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Cornish Folklore
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Cornish Folklore

Cornwall’s Best Kept Secrets

Are you looking for a self-catering Cornwall holiday Cottage? If so, then at COTTAGES-BY-THE-SEA we may just have the very thing. The level of Cornwall holiday cottage offered by COTTAGES-BY-THE-SEA is of an extremely high standard and really does cater for your every need.

COTTAGES-BY-THE-SEA offers two comfortable and luxurious Cornwall holiday cottages, on the picturesque south coast of Cornwall. A trip to one of these lovely cottages is bound to stoke your curiosity about Cornwall and so we have provided you with what we believe to be some of Cornwall’s best kept secrets.

Did you know that…?

  • Cornwall has its own unique form of wrestling.

  • The most famous Cornish drinking toast is “Fish, tin and copper” due to the fact that these were the three staple sources of industry for the Cornish for many years.

  • Cornwall’s motto is Onan Hag Oll meaning One and All.

  • It is claimed that Cornwall only experiences frost once every decade.

  • The Cornish language is closely related to Welsh and Breton.

  • The Cornish language has recently been officially recognised by the UK government as a minority language.

  • In 2001 for the first time in the UK the inhabitants of Cornwall could record their ethnicity as Cornish on the national census.

  • The Cornish slang term for Cornish Pasty is Oggy because the Cornish women used to call “Oggy Oggy Oggy” to their men to let them know the pasties were ready.

  • Cornish pasties on boats are considered bad luck and many Cornish fishermen refuse to board a boat with Cornish pasties onboard.

CORNISH TRADITIONS

The Cornish Pasty

A stay in a Cornwall holiday cottage provided for you by COTTAGES-BY-THE-SEA will quickly confirm that for all Cornwall’s beauty and magic, perhaps the best thing in Cornwall is the Cornish Pasty.

Cornish Pasty Basics
A Cornish Pasty is a pie which is traditionally filled with raw diced meat, onion and vegetables and oven-baked. It is semi-circular in shape and traditionally had a large crust on one side. Some people claim that originally the Cornish Pasty served as two courses of a meal as it was filled with savoury ingredients at one end and sweet ingredients, such as jam, at the other.

Cornish Pasty Origins
The origins of this wonderful culinary delight can be traced back to the lunches of the Cornish tin miners. As a fairly hard-wearing and wholesome meal the Cornish pasty was practical to eat in the dark and dirt of the mine. Each Cornish Pasty was individually marked with the miner’s initials as a means of identifying each pasty’s ownership.

Cornish Pasty Facts
In order to arm you with some information with which to impress the locals around your Cornwall holiday cottage with, we have compiled some of the best Cornish Pasty facts.

  • The Cornish slang term for Cornish Pasty is Oggy because the Cornish women used to call “Oggy Oggy Oggy” to their men to let them know the pasties were ready.

  • As the miner’s hands were covered in dirt and sometimes arsenic from mining, the big crust of pastry was used to hold the pie and then thrown away at the end.

  • Some miners reportedly left their pasty crusts in the minds to appease the ‘knockers’ who were thought to be mischievous spirits who lived in the mine. 

  • Since 1908 the Cornish Rugby team have been hoisting the same giant Cornish Pasty over the bar before an important match gets underway.

If you want to taste a real Cornish pasty then why not hire a Cornwall holiday cottage from COTTAGES-BY-THE-SEA. We provide a superior level of accommodation for a reasonable price. For further information please contact us on 01872 863553.

Interested in the traditions of Cornwall? It goes without saying that the best way to get to grips with everything Cornish is to hire one of our Cornwall holiday cottages.

For those in any doubt that their stay in a Cornwall holiday cottage will provide them with a very different aspect to British culture, they need only to consider that before the arrival of the railway a journey from London to the isolated Cornwall would take about forty eight hours. Whilst the journey to the peninsula is undoubtedly quicker than this nowadays, the traditions that developed as a result of a long-spanning isolation from the rest of Britain are still very evident today. Below we look at a few of our favourite traditions in Cornwall.

The Cornish Fire Festival
If you decide to visit your Cornwall holiday cottage in mid June you will be fortunate enough to see the Cornish traditional celebration of Midsummer’ Eve dating back to pre-Christian times. The pagan festival, of lighting beacon bonfires, which was later adopted by the church during the feast of St John is still going strong to this day. On the 23rd of June the Midsummer’ Eve beacons can be seen up and down the length and breadth of Cornwall.

History of Cornwall

Many people decide to rent a Cornwall holiday cottage year after year because they are fascinated by the natural beauty and wonderful holidaying weather that can be experienced in this area of Britain.

Cornwall, a region known for its stunning coastline, agreeable temperatures and air of mystical romance has provided tourists with the perfect place to rent a holiday cottage for many years. By deciding to rent a Cornwall holiday cottage you will be following the steps of many holidaymakers in their exploration of this wonderful region and will no doubt be interested in hearing a brief history of Cornwall.

Cornwall Holiday Cottage – A Brief History of Cornwall
It’s only when you come to Cornwall renting a Cornwall Holiday Cottage that you begin to appreciate some of the reasons why so many people seem to rave about this beautiful region, situated on the south-west peninsula of Great Britain. Its unique sense of identity can in fact be traced back as far as the early Stone Age, around 4500BC. There are burial chambers from this early period which can still be explored today. However it was the discovery and subsequent trade of tin in 2500BC which really began the significant changes in the history of Cornwall. The tin trade of Cornwall became the largest in Europe and towns grew up around the tin trade.  

Modern Cornwall can trace its ancestry back to a tribe of Celts who arrived around 1000BC looking for tin. On finding an abundance in Cornwall they decided to settle there and the Cornish language can be traced back to this time. However, this peninsula remained pretty much isolated from the rest of England until the Norman Conquest when Cornwall was given to William the Conqueror’s half brother, Robert. He made his headquarters at Launceston, where he built the castle to enforce his rule. Then for the next few hundred years Cornwall was rule by a succession of relatives of the Norman and Plantagenet kings. In the years since, Cornwall has remained steadfastly under the rule of Britain.

At COTTAGES-BY-THE-SEA we can provide you with the perfect Cornwall holiday cottage from where you can begin your exploration of Cornwall. All you need to do is get in contact with us on 01872 863553 and we will talk you through the availability and booking process.


If you are interested in learning more about Cornwall’s fascinating culture and traditions then why not come to Cornwall and stay in a superior Cornwall holiday cottage provided by COTTAGES-BY-THE-SEA.

 

Mock Mayor Elections
Polperro a small harbour village on the south coats of Cornwall has worked hard to keep the tradition of the mock mayor alive. Every Saturday before Midsummer the town holds mock mayor elections. The mayor and entourage of guizers and Cornish Piper wander around the village distributing Polperro “Banknotes” and inspecting the quality of the beer in the local inns. At the end of their wanderthe Mayor is taken to the harbour and ceremoniously dropped in.
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