List of Cornish writers
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This is a list of writers in English and Cornish, who are associated with
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 Cornish linguists ( kw, Rol a skriforyon Kernewek). Not all of them are native
Cornish people The Cornish people or Cornish ( kw, Kernowyon, ang, Cornƿīelisċ) are an ethnic group native to, or associated with Cornwall: and a recognised national minority in the United Kingdom, which can trace its roots to the ancient Britons w ...
. Some Cornish writers have reached a high level of prominence, e.g.
William Golding Sir William Gerald Golding (19 September 1911 – 19 June 1993) was a British novelist, playwright, and poet. Best known for his debut novel ''Lord of the Flies'' (1954), he published another twelve volumes of fiction in his lifetime. In 1980 ...
, who won the
Nobel Prize for literature ) , image = Nobel Prize.png , caption = , awarded_for = Outstanding contributions in literature , presenter = Swedish Academy , holder = Annie Ernaux (2022) , location = Stockholm, Sweden , year = 1901 , ...
(in 1983),
D. M. Thomas Donald Michael Thomas (born 27 January 1935), is a British poet, translator, novelist, editor, biographer and playwright. His work has been translated into 30 languages. Working primarily as a poet throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Thomas's 1981 ...
who won the
Cheltenham Prize for Literature The Cheltenham Prize is awarded at the English Cheltenham Literature Festival to the author of any book published in the relevant year which "has received less acclaim than it deserved". Past winners *1979: Angela Carter for ''The Bloody Chamber ...
and
Arthur Quiller-Couch Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch (; 21 November 186312 May 1944) was a British writer who published using the pseudonym Q. Although a prolific novelist, he is remembered mainly for the monumental publication '' The Oxford Book of English Verse 1 ...
("Q"). Some of the "incomers" have written extensively about Cornwall and the Cornish, e.g.
Daphne du Maurier Dame Daphne du Maurier, Lady Browning, (; 13 May 1907 – 19 April 1989) was an English novelist, biographer and playwright. Her parents were actor-manager Sir Gerald du Maurier and his wife, actress Muriel Beaumont. Her grandfather was Geor ...
, who went as far as joining
Mebyon Kernow Mebyon Kernow – The Party for Cornwall (, MK; Cornish for ''Sons of Cornwall'') is a Cornish nationalist, centre-left political party in Cornwall, in southwestern Britain. It currently has five elected councillors on Cornwall Council, and s ...
.


