Bolitho ( , kw, Bosleythow) is a village in west
Cornwall
Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...
, and a Cornish surname. The Bolitho Family own large estates in west
Cornwall
Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...
, England, United Kingdom.
The name ''Bolitho'' comes from the
Cornish language words ''bos'', meaning 'dwelling', and ''Leythow'', a personal name.
There is also a place called Bolitho in the civil parish of
Menheniot
Menheniot (pronounced Men-en-yut; kw, Mahynyet) is a civil parish and village in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The village is southeast of Liskeard. The meaning of the name is "sanctuary of Neot" (from ''minihi'' and ''Neot'').
Menheniot ...
.
Bolitho family
The
surname Bolitho derives from this place. Some of the Bolithos were ″merchant princes″, the Bolitho family's growth to prominence started with Thomas Bolitho (1765–1868). The family were initially tanners, who moved into lime-burning and tin smelting before becoming bankers. The Bolitho Bank eventually merged with
Barclays in 1905, with
William Bolitho becoming the director of Barclays.
The arms of Bolitho are "Ermine on a plain chevron five bezants between two chevronels engrailed and three fleurs–de–lis Sable", with the motto "Re deu". The Paschal lamb in the borough arms of
Penzance derives from the tin smelting mark used by the Bolithos of
Gulval
Gulval ( kw, Lannystli) is a village in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. Although historically a parish in its own right, Gulval was incorporated into the parishes of Ludgvan, Madron and Penzance in 1934, and is now considered to be a subur ...
.
The Old Inn, a public house in
Gulval Churchtown, was given to the
Coldstream Guards
The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the monarchy; due to this, it often participates in state ceremonia ...
Association in memory of Capt. Michael Lempriere Bolitho and renamed "The Coldstreamer" (Capt. Bolitho was killed on
HMS ''Walney'', a Royal Navy sloop; her task was to crash through the boom at the entrance to
Oran Harbour in
Operation Torch on 8 November 1942).
Sergeant Richard Bolitho, born 19 January, 1920, was a gunner in World War II and was one of the famous
Dambusters of
No. 617 Squadron RAF which carried out the raids on the German dams. Bolitho was killed, along with the rest of the crew, when their
Avro Lancaster bomber crashed on the outward journey.
An independent school in Penzance,
Bolitho School, closed in 2017.
References
External links
Villages in Cornwall
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