Sepia postcard

Acc.no: PEZPH : 1992.987

Identification

Item: Dorothy Pentreath, the last person to speak the Cornish language

Description: Dressed as a fish wife, this Mousehole resident is said arguably to have been the last native speaker of the Cornish language. Her sharp tongue certainly became a legend. This memorial was erected in 1860 by Prince Louis Lucien Bonaparte, an antiquarian linguist, in honour of Dolly who died in 1777. The inscription states :"Here Lieth Interred Dorothy Pentreath who Died in 1777 Said to have been the last person who conversed in the ancient Cornish. The regular language of this county from the earliest records till it expired in the eighteenth century in this Parish of Saint Paul. This stone is erected by the Prince Louise Bonaparte in Union with the Revd John Garret Vicar of St Paul. June 1860 Honour thy Father and thy Mother that thy days may be long upon the land which the lord thy god giveth thee Exod XX12 Gwra perthi de taz na mam de dythiow bethenz hyr war an tyr neb arleth de dew ryes dees Exod XX12"

Description

Production

Date: 1903

Category: Photography

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