collected is indicative of how important a place was, in the 14th century, tax collected on the number of fishing boats from Mousehole was £5. Nearby Marazion paid £1 6s 8d, Newlyn £1, Penzance 12s and
Porthgwarra Porthgwarra () is a small coastal village in the civil parish of St Levan, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom situated between Land's End and Porthcurno. Access to the cove is via a minor road off the B3283 road at Polgigga and leads to t ...
and Penberth 12s. There were three medieval chapels, including the one on St Clement's island. In 1383 a chapel was dedicated to "the Blessed Virgin Mary" and was in ruins by 1414 due to storms. It was rebuilt around 1420 and finally destroyed during the
Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...
. Another chapel was licensed in 1441 and dedicated to St Edward the Confessor. Records show that
pilchards Sardine and pilchard are common names for various species of small, oily forage fish in the herring suborder Clupeoidei. The term "sardine" was first used in English during the early 15th century; a somewhat dubious etymology says it comes ...
were exported to France as early as 1302, and in the late 18th century there were five seines and 55 boats based in the harbour. In the 1880s there was still a drift pilchard fishery and in the autumn around sixty boats fished in the
North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. A sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Se ...
. Along with Marazion, it was one of the principal ports of
Mount's Bay Mount's Bay () is a bay on the English Channel coast of Cornwall, England, stretching from the Lizard Point, Cornwall, Lizard Point to Gwennap Head. In the north of the bay, near Marazion, is St Michael's Mount; the origin of name of the bay. ...
until the 16th century. Before its decline as a major commercial centre, Mousehole also had a number of fairs and markets, including the charter for a market on Tuesdays, with a fair for three days at the festival of St Barnabas, granted to Henry de Tyes in 1292. Mousehole, like many communities in Mount's Bay, fell within the authority of the Manor of Alverton; all early charters, fairs etc. associated with Mousehole are associated with this manorial estate. Mousehole, like Penzance,
Newlyn Newlyn () is a seaside town and fishing port in south-west Cornwall, England, United Kingdom.Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 203 ''Land's End'' It is the largest fishing port in England. Newlyn lies on the shore of Mount's Bay and for ...
and
Paul Paul may refer to: People * Paul (given name), a given name, including a list of people * Paul (surname), a list of people * Paul the Apostle, an apostle who wrote many of the books of the New Testament * Ray Hildebrand, half of the singing duo ...
, was attacked in the 1595 raid on Mount's Bay by Spaniard Carlos de Amésquita, the only surviving building being the 'Keigwin Arms', a local pub. Outside the Keigwin Arms (now a private residence) is a plaque with the wording "Squire Jenkyn Keigwin was killed here 23 July 1595 defending this house against the Spaniards".


20th century

Although a lifeboat had been available in Mount's Bay for many years, a new lifeboat station at Penlee Point, on the outskirts of the village, was opened in 1913. On 19 December 1981 the entire lifeboat crew of eight was lost during an attempted rescue in
hurricane A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its ...
-force winds. The lifeboat was moved to
Newlyn Newlyn () is a seaside town and fishing port in south-west Cornwall, England, United Kingdom.Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 203 ''Land's End'' It is the largest fishing port in England. Newlyn lies on the shore of Mount's Bay and for ...
in 1983 but continues to be known as the "Penlee Lifeboat". The village's harbourside was once the location of the Lobster Pot guest house, in which
Dylan Thomas Dylan Marlais Thomas (27 October 1914 – 9 November 1953) was a Welsh poet and writer, whose works include the poems " Do not go gentle into that good night" and " And death shall have no dominion", as well as the "play for voices" ''Un ...
and
Caitlin Macnamara Caitlin Thomas (née Macnamara; 8 December 1913 – 31 July 1994) was an author and the wife of the poet and writer Dylan Thomas. Their marriage was a stormy affair, fueled by alcohol and infidelity, though the couple remained together until Dyl ...
spent their honeymoon after marrying at Penzance register office. In 1936 the
GPO Film Unit The GPO Film Unit was a subdivision of the UK General Post Office. The unit was established in 1933, taking on responsibilities of the Empire Marketing Board Film Unit. Headed by John Grierson, it was set up to produce sponsored documentary film ...
made '' The Saving of Bill Blewitt'', a short film to promote the Post Office Savings Bank, featuring local postman Bill Blewitt. Mousehole hosts a vibrant variety of festivals and community activities. It is known for its Christmas illuminations. Since 1981, every 19 December the lights have been turned off in memory of the victims of the lifeboat disaster. Tom Bawcock's Eve is a unique celebration held on 23 December each year to celebrate the ending of a famine in the 16th century by local resident Tom Bawcock. This festival is the inspiration behind the book '' The Mousehole Cat'' by Antonia Barber and the associated television productions. This festival is also the origin of
stargazy pie Stargazy pie (also starry-gazy pie, starry-gaze pie) is a Cuisine of Cornwall, Cornish dish made of baked Sardines as food, pilchards (sardines), along with eggs and potatoes, covered with a pastry crust. Although there are a few variations us ...
, a mixed fish, egg and potato pie with fish heads protruding through the pastry. Mousehole also holds a small maritime festival every two years called 'Sea, Salt and Sail'. Parts of the 1995 feature film '' Blue Juice'' were filmed in the village. The local
community radio Community radio is a radio service offering a third model of radio broadcasting in addition to commercial broadcasting, commercial and public broadcasting. Community broadcasting, Community stations serve geographic communities and communities o ...
station is Coast FM (formerly Penwith Radio), which broadcasts on 96.5 and 97.2 FM.


