Nicholas Boson
Encyclopedia
Nicholas Boson 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 speaking Cornish to him, so he only became fluent in the language when he needed it for business with fishermen. He assisted both William Scawen
and Edward Lhuyd in their recording of Cornish.
Boson wrote three significant texts in Cornish: "Nebbaz gerriau dro tho Carnoack" ("A Few Words about Cornish"), between 1675 and 1708; "Jowan Chy-an-Horth, py, An try foynt a skyans" ("John of Chyannor, or, The three points of wisdom"), published by Edward Lhuyd in 1707, though according to Lhuyd written about forty years earlier; and The Dutchess of Cornwall's Progress, partly in English and now known only in fragmentary quotations. The first two are the only known surviving Cornish prose texts from the 17th century.
He is buried in Paul
churchyard
, where his son John Boson
and cousin Thomas Boson
, fellow writers in Cornish, also rest.
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...
. He was born in Newlyn
Newlyn
Newlyn is a town and fishing port in southwest Cornwall, England, United Kingdom.Newlyn forms a conurbation with the neighbouring town of Penzance and is part of Penzance civil parish...
to a landowning and merchant family involved in the pilchard fisheries.
Nicholas's mother had prevented their neighbours and servants speaking Cornish to him, so he only became fluent in the language when he needed it for business with fishermen. He assisted both William Scawen
William Scawen
William Scawen was a one of the pioneers in the revival of the Cornish Language in England. He was a politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1640 and fought for the Royalist cause in the English Civil War....
and Edward Lhuyd in their recording of Cornish.
Boson wrote three significant texts in Cornish: "Nebbaz gerriau dro tho Carnoack" ("A Few Words about Cornish"), between 1675 and 1708; "Jowan Chy-an-Horth, py, An try foynt a skyans" ("John of Chyannor, or, The three points of wisdom"), published by Edward Lhuyd in 1707, though according to Lhuyd written about forty years earlier; and The Dutchess of Cornwall's Progress, partly in English and now known only in fragmentary quotations. The first two are the only known surviving Cornish prose texts from the 17th century.
He is buried in Paul
Paul, Cornwall
Paul is a civil parish and village in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated two miles south of Penzance and one mile south of Newlyn.The village of Paul is represented on Penzance Town Council...
churchyard
Paul Parish Church
Paul Parish Church is a parish church in the Church of England located in Paul, Cornwall, UK.-History:The church is said to have been founded in 490 by Paul Aurelian, a Welsh saint. The church building is medieval but was largely destroyed in a raid by the Spanish in 1595.. It was rebuilt by...
, where his son John Boson
John Boson (writer)
John Boson was a writer in the Cornish language. The son of Nicholas Boson, he was born in Paul, Cornwall. He taught Cornish to William Gwavas. His works in Cornish include an epitaph for the language scholar John Keigwin, and the "Pilchard Curing Rhyme". He also translated parts of the Bible, the...
and cousin Thomas Boson
Thomas Boson
Thomas Boson 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 made translations of the Ten Commandments, the Apostles' Creed, the...
, fellow writers in Cornish, also rest.