GORSEDH KERNOW
LYTHER BARDHEK - BARDIC NEWSLETTER
Mis Hwevrer bys dhe vis Ebrel 2015 /February toApril 2015
Following Bardh Meur’s stirring Christmas message and a hugely successful service at the iconic St Piran’s Oratory everyone now seems to be galvanised into action and getting on with the important work of Gorsedh Kernow. The profile and status of the Bards of Cornwall grows positively with each new challenge for Cornwall and Gorsedh Kernow is increasingly becoming the first port of call for views, insights and information about the historic and modern culture of Cornwall. The role of the Grand Bard and Deputy Grand Bard of Cornwall has grown considerably over the years and on behalf of the College of Bards they continue to be aware of and speak on behalf of Bards about current affairs and developments in the worlds of culture, business and politics in Cornwall and beyond.
In view of the fast moving nature of today’s media savvy world we have decided to make some changes to Gorsedh Kernow’s use of the website and social media. Pat Miller, Myrgh Jowna, Gorsedh Kernow’s web manager, has stepped down from this role and the Gorsedh Council, on behalf of all fellow Bards, wishes to thank Pat most sincerely for all her hard work with the website over the past ten years or more. She has diligently maintained a web presence for Gorsedh Kernow with an unfailing attention to detail for which we are very grateful.
Work is nowunderway on the design and content of a new website which will be updated more frequently and will give easy access to current information while retaining access to the old website as a valuable archive resource. The aim is to draw all the “satellite” sites, such as Holyer an Gof and the Esedhvos Festival, together under one main access point and to create new features such as a shop and at some point in the future a gallery of photographs. In order to ensure a smooth transition to the new site if you have any news items you wish to submit for consideration please send them to Mark Dungey, Donsyor Lanust, who has kindly agreed to act as temporary website manager. His email address is
We hope to launch the new website in time for St Piran’s Day.
There is also a very exciting new project in the pipeline featuringa major series of events which will be known as “The Gorsedh Kernow ‘Do Something for Cornwall’ Challenge 2015”.The project will be launched by Bardh Meur on St Pirans Day when she delivers her message from the steps of Truro Cathedral following the St Pirans Day Parade on Thursday 5th March, so please keep it under wraps until then. (Details of the parade are in the Diary dates below.) Events will spread across the year and there will be opportunities for all Bards to take part, whether you are in Cornwall, England, Europe or the rest of the world, so do please join in. You just need to send me details of the event and include the Bardic contact name, email and/or telephone number.
The project revolves around the fact that Bards of Gorsedh Kernow work incredibly hard for Cornwall but not often in the name of Gorsedh Kernow. In order to raise the profile of the Gorsedh and Cornwall’s Minority Status we intend to try and change that!If you are involved in any project, or are prepared to organise a new project that meets the aspirations of Gorsedh Kernow to maintain the Celtic Spirit of Cornwall and can be interpreted as “Doing Something for Cornwall” then we would love to hear from you, as soon as you can please. We are particularly interested in projects that demonstrate the skills and knowledge that Bardships are often awarded for and that are open to others to join in. Eventscan be built around existing Gorsedh Kernow events and ceremonies and your projects do not have to be grand affairs as long as you are “Doing Something for Cornwall” and others are taking part.
Here are a few ideas….
-Teach or help teach a beginners group a few phrases in Cornish as part of a wider talk
-Offer to help your local café create a menu in Cornish (MAGA can help with this)
-Teach or help teach a group of young people to surf or learn Cornish wrasslin’
-Ask your choir to learn a few songs in Cornish or about Cornwall to add to the choir’s repertoire (the An Daras website is very useful as a resource)
-Ask your dance group to learn a couple of Cornish dances (again look at the An Daras website)
-Bake a batch of homemade Cornish pasties and post a picture of them on your Facebook page under the caption “Gorsedh Kernow - Doing Something for Cornwall!”
-Design a “Gorsedh Kernow - Doing Something for Cornwall!” logo for a tee shirt and send your design to the Gorsedh Kernow Facebook page
-Devise a walk round your town or village giving points of interest. Use Cornish place names as well if you can
-Invite your friends and neighbours round for a Cornish cream tea to raise funds for a Cornish charity such as Penhaligon’s Friends, Cornish Heritage Trust or the Gorsedh Kernow Endowment Fund
-Support your local Old Cornwall Society events, monthly talks, midsummer bonfire, Crying the Neck ceremony
To give you some idea of the scope of the project there is a list of events with this newsletter which are already in the pipeline for the Spring. There will be events in Cornwall, London, Wales and hopefully any placewhere there are Bards of Gorsedh Kernow. I’m sure you will have plenty of your own ideas, but we really do need your help please to make this a success.
