| Prehistoric Cornwall |
 Cornwall: myths and legendsThe westernmost county of England, Cornwall - or Kernow - has a long and rich history, both as part of England and as a Celtic kingdome before the arrival of the Anglo-Saxons.Incorporating the most westerly and southerly points of Britain, Cornwall (whose English name means 'the horn of foreigners', referring to the Anglo-Saxon tendency to name those people they encountered as aliens, as with Wales) has also been the starting point for some of the most prominent of British myths, particularly as the birthplace of King Arthur, whose genesis was meant to have occurred at Tintagel. Today, Cornwall is more famous for its temperate climate, as the spot of some of the best beaches in the country and numerous sub tropical gardens that attract thousands of visitors each year. |
Prehistory to millennium
Cornwall's history begins tens of thousands of years BC, with the first
inhabitants to occupy the coast line around Penwith and the Lizard, making
these spots some of the richest archeological sites in the UK.
Settlers probably landed on these shores on their travels from France and mainland Spain, bringing stone age technologies to build their lasting monuments. Although Cornwall is now one of the least inhabited of the counties of England, making it a desirable tourist location, during the Middle Ages and Industrial revolution, it was a lively and well-populated place, whose inhabitants have only drifted away as the traditional occupations of fishing and mining have gradually disappeared. |
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