The Federation of Old Cornwall Societies (FOCS) was formed in 1924, on the initiative of

Robert Morton Nance Robert Morton Nance (1873–1959) was a British writer and leading authority on the Cornish language, a nautical archaeologist, and joint founder of the Old Cornwall Society. Nance wrote many books and pamphlets on the Cornish language, incl ...

, with the objective of collecting and maintaining "all those ancient things that make the spirit of

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, ...

— its traditions, its old words and ways, and what remains to it of its Celtic language and nationality". The motto of the federation—as written on their web site—is "", which translated into English is "Gather ye the fragments that are left, that nothing be lost". The motto in the OCS logo is the Cornish phrase ''

King Arthur According to legends, King Arthur (; ; ; ) was a king of Great Britain, Britain. He is a folk hero and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In Wales, Welsh sources, Arthur is portrayed as a le ...

is not dead''. The first Old Cornwall Society was established by Robert Morton Nance in St Ives in 1920. Today, The Federation of Old Cornwall Societies consists of over 40 individual societies throughout Cornwall. There are also other affiliated groups within Cornwall as well as those Associated societies and groups in England and overseas.

Summer events

The OCS celebrate the old Cornish tradition of

midsummer Midsummer is a celebration of the season of summer, taking place on or near the date of the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere; the longest Daytime, day of the year. The name "midsummer" mainly refers to summer solstice festivals of Eu ...

bonfires, normally held on 23 June each year. The hilltop bonfires that form a chain are currently held at

Kit Hill Kit Hill (), at 334 metres high, dominates the area between Callington and the River Tamar in southeast Cornwall, England, UK. The word 'Kit' comes from Old English for kite, a reference to birds of prey (and not specifically the red kite). ...

, St Breock Beacon,

Castle An Dinas Castle an Dinas is an Iron Age hillfort at the summit of Castle Downs, Cornwall, Castle Downs near St Columb Major in Cornwall, UK () and is considered one of the most important hillforts in the southwest of Great Britain, Britain. It dates fro ...

, and

Redruth Redruth ( , ) is a town and civil parishes in Cornwall, civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. According to the 2011 census, the population of Redruth was 14,018 In the same year the population of the Camborne-Redruth urban area, ...

. In the autumn the

harvest festival A harvest festival is an annual Festival, celebration that occurs around the time of the main harvest of a given region. Given the differences in climate and crops around the world, harvest festivals can be found at various times at different ...

known as

Crying The Neck Crying is the dropping of tears (or welling of tears in the eyes) in response to an emotional state or physical pain. Emotions that can lead to crying include sadness, anger, joy, and fear. Crying can also be caused by relief from a period ...

is also celebrated by the OCS.

Periodical

''Old Cornwall'', the journal of the Federation, began publication in 1925 and is published twice yearly. The first editor was

References

External links

Main site of FOCS

South Australia's Kernewek Lowender (Cornish Festival)

Cornish Association of Victoria, Australia

Cornish Association of Bendigo, Victoria, Australia

London Cornish Association

The New Zealand Cornish Association

Strange days: Fired by ancient zeal in Cornwall
''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...

'' article on Midsummer bonfires {{DEFAULTSORT:Federation Of Old Cornwall Societies 1924 establishments in England Arts in Cornwall Charities based in Cornwall Clubs and societies in Cornwall Culture of Cornwall Cornish nationalism Heritage organisations in the United Kingdom Organizations established in 1924

Summer events

Periodical

See also

References

External links