2026 Day 199

 2026 Dedh Cans Pajar Ügens ha Nawnjek




















De Sadorn, etegves mis Gorefen
Saturday, 18th July

























Tòbm ew an gewer arta - re dòbm ha re segh. Ma glasneth ow treylya  melyn ha gosednek. Nag ewa maga las avel kens. Bès Kernow a dal bos glas. Ma othom dhen a las. Ma lies telher "glas" dhodho. Nicholas Smith a liwyas a "sawan" las (gen mor glas).
The weather is hot again - too hot and too dry. Vegetation is turning yellow and rusty. It is not as green as before. But Cornwall should be green. We need green. It has many "green" places. Nicholas Smith painted the green "zawn" (with a blue sea).

The word GLAS has ancient origins. Travel several hundred miles further north to Scotland and you find Glasgow (recorded as Glasgu around 1136), meaning Green Hollow, which is similarly derived from the original British language of these islands.

Here are some Cornish place names containing “glaze” or “glase”, meaning GREEN (ref. Craig Weatherhill).

We can only guess at the early pronunciation of “GLAS” in an open syllable, but the later English spelling system shows us the pronunciation by the 16th Century.

LUSTY GLAZE                                  Lostyn Glas “little green tail of land”

CANAGLAZE (Caringlaze 1671)     Carn Glas “green tor”

ELLENGLAZE (Elynglas 1302)          Elin Glas “green Elin (stream “bend”)”

PENTIREGLAZE                               Pentir Glas “green promontory”

POLGLASE (Crowan)                                Polglas “green/blue pool”

POLGLASE (Cury)                                     Polglas  “green/blue pool”

POLGLASE (Wendron)                             Polglas “green/blue pool”

POLGLAZE (Fowey) (Polglas 1386)         Polglas “green/blue pool”

POLGLAZE (St Austell) (Polglas 1296)    Polglas “green/blue pool”

POLGLAZE (St Mabyn)                             Polglas “green/blue pool”

CARCLAZE (Cruklas c1500)                     Cruglas “green barrow”

CARNCLAZE                                              Carn Glas “green/grey tor”

Sometimes “GLAS” loses its initial letter (due to soft mutation)

BORLASE (Borlas 1290)                           Borlas “green hummock”

GOONLAZE (St Agnes) (Goonlas c1720) Goon Las “green downs”

GOONLAZE (Stithians)                              Goon Las “green downs”

HALLAZE (Halelase 1503)                        Hallas “green marsh”

HYRLAS ROCK                                         Hirlas “tall, green one”

We know, from current pronunciation, that in a closed syllable “GLAS” is short.

GLASDON (Glazon 1748)                       Glasen “greensward”

GLASNEY (Glasneyth 1291)                   Glasneth “verdure”

But some older “GLAS” place names have been replaced by English ones, and some “LAS/GLAZE” place names are derived from a completely different word.

SHARK’S FIN (St Keverne)

                       (Carclaze Rock 1851)   Carn Glas “green/grey rock”

WHEAL EDWARD ZAWN

                       (Porthglaze C18)          Porth Glas "blue/green cove"

CROWLAS (Creures 1327)                Crewres “weir/stepping stones ford”

PORTHGLAZE (Porth Loggas 1580)  Porth Logas "cove of mice"


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