John Davey (Cornish speaker)
Encyclopedia
John Davey or Davy was a Cornish
farmer who was one of the last people with some traditional knowledge of the Cornish language
. Jenner states that he level of his ability in the language is unclear, but was probably restricted to a few words and phrases. However Matthews states that he knew the meanings of the surrounding place-names and that he could converse in the language. A song which he said he had learned from his father, the "Cranken Rhyme
", is not known from any earlier source. He would have known other Cornish speakers from Boswednack, such as Anne Berryman (1766-1854), and John Mann (1834-1914).
in Zennor
parish. A farmer
who served as a schoolmaster
in Zennor for a period, he reputedly learned his Cornish from his father. He died in 1891, aged 79, taking his knowledge with him.
John Hobson Matthews mentions Davey in his History of St. Ives, Lelant, Towednack, and Zennor, published in 1892, the year after Davey's death. In a chapter discussing Cornish and the evidence of its late survival in the region, Matthews indicates that Davey had had some knowledge of the tongue, understood the meanings of the local placenames, and could "converse on a few simple topics in the ancient language". However, he records only one example of Davey's speech, and is unclear as to whether he had heard Davies speak in person, or was relying on second-hand accounts. He would have conversed with other known 19th and early 20th century Cornish speakers from Boswednack (see below). Davey is known to have had a copy of William Pryce's 1790 Cornish work Archaeologia Cornu-Britannica, which he inherited from his father. As such it is possible that he acquired some part of his Cornish through studying – or memorizing – Pryce. However, the piece of Cornish recorded by Matthews, the song known as the "Cranken Rhyme
", does not appear in Pryce or any other known text, showing that he had some "original" Cornish that he may indeed have learned traditionally from his father. As such he is an important figure in the study of Cornish in its last stages, along with Chesten Marchant
(died 1676) and Dolly Pentreath
(died 1777), judged by various scholars to be the last monoglot or native speakers
of Cornish.
Matthews could make nothing of the "Cranken Rhyme", regarding it as seemingly a "mere jumble of place-names.". However, Robert Morton Nance
emended Matthews' spelling into a comprehensible form, and offered a translation. By Nance's emendation, the song is a brief piece of humour, comparing the fertility of the rocky fields of Cranken unfavourably to a road
.
A memorial stone at Zennor church was erected by the St Ives
Old Cornwall Society. The inscription describes Davey as "the last to possess any traditional considerable knowledge of the Cornish Language", and contains a Cornish quotation from the Book of Proverbs
: "The words of wise men are as a deep pool, a flowing stream – a fountain of life".
There is good evidence that at least three native speakers outlived John Davey junior: Jacob Care of St Ives (d. 1892); Elizabeth Vingoe of Higher Boswarva, Madron (d. 1903 and who taught at least some Cornish to her son); and John Mann, who was interviewed in his St Just home by Richard Hall (himself Elizabeth Vingoe's nephew) in 1914, Mann was then 80. He told Hall that, when a child in Boswednack, Zennor, he and several other children always conversed in Cornish while at play together. This would have been around 1840-1850. They would certainly have known Cornish speaker Anne Berryman (1766-1854), also of Boswednack.
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
farmer who was one of the last people with some traditional knowledge of the Cornish language
Cornish language
Cornish is a Brythonic Celtic language and a recognised minority language of the United Kingdom. Along with Welsh and Breton, it is directly descended from the ancient British language spoken throughout much of Britain before the English language came to dominate...
. Jenner states that he level of his ability in the language is unclear, but was probably restricted to a few words and phrases. However Matthews states that he knew the meanings of the surrounding place-names and that he could converse in the language. A song which he said he had learned from his father, the "Cranken Rhyme
Cranken Rhyme
The "Cranken Rhyme" is a Cornish-language song known by John Davey, one of the last people with some knowledge of the tongue. It was recorded by J. Hobson Matthews in his History of St. Ives, Lelant, Towednack, and Zennor, and is probably the latest known traditional Cornish verse.Matthews records...
", is not known from any earlier source. He would have known other Cornish speakers from Boswednack, such as Anne Berryman (1766-1854), and John Mann (1834-1914).
History
Davey lived in the village of BoswednackBoswednack
Boswednack is a village in the parish of Zennor near the north coast of the Penwith peninsula in Cornwall, United Kingdom....
in Zennor
Zennor
Zennor is a village and civil parish in Cornwall in England. The parish includes the villages of Zennor, Boswednack and Porthmeor and the hamlet of Treen. It is located on the north coast, about north of Penzance. Alphabetically, the parish is the last in Britain—its name comes from the Cornish...
parish. A farmer
Farmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, who raises living organisms for food or raw materials, generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops, such as produce and grain...
who served as a schoolmaster
Schoolmaster
A schoolmaster, or simply master, once referred to a male school teacher. This usage survives in British public schools, but is generally obsolete elsewhere.The teacher in charge of a school is the headmaster...
in Zennor for a period, he reputedly learned his Cornish from his father. He died in 1891, aged 79, taking his knowledge with him.