Historians and scholars

See List of Cornish historians


Novelists

*
Denys Val Baker Denys Val Baker (24 October 1917 – 6 July 1984) was a Welsh writer, specialising in short stories, novels, and autobiography. He was also known for his activities as an editor, and promotion of the arts in Cornwall. Early years Born Denys Ba ...
, novelist and writer * A. P. Bateman, thriller writer and bestselling author * Wilfred Bennetto, writer of the first full-length novel in Cornish * Janie Bolitho, crime writer *
W. J. Burley William John Burley (1 August 1914 – 15 November 2002) was a British crime writer, best known for his books featuring the detective Charles Wycliffe, which became the basis of the popular television series ''Wycliffe (TV series), Wycliffe'', ...
, Wycliffe series *
Jack Clemo Reginald John Clemo (11 March 1916 – 25 July 1994) was a British poet and writer who was strongly associated both with his native Cornwall and his strong Christian belief. His work was considered to be visionary and inspired by the rugged Corn ...
, poet *
Myrna Combellack Myrna May Combellack is a British academic researcher and writer of the Institute of Cornish Studies (in the Charles Thomas era), translator of ''Beunans Meriasek'' and author of several works of fiction. Early life She graduated in English from ...
, novelist and scholar * Michael J Darracott, writer, lived in Newlyn *
Daphne du Maurier Dame Daphne du Maurier, Lady Browning, (; 13 May 1907 – 19 April 1989) was an English novelist, biographer and playwright. Her parents were actor-manager Sir Gerald du Maurier and his wife, actress Muriel Beaumont. Her grandfather was Geor ...
*
Martin Fido Martin Austin Fido (18 October 1939 – 2 April 2019) was a university professor, true crime writer and broadcaster. His many books include ''The Crimes, Detection and Death of Jack the Ripper'', ''The Official Encyclopedia of Scotland Yard'', ' ...
. crime writer *
Patrick Gale Patrick Evelyn Hugh Sadler Gale (born 31 January 1962) is a British novelist. Early life Gale was born in 1962 on the Isle of Wight, the youngest of four children. His father was the prison governor of HM Prison Camp Hill on the Isle of Wight, ...
*
Robert Goddard Robert Hutchings Goddard (October 5, 1882 – August 10, 1945) was an American engineer, professor, physicist, and inventor who is credited with creating and building the world's first Liquid-propellant rocket, liquid-fueled rocket. ...
*
William Golding Sir William Gerald Golding (19 September 1911 – 19 June 1993) was a British novelist, playwright, and poet. Best known for his debut novel ''Lord of the Flies'' (1954), he published another twelve volumes of fiction in his lifetime. In 1980 ...
, Nobel laureate *
Winston Graham Winston Mawdsley Graham OBE, born Winston Grime (30 June 1908 – 10 July 2003), was an English novelist best known for the Poldark series of historical novels set in Cornwall, though he also wrote numerous other works, including contemporary ...
,
Poldark ''Poldark'' is a series of historical novels by Winston Graham, published from 1945 to 1953 and continued from 1973 to 2002. The first novel, '' Ross Poldark'', was named for the protagonist of the series. The novel series was adapted twice fo ...
series *
Tim Heald Tim Villiers Heald FRSL (28 January 1944 – 20 November 2016) was a British author, biographer, journalist and public speaker. Life and writings Heald was born in Dorchester, Dorset, England, and educated at Sherborne School, Dorset, and Balliol ...
*
Joseph Hocking Joseph Hocking (7 November 1860 – 4 March 1937) was a Cornish people, Cornish novelist and United Methodist Free Churches, United Methodist Free Church minister. Life Hocking was born at St Stephen-in-Brannel, Cornwall, to James Hocking, ...
, author and preacher *
Silas Hocking Silas Kitto Hocking (24 March 1850 – 15 September 1935) was a British novelist and Methodist preacher. He is known for his novel for youth called ''Her Benny'' (1879), which was a best-seller. Biography Hocking was born at St Stephen-in-Bra ...
, author and preacher * Ann Kelley *
Alan M. Kent Alan M. Kent (1967 – 20 July 2022) was a Cornish poet, dramatist, novelist, editor, academic and teacher. He was the author of a number of works on Cornish and Anglo-Cornish literature. Kent was born in 1967 in St Austell, Cornwall and died ...
, poet, novelist and scholar *
John le Carré David John Moore Cornwell (19 October 193112 December 2020), better known by his pen name John le Carré ( ), was a British and Irish author, best known for his espionage novels, many of which were successfully adapted for film or television. ...
* Charles Lee, (1870–1956) * Katharine Lee (Kitty Lee Jenner, 1854–1936) * Herman Cyril McNeile, "Sapper", novelist *
Jessica Mann Jessica Mann (13 September 1937 – 10 July 2018) was a British writer and novelist. She also wrote several non-fiction books, including ''Out of Harm's Way'', an account of the overseas evacuation of children from Britain in World War II. Biog ...
, crime writer *
Charlotte Mary Matheson Charlotte Mary Matheson (died 8 April 1937 in Cornwall, England) was an English novelist. She wrote ''The Generation Between'' (1915), ''Children of the Desolate'' (1916), ''Morwenna of the Green Gown'' (1923), ''Nut in the Husk'' (1926), and ...
