Dolly Pentreath, The Legend of the last Cornish speaker

[southernterp]

When i visited St. Michael's Mount several years ago, i came across a large oil painting of a seated elderly woman. The plaque read simply "Dolly Pentreath." Since then, i've come across a few accounts of the foul-mouthed "Fish Wife of Mousehole", and her tale is as captivating to me as those of King Arthur or of the Cornish giants.

Learn about the disputed last native speaker of the Cornish language:

http://www.britannia.com/history/legend/co...h/cornss03.html

http://www.thebookofdays.com/months/july/3.htm (scroll down a bit)

http://www.geocities.com/teammanley/Cornwa.../DollyGrave.htm

[Antwn]

Thanks for the links Southernterp, they were very interesting. She sounds like quite the character indeed. Quite "politically incorrect" I like her already..though I guess that technically PC wouldn't apply to the 1770's.

Go Terapins! (Used to live in Maryland years ago, but didn't go to UofM)

Antwn

[sonic-skunk]

She wasn't the last Cornish speaker at all! You ignorant fool! I pseak some cornish, i know other people who speak it, hundreds if not thousands of people speak cornsih now.

Dolly Pentreath was thought to be the last person who spoke cornish as her first language.

CORNISH IS ALIVE