Please send details of your event or email me for further information (including suggestions for potential projects) to Delia Brotherton, Myrghwyn Melynor, email
There will be a press release announcing the project so please do not advertise it just yet.Regular updates will appear in the Gorsedh Kernow newsletter, on the new website, on our Facebook page and in the press so keep a lookout for the latest news about this project. Also, we will need feedback about your event so we can tell everyone else how people are “Doing Something for Cornwall.”
Gwarnyans an Orsedh dhe Ostel ha KKB /Gorsedh Proclamation at St Austell and AGM
This will be on Saturday 11th Aprilat 11am and the Procession of Bards will leave St Johns Methodist Church Hall, Bodmin Road (B3274), St Austell, PL25 5AE at 10.30am (adjacent to Priory Road carpark PL25 5AB).
9.30am Robing in St Johns Methodist Church Hall, all Bards to be robed by 10.30am.
The procession will go through the town via Fore Street, High Cross Street and up a slight slope to Cemetery Park, formerly the High Cross Cemetery, which is opposite the railway station. The walk is quite a long way but flat apart from the entrance toCemetery Park which is on slightly sloping ground and may be a little slippery if damp, so appropriate footwear is recommended. There is paid for parking nearby in Priory Road Car Park.
Please note that this is a different venue to the one where the Gorsedh ceremony will be held in September.
The Gorsedh Kernow AGM will take place at 1pm on the same day in St Johns Methodist Church Hall after the Proclamation ceremony. This is in place of the usual date in June. You are welcome to bring your own lunch.
St. Austell is a bustling market town often referred to as the capital of the Cornish Alps. William Cookworthydiscovered the clay in 1755, and with the opening of the pits to mine the clay St. Austell’s population and prosperity soon began to grow. Kao-Lin, an essential ingredient in the manufacture of porcelain, had previously only been found in northern China. Today Cornwall still exports clay, which is also used to produce paint, paper and in some medicines. St Austell is home to the Eden Project, The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Wheal Martyn,St Austell Brewery and the RoselandObservatory.
In 1793, the government approved a new burial ground in High Cross Street, St Austell. Land described as “High Cross Field and Enclosure” was purchased from William Flamank for £38-17s. Flamank also received three fields known locally as Polkeys (presumably Polkyth) from the Parish Council in exchange for the High Cross Field. At this stage only the area already enclosed by a stone wall was to be used for burials while the rest of the land was to be used as a “public fair place”. By the 1870s a completely new cemetery was needed and a four acre site was purchased at Watering Hill (Alexandra Road) at a cost of £2,500. In the 1960s all the tombstones at High Cross Cemetery were moved back to the surrounding walls. In 2008 the whole area was given a facelift and was landscaped as part of a regeneration scheme to create a Town Park – Cemetery Park - with newly designed wrought-iron gates and a central sundial.
Messach dhyworth Gwythyas Melyn, Kaslewydh/ A message from Mike Millard, Chief Marshal
There were some personal items left at Torpoint after the Gorsedh ceremony including a blue cardigan and a folding walking stick. If either or both items belong to you please contact Mike Millard to arrange their return.
Dydh specyal dhe’n Oratri Piran / A special day at the St Piran’s Oratory
Gwythyades an Log, Eileen Carter has confirmed some exciting news! BBC Songs of Praise will be filming at St Piran’s Oratory at 2pm on Saturday 7th February and it is hoped that the programme will be broadcast on television on Sunday 1st March. Our little oratory is at last receiving the same recognition as a cathedral! We hope you will come along and be part of the congregation. Bardh Meur Steren Morwill be there giving a reading and all are welcome.
The Oratory is flooded at the moment but this fluctuates and is probably the holy spring near the north west wall. It could reduce with a dry spell. As the dunes and the pond are still dry we assume the service will be outside the walls. We do not have any more details yet, but please come and sing for Cornwall. Parking is available once again at the Perran Sands Holiday Park, Perranporth with their kind permission. Follow their signs to reception. Left at mini roundabout into parking. Walk back to roundabout, turn left past ‘Wheal Retreat, and continue to ‘Piran Point’. Turn right through barrier and follow grit track past the cross then down to the Oratory. We do need a good turnout for this nationwide programme so please come along if you can for the filming.
Dedhyow dydhlyver / Diary dates
Tue 3rd Feb Blaise Feast, St Blazey
Sat 7th Feb Gorsedh Kernow Council meeting 11am Lys Kernow
2pm Filming at St Pirans Oratory for Songs of Praise, all welcome (see details above)
Also Lions Club Truro, 7.30pm. A Cornish evening to celebrate the birth and death of Richard Lemon Lander, Lemon Street Market. Compered by Vyajor Gans Geryow,Bert Biscoe and Mab Stenak Vur,Pol Hodge with special appearance by Mevagissey Male Voice Choir. Admission £10. Supporting Macmillan South West.
