As a result of a query on [email protected] in February 2005, several people have suggested the following books on various aspects of the history of the Isles of Scilly, Cornwall. Some editing has taken place but the essence of the messages has been left.
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-----Original Message-----
From: David & Jo-Anne Trounce [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Monday, 21 February 2005 6:31 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: [CON-GEN] Scilly Isles
I am hoping that some of you on the list have information about the Scilly
Isles. I have been looking at the 1851 Census returns and I was surprised
at so many of the farms being very small (several acres). I had to wonder
how the farmers could exist on such little land- any ideas? I was also
amazed at how many widows there were and how many of them were living with
their birth families. Homes must have been crowded with three generations
under one roof. Also, there seemed to be a small number of names on each
island- interbreeding?
Is there a site on the Web with good historical info about the Scillies?
Any help would be appreciated.
Regards
David Trounce
-----Replies-----
From: "michael Kiernan" <[email protected]>
Date: 21 February 2005 8:21:03 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Isles of Scilly
I do not know of a web site giving good historical info. about the Scillies
but the bibliography below may help you (the last item is a bit tongue in
cheek but had to be included as I was the author).
Although many names are similar the relationships are often very distant. I
believe that the problem of too close a relationship really only appeared on
the island of Sampson - see the book by Cowan, Z.T. below. There were only
about three houses on that island and that may have lead to problems before
Augustus Smith cleared the island to turn it into a deer park (which happily
was a failure). Do not forget that the islands have always been important
from both military and seafaring and so there was a constant supply of
'foreign' soldiers and sailors. The small size of the holdings indicate
smallholdings for family produce rather than commercial farms - until the
flower industry developed but you do/did not need big fields for that
industry.
Borlase William (1756) Observations on the Ancient and Present State of the
Islands of Scilly 7 their importance to the trade of Great Britain. 5 plates
of which two folding. 48PP. First published in 1756,, Reprinted Newcastle
upon Tyne, 1966. £38. (first edition = £410).
Troutbeck J. Rev. ( 1794 ) A survey of the Ancient and Present state of the
Scilly Isles.
Woodley G. Rev. (1822) A View of the Present State of the Scilly Isles.
North I.W. Rev. ( 1850) A Week in the Isles of Scilly.
Heath R. (1750) Account of the Isles of Scilly.
Forrester Matthews G. (1960) The Isles of Scilly.
Michell Len ( 19..) St Mary's Methodist church.
Thomas, Charles Prof. (1985) The Book of the Church on Scilly.
Thomas, Charles Prof. (1985) Exploration of a Drowned Landscape. Archaelogy.
Plates, illustrats. Maps. 320pp. £95.
Uren J. G. (1907) Scilly and The Scillonians.The author was postmaster of
Penzance. 63 plates, 149+3 pages of adverts. Plymouth : Western Morning
News. £48.
Arlott J. (1972) Island Camera, The Isles of Scilly in the photography of
the Gibson Family. David & Charles. Reprinted 1983.
London Illustrated News. Article concerning the wreck of the Schiller plus
pictures, 22nd May 1875.
Adams W. H. (1878) Wreck of The Schiller.
Austin K. (2002) The Victorian Titanic. (About the Schiller) Halsgrove
Publishing.
Madden Peter (1996) Scilly's Building Heritage. Twelveheads press, Truro.
Cornwall Archaelogocal Unit (1992) Scilly's Archaeological Heritage.
Twelveheads Press. Truro.
Laws Peter (1980) The Buildings of Scilly. Isles of Scilly Museum
publication No12.
Cowan Z T (1991) The Story of Sampson. Englang Publishing. Cirencester.
Du Boulay Juliet (1959) Wrecks of the Isles of Scilly. Reprint from The
Mariner's Mirror.
Cooper Eve (2001) Fifteen Centuries of Faith on Tresco. Privately published
Tower, Lady Sophia (1848) .The Isles of Scilly. With 8 tinted lithographic
views, title + list of plates, overall size of book approx. 7" x 17".
Printed and Published by Dickinson and Co., 114 New Bond Street. c.1848.
£850.00. The views are:- Star Castle; Tresco Abbey; Gardens at Tresco; View
from Tresco Abbey; Old Grimsby Harbour; New Grimsby Harbour; St. Agnes
Lighthouse from the Gugh; Rocks at St. Warnas Cove, St. Agnes.
Crookshank, Richard (1937). Saint Nicholas Tresco, All Saints Bryher.
Xi+59pp. 12mo. Limited edition of 250 copies. £20.
Kiernan, M. T. (2003) An article appeared in a Czech Magazine called
Moravskotrebovske Vlastivedne Listy. Volume 14/2003. This neat publication
is produced by the Mestske Museum in the town of Moravska Trebova, in the
Czech Republic. The Director of the museum Dr. Jana Martinkova and a leading
researcher Jiri Osanec contacted me inquiring about two memorials located on
the Isles of Scilly and which referred to a leading citizen and benefactor
of their town. I undertook some research work and the result was a six page
article accompanied by seven illustrations and a map. The museum kindly
arranged for the translation of the article into the Czech language !
Regards, Mike, Redruth.
From: "Gina Francis" <[email protected]>
Date: 21 February 2005 11:23:26 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: RE: [CON-GEN] Scilly Isles
Dear David,
Try a Google Search there are a few good sites to whet your
interest & give some great pictures.
