Polperro

Polperro (

Polperro, through which runs the

History

Toponymy

The name Polperro derives from the

Polperro, since medieval times, fell under the jurisdiction of two ancient and separate manors, those of Raphael^[5] in the parish of Lansallos, west of the River Pol which runs through the middle of the village, and Killigarth to the east in the parish of Talland,^[6][7] mentioned in the Domesday Book.

As early as the 13th century Polperro was a recognised fishing settlement and its first known record is in a

Later history

The date of the building of Polperro's older

Parts of the harbour were rebuilt after destruction by a violent storm on 19 and 20 January 1817, when thirty large boats, two seiners and many smaller boats were destroyed with many parts of the village including the Green and Peak Rock were consumed by the sea waters and a number of houses were swept away. The damage was estimated at £2,000 but there were no deaths.^[8] This storm, with hurricane-force winds, caused damage to property from Plymouth to Land's End; the fishing boats at Polperro ″shared in the common calamity and exposed the unhappy sufferers to distress from which the industry of years can scarcely be expected to relieve them″.^[9]

In November 1824 the worst ever storm occurred: three houses were destroyed, the whole of one pier and half the other were swept away and nearly 50 boats in the harbour were dashed to pieces. Of the six boats that survived, only one of which was a Gaffer. Polperro's new pier was designed to afford better protection for the future.^[10] The East Indiaman Albemarle was blown ashore with a valuable cargo of diamonds, coffee, pepper, silk and indigo on 9 December 1708 near Polperro (the precise location of the wreck is yet to be discovered).^[11]

Polperro's beauty has long been a magnet for artists. The celebrated Austrian painter Oskar Kokoschka, upon discovering Polperro, spent a year in the village between 1939 and 1940.^[13] It also features as a location for filming the TV drama series, Doc Martin and Beyond Paradise.

Smuggling

In 1807, on Commander Warwick Lake's^[15] HMS Recruit, Robert Jeffery, a Polperroite, was found to have stolen his midshipman's beer, and Lake, in a fit of pique, ordered him to be marooned on the island of Sombrero off Anguilla. Jeffery was born in Fowey but moved to Polperro before joining the merchant navy and then being press-ganged into the Royal Navy.^[16]

Some months later, Lake's commanding officer Sir Alexander Cochrane learned of what had happened and immediately ordered Lake to retrieve Jeffery. When Recruit arrived at Sombrero, Jeffery could not be found. Eventually the story got out and Lake was discharged from the Royal Navy by court martial for his actions. As it turned out, Jeffery had been rescued by an American ship and was discovered in Massachusetts three years later, working as a blacksmith; he was repatriated to Britain and awarded compensation.^[17][18]

Economy

Tourism

Tourism became Polperro's main industry during the 20th century. The village is accessible by air via Plymouth or Newquay, by train via Looe railway station, by road and by boat. It was estimated that the village received about 25,000 visitors a day during summer in the 1970s.^[19] Visitors are no longer permitted to drive cars into the village, having to leave them in the main car park at Crumplehorn to the north of the village and walk through the half-mile length of the village to its harbour. The village's quaint but narrow streets make driving difficult. There are horse and cart rides and milk floats disguised as trams for those who prefer not to walk.

Attractions of Polperro include the South West Coast Path, the 630-mile (1,010 km)-long and established walk from Dorset to Somerset which passes through the village, and offers day walks along the local scenic coastline, in particular to nearby Talland Bay on the coast path heading East. Westwards, the path passes three large beaches en route to Fowey: Lansallos Beach, Lantivit Bay and Lantic Bay.^[20] Within the village is the Polperro Heritage Museum of Fishing and Smuggling,^[21] situated on the harbourside in an old fish processing warehouse, which houses interesting photographs of the village's history among other popular displays. Guided walks are available in the village, and boat trips can be taken from the harbour to view the coastline which can offer sightings of dolphins and seals.