Local government

Mousehole was part of the
ancient parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...
of
Paul Paul may refer to: People * Paul (given name), a given name, including a list of people * Paul (surname), a list of people * Paul the Apostle, an apostle who wrote many of the books of the New Testament * Ray Hildebrand, half of the singing duo ...
, and from 1866 part of the civil parish of Paul. In 1894 Mousehole became part of Paul Urban District. The urban district was abolished in 1934 and Mousehole was absorbed into the
municipal borough A municipal borough was a type of local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state. Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of ...
of Penzance. Penzance Municipal Borough was itself abolished in 1974 under the
Local Government Act 1972 The Local Government Act 1972 (c. 70) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974. It was one of the most significant acts of Parliament to be passed by the Heath Gov ...
, and Mousehole became part of the new
Penwith Penwith (; ) is an area of Cornwall, England, located on the peninsula of the same name. It is also the name of a former Non-metropolitan district, local government district, whose council was based in Penzance. The area is named after one ...
District. The former borough was unparished until 1980. The unparished area was formed into a civil parish in 1980, and the new Penzance parish council elected to call itself a town council. Penwith District was abolished in 2009, and Mousehole now falls under the unitary
Cornwall Council Cornwall Council ( ), known between 1889 and 2009 as Cornwall County Council (), is the local authority which governs the non-metropolitan county of Cornwall in South West England. Since 2009 it has been a Unitary authorities of England, unitary ...
.


Sport

There is a football team based nearby named Mousehole A.F.C., currently playing in the Southern League Division One South.


Notable residents

Penwith Penwith (; ) is an area of Cornwall, England, located on the peninsula of the same name. It is also the name of a former Non-metropolitan district, local government district, whose council was based in Penzance. The area is named after one ...
is believed to be the last part of Cornwall where the
Cornish language Cornish (Standard Written Form: or , ) is a Southwestern Brittonic language, Southwestern Brittonic language of the Celtic language family. Along with Welsh language, Welsh and Breton language, Breton, Cornish descends from Common Brittonic, ...
was spoken as the community language.
Dolly Pentreath Dorothy Pentreath ( 16 May 169226 December 1777) was a Cornish fishwife. She is one of the last known fluent speakers of the Cornish language. She is also often credited as the last known native speaker of Cornish, although sources support th ...
, popularly known as the last recorded speaker of Cornish, is often reported as being from Mousehole and as having a memorial in the village. In fact, she was from Paul (the parish of
Paul Paul may refer to: People * Paul (given name), a given name, including a list of people * Paul (surname), a list of people * Paul the Apostle, an apostle who wrote many of the books of the New Testament * Ray Hildebrand, half of the singing duo ...
historically included Mousehole). A year after Dolly Pentreath died in 1777,
Daines Barrington Daines Barrington, FRS, FSA (1727/2814 March 1800) was an English lawyer, antiquary and naturalist. He was one of the correspondents to whom Gilbert White wrote extensively on natural history topics. Barrington served as a Vice President of ...
received a letter, written in Cornish and accompanied by an English translation, from a fisherman in Mousehole named William Bodinar stating that he knew of five people who could speak Cornish in that village alone. Barrington also speaks of a John Nancarrow from Marazion who was a native speaker and survived into the 1790s. John Keigwin (1641–1716), a scholar in the Cornish language,
William Carvosso William Carvosso (1750–1834) was an early John Wesley, Wesleyan leader in Cornwall, England. He was converted to Christianity at age 21 and went on to become a Class Leader in the Wesleyan Connexion and a prominent figure of the church. Towards ...
(1750–1834), the Methodist, and Joseph Trewavas VC CGM (14 December 1835 – 20 July 1905) were also born in Mousehole.
Admiral of the fleet An admiral of the fleet or shortened to fleet admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to field marshal and marshal of the air force. An admiral of the fleet is typically senior to an admiral. It is also a generic ter ...
Sir Caspar John GCB (1903–1984) lived in Mousehole in retirement. The artist Jack Pender (1918–1998) was born in Mousehole and spent most of his career there. English writer and illustrator
Michelle Cartlidge Michelle Cartlidge is an English writer and illustrator. Early life and studies Cartlidge was born in Hampstead, London to a British father and a German Jewish refugee mother. Her sister Katrin Cartlidge was an English actress who died in 2002. ...
lives in Mousehole. The potter Jack Doherty lives in Mousehole where he has his studio.


