St Columb Green Book is a very rare 16th century handwritten

manuscript A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand or typewritten, as opposed to mechanically printed or reproduced in some indirect or automated way. More recently, the term has ...

, bound in green leather detailing the parish records of

St Columb Major St Columb Major is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. Often referred to locally as ''St Columb'', it is approximately southwest of Wadebridge and east of Newquay Ordnance Survey: Landran ...

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, ...

. It was kept with a few intermissions from 1585 onwards. It gives a rare glimpse in day to day life in 16th century Cornwall. The original is very fragile and is now kept at the

Kresen Kernow Kresen Kernow (Cornish language, Cornish for Cornwall Centre) in Redruth, United Kingdom is Cornwall's archive centre, home to the world's biggest collection of archive and library material related to Cornwall. Funded by the National Lottery Her ...

. A reprint of selected passages was published in 1912 by Thurstan Peter, in a Supplement to the Journal of

Royal Institution of Cornwall The Royal Institution of Cornwall (RIC) is a Learned society in Truro, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It was founded in Truro on 5 February 1818 as the Cornwall Literary and Philosophical Institution. The Institution was one of the earliest ...

, vol. 19. The book, dating back to Elizabethan times, covers only the Parish of St Columb Major. It is important as it contains one of the earliest references to

Morris dancing Morris dancing is a form of English folk dance. It is based on rhythmic stepping and the execution of choreographed figures by a group of dancers in costume, usually wearing bell pads on their shins, their shoes or both. A band or single musi ...

in the United Kingdom. Another entry gives the earliest written reference to the ancient sport of

Cornish Hurling Hurling () is an outdoor team game played only in Cornwall, England, played with a small silver ball. While the sport shares its name with the Irish game of hurling, the two sports are completely different. Once played widely in Cornwall, the ...

Also contained is an early reference to

Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary noble outlaw, heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature, theatre, and cinema. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions o ...

plays that existed in Cornwall.

Extracts of note

*1585: (Early evidence of Morris dancing) coats for dancers, a friars coat, 24 dancing bells, a streamer of red mocaddo and lockram, 6 yards of white woolen cloth *1588 (In the year of the Armada) - Stock of money for the trayned (sic) soldiers *1589 Rec. for the lont of Robbyn Hood clothes *1593 Parish Carriage available for hire. Built by Remfray Rowse and Harry Hawke *1595 'sylver ball gylt' (earliest record of the Hurling game at St Columb which still exists) *1678: ffor ye burying of Peter the son of Sir John SeyntAubyn 13s 4d *1715: Pd Mr Robert Creeper in full for transcribing the Kings Letter £2 10s

References

External links

Description of the Green Book held by Cornwall Council''Morris and Guize Dance traditions in Cornwall'' from the 'An Daras' webpage
Includes a mention of the Green Book 16th-century manuscripts 17th-century manuscripts St Columb Major {{manuscript-stub

Extracts of note

References

Further reading

External links