, novelist *
Wyl Menmuir Wyl Menmuir (born 1979) is a British novelist, best known for his debut novel, ''The Many'', which was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2016. He was born in Stockport, in Greater Manchester, and grew up in nearby Romiley. He was educated at ...
, novelist * Gertrude Parsons, Roman Catholic novelist *
Mark Guy Pearse Mark Guy Pearse (3 January 1842 – 1 January 1930) was a Cornish Methodist preacher, lecturer and author who, during the last quarter of the 19th century and the first of the 20th, was a household name throughout Britain and beyond. Born at Ca ...
, author and preacher *
Susan Penhaligon Susan Penhaligon (born 3 July 1949) is a British actress and writer known for her role in the drama series '' Bouquet of Barbed Wire'' (1976), and for playing Helen Barker in the sitcom '' A Fine Romance'' (1981–1984). She appeared in the s ...
*
Rosamunde Pilcher Rosamunde Pilcher, OBE (''née'' Scott; 22 September 1924 – 6 February 2019) was a British writer of romance novels, mainstream fiction, and short stories, from 1949 until her retirement in 2000. Her novels sold over 60 million copies worldw ...
*
Arthur Quiller-Couch Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch (; 21 November 186312 May 1944) was a British writer who published using the pseudonym Q. Although a prolific novelist, he is remembered mainly for the monumental publication '' The Oxford Book of English Verse 1 ...
, aka "Q", novelist and scholar *
Alastair Reynolds Alastair Preston Reynolds (born 13 March 1966) is a Welsh science fiction author. He specialises in hard science fiction and space opera. He spent his early years in Cornwall, moved back to Wales before going to Newcastle University, where he s ...
, lived in Cornwall as child *
Jean Rhys Jean Rhys, ( ; born Ella Gwendolyn Rees Williams; 24 August 1890 – 14 May 1979) was a British novelist who was born and grew up in the Caribbean island of Dominica. From the age of 16, she mainly resided in England, where she was sent for her ...
, novelist, lived at Bude for a period *
Angie Sage Angie Sage (born 20 June 1952) is an English author of children's literature, including the ''Septimus Heap'' series, the ''TodHunter Moon'' trilogy, and the ''Araminta Spook'' series (''Araminta Spookie'', in the United States). Life According ...
, author and illustrator *
Howard Spring Howard Spring (10 February 1889 – 3 May 1965) was a Welsh author and journalist who wrote in English. He began his writing career as a journalist but from 1934 produced a series of best-selling novels for adults and children. The most su ...
* Sharon Tregenza *
Derek Tangye Derek Alan Trevithick Tangye (29 February 1912 – 26 October 1996) was a British author who lived in Cornwall for nearly fifty years. He wrote nineteen books which became known as ''The Minack Chronicles'', about his simple life on a clifftop ...
*
Nigel Tangye Nigel Trevithick Tangye (24 April 1909 – 2 June 1988) was a British airman, novelist, journalist and the writer of various books about Cornwall. He worked for MI5, and later claimed to have been an MI5 agent during the Spanish Civil War. ...
*
D. M. Thomas Donald Michael Thomas (born 27 January 1935), is a British poet, translator, novelist, editor, biographer and playwright. His work has been translated into 30 languages. Working primarily as a poet throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Thomas's 1981 ...
*
E. V. Thompson Ernest Victor Thompson Order of the British Empire, MBE (14 July 1931 – 19 July 2012) was an English author of historical novels. Thompson served in the Royal Navy for nine years and then joined the Bristol Police. He later became the chief s ...
*
Enys Tregarthen Nellie Sloggett (29 December 1850 in Padstow, Cornwall, UK – 1923) was an author and folklorist Folklore studies, less often known as folkloristics, and occasionally tradition studies or folk life studies in the United Kingdom, is the branch ...
, writer and folklorist *
John Coulson Tregarthen John Coulson Tregarthen (9 September 1854 – 17 February 1933) was a British field naturalist and author, described as "the best loved Cornishman of his time". Tregarthen was born in Penzance, Cornwall, the son of James Tregarthen of St Mary's, ...
, novelist and naturalist *
Craig Weatherhill Craig Weatherhill (1950 or 1951 – 18 or 19 July 2020) was a Cornish antiquarian, novelist and writer on the history, archaeology, place names and mythology of Cornwall. Weatherhill attended school in Falmouth, where his parents ran a sports ...
, archaeologist, Cornish historian, writer *
Mary Wesley Mary Wesley was the pen name of Mary Aline Siepmann CBE (24 June 191230 December 2002), an English novelist. During her career, she was one of Britain's most successful novelists, selling three million copies of her books, including ten bestsell ...
*
Colin Wilson Colin Henry Wilson (26 June 1931 – 5 December 2013) was an English writer, philosopher and novelist. He also wrote widely on true crime, mysticism and the paranormal, eventually writing more than a hundred books. Wilson called his phil ...
{{div col end


