Canada has had a close connection with Cornwall since the first Cornish people emigrated to Canada in the 16th C arriving on the coast of Newfoundland. It is estimated that in Canada there are about 20,000 people today that have Cornish Ancestry including many well-known Canadians. Cornwall, Ontario was named in 1797 after King George III ‘s son, Prince George Duke of Cornwall. The Coat of Arms for the city is based on that of the Duchy of Cornwall, England.
On a tour around Cornwall there is plenty to discover about your Cornish ancestors from the quaint fishing villages along its 643km coastline, the villages and churches inland, to the harbours such as Falmouth and Penzance where the ships sailed from to Canada across the Atlantic Ocean. In Falmouth the National Maritime Museum offers an insight into what life was like on those early ships crossing the sea. Visit Truro, the only city in Cornwall with its beautiful Gothic Cathedral, that is one of only 3 cathedrals in the UK that has 3 spires.
Throughout the county there are reminders of the tin mining industry, which was so important to the Cornish economy, the decline of the mining industry in the 19th C was the catalyst for so many Cornish miners to leave and find work in North America.
The Levant Mine and Beam Engine near St Just with its restored 1840s beam engine is part of the Cornish Mining World Heritage Site, owned by the National Trust it is a great place to visit and discover how Cornish miners and engineers helped shape the modern world. Fans of the Poldark BBC television series will also recognise it as Tressiders Rolling Mill, just one of the iconic and beautiful Cornish locations used in the filming of the popular drama series.
Cornwall and Canada both have a close connection to the sea and fishing, every year in Falmouth, Cornwall the International Sea Shanty Festival takes place. It is one of the biggest maritime music festivals in Europe, with free to attend performances from over 60 groups from all over the UK, Canada, Brittany, Holland, Spain and Ireland. In 2020 the Festival will be held from 12th-14th June.
Based in Truro, Cornwall’s cathedral city, we offer a full travel service for groups both large and small in Cornwall, London and throughout the UK and Ireland. We also specialise in individual luxury tours and are happy to work with travel agents and tour operators too.
As the official partner of Visit Cornwall, the local Tourist Board, we take care of everything from itineraries, accommodation, transport, guides and much more. With an unrivalled local knowledge and a network of trusted partners we offer a 5-star service.
For more information or a no obligation quote please contact us.
The surname Chynoweth originated in Cornwall, it means ‘new house’ in Cornish – chy nowydh, there is also a village with the same name. Elizabeth Chynoweth and the Chynoweth family are characters in the popular novel and television series, Poldark written by Winston Graham. Famous Canadians with the surname are Ed Chynoweth who was the president of the Western Hockey League and the Canadian Hockey League and his sons Dean Chynoweth, a National Hockey League player and Jeff Chynoweth the General Manager of the team Calgary Hitmen.
Yeo is another surname which originates from the South West of England, mainly from Devon and Somerset, where the word means ‘river’. James Yeo Senior 1789-1868 was a Cornish shipbuilder from the village of Kilkhampton, Cornwall, he emigrated to Canada where he became a politician. His sons James and John Yeo were also politicians representing Prince County.
Claude Ernest Dolman (1906-1994) was a famous scientist who was born in the quaint fishing village of Porthleven, Cornwall and emigrated to Canada in the 1930s. He held posts at the University of Toronto and the University of British Columbia, he was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 1947.
Another surname associated with Cornwall is Pascoe, James Pascoe (1863-1931) a farmer and politician in Saskatchewan was born in Cornwall and emigrated to Canada with his parents in the 1870s, his son James Ernest Pascoe was an MP for Moose Jaw.
