The Iron Age Celts who settled in Cornwall from about 500 BC introduced a Celtic language which survived the coming of Anglo-Saxons and was still spoken until the 18 century. Dolly Pentreath, popularly supposed to have been the last person to speak Cornish as her native language, died in Mousehole in 1777.
In recent times there have been attempts to revive and preserve the ancient tongue; meanwhile its legacy is apparent in countless place-names.
alt – cliff
bal – mine, minework
brea – hill
dynas – hill-fort
efan – spacious, vast
eglos – church
glyn – deep valley
hayl – estuary
leven – level, even
men – ancient stone
morva – seaside
pen – head, top
pol – pool, anchorage
porth – harbour, cove
pras – pasture
ruan – river
towan – sand dune
tre – home, village
tyr – land
wheal – a minework
We are the only specialist full service inbound tour operator and DMC for Cornwall & the Isles of Scilly catering for groups large and small, as well as luxury travel for individuals.