Poets

{, , valign="top", *
Brother Anthony Brother Anthony (born as Anthony Graham Teague 1942; Korean name An Sonjae (Hangul: 안선재)) is a translator, scholar, and member of the Taizé Community who has become a naturalized Korean citizen, and lives in Seoul. Life Brother Anthony o ...
, poet and translator from Korean * John Barber{{citation needed, date=March 2016 * Wilfred Bennetto, poet and novelist writing in Cornish *
John Betjeman Sir John Betjeman (; 28 August 190619 May 1984) was an English poet, writer, and broadcaster. He was Poet Laureate from 1972 until his death. He was a founding member of The Victorian Society and a passionate defender of Victorian architecture, ...
,
Poet Laureate A poet laureate (plural: poets laureate) is a poet officially appointed by a government or conferring institution, typically expected to compose poems for special events and occasions. Albertino Mussato of Padua and Francesco Petrarca (Petrarch) ...
, English writer and scholar, frequent visitor to Cornwall and writer on culture *
Ronald Bottrall (Francis James) Ronald Bottrall (2 September 1906, Camborne, Cornwall – 25 June 1989) was a Cornish poet. He was praised highly by F.R. Leavis, Anthony Burgess and Martin Seymour-Smith, and deprecated by Ian Hamilton and Martin Amis. Bottral ...
* Arthur Caddick{{citation needed, date=March 2016 *
Charles Causley Charles Stanley Causley CBE FRSL (24 August 1917 – 4 November 2003) was a British poet, school teacher and writer. His work is often noted for its simplicity and directness as well as its associations with folklore, legends and magic, especi ...
, poet from Launceston *
Helena Charles Helena Sanders née Charles (16 April 1911 – 14 June 1997) was a Cornish humanitarian, cultural activist, politician and poet. Sanders was the founder of the political party, Mebyon Kernow, in 1951. She was also well known for her feline we ...
*
Jack Clemo Reginald John Clemo (11 March 1916 – 25 July 1994) was a British poet and writer who was strongly associated both with his native Cornwall and his strong Christian belief. His work was considered to be visionary and inspired by the rugged Corn ...
, poet *
Jane Crewdson Jane Crewdson (1808-1863) was a British poet, best known for her collections of poems. Born in Cornwall, part of the Fox family of Falmouth, Crewdson married a Manchester cotton manufacturer. Life Jane Fox was born at Perran-arworthal, Cornwall, ...
*
Caroline Fox Caroline Fox (24 May 1819 – 12 January 1871) was an English diarist and correspondent from Cornwall. Her diary records memories of major writers, who include John Stuart Mill and Thomas Carlyle. Biography Caroline Fox was born on 24 May 1819 ...
, diarist *
William Golding Sir William Gerald Golding (19 September 1911 – 19 June 1993) was a British novelist, playwright, and poet. Best known for his debut novel ''Lord of the Flies'' (1954), he published another twelve volumes of fiction in his lifetime. In 1980 ...
*
W. S. Graham William Sydney Graham (19 November 1918 – 9 January 1986) was a Scottish poet, who was often associated with Dylan Thomas and the neo-romantic group of poets. Graham's poetry was mostly overlooked in his lifetime; however, partly thanks to th ...
, Scottish poet *
Geoffrey Grigson Geoffrey Edward Harvey Grigson (2 March 1905 – 25 November 1985) was a British poet, writer, editor, critic, exhibition curator, anthologist and naturalist. In the 1930s he was editor of the influential magazine ''New Verse'', and went on to p ...
, poet and prose writer *
Thomas Hardy Thomas Hardy (2 June 1840 – 11 January 1928) was an English novelist and poet. A Victorian realist in the tradition of George Eliot, he was influenced both in his novels and in his poetry by Romanticism, including the poetry of William Word ...
, English novelist and poet, met his wife
Emma Gifford Emma Lavinia Gifford (24 November 1840 – 27 November 1912) was an English writer and suffragist, who was the first wife of the novelist and poet Thomas Hardy. Early life Emma Gifford was born in Plymouth, Devon, on 24 November 1840 The secon ...
, while he was working at
St Juliot St Juliot is a civil parish in north-east Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The parish is entirely rural and the settlements within it are the hamlets of Beeny and Tresparrett. - plus a part of the adjacent village of Marshgate. The parish po ...
church, near
Boscastle Boscastle ( kw, Kastel Boterel) is a village and fishing port on the north coast of Cornwall, England, in the civil parish of Forrabury and Minster (where the 2011 Census population was included) . It is south of Bude and northeast of Tint ...
(some of his poems are about events in Cornwall) * John Harris, miner and poet *
Richard Jenkin Richard Garfield Jenkin (9 October 1925 – 29 October 2002), was a Cornish nationalist politician and one of the founding members of Mebyon Kernow. He was also a Grand Bard of the Gorseth Kernow. Cornish language In 1947, Jenkin was made a ...
