Mitchell (sometimes known as Michael or St Michael's) is a village in mid

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. It is situated 14 miles (22 km) northeast of

Redruth Redruth ( , kw, Resrudh) is a town and civil parishes in Cornwall, civil parish in Cornwall, England. The population of Redruth was 14,018 at the 2011 census. In the same year the population of the Camborne-Redruth urban area, which also inc ...

and 17 miles (27 km) west-southwest of

Bodmin Bodmin () is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated south-west of Bodmin Moor. The extent of the civil parish corresponds fairly closely to that of the town so is mostly urban in character. It is bordere ...

on the A30 trunk road. Mitchell straddles the old course of the A30 road but a

dual carriageway A dual carriageway ( BE) or divided highway ( AE) is a class of highway with carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation (BrE) or median (AmE). Roads with two or more carriageways which are ...

bypass now carries the traffic north of the village. A 16th-century

coaching inn The coaching inn (also coaching house or staging inn) was a vital part of Europe's inland transport infrastructure until the development of the railway, providing a resting point ( layover) for people and horses. The inn served the needs of tra ...

called the Plume of Feathers stands in the main street.

History

The original name was La Medeshole and the first recorded mention of the village was in a court case in 1234 establishing the legal status of an annual market on St Francis's Day. A chapel of St Francis for the use of wayfarers existed from 1239 until its destruction at the Reformation. The right to hold a fair on the Feast of Saint Francis was granted to the Lord of the Manor by Henry III in 1239 along with a market, and by 1302 both fair and market were being held in Mitchell, and "The Lord's Fair" was still being celebrated in 1499. From the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

on, the borough of Mitchell elected two members to the

Unreformed House of Commons "Unreformed House of Commons" is a name given to the House of Commons of Great Britain and (after 1800 the House of Commons of the United Kingdom) before it was reformed by the Reform Act 1832, the Irish Reform Act 1832, and the Scottish Reform ...

but was disenfranchised by the

Reform Act 1832 The Representation of the People Act 1832 (also known as the 1832 Reform Act, Great Reform Act or First Reform Act) was an Act of Parliament, Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom (indexed as 2 & 3 Will. IV c. 45) that introduced major chan ...

Walter Raleigh Sir Walter Raleigh (; – 29 October 1618) was an English statesman, soldier, writer and explorer. One of the most notable figures of the Elizabethan era, he played a leading part in English colonisation of North America, suppressed rebellion ...

and

Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, (1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852) was an Anglo-Irish soldier and Tory statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures of 19th-century Britain, serving twice as prime minister o ...

were both MPs representing Mitchell. Due to its central mid-Cornwall location, Mitchell is seen by many as the "go to" location of Cornish cycling. The Mitchell Cycling Club (MCC) was formed in 2016 to capitalise on the local demand and talent. At

Carland Cross Carland Cross is a location in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, about six miles (10 kilometres) north of Truro at OS grid reference . At Carland Cross there are a hamlet, a road junction and a large wind farm. The road junction is in the civi ...

, a mile west of Mitchell, there are

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...

burial mounds A tumulus (plural tumuli) is a mound of Soil, earth and Rock (geology), stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds or ''kurgans'', and may be found throughout much of the world. A cairn, which is a ...

and flint arrow heads have been found in local fields.

The Folk Cottage

Mitchell's fame spread during the British folk music revival in the mid-1960s when a

folk club A folk club is a regular event, permanent venue, or section of a venue devoted to folk music and traditional music. Folk clubs were primarily an urban phenomenon of 1960s and 1970s Great Britain and Ireland, and vital to the second British folk r ...

opened in the village. Named called 'The Folk Cottage' (because it was housed in a semi-derelict farm cottage) it staged both evening concerts and thrice-weekly 'after midnight' sessions. The Folk Cottage became known throughout the UK and played a key part in the burgeoning 1960s folk music and beatnik scene in Cornwall. The Folk Cottage provided a springboard for many performers who would later become nationally known including

Wizz Jones Raymond Ronald Jones (born 25 April 1939), better-known as Wizz Jones, is an English acoustic guitarist, singer and songwriter. He was born in Thornton Heath, Surrey, England and has been performing since the late 1950s and sound recording an ...

Jacqui McShee Jacqueline 'Jacqui' McShee (born 25 December 1943) is an English singer. Since 1966 she has performed with Pentangle, a jazz-influenced folk rock band. Biography McShee was born in Catford, South London. Her musical career began as a soloist in ...

Clive Palmer Clive Frederick Palmer (born 26 March 1954) is an Australian businessman and politician. He has iron ore, nickel, and coal holdings. Palmer owns many businesses such as Mineralogy, Waratah Coal, Queensland Nickel at Townsville, the Palmer C ...

(co-founder of

The Incredible String Band The Incredible String Band (sometimes abbreviated as ISB) were a Scottish psychedelic folk band formed by Clive Palmer (musician), Clive Palmer, Robin Williamson and Mike Heron in Edinburgh in 1966. The band built a considerable following, esp ...

), and

Ralph McTell Ralph McTell (born Ralph May, 3 December 1944) is an English singer-songwriter and acoustic guitar player who has been an influential figure on the UK folk music scene since the 1960s. McTell is best known for his song " Streets of London" (19 ...

. Ralph McTell official website; Retrieved April 2010

References

{{authority control Villages in Cornwall

History

The Folk Cottage

See also

References