Sun 8th Feb St Kew Feast
Mon 9th Feb St Ives Feast, procession 9.30am from St Ives Guildhall, including hurling of silver ball, all welcome. Bring a Cornish flag and join the procession!
Tues 17th Feb Hurling atSt Columb (and Sat 28th Feb)
Sun 22nd Feb Porthleven Feast
Fri 27th Feb Closing date for entries to Holyer an Gof Publishers Awards
Sat 28th Feb Hurling at St Columb. World Pasty Championships, Eden Project
Sun 1st Mar 3pm Evensong for the Feast of St Piran, Perran-ar-Worthal Church.
Davidstow Feast. Gwyl Dewi Cymru – St David’s Day, Wales.
Tue 3rd March Gunwalloe Feast
Weds 4th Mar Children’s concert for St Piran, Chapel Street Methodist, Penzance
Thur 5th Mar St Piran’s Day (for other events see
Penzance Parade 10.15am from top of Causewayhead. Bardh Meur in attendance.
Bodmin Parade 11am from Lower Bore Street (assemble 10.45am outside Library) to Mount Folly stopping at the Flamank Stone. Kannas Bardh Meur in attendance.
TruroParade 1pm from Waterfall Gardens, along Boscawen Street then to High Cross where local school children will perform music and enjoy the celebrations. Bardh Meur will launch “The Gorsedh Kernow ‘Do Something for Cornwall’ Challenge 2015”.Kannas Bardh Meur also in attendance.
Perranporth beach, St Piran arrives, parade 6pm on thepromenade.
Launceston“Piping the St Piran Flag” at Launceston Castle, 6pm followed by procession through the town ending at Harvey's Bar with a night of traditional live music. Bardh Meur ha Kannas Bardh Meur in attendance.
Sat 7th March Redruth St Piran Festival. Bardh Meur in attendance.
Fri 6th – Sat 7th March 'Celebrating 1,000 Years of Cornish Architecture' conference at National Maritime Museum, Falmouth, arranged by the Cornish Buildings Group in conjunction with the Cornish Heritage Trust, Yale University Press and the National Trust.
More details and booking forms can be found on the Cornish Buildings Group website on email
Sun 8th Mar St Piran play and dunes walk 1.30pm from Gear Sands, Perranporth, parking with permission of Perran Sands Holiday Park. More information from Colin Retallick on email
Mon 16th to Sat 21stMarCornwall Music Festival, Truro Methodist Church.More info from
Tue 31st Mar Closing date for receipt of new nominations to Gorsedh Council
Sat 11th April Proclamation of forthcoming Gorsedh Kernow at St Austell, followed by AGM.
Procession of Bardsleaves St Johns Methodist Church Hall, Bodmin Road, St Austell, PL25 5AE at 10.30am prompt for a Proclamation ceremony at 11am at Cemetery Park, Priory Road, St Austell, PL25 5AB (please see above for further details). AGM at 1pm in the church hall.
Sun 12th April 3pmEaster Service for Low Sunday, Crowan Parish Church
Fri 17th to Sun 19th April Cornish language weekend, Newquay. For complete beginners through to advanced speakers of Kernewek, for residential or day visitors. Organised by Kowethas an Yeth Kernewek. More information from email or visit
Fri 24th April “Dydh Aswonvos” Recognition Day for the first anniversary of the Declaration of Minority Status for the Cornish
Sat 25th April Trevithick Day, Camborne
Mon 27th April Closing date for Gorsedh Kernow Adult competitions 2015. Entry forms can still be downloaded from the website
Tue 28th April 1pm Truro Cathedral Said Evensong in Cornish for the Feast of St Winwalloe
Wed 29th April – Mon 4th May CornwallInternational Male Voice Choral Festival, concerts, competitions, workshops and other events throughout Cornwall. Tickets on sale now. More info from the website
Kovheans – In Memory
Some sad news from Victoria, Australia. Monica Donaldson, Gwythyades an Rolyow,Keeper of the Rolls, passed away on Wednesday 26th November 2014. She was made a Bard in Truro in 2004. Her funeral was held on Thursday 4th December 2014 at White Lady Funerals, Mornington. Our condolences go out to her family and friends.
Lyther Newodhow Bardhek/Bardic Newsletter
Information to be included in the next newsletter, for May, June & July 2015, should be submitted please to Delia Brotherton, Myrghwyn Melynor, Communications Officer by email to by 15th of April.
If you have an email address and wish to receive the newsletter electronically please tell the Membership Secretary, David Holman on Although everyone receives the quarterly newsletter there are many “short notice” events that members who receive paper copy will not hear about.
The new Gorsedh Kernow website will belaunched in March and updated regularly, so to find out the very latest news, or to revisit archived material on the old website
please visit oryou can