Media and literary associations

*
Charles de Lint Charles de Lint (born December 22, 1951) is a Canadian writer. Primarily a writer of fantasy fiction, he has composed works of urban fantasy, contemporary magical realism, and mythic fiction. Along with authors like Terri Windling, Emma Bull ...
, writer of many modern and urban
fairy tales A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, household tale, magic tale, or wonder tale) is a short story that belongs to the Folklore, folklore genre. Such stories typically feature Magic (supernatural), magic, Incantation, e ...
, set his novel ''The Little Country'' in the village of Mousehole. * '' The Mousehole Cat'', a children's book written by Antonia Barber and illustrated by Nicola Bayley, is also set in Mousehole and based on the legend of Tom Bawcock and the continuing tradition of Tom Bawcock's Eve. * The local
community radio Community radio is a radio service offering a third model of radio broadcasting in addition to commercial broadcasting, commercial and public broadcasting. Community broadcasting, Community stations serve geographic communities and communities o ...
station is Coast FM (formerly Penwith Radio), which broadcasts on 96.5 and 97.2 FM. * Mark Jenkin's film, '' Bait'', was filmed in Mousehole. ''Bait'' tells the story of a fisherman battling to keep his way of life afloat in the face of
gentrification Gentrification is the process whereby the character of a neighborhood changes through the influx of more Wealth, affluent residents (the "gentry") and investment. There is no agreed-upon definition of gentrification. In public discourse, it has ...
.


Gallery

Mousehole fromm air Fossick.jpg, Aerial shot Mousehole fromm air2 Fossick.jpg, Aerial shot Mousehole rock pool from air Fossick.jpg, Aerial shot of rock pool Mousehole St Clements Isle from air Fossick.jpg, St Clements Isle File:Mousehole - Sea Salts and Sail Festival 1 - Kernow Skies.jpg, Sea Salts and Sail Festival File:Mousehole - Sea Salts and Sail Festival 2 - Kernow Skies.jpg, Sea Salts and Sail Festival File:Mousehole - Sea Salts and Sail Festival 3 - Kernow Skies.jpg, Sea Salts and Sail Festival File:Mousehole - Sea Salts and Sail Festival 4 - Kernow Skies.jpg, Sea Salts and Sail Festival File:Mousehole - Sea Salts and Sail Festival 5 - Kernow Skies.jpg, Sea Salts and Sail Festival File:Mousehole - Sea Salts and Sail Festival 6 - Kernow Skies.jpg, Sea Salts and Sail Festival File:Mousehole - Sea Salts and Sail Festival 7 - Kernow Skies.jpg, Sea Salts and Sail Festival File:Mousehole - Sea Salts and Sail Festival 8 - Kernow Skies.jpg, Sea Salts and Sail Festival File:Mousehole - Sea Salts and Sail Festival 9 - Kernow Skies.jpg, Sea Salts and Sail Festival File:Mousehole Sailing Race.webm, Sail race video File:The Old Coastguard Hotel Mousehole.jpg, The Old Coastguard Hotel and Restaurant File:St_Clements_Isle_Mousehole_HDR.jpg, St Clements Isle


References


External links

*
Cornwall Record Office Online Catalogue for Mousehole
{{authority control Fishing communities in England Villages in Cornwall Penzance Penwith Ports and harbours of Cornwall Populated coastal places in Cornwall