* Ann Kelley *
Les Merton Les Merton is a convicted child-abuser from Medlyn Moor, Cornwall, England, UK, subsequently living in Redruth before his 2015 conviction. Educated at Halwin School, and employed in various ways in his life, he has written in a range of genres inc ...
, varying styles, including
dialect The term dialect (from Latin , , from the Ancient Greek word , 'discourse', from , 'through' and , 'I speak') can refer to either of two distinctly different types of Linguistics, linguistic phenomena: One usage refers to a variety (linguisti ...
poetry; also a publisher * Christopher Middleton * Bernard Moore *
Peter Mundy Peter Mundy ( fl. 1597 – 1667) was a seventeenth-century British factor, merchant trader, traveller and writer. He was the first Briton to record, in his ''Itinerarium Mundi'' ('Itinerary of the World'), tasting '' Chaa'' (tea) in China and trav ...
, traveller from Penryn , valign="top", *
Robert Morton Nance Robert Morton Nance (1873–1959) was a British writer and leading authority on the Cornish language, a nautical archaeologist, and joint founder of the Old Cornwall Society. Nance wrote many books and pamphlets on the Cornish language, inclu ...
* Mick Paynter, contemporary poet writing in Cornish *
William Henry Paynter William Henry Paynter (1901-1976) was a Cornish antiquary and folklorist who specialised in collecting witch-stories and folklore during the 1920s and 1930s - crucial years when witch beliefs were in decline in Cornwall. His folklore collecting pr ...
*
Margaret Steuart Pollard Margaret Steuart Pollard, née Gladstone (1 March 1904 – 13 November 1996), was a scholar of Sanskrit, a poet and bard of the Cornish language. She was the founding member of Ferguson's Gang, a secret society of supporters of the National Tru ...
*
Richard Polwhele Richard Polwhele (6 January 1760 – 12 March 1838) was a Cornish people, Cornish clergyman, poetry, poet and historian of Cornwall and Devon. Biography Richard Polwhele's ancestors long held the manor of Treworgan, 4 3/4 miles south-east of ...
* David Prowse (Poet) AKA 'The People's Poet' and 'The Gardening Poet' * Henry Quick *
Arthur Quiller-Couch Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch (; 21 November 186312 May 1944) was a British writer who published using the pseudonym Q. Although a prolific novelist, he is remembered mainly for the monumental publication '' The Oxford Book of English Verse 1 ...
*
Peter Redgrove Peter William Redgrove (2 January 1932 – 16 June 2003) was a British poet, who also wrote prose, novels and plays with his second wife Penelope Shuttle. Life and career Redgrove was born in Kingston upon Thames, Surrey. He was educated at Tau ...
*
A. L. Rowse Alfred Leslie Rowse (4 December 1903 – 3 October 1997) was a British historian and writer, best known for his work on Elizabethan England and books relating to Cornwall. Born in Cornwall and raised in modest circumstances, he was encourag ...
, historian, poet and scholar *
Tim Saunders Tim Saunders is a Cornish poet and journalist primarily writing in the Cornish language who also writes in the Welsh, Irish, and Breton languages. He is resident in Cardiff but is of Cornish descent. He is a literary historian and editor of 'T ...
, contemporary poet writing in Cornish *
Penelope Shuttle Penelope Shuttle (born 12 May 1947) is a British poet. Life Born in Staines, Middlesex, Shuttle left school at 17. She wrote her first novel at the age of 20. She has lived in Falmouth, Cornwall since 1970. She married the poet Peter Redgrove (1 ...
*
Henry Sewell Stokes Henry Sewell Stokes (1808–1895) was a British poet. The Cornish poet was a schoolfellow of Charles Dickens; later literary friends included Tennyson and Robert Stephen Hawker. His great nephew, Sewell Stokes, was a novelist, biographer and play ...
, poet *
D. M. Thomas Donald Michael Thomas (born 27 January 1935), is a British poet, translator, novelist, editor, biographer and playwright. His work has been translated into 30 languages. Working primarily as a poet throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Thomas's 1981 ...
*
Terence Tiller Terence Rogers Tiller (19 September 1916 – 24 December 1987) was an English poet and radio producer. Early life, poet Tiller was born in Truro, Cornwall and educated at Latymer Upper School in Hammersmith.Obituary, ''The Times'', 5 January 198 ...
, poet and radio producer *
Lawrence Upton Lawrence Upton (born London 1949, of Cornish origins, died at home 16 February 2020), was a poet, graphic artist and sound artist, and director of ''Writers Forum''. Upton was a performer, continuing and expanding the performance tradition of, ...
*
Robert Walling Robert Victor Walling (1895–1976) was a Cornish soldier, journalist, and poet. Early life He was born in Plymouth on 5 March 1895, the son of Robert Alfred John Walling and his wife, Florence Victoria Greet. He was educated at Plymouth Gramm ...


