Cornish Canadians are Canadians of Cornish descent, including those who were born in Cornwall. The number of Canadian citizens of Cornish descent cannot be determined through census statistics, though speculative estimates place the population as high as 20,000.

History

Early arrivals

It is recorded that the first Cornish to reach what is now Canadian soil did in the 16th century, reaching the coast of

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

, part of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Bruce Mines

Cornish emigrants settled the area around

Bruce Mines Bruce Mines is a town in the Canadian province of Ontario, located on the north shore of Lake Huron in the Algoma District along Highway 17. The town of Bruce Mines had a population of 582 residents in 2016. The current mayor of Bruce Mines is L ...

starting in 1842. Located on the north shore of

Lake Huron Lake Huron ( ) is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. Hydrology, Hydrologically, it comprises the easterly portion of Lake Michigan–Huron, having the same surface elevation as Lake Michigan, to which it is connected by the , Strait ...

, the area had been associated with the native copper used by indigenous people, whose copper working in the upper Great Lakes dates back to the Old Copper complex. With the spread of knowledge of copper in the area among Europeans, a copper mine opened in 1846, with many local Cornish settlers being recruited to work there. This was the first copper mine in Canada. Around this time, there was a depression in the Cornish mining industry, which contributed to the volume of people participating in the Cornish "Great Migration", the outflow of emigrants primarily to English-speaking colonies such as Canada and Australia. In 1848, a barque carrying fifty Cornish emigrants, mostly from the Hayle area, along with a stationary steam engine (built in a foundry at

Copperhouse Copperhouse is an eastern suburb of Hayle 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 peopl ...

) and assortment of Cornish ore processing equipment, left the Port of Hayle bound for Montreal. The arrival of Cornish skilled workers and industrial equipment allowed the owners of the Bruce Mines to rapidly scale up mechanization of their operations.

Notable people

* Frank Andrews (1854-after 1890), member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly * Elizabeth Arden (1878-1966), businesswoman *

Arthur James Bater Arthur James Bater (29 December 1889 – 5 April 1969) was an English-Canadian politician and farmer. He was elected to the House of Commons of Canada in the 1949 election and defeated in the 1953 election. External links * 1889 births ...

(1889-1969), MP for The Battlefords * Truman Smith Baxter (1867-1931), mayor of Vancouver *

Rick Blight Richard Derek Blight (October 17, 1955 – April 3, 2005) was a professional hockey player. A native of Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, Blight had a long and varied hockey career as a Right wing for teams in the National Hockey League (NHL), Ce ...

(1955-2005), hockey player *

Marie Bottrell Marie Diane Bottrell (born 1961) is a Canadian country music singer and songwriter. Bottrell released many singles which appeared on Canadian country music charts, and has received multiple Country Female Vocalist of the Year nominations. Early ...

(born 1961), country music singer * Frederick Buscombe (1862-1938), Mayor of Vancouver * Dick Cherry (born 1937), hockey player * Don Cherry (born 1934), hockey player and commentator *

Dean Chynoweth Dean E. Chynoweth (born October 30, 1968) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League for the New York Islanders and the Boston Bruins. Drafted 13th overall by the Islanders in the 1987 NHL En ...

(born 1968), hockey player *

Ed Chynoweth Edward Chynoweth (December 14, 1941 – April 22, 2008) was a Canadian ice hockey executive. He served as president of the Western Hockey League and the Canadian Hockey League for over 20 years each. He was also a league director, team own ...

(1941-2008), hockey owner * H. P. P. Crease (1823-1905), member of the British Columbia Supreme Court *

William Dennis William Dennis (4 March 1856 – 11 July 1920) was an Independent Conservative member of the Senate of Canada. He was born in the English county of Cornwall and became an editor, journalist and publisher. Biography Introduction William D ...

(1856-1920), member of the Senate of Canada *

Claude Ernest Dolman Claude Ernest Dolman (23 May 1906 – 15 December 1994) was an English-born Canadian academic and microbiologist. Born in Porthleven, Cornwall, Dolman received his medical education from St Mary's Hospital Medical School in London. His teacher ...

(1906-1994), scientist *

John Eyre John Eyre may refer to: Politicians *John Eyre (died 1581), Member of Parliament for Wiltshire and Salisbury *John Eyre (died 1639), MP for Cricklade * John Eyre (1659–1709), MP for Galway Borough, son of the above *John Eyre (died 1745), MP for ...

(1824-1871), member of the Ontario Legislative Assembly *

Thomas Greenway Thomas Greenway (March 25, 1838 – October 30, 1908) was a Canadian politician, merchant and farmer. He served as the seventh premier of Manitoba from 1888 to 1900. A Liberal, his ministry formally ended Manitoba's non-partisan government, al ...

(1838-1908), Premier of Manitoba * Wilfred Grenfell (1865-1940), Episcopal missionary * W.O. Hamley (1818-1907), civil and naval officer * Derek Holman (born 1931), composer *

Arthur Lobb Arthur John Lobb (July 26, 1871—July 4, 1928) was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1915 to 1920, as a member of the Liberal Party. Lobb was born in Cornwall, United Kingdom, the son of J ...

(1871-1928), member of the Manitoba Legislative Assembly * Samuel A. Mitchell (1874-1960), astronomer * R. J. M. Parker (1881-1948), Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan *

Robert Parkyn Robert Henry Parkyn (November 19, 1862 – June 13, 1939) was a municipal and provincial level politician and tradesman in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Early life Parkyn was born in Cornwall, United Kingdom on November 19, 1862 to William and ...

(1862-1939), member of the Alberta Legislative Assembly *

James Pascoe James Pascoe (November 29, 1863 – September 7, 1931) was a British-born farmer and political figure in Saskatchewan. He represented Moose Jaw City in the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan from 1921 to 1925 as an independent Conservative. B ...

(1863-1931), member of the Saskatchewan Legislative Assembly *

J. Ernest Pascoe James Ernest Pascoe (August 7, 1900 – November 15, 1972) was a Canadian politician, farmer and journalist. Born in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, the son of James Pascoe and Mary Olton, he was unsuccessful in his first two bids for the position of M ...

(1900-1972), Member of Parliament for Moose Jaw—Lake Centre *

Nigel Pengelly Nigel Ian Pengelly (May 29, 1925 – July 3, 2010) was a provincial level politician from Alberta, Canada. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1979 to 1989. He sat in the back benches of the governing Progressive Co ...

(1925-2010), member of the Alberta Legislative Assembly *

Robert Terrill Rundle Robert Terrill Rundle (18 June 1811 – 4 February 1896) was a Cornish Wesleyan Methodist missionary from Cornwall, UK. His most noteworthy activities relate to his missionary work in Western Canada between 1840 and 1848. Early life Rundl ...

(1811-1896), Methodist missionary * John Teague (1833-1902), architect and mayor of Victoria * Francis W. Thomas (1834-1900), banker and philanthropist * John Tucker Williams (1789-1854), naval officer * Victor Williams (1867-1949), general * James Yeo. Sr. (1789-1868), member of the Prince Edward Island Legislative Assembly * James Yeo, Jr. (1827-1903), Member of Parliament for Prince County *

John Yeo John Yeo (29 June 1837 – 14 December 1924) was a Canadian farmer, ship builder and parliamentarian. Yeo was born in Port Hill, Prince Edward Island, the son of James Yeo and Damaris Sargent, and educated in England.English Canadian * Cornish people#Canada

References

* Encyclopedia of Canada's Peoples
"Cornish."
Multicultural Canada.

History

Early arrivals

Bruce Mines

Notable people

References

Further reading