The village has several restaurants as well as seven pubs. A holiday and

Fishing was traditionally the principal occupation of Polperro families.^[22] For centuries the village has been a pilchard fishing and processing port. Fish are drawn for feeding off the South Cornwall coast in late summer bringing rich pickings for local fishermen. Once ashore, the fish were salted and pressed and the oil was collected as a by-product and used for heating and lighting. Polperro pilchards were exported throughout Europe.

Shoals of these fish diminished in the 20th century and pilchard fishing died out as Polperro's mainstay in the 1960s, however approximately twelve commercial fishing vessels still operate from the harbour catching

Past Lord Mayors of Polperro

Here is a current list of all the previous Lord Mayors of Polperro since its conception in 1996:

1996 - Ashley Courts

1997 - John Holden

1998 - Brenda Thomas

1999 - Joe Card

2000 - Chris Pannewitz

2001 - Terry Bicknell

2002 - Gilly Davis

2003 - Martin "Beaver" Thomas

2004 - Alun "Pendragon" Thomas

2005 - Ted Pilcher

2006 - Glenda Taper

2007 - Erica Gregory

2008 - John "Grandad" Marshall

2009 - Alan "Coach" Morris

2010 - Robert Chisman

2011 - Tony White

2012 - Sam Baker

2013 - Nathan "Small" Toms

2014 - Franco Miceli

2015 - Abbi Rendell

2016 - Brian & Rita Morgan

2017 - Gina Farrell

2018 - James Overton

2019 - Mike Jelly

2022 - Phil Thomas

• Note: There was no festival held between 2020 & 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead Mike Jelly held onto the Lord Mayor title until handing over to Phil Thomas in 2022.

History of the Lord Mayoralty

Ashley Courts was the first Lord Mayor of Polperro and first male Lord Mayor. Brenda Thomas was the first female Lord Mayor. Martin "Beaver" Thomas was the second member of the same family to be Lord Mayor (Thomas '98). Brian & Rita Morgan were the first duo to serve jointly as Lord Mayor. Mike Jelly was the first Lord Mayor to hold onto the title for more than one term. Phil Thomas was the third member of the same family to be Lord Mayor (Thomas '98 & '03).

Lord Mayor's money, portrait and Lord Mayor's Ball

In addition to his ceremonial robe and hat, commemorative money is printed featuring the Lord Mayor's face. This money is not legal tender being strictly for commemorative purposes and has no real value within the village anymore. They are also presented with a portrait painted by a local artist which is displayed the following year of their term as Lord Mayor, each Lord Mayor serves only for one year (with the exception of Mike Jelly due to the COVID-19 pandemic) and it is their job to open new businesses throughout the year and also be present at any other activities or festivities happening within the village during their term of office. As a result, a Lord Mayor's Ball is held in their honour, usually around April time, which is a night held for festivities and merriment. The current Lord Mayor can choose what band is to be played and in recent years will choose a theme for patrons to dress up. All money raised on this night is then donated back in the Polperro Festival Fund ready for the next year's festival and incoming Lord Mayor.

Notable buildings

Sir Francis Galton conducted a study of fingerprints at Polperro. He chose the village because of the prevalence of intermarriage amongst its inhabitants, being only accessible from the sea or by coastal path at that time. His findings helped to advance criminology and sociology and include extensive genealogies of local families which are held at the College of Arms

in London.

Notable residents

• Donald Adamson, author and historian
• Angela Brazil, novelist
• Anyon Cook, illustrator for Enid Blyton.^[29] (Harbour Studio)
• Jonathan Couch, naturalist, physician and antiquary
• Walter Greenwood, novelist, lived in Polperro briefly during the 1930s and founded the production company, Greenpark Productions, there in 1938.^[30]
• Zephaniah Job, "The Smugglers' Banker"^[31]
• Oskar Kokoschka, artist
• Rita Tushingham, actress lived in the village in the 1970s.^[32]
• Hugh Walpole, novelist

Council

Polperro Community Council is the lowest level of government for the parish.^[33]