As a starter, I'd recommend "The Fortunate Isles" by R.L.Bowley
which was first published in 1945. It's up to its eighth or even ninth
edition by now. This is a fairly easy book to get hold of via web-based book
shops or try E-bay if you're a fan of that method of shopping!
Some of the old histories of Scilly are rare now & produce top dollar or
pound in the Antique Book Trade.
I've got quite a collection of the books listed in Michael's
message myself, but alas, not the rarities! For those I have to await my
next visit to the St Mary's Museum!
From my research into Scillonian families I agree with Michael on
the subject of 'inbreeding'. There were also many 'incomers' over the
eighteenth century with the arrival of the coastguards from outside Cornwall
& various tradespeople (stone masons,lighthouse-keepers, shipwrights,
carpenters etc). Also many Islanders (especially single males) left over the
19th Century when the Islands capacity to support its population became
compromised by famine & lack of capacity to ply the traditional means of
gathering an income (ie the navy was wound down & smuggling activities were
curtailed by the coastguards)
The small farm holdings came into their own later in the 19th
century when early spring bulb flowers became the main industry. That took
the development of hedges to protect the fields from salt winds. It is true
that there have been times of dreadful hardship & starvation on the
Off-Islands especially in the early 19th Century, after the Napoleonic Wars
ended.
If you or anyone else wants me to do a look-up I'm happy to do so.
Regards,
Gina in Oz with a passion for all things Scillonian!
From: "michael Kiernan" <[email protected]>
Date: 22 February 2005 12:17:40 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [CON-GEN] Scilly Isles
Gina - Thanks for the mention of the book by Bowley. I was in a hurry
earlier and missed it, although it is important. I have the 7th hardback
edition of 1980, and also a rather worn ex library soft cover copy of the
same edition.
Another book I missed of my list was "Scilly & its legends" by H. J.
Whitfield, published 1852 in Penzance, there was a facsimile reprint in
1992 by Llanerch Publishers, Felinfach (I assume that is in Wales), the ISBN
of that reprint was 0947992847. I also have two copies of this, ex library.
I really must stop visiting sales and buying books I already have. Only the
landlord at my local expects me to keep buying the same thing (& frequently
at that).
Mike, Redruth.
From: [email protected]
Date: 22 February 2005 7:13:01 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [CON-GEN] Isles of Scilly, Forrester Matthews
In a message dated 21/02/2005 09:21:57 GMT Standard Time,
[email protected] writes:
Forrester Matthews G. (1960) The Isles of Scilly.
I believe that this gentleman taught me at primary school on Tresco! It
would have been in the late 1950s, maybe 1960, certainly he was no longer there
when I took my 11+. He could have been standing in during an illness as a
temporary teacher. I remember that he had written a book.
Does anyone know anything else about him?
On another note, I was amazed at the plentiful variety of professions on St
Marys during the 1861 census, and at how many folk lived there. It certainly
was a different life then from my time on Scilly where tourism along with
flower growing and a little farming were the main occupations,
Cathy
From: [email protected]
Date: 22 February 2005 7:18:31 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [CON-GEN] Scilly Isles
In a message dated 21/02/2005 12:24:09 GMT Standard Time,
[email protected] writes:
Also many Islanders (especially single males) left over the
19th Century when the Islands capacity to support its population became
compromised by famine & lack of capacity to ply the traditional means of
gathering an income (ie the navy was wound down & smuggling activities were
curtailed by the coastguards)
It seemed that in the 1960s and 70s it was the girls who left the islands
and the boys who stayed, at least on Tresco,
Cathy, another one who is passionate about all things Scillonian!!
From: "Gina Francis" <[email protected]>
Date: 24 February 2005 11:24:26 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: [CON-GEN] Another Isles of Scilly Book
For those with a special interest in the maritime history of the Isles of
Scilly there is a wonderful little book called "The Scillonian & His Boat"
by Alf Jenkins, first published in 1982.
It has a list of ships locally owned & registered 1774 -1979. It also has a
partial list of known Scillonian Master Mariners.
There is a small chapter on Ships & Boat Building which of course was
another major industry during the 19th Century. Indeed that industry helped
the offspring of former Scillonians to return & take up work as ship's
carpenters etc.
Pilot Gigs, smuggling, Trinity House, Off-island Cutters, Rescues, Pleasure
Boats...it's all included & a great salty insight it is!
Once again you'll have to scour the out-of-print sites to find it!
Cheers,
Gina in Oz
From: "John CARBIS" <[email protected]>
Date: 24 February 2005 7:46:13 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: RE: [CON-GEN] Another Isles of Scilly Book
Good morning the List.
Another book about the Isles is that by E L BOWLEY published in 1949 called
THE FORTUNATE ISLANDS
'The Storey of the Isles of Scilly'
It has a good Index, a Bibliography, a title list of three poems and another list of books of fiction.
It was six pounds from a second hand book sellers some years past, but still a very good source of reference.
Regards
John C CARBIS
John C CARBIS
john in scarlet at chelsea
Researching anybody and everytrhing to do and/or connected with the CARBIS surname in any form.
The CARBIS history site; http://www.carbis.demon.co.uk
GGON member 2772
CFHS member 7203
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Last modified: 25th February 2005. Started this page.
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