Mysterious Britain & Ireland

Country and County: Cornwall

Legends

Penhale

The buried town of Langarroc; Legend has it that seven churches stood on land now covered by sand dunes. The town was buried in a violent storm, sent to punish the people for their wicked ways.

Ancient human skeletons have been found in the area, adding substance that there was a settlement here in the distant past.

English Fairies / Fairies / Folklore / Hauntings

Willy Wilcock’s Hole

Willy Wilcock’s Hole is a cave said to be haunted by a fisherman of the same name who was transported to the fairy kingdom. He is still searching his way home after all this time. On wild nights his cries can be heard mingling in the wind.

Ancient Sites / Legends / Wells

St Neot Holy Well

The holy well at St Neot was once said to be the home of two holy fishes.

There is a story attached to these fish, it is said that one of the local priests had a vision, in which an angel told him that if he took one fish from the well every day to eat, there would always be a replacement the next day.

Ancient Sites / Wells

Altarnun Holy Well

A holy well can be found at Altarnun dedicated to Saint Non (also known as Nonna or Nonnita), along with a nearby church. As with many ancient wells, this one is reputed to have healing properties, this time madness.

Ancient Sites / Burial Mounds

Chun Quoit

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Chun Quoit is one of the most recognisable of the Bronze Age burial cairns in the Penwith area.

Directions: On a footpath from a minor road off the B3306.

Ancient Sites / Early Christianity / Standing Stones

King Doniert’s Stone

Two granite slabs carved with latin inscriptions and intricate patterns, lie near the edge of Bodmin Moor.The stones are the remains of crosses, and are associated with King Doniert (Durngarth) of Cornwall who drowned in AD 875 in the river Fowey.

Fairies / Folklore / Legends / Mermaids

Zennor Church

Zennor Church is the home of the Zennor Mermaid, depicted in carvings in Zennor Church. According to legend, Mathew Trewella was a squire’s son who was a gifted singer. One day he was singing by the shore so sweetly that a mermaid was compelled out of the water. Mathew succumbed to her otherworldly charms and was lost forever.

Ancient Sites / Early Christianity / Wells

Bodmin

Bodmin means the house of the monks, and this was an ecclesiastical town until the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII.

The original monastery dedicated to St Petroc was founded in the 6th Century. St Petroc’s bones are believed to be kept in an ivory casket in the crypt of St Petroc’s Church.

Ancient Sites / Giants / Legends

Carn Brea

Carn Brea was occupied from 3,900BC, and was protected from attack by stone ramparts. Archaeological evidence shows the settlement was attacked and burned down at some point in its history. Hoards of Celtic coins have also been found on the hill during excavation.

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English Fairies / Fairies / Folklore

The Piskies of Cornwall

There are a number of creatures particular to Cornish folklore, although their cousins can be found elsewhere in Britain under a different name and guise. One of these strains is the Piskie also known as a Pixie in other West Country counties.

The Piskie is a general name for a fairy race or tribe in Cornwall.