References

1. ^ "List of Place-names agreed by the MAGA Signage Panel" (PDF). Cornish Language Partnership. May 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 July 2014. Retrieved 11 January 2015.
2. ISBN 0-19-283131-3
   .
3. ^ Ekwall, E. (1940) The Concise Dictionary of English Place-names; 2nd ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press; p. 352
4. ^ Couch, Jonathan (1871) The History of Polperro: reprinted facsimile edition, Polperro Heritage Press; p.29
5. ^ www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
6. ^ Couch (1871); p. 60
7. ^ "Walks from Polperro".
8. ^ Couch (1871); p. 34
9. Hitchins, Fortescue (1824); Samuel Drew. ed. Cornwall From The Earliest Records and Traditions, to the Present Time. Helston: William Penaluna
   ; Retrieved 5 October 2011
10. ^ Noall, Cyril (1970) The Story of Cornwall's Ports and Harbours. Truro: Tor Mark Press; p. 16
11. ^ Lettens, Jan. "Albemarle (+1708)". wrecksite. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
12. ^ "Doctor By Nature" by Jeremy Rowett Johns; Polperro Heritage Press 2010
13. ^ Adamson, Donald, "Oskar Kokoschka at Polperro", The Cornish Banner, November 2009, pp. 19–33
14. ^ "The Smugglers' Banker" by Jeremy Rowett Johns; Polperro Heritage Press 1997
15. ^ Winfield (2008), p.297.
16. Mee, Arthur
    (1937) Cornwall. London: Hodder & Stoughton; pp. 75–77
17. ^ Derriman, James (2006) Marooned: the story of a Cornish seaman; 2nd ed. Clifton-upon-Teme: Polperro Heritage Press. (1st ed. 1991)
18. ^ Mee (1937); p. 76
19. ^ De Burlet Portrait of Polperro; p. 36
20. ^ www.southwestcoastpath.com
21. ^ "Polperro Heritage Museum". Archived from the original on 4 September 2009. Retrieved 30 October 2009.
22. ^ Polperro Fingerprints
23. ^ Anon. "Polperro festival and lights". Polperro festival and lights. Retrieved 30 June 2011.
24. ^ Chambers, George Mervyn Polperro, p. 7-9
25. ^ "The Quillers of Polperro". Heritage Press. Retrieved 18 August 2009.
26. ^ "Polperro - Photogallery - photo 11".
27. ^ De Burlet Portrait of Polperro; pp. 16–17
28. ^ www.carmelnuns.org.uk
29. ^ "Blyton Illustrators A – C". Archived from the original on 23 October 2007.
30. ^ Anon. "History of Greenpark Productions". Greenpark Productions. Retrieved 30 June 2011.
31. ^ "The smugglers' banker - Polperro Heritage Press, Publisher, Worcestershire".
32. ^ Anon. "The Rita Tushingham home page". Archived from the original on 14 February 2013. Retrieved 30 June 2011.
33. ^ "Polperro Community Council - view and make Freedom of Information requests". WhatDoTheyKnow. Retrieved 29 September 2023.

Bibliography

• Chambers, George Mervyn. Polperro: impressions in word and line, Polperro: Greywest, [ca. 1925]
• Couch, Jonathan (1871) History of Polperro, ed. Thomas Quiller Couch (many later editions, abridged)
• de Burlet, Sheila (1977) Portrait of Polperro: souvenir history of a beautiful village. Polperro Heritage Press [1997]
• Derriman, James (1994) Killigarth: three centuries of a Cornish manor [16c-18c]: Polperro Heritage Press
• Derriman, James (2006) Marooned: Polperro Heritage Press
• Rowett Johns, Jeremy (1997) The Smugglers' Banker: Polperro Heritage Press
• Rowett Johns, Jeremy (2010) Doctor By Nature: Jonathan Couch, Surgeon of Polperro: Polperro Heritage Press

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Polperro.

• Polperro at
  Curlie
• Cornwall Record Office Online Catalogue for Polperro Archived 30 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
• www.polperro.co.uk
• www.polperro.org