2026 Day 67

2026 Dedh Trei Ügens ha Seyth

De Sül, ethves mis Meurh
Sunday, 8th March

Ow whei parrys rag descans story moy?

Are you ready for another history lesson?

Otta nebes geryow moy (radnow nebes gwersow) scrifys gen John Boson en mil seyth cans ha pemp.
Here are some more words (parts of several verses) written by John Boson in 1705,

"Kawall ha Try Cans Hern" = a basket and 300 pilchards
"gweel Barcadoes en Kenifer Choy" = to make 'bulks' in each building (barcada is Portuguese for as much as a ship can carry, i.e. a boat-load)
"Holan moy" = more salt
"Salles da, idden Mees worbar" = well salted, one month together
"Squatcha man" =  break up
"Goula glaneth en dour sal" =  wash clean in salty water (sea water)
"en Ballier, Pedden ha Teen" = in a barrel, head to tail
"Minow pemp canz pooz" = 5 hundredweight rocks
"hanter mees" = half a month, a fortnight
"saim vedn cotha" = grease/oil wil fall out
"Gorollion toas" = ships come
"ort Dour Gwavas" = at Gwavas Lake (a sheltered anchorage in Mounts Bay)
"Gwenz Noor East" = a NE wind (wind from the north-east, blowing south-west towards Portugal)
"an Poble pow tooben" = people in a hot country (Portugal and Italy were obviously hot compared to Cornwall!)

Tabm ha tabm, my a wra dysmygya! 

Bit by bit, I will explain!

Tüs an puskes en cokow a gemeras hern gen roos ha 'ga drei dhe'n treth. Lies benyn, gen cawel war geyn, a guntellas an hern, trei cans pesk a'n venyn, ha'n gemeras dhe'n palysys e'n porth - 'barcada' pesk en keniver chei, war an leur gen holan. Terweythyow thera othom a "holan moy". An pesk o sallys da rag üdn mis warbarth (gen badna oyl cuntellys rag lugern). Nenna an bernow a veu sqwachys emann rag gòlhy an puskes glânyth en dowr sal (dhort an mor). An hern a veu gòrrys en balyers, pedn ha tin. Anjei o gweskys hanter mis gen menow pur vrâs. Saim a godhas mes a'n balyers - comodita a-bris dhe vos gwerthys. Pernoryon rag an pesk sallys a dheuth a-dhia bell, en gorholyon-gòlyow dhort powyow Catholik tòbm, Italy ha Portugal! Anjei a wòrtas en Dowr Gwavas rag gwens vas dh'aga whetha tre arta.

An benenes a wrüg gwertha an pesk ewedh. Ha degedhow casys o kemerys.

Fishermen in fishing boats caught pilchards with a net and brought them to the beach. Many women, with big basket on back, collected the pilchards, three hundred fish a woman, and took them to the fish 'palaces' in the port - a boat-load of fish in each building, on the floor with salt. Sometimes they needed "more salt". The fish was well cured for a month altogether (with some oil collected for lamps). Then the heaps were broken up to wash the fishes clean in salty water (from the sea). The pilchards were put into barrels, head to tail. They were compressed for a fortnight by very heavy stones. Grease fell out of the barrels - a valuable commodity to be sold. Buyers for the cured fish came from afar, in sailing ships from "hot" Catholic countries Italy and Portugal! They waited in Gwavas Lake for a good wind to blow them home again.

The women sold the fish as well. And hated tithes were taken.