Female forenames in 1500

We’ve identified the most popular forenames given to boys in Cornwall around 1500. But to do the same for girls presents us with a data problem. The lay subsidy lists of 1524/25 that were used to identify male names include far fewer females. In fact, only 143 in the eight (out of nine) Cornish hundreds where the records are available. This contrasts with 1.123 men in Penwith alone.

http://bernarddeacon.com/2026/03/20/female-forenames-in-1500/

What do forenames tell us about Cornish distinctiveness in 1500?

http://bernarddeacon.com/2026/03/14/choosing-boysnames-circa-1500-part-2/

Male first names in 16th century Cornwall

There’s a lot of material on this site about surnames, their type, their frequency, their geography and what they tell us about the Cornish language. But there’s not much about forenames or baptismal names. Forenames tell us nothing about those who bear them but can reveal considerable information about those who bestow them and on the society in which they are given.

http://bernarddeacon.com/2026/03/13/male-first-names-in-16th-century-cornwall/

How reliable were early 20th century motor bikes?

http://bernarddeacon.com/2026/03/10/the-reliability-of-early-motor-bikes/

Overtourism in Cornwall. In 1920?

http://bernarddeacon.com/2026/03/07/house-farming-an-old-cornish-tradition/

St Piran’s Day: a timeless re-invention

Who was Piran or Perran and why is he celebrated? The actual St Piran, if there ever was one, proves to be a little elusive. The cult of Piran was venerated at Perranzabuloe in the eleventh century and spread to other sites at an early date. But the Life of Piran, written in the 1200s, 700 years after Piran was supposed to have lived, was plagiarised from the…

http://bernarddeacon.com/2026/03/05/st-pirans-day-a-timeless-re-invention/

Further light on 'Hard times at Advent'

http://bernarddeacon.com/2026/03/01/hard-times-at-advent-2/

Cornwall’s last food riot: the Redruth butter riot of 1920

Today is the 106th anniversary of the Redruth butter riot of 1920. Let’s disinter it from the graveyard of history. West Briton, 4 March 1920 During the first World War, the price of various foodstuffs was controlled by the Government. By 1920, it had been decided to end this control, with milk and butter prices being left to the open market at the end of January.

http://bernarddeacon.com/2026/02/27/cornwalls-last-food-riot-the-redruth-butter-riot-of-1920/