mmmmm
rx
202 CRANIA BRITANNICA. [Chap. VII.
Norsemen, English, and Scotch, are much more assimilated to their fellow subjects of the neighbouring
island.
South Devon and Cornwail constitute another district in which aboriginal British blood
may be well expected to show itself, but perhaps not in such purity as the Hibernian on the
Atlantic seaboai'd. The people of Cornwall have long been and are still celebrated for distinctive
moral characters, in which they agree closely with the other primeval people of the islands *.
Their feelings are quick and impressible. Religious " revivals " are constant, at which violent
gesticulations and tumult prevail, sometimes followed by a state of collapse. Punerals also are
seasons of great mental excitement, as with the Irish, and are attended by considerable numbers,
the corpse being carried under hand, preceded by a choir singing hymns. The women drop
down faint over the grave of a relative, the men being scarcely less aifected. Nevertheless these
seasons are regarded as real merry-makings t.
Of 27 Cornish men, belonging to the Parish of St. Stythian's, a mining district, and of
probably as immised blood as might be met with, the average weight was 161 lbs. Av., the
average stature 5 feet 8 inches, and the average circumference of the head 22-7 inches J.
The average weight of 242 miners, working underground in the west of England, was
157 lbs. and fths. They lost about 7 lbs. between going down into the pit and coming up
again after the hours of work §.
The people of Western Devon and Cornwall are of good stature, approaching to tallness in
some neighbom-hoods, but not bulky anywhere. Their profile is very clear. The complexion not
so florid as in Saxon districts. Usually the forehead is moderately broad and high ; the eyebrows
rather low; the eyes sunien; the cheek-bones wide, but not prominent in the face; the nose of
good size, straight or slightly sinuous, and mostly projecting at the tip, sometimes presenting an
inverted em-vature; the mouth wide and heavy, and the chin of moderate dimensions. The
countenance presents a general heaviness in its lower half. The form of the head varies a good
deal; it is at times rather short, rarely long, sometimes elevated about the posterior part of the
parietals, not often broad. The haii- is marked by a great proportion of dark tints, especially on
proceeding towards the western portions of the country. A rich deep brown is common, and
vertuous, religious and stayde gentlemen, wtose examples
mighte stirr up vertuous imitation in the reste, but that it
hath ben held a veniall offence; and auricular confession and
verbal repentance procured so easie a pardon, as the sweetness
of the synne and the couller of remission concurr, that some
seldom leave this synn till abilitie fayle them to synn."—p. 27.
" The Cornish men are very stronge, active, and for the moste
parte personable men, of good constitution of bodye, and verie
valarous."—SpecuU Brittanise Pars. A Topographicall and
Historicall description of Cornwall. Reprint of 1728. Lord
Bacon says of them :—" These Cornish were a race of men
stout of stomach, mighty of body and limb, and that lived
hardly in a barren country ; and many of them could for a
need live underground, that were tinners."
t On the occasion of the marriage of a leading person in the
Parish of St. Stythian's, the people said, they " never see sich
a wedding afore "—so convivial—" it was just hke a vuueral."
I We are indebted for these observations to the Rev. Francis
Wright, Vicar of St. Stythian's.
§ C. Barham, M.D., " Children's Employment Commission."
* A writer at the close of the 16 th century, John Norden,
has the following passages bearing upon this subject. " The
Cornish people, for the moste parte, are descended from
the Brltishe stocke, thoiigh much entermixed since with the
Saxon and Norman bloude; but vntill of late yeares retayned
the Britishe speache, corrupted as theirs is of Wales."—p. 26.
