Newlyn
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Newlyn | |
| Cornish: Lulynn | |
  Newlyn shown within Cornwall |
|
| Population | 21,168 (Civil Parish, 2001) |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | |
| Parish | Penzance |
| District | Penwith |
| Shire county | Cornwall |
| Region | South West |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | PENZANCE |
| Postcode district | TR18 |
| Dialling code | 01736 |
| Police | Devon and Cornwall |
| Fire | Cornwall |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| European Parliament | South West England |
| UK Parliament | St Ives |
| List of places: UK • England • Cornwall | |
Newlyn (Cornish: Lulynn) is a town in southwest Cornwall, England, UK. The town forms a small conurbation with neighbouring Penzance, and part of the civil parish of Penzance. The principal industry in Newlyn is fishing, and the town relies upon its harbour.
Contents |
[edit] History
The settlement is recorded as Nulyn in 1279 and as Lulyn in 1290, and the name is probably derived from the Cornish for "pool for a fleet of boats".[1]
Prior to the rise of Newlyn as important settlement the landing rights and most property within the Newlyn area was owned by the Manor of Alverton. Newlyn's history has been strongly linked to its role as a major fishing port. The natural protection afforded by the Gwavas Lake (an area of seawater in Mounts Bay) led to many local fisherman adopting this area as a preferred landing site. Newlyn harbour is first recorded in 1435 by the Bishop of Exeter, later large scale improvements to the harbour led to Newlyn becoming the predominant fishing port in Mounts Bay. Newlyn was also the home of William Lovett a leader of the Chartist movement.
Prior to the 19th Century "Newlyn" referred only to the area near the old quay. The part of the village which now contains the fish market was known as "Streetanowan", this was separated at high tide from "Newlyn Town" the site of the lower part of the modern harbour being reclaimed land and formerly a beach[2]
In 1755 the Lisbon earthquake caused a tsunami to strike the Cornish coast over 1,000 miles away. The sea rose ten feet in ten minutes at Newlyn, ebbed at the same rate, and continued to rise and fall for 5 hours. The 19th Century French writer, Arnold Boscowitz, claimed that "great loss of life and property occurred upon the coasts of Cornwall"[3]
Like the neighbouring communities of Penzance, Mousehole and Paul - Newlyn was destroyed during the Spanish Raid of 1595. During the 19th century Newlyn was the scene of the Newlyn riots following protests over the landing fish on a Sunday by fishermen from the north of England, the local Cornish fisherman being members of the Methodist church and as such strong supporters of sabbatarianism.
In 1915 the Ordnance survey tidal observatory was established in the harbour and for the next six years measurements of tidal height were taken every 15 minutes.[4]
In 1937 the fishing vessel Rosebud sailed to London to deliver a petition to the Minister of Health on behalf of those villagers whose homes were threatened under the government's slum clearance scheme.
Prior to the 1890s Newlyn like Mousehole had strong connections with nearby parish of Paul. It was common for villagers to climb the relatively steep route from "Newlyn Cliff" to Paul via the area which is now known as Gwavas to worship at Paul Church. Until the mid twentieth century an ancient stone cross was present on this route at "Park an Grouse" (The Field of the Cross), this cross was one sites of veneration of the Cornish sea deity Bucca, (As were the beaches of Newlyn and Mousehole) the name bucca has often been used as nick name for people resident in Newlyn. The location of the Cross is now unknown.
[edit] Economy
Newlyn's economy is largely dependent on its harbour and the associated fishing industry. Because of Newlyn's association with the creative arts there are also a number of artists and art galleries that are established in the area. The Pilchard Works museum at its historic site, closed its doors at the end of summer 2005.
[edit] Art in Newlyn
It was made famous in the 1880s and 1890s for its Newlyn School artists' colony, including the painters Thomas Cooper Gotch, Albert Chevallier Tayler and Henry Scott Tuke. The current largest collection of work by the Newlyn School is held by Penlee House Gallery and Museum in nearby Penzance.
- See also: Newlyn Copper
Newlyn is the home of Newlyn Art Gallery [2] which houses a collection of modern art.
[edit] Local Government
Newlyn is for the purposes of local government part of the Penzance Civil Parish and returns 5 councillors to Penzance Town Council. The principal local authorities in this area are Penwith District Council and the Cornwall County Council.
[edit] Locations in Newlyn
- As of 2004, Newlyn harbour is the largest fishing port (by turnover >£18 million 2004) in England. The fishing fleet boasts a number of different catching methods: beam trawling, trawling, gill netting, potting and a large number of under 10m vessels that fish inshore. The port was a major catcher of pilchard until the 1960s. Today, a handful of vessels have resumed pilchard fishing and use a modern version of the ring net. The largest vessels are beam trawlers owned by the WS Stevenson and Sons, one of Cornwall's largest fish producers. Most of the other vessels are owned by their skippers.
- The UK National Tidal and Sea Level Facility (NTSLF) maintains a tidal observatory at Newlyn, and the UK Fundamental Benchmark is maintained there. The Ordnance Survey, Britain's mapping agency, used to base all contour lines and spot heights on the mean sea level at Newlyn defined by this benchmark; see Ordnance Datum Newlyn.
- Sandy Cove is the name given to the small bay immediately south of the harbour wall.
- Gwavas a residential council estate on the outskirts of the village.
[edit] Notable residents past and present
- Thomas Cooper Gotch
- Charles Holroyd
- William Lovett
- Robert Hichens
- Allan G Wyon
- John Pearson (artist)
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Mills, A. D. [1991]. The Popular Dictionary of English Place-Names. Parragon Book Service Ltd & Magpie Books, p.241. ISBN 0752518518.
- ^ Morrab Library Archives
- ^ [1] Timeline of Cornish History - The Lisbon Earthquake
- ^ Newlyn Tidal Observatory
[edit] External links
- Picture Penzance a pictorial of Newlyn and Penzance
- Information on the Newlyn Fish Festival
- Information on the regeneration of Newlyn Harbour and connected organisations
- Information, images and blog on Newlyn Harbour
- Newlyn at the Open Directory Project
- NTSLF page about the Newlyn Tidal Observatory and the Fundamental Benchmark