John Hobson Matthews mentions Davey in his History of St. Ives, Lelant, Towednack, and Zennor, published in 1892, the year after Davey's death. In a chapter discussing Cornish and the evidence of its late survival in the region, Matthews indicates that Davey had had some knowledge of the tongue, understood the meanings of the local placenames, and could "converse on a few simple topics in the ancient language". However, he records only one example of Davey's speech, and is unclear as to whether he had heard Davies speak in person, or was relying on second-hand accounts. He would have conversed with other known 19th and early 20th century Cornish speakers from Boswednack (see below). Davey is known to have had a copy of William Pryce's 1790 Cornish work Archaeologia Cornu-Britannica, which he inherited from his father. As such it is possible that he acquired some part of his Cornish through studying – or memorizing – Pryce. However, the piece of Cornish recorded by Matthews, the song known as the "Cranken Rhyme
Cranken Rhyme
The "Cranken Rhyme" is a Cornish-language song known by John Davey, one of the last people with some knowledge of the tongue. It was recorded by J. Hobson Matthews in his History of St. Ives, Lelant, Towednack, and Zennor, and is probably the latest known traditional Cornish verse.Matthews records...
", does not appear in Pryce or any other known text, showing that he had some "original" Cornish that he may indeed have learned traditionally from his father. As such he is an important figure in the study of Cornish in its last stages, along with Chesten Marchant
Chesten Marchant
Chesten Marchant or Cheston Marchant, who died in 1676 at Gwithian, Cornwall is believed to have been the last monoglot Cornish speaker, as opposed to other speakers such as Dolly Pentreath who could also speak English.-References:...
(died 1676) and Dolly Pentreath
Dolly Pentreath
Dolly Pentreath, or Dorothy Pentreath was probably the last fluent native speaker of the Cornish language, prior to its revival in 1904 and the subsequent small number of children brought up as bilingual native speakers of revived Cornish.She is often stated to have been the last monoglot speaker...
(died 1777), judged by various scholars to be the last monoglot or native speakers
First language
A first language is the language a person has learned from birth or within the critical period, or that a person speaks the best and so is often the basis for sociolinguistic identity...
of Cornish.
Matthews could make nothing of the "Cranken Rhyme", regarding it as seemingly a "mere jumble of place-names.". However, Robert Morton Nance
Robert Morton Nance
Robert Morton Nance was a leading authority on the Cornish language, nautical archaeologist, and joint founder of the Old Cornwall Society....
emended Matthews' spelling into a comprehensible form, and offered a translation. By Nance's emendation, the song is a brief piece of humour, comparing the fertility of the rocky fields of Cranken unfavourably to a road
Road
A road is a thoroughfare, route, or way on land between two places, which typically has been paved or otherwise improved to allow travel by some conveyance, including a horse, cart, or motor vehicle. Roads consist of one, or sometimes two, roadways each with one or more lanes and also any...
.
A memorial stone at Zennor church was erected by the St Ives
St Ives, Cornwall
St Ives is a seaside town, civil parish and port in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The town lies north of Penzance and west of Camborne on the coast of the Celtic Sea. In former times it was commercially dependent on fishing. The decline in fishing, however, caused a shift in commercial...
Old Cornwall Society. The inscription describes Davey as "the last to possess any traditional considerable knowledge of the Cornish Language", and contains a Cornish quotation from the Book of Proverbs
Book of Proverbs
The Book of Proverbs , commonly referred to simply as Proverbs, is a book of the Hebrew Bible.The original Hebrew title of the book of Proverbs is "Míshlê Shlomoh" . When translated into Greek and Latin, the title took on different forms. In the Greek Septuagint the title became "paroimai paroimiae"...
: "The words of wise men are as a deep pool, a flowing stream – a fountain of life".
There is good evidence that at least three native speakers outlived John Davey junior: Jacob Care of St Ives (d. 1892); Elizabeth Vingoe of Higher Boswarva, Madron (d. 1903 and who taught at least some Cornish to her son); and John Mann, who was interviewed in his St Just home by Richard Hall (himself Elizabeth Vingoe's nephew) in 1914, Mann was then 80. He told Hall that, when a child in Boswednack, Zennor, he and several other children always conversed in Cornish while at play together. This would have been around 1840-1850. They would certainly have known Cornish speaker Anne Berryman (1766-1854), also of Boswednack.
External links
- Picture of Davey memorial stone at Zennor (Cornwall In Focus website)
- Omniglot - website on writing systems & languages of the world (this page on the Cornish Language has Davey as the last Cornish speaker)