Playwrights and dramatists

*
Nick Darke Nick Darke (1948–2005) was a British playwright. He was also known within Cornwall as a lobster fisherman, environmental campaigner, and chairman of St Eval Parish Council. Early life Nick's great-grandfather, William Leonard Darke, was a ...
, playwright *
Daphne du Maurier Dame Daphne du Maurier, Lady Browning, (; 13 May 1907 – 19 April 1989) was an English novelist, biographer and playwright. Her parents were actor-manager Sir Gerald du Maurier and his wife, actress Muriel Beaumont. Her grandfather was Geor ...
, novelist and playwright *
Samuel Foote Samuel Foote (January 1720 – 21 October 1777) was a British dramatist, actor and theatre manager. He was known for his comedic acting and writing, and for turning the loss of a leg in a riding accident in 1766 to comedic opportunity. Early l ...
, playwright and actor *
William Golding Sir William Gerald Golding (19 September 1911 – 19 June 1993) was a British novelist, playwright, and poet. Best known for his debut novel ''Lord of the Flies'' (1954), he published another twelve volumes of fiction in his lifetime. In 1980 ...
* William Killigrew, playwright * Charles Lee *
Donald Rawe Donald Ryley Rawe (1930–2018) was a Cornish publisher, dramatist, novelist, and poet. Born in Padstow in 1930, he has lived most of his life near the northern coast. He became a member of Gorseth Kernow in 1970, under the Bardic name A bardic ...
*
D. M. Thomas Donald Michael Thomas (born 27 January 1935), is a British poet, translator, novelist, editor, biographer and playwright. His work has been translated into 30 languages. Working primarily as a poet throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Thomas's 1981 ...