" They are amonge themselves litigious." " To speake of the
nature and generall disposition of the people : The gentlemen
and suche as have tasted civile education are verye kinde,
affable, full of humanilie and courteous entertaynemente, and
in causes of equitie stoute. They are sooneste overcome, and
moste have been overthrown by a home home enemye, wherebye
they have been more subdued and browghte under then by
outwarde force, by their voluptuous hfe: and manie of them
which have liniallye clesceuded of clieefeste parentes, and to
good patrimonies, have hereby diminished their livelyhoodes,
and have only the glorie of beinge the Sonne of a famous
and generous father whose commendation and grace is more
in the name then in the nature of vertuous amicestors. Ther
are suche as have given swepe unto the raynes of their affections,
to followe this consuminge vanitie; yet are ther verie manie
Chap. VII. ] ETHNOLOGICAL RELATIONS OF THE PRESENT POPULATION. 203
instances of intense black not rare, whilst the lighter tints also seem to show the modifying
influence of this tendency to melanosity—even the red being at times of a dark tinge.
The index of nigrescence in 400 individuals in the city of Exeter, 156 men and 244 women,
was found to be 59'2. The ratio of the hues of the eyes 61-5 light, 11-5 intermediate, and 27-0
dark. At St. Austell's, among 300 men and 550 women assembled from the surrounding
neighbourhood, the index sunk to 51-4, and the proportionate colours of the eyes were 55'9,
14-2, and 29'7. In the country round Truro the index rose to 58-5 among 223 persons, the majority
being women ; whilst the colours of their eyes bore these proportions—53-7 light, 12-5 intermediate,
and 33-7 dark. In Penzance the index ascended to 62-6 among 250 individuals, one-half
of each sex,—the percentage of the hue of the eyes being respectively 46-6,18-8, and 33-6. And
in Redruth, a very primitive mining town, among 400 of the population, 200 men and 200
women, it advanced to 64-7, 51-7 among 100 of whom had light eyes, 15-2 intermediate, and
32-9 dark. This proportion exhibits a striking diversity when it is compared with the most
atracapiUous districts of Ireland we have enumerated. In these latter the dark eyes were often
below 20 per cent., and the proportion decreased as the hue of the hair became deeper, which
shows that the " Celtic eye " is more particularly a Gaelic peculiarity.
The very singular surnames of Cornwall are of Celtic origin, but only date from a period at
which surnames were assumed from places of residence.
" By Tre, Ros, Pol, Lan, Caer and Pen,
You may know the most of Cornishmen."
All these terms, and many others not included in the distich, have theii- derivation from the
ancient Cornish language.
The upper classes of Ireland and of Cornwall cannot be regarded as possessing any large
measure of ancient Hibernian or British blood, yet the test of character tends to show that it is
not wholly eliminated. We are inclined to regard them as presenting a proof of the capabUitie.'; of
the aborigines of the islands, and, we believe, of the fact that the aboriginal blood was capal)le
of enduring by mixture with that of a higher race, and also capable of thus generating a race
remarkable for its physical endowments. The Anglo-Norman and English accessions to the
native stock have resulted in elevating the race materially, without eradicating its original
strain. This remains, after such long alternations, unalterable and stiU manifest among the fine
people of the present day.
The people of those five of the Sc h l y Islands which are inhabited, out of a miniature
archipelago that numbers 140 isles, islets and rooks, have good reason to be regarded as primitive,
and probably have much aboriginal blood. The name of the islands is said to be from tlie
British word Silli*, the Conger, a fish still produced in abundance. Many of the individual isles
retain their British names, as Tresco, Bryhar, Teàn, Crebawithen, Innisvoiûs, &c. History
mentions no foreign colony as settling here ; and the families themselves, who have intermarried
scantily with strangers, derive their origin from the neighbouring mainland. The names of
these families, most of which are very old, are varied ; but such as Trevellick, Tregarthen, and
Pender occur.
The inhabitants are mostly tall, not bulky people, with long thigh-bones, oval faces,
swarthy complexions, high cheek-bones, long straight noses, sometimes retroussés, prominent
brows, large eyes with long eyelashes, and imusually dark hair. They are quiet and of pleasing
* Mr. Norris, editor of the " Cornish Dramas," traces it to the Cornish seylly, to separate. (Proc. Soc. Ant. Scotl. iv. 21.)
I