Children's writers

* Nick Carter * Ann Kelley * Jack Trelawny * Sharon Tregenza


Linguists and writers in Cornish

{, , valign="top", * Wilfred Bennetto, poet and novelist writing in Cornish{{Cite web, url=https://www.theoldcroydonians.org.uk/, title=The Old Croydonians Association, website=www.theoldcroydonians.org.uk *
John Boson John Boson was a cabinet maker and carver whose work is associated with that of William Kent. It is said that if he had not died at such a relatively young age then his place would have been assured in the history of furniture making in the Unit ...
,
Nicholas Boson Nicholas Boson (1624–1708) was a writer in, and preserver of, the Cornish language. He was born in Newlyn to a landowning and merchant family involved in the pilchard fisheries. Nicholas's mother had prevented their neighbours and servants spe ...
, and
Thomas Boson Thomas Boson (1635–1719) was a writer in the Cornish language and the cousin of Nicholas and John Boson. Thomas helped William Gwavas in his Cornish language research, and wrote an inscription in Cornish for Gwavas's hurling ball. He also mad ...
, 18th-century writers in the Cornish language * Richard Carew, translator and
antiquary An antiquarian or antiquary () is an fan (person), aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artifact (archaeology), artifac ...
* John Davey, of Zennor, last person with any traditional knowledge of Cornish, died 1891: he wrote a few verses in the language *
Richard Gendall Professor Richard Roscow Morris "Dick" Gendall (12 April 1924 – 12 September 2017) was a British expert on the Cornish language. He was the founder of "Modern Cornish"/''Curnoack Nowedga'', which split off during the 1980s. Whereas Ken George ma ...
*
Ken George Kenneth John George is a British oceanographer, poet, and linguist. He is noted as being the originator of Kernewek Kemmyn, an orthography for the revived Cornish language which he claims is more faithful to Middle Cornish phonology than its precu ...
* Haldreyn (William Morris), poet * Steve Harris, translator and writer *
Julyan Holmes Julyan Holmes is a Cornish scholar and poet.''Nothing broken: recent poetry in Cornish'', edited by Tim Saunders; London, Francis Boutle, 2006. . This anthology contains two poems by Julyan Holmes and a brief biography of him. Born in 1948, Holm ...
, scholar *
Fred W. P. Jago Frederick William Pearce Jago (floruit, fl. 1838–1892) was a scholar best known for his work ''The Ancient Language and the Dialect of Cornwall'', originally published 1882 by Netherton and Worth of Truro. He also published a Cornish language, Co ...
, linguist and physician *
Henry Jenner Henry Jenner (8 August 1848 – 8 May 1934) was a British scholar of the Celtic languages, a Cornish cultural activist, and the chief originator of the Cornish language revival. Jenner was born at St Columb Major on 8 August 1848. He was the ...
* John of Cornwall, medieval grammarian , valign="top", *
Robert Morton Nance Robert Morton Nance (1873–1959) was a British writer and leading authority on the Cornish language, a nautical archaeologist, and joint founder of the Old Cornwall Society. Nance wrote many books and pamphlets on the Cornish language, inclu ...
* Mick Paynter, contemporary poet writing in Cornish *
Tim Saunders Tim Saunders is a Cornish poet and journalist primarily writing in the Cornish language who also writes in the Welsh, Irish, and Breton languages. He is resident in Cardiff but is of Cornish descent. He is a literary historian and editor of 'T ...
, contemporary poet writing in Cornish *
William Scawen William Scawen (1600–1689) was one of the pioneers in the revival of the Cornish language. He was a politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1640 and fought for the Royalist cause in the English Civil War. Life Scawen was the son of Robe ...
, soldier and linguist * A. S. D. Smith, scholar * Tony Snell, poet and linguist *
Humphrey Tonkin Humphrey R. Tonkin (born 2 December 1939) is professor of English, and served as the 4th president of the University of Hartford. He is also a dedicated Esperantist. Biography Born in Truro, UK, Tonkin is a dual citizen of the U.K. and the U.S ...
, Esperantist and professor of English *John Tregear{{cite encyclopedia, url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1434819/The-Tregear-Homilies, title=The Tregear Homilies, encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica, accessdate=20 November 2009 * Jim Wearne *
Nicholas Williams Nicholas, Neco, Nico or Nick Williams may refer to: Sportsmen *Nick Williams (fullback) (born 1977), American NFL football player, a/k/a Nick Luchey *Nick Williams (rugby union) (born 1983), New Zealand rugby league and rugby union player *Nick Wil ...
, linguist, translator of the Bible into Cornish


Bards of the Gorseth Kernow

This is an honorary position, not all of the bards are Cornish or based in Cornwall. For purposes of brevity, those mentioned above are not repeated. {, , valign="top", *
Malcolm Arnold Sir Malcolm Henry Arnold (21 October 1921 – 23 September 2006) was an English composer. His works feature music in many genres, including a cycle of nine symphonies, numerous concertos, concert works, chamber music, choral music and music ...
* Vanessa Beeman * Michael Williams *
John Langdon Bonython Sir John Langdon Bonython (;Charles Earle Funk, ''What's the Name, Please?'' (Funk & Wagnalls, 1936). 15 October 184822 October 1939) was an Australian editor, newspaper proprietor, philanthropist, journalist and politician who served a ...
*
Gilbert Hunter Doble Gilbert Hunter Doble (26 November 1880 – 15 April 1945) was an Anglican priest and Cornish historian and hagiographer. Early life G. H. Doble was born in Penzance, Cornwall, on 26 November 1880. His father, John Medley Doble, shared his enthus ...
*
Peter Berresford Ellis Peter Berresford Ellis (born 10 March 1943) is a British historian, literary biographer, and novelist who has published over 98 books to date either under his own name or his pseudonyms Peter Tremayne and Peter MacAlan. He has also published 100 ...
* Charles Henderson *
Kenneth Hamilton Jenkin Alfred Kenneth Hamilton Jenkin (29 October 1900 – 20 August 1980) was a British historian with a particular interest in Cornish mining, publishing ''The Cornish Miner'', now a classic, in 1927. Birth and education He was born in Redruth on 2 ...
*
Loveday Jenkin Loveday Elizabeth Trevenen Jenkin is a British politician, biologist and language campaigner. She has been a member of Cornwall Council since 2011, and currently serves as councillor for Crowan, Sithney and Wendron. Biography Jenkin is the da ...
*
John Kendall-Carpenter John MacGregor Kendall Kendall-Carpenter (25 September 1925 – 24 May 1990) was an England rugby union international who won 23 caps as a back row forward between 1949 and 1954. He subsequently served as President of the Rugby Football Union ...
*
Peter Lanyon George Peter Lanyon (8 February 1918 – 31 August 1964) was a British painter of landscapes leaning heavily towards abstraction. Lanyon was one of the most important artists to emerge in post-war Britain. Despite his early death at the age ...
* Ivan Rabey , valign="top", *
Joan Rendell Joan Rendell MBE (1921 – 4 May 2010) was an English historian, writer (mainly on Cornish subjects), and phillumenist. Life Rendell was born in Plymouth, Devon, in 1921. She was the daughter of Gervase Rendell, born 1879 in Eastry, Kent. For ...
*
Goff Richards Goff Richards (18 August 1944 – 25 June 2011), sometimes credited as Godfrey Richards,Richard Rutt Cecil Richard Rutt CBE (27 August 192527 July 2011) was an English Roman Catholic priest and a former Anglican bishop. Rutt spent almost 20 years of his life serving as an Anglican missionary in South Korea, a country for which he developed a d ...
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Tim Saunders Tim Saunders is a Cornish poet and journalist primarily writing in the Cornish language who also writes in the Welsh, Irish, and Breton languages. He is resident in Cardiff but is of Cornish descent. He is a literary historian and editor of 'T ...
* A. S. D. Smith * Tony Snell *
Thomas Taylor Thomas Taylor may refer to: Military *Thomas H. Taylor (1825–1901), Confederate States Army colonel *Thomas Happer Taylor (1934–2017), U.S. Army officer; military historian and author; triathlete *Thomas Taylor (Medal of Honor) (born 1834), Am ...
* Charles Thomas *
Richard Trant General Sir Richard Brooking Trant, KCB, DL (30 March 1928 – 3 October 2007) was an officer in the British Army. He was Land Deputy Commander in the Falklands War, and served as Quartermaster-General to the Forces from 1983 to 1986. Mili ...
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John Coulson Tregarthen John Coulson Tregarthen (9 September 1854 – 17 February 1933) was a British field naturalist and author, described as "the best loved Cornishman of his time". Tregarthen was born in Penzance, Cornwall, the son of James Tregarthen of St Mary's, ...
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Garry Tregidga Garry Harcourt Tregidga is a Cornish academic, director of the Institute of Cornish Studies at the University of Exeter's Penryn Campus in Cornwall, UK, and editor of the journal '' Cornish Studies''. He lives in Bugle, near St Austell, an ...
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Robert Walling Robert Victor Walling (1895–1976) was a Cornish soldier, journalist, and poet. Early life He was born in Plymouth on 5 March 1895, the son of Robert Alfred John Walling and his wife, Florence Victoria Greet. He was educated at Plymouth Gramm ...
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Richard John Maddern-Williams Richard John Maddern-Williams FRCO (1885 – 1955) was a music teacher and organist based in Norwich. Life He was born in Pendeen, Cornwall in 1885 to Edward Stevens Williams and Esther Thomas Maddern. He received his first organ lessons from F. ...


References

{{Reflist


Further reading

*William Henry Kearley Wright, ''West-country Poets: their lives and works'' (1896)


External links


Poetry Cornwall
{{Culture of Cornwall {{DEFAULTSORT:List Of Cornish Writers
Writers A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, plays ...
Cornish literature Literature of England *
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 ...