Blogg 24 St Piran - Man of Tin.
St Piran - Man of Tin
As we get ready to celebrate St Piran's day I thought I would post some research I did a few years ago.
The Legend
Piran's
family origins are obscure; tradition says he came from Ireland. Spent his
youth in South Wales where he founded a church in Cardiff. Received religious
schooling at the monastery of Saint Cadog at Llancarfon, where he would have
met Saint Finnian (Born about 495; died 589). The two returned together to
Ireland where Finnian founded six monasteries, including his most famous one at
Clonard. Piran lived there before Saint Enda on Aran Island, and then Saint
Senan on Scattery Island. Founded his own community at Clonmacnoise,
"Ireland's University". 2
The
legend says Piran 3. was captured in his old age by pagan Irish,
jealous of his miraculous powers, especially his ability to heal. The
righteous Piran had, by virtue of his sanctity, been enabled to feed ten Irish
kings and their armies for ten days together with three cows. He brought to
life by his prayers the dogs which had been killed while hunting the elk and
the boar, and even restored to existence many of the warriors who had fallen on
the battle-field. Notwithstanding this, and his incomparable goodness, some of
these kings condemned him to be cast off a precipice into the sea, with a
millstone around his neck.
On a
boisterous day, a crowd of the lawless Irish assembled on the brow of a cliff,
with Piran in chains. By great labour they had rolled a huge millstone to the
top of the hill, and Piran was chained to it. At a signal from one of the
kings, the stone and the saint were rolled to the edge of, and suddenly over,
the cliff into the Atlantic. The winds were blowing tempestuously, the heavens
were dark with clouds, and the waves white with crested foam. No sooner was
Piran and the millstone launched into space, than the sun shone out brightly,
casting the full luster of its beams on the holy man, who sat tranquilly on the
descending stone. The winds died away, and the waves became smooth as a mirror.
The moment the millstone touched the water, hundreds were converted to
Christianity who saw this miracle. St Piran floated on safely to Cornwall; he
landed on the 5th of March at Perran Beach, built a small chapel on Penhale
Sands, and made his first converts - a badger, a fox, and a bear. He lived
amongst the Cornish men until he attained the age of 206 years. 4
The
discovery of Tin
On his
arrival in Cornwall St Piran,, lead a lonely life on the plains which now bear
his name, devoting himself to the study of the objects which presented
themselves to his notice. The good saint decorated the altar in his church with
the choicest flowers, and his cell was adorned with the crystals which he could
collect from the neighbouring rocks. In his wanderings on the sea-shore, St
Piran could not help but observe the numerous mineral veins running through the
slate-rocks forming the beautiful cliffs on this coast. He collected examples
of every kind ; and on one occasion when he decided to catch some fish, for a
meal he set his line and gathered some drift wood and a few stones to make a
fireplace the floor of the hearth was the sand by the side of the stream. For some reason he had real
problems cooking the fish he had caught and had to get the fire really hot. The
next day he returned to the hearth to light a fire for his evening meal and as
he cleared the ashes he found a lump of white metal the like of which he had
never seen before. The wise man thought that the gods had given him a
gift which his tribe could use. However, he decided to check with the wise man
of an adjoining tribe who was known for his magical powers. The two men
strolled along the stream together and studying the place where Piran had lit
the fire they noticed a lot of black sand mixed with the ordinary sand.
Chywidden , (for that was the name of the second Druid), studied the bottom of
the hearth and noticed that all the black sand had gone. He moved the hearth to
a place with more black sand and once again built a fire which they kept
feeding wood onto all day.
The
next day when the fire had cooled they knew they had discovered the secrets
which are used to day to separate the tin bearing sand from the rest.
The two
tribes were called together and shown the metal and the method used to get it.
Great was the joy and many days of feasting took place and the mead and other
drinks flowed in abundance.
The riot
of joy at length came to an end, and steadily, seriously, the tribes of Perran
and St Agnes set to work. They soon accumulated a vast quantity of this
precious metal; and when they carried it to the southern coasts, the merchants
from Gaul eagerly purchased it of them. The noise of the discovery, even in
those days, rapidly extended itself; and even the cities of Tyre learned that a
metal, precious to them, was to be obtained in a country far to the west. The
Phoenician navigators were not long in finding out the Tin Islands; and great
was the alarm amidst the Cornish Britons lest the source of their treasure
should be discovered Then it was they intrenched the whole of St Agnes beacon;
then it was they built the numerous hill castles which have puzzled the
antiquarian; then it was that they constructed the rounds, amongst which the
Perran Round remains as a remarkable example, all of them to protect their tin
ground. So resolved were the whole of the population of the district to
preserve the tin workings, that they prevented any foreigner from landing on
the mainland, and they established tin markets on the islands on the coast. On
these islands were hoisted the standard of Cornwall, a white cross on a black
ground, which was the device of St Perran and St Chiwidden, symbolising the
black tin ore and the white metal.5.
The
Evidence
This
then is the legend of St Piran, the patron Saint of Cornwall. But is the legend
based on fact?
By an
anachronism of fifteen hundred years or more, St. Piran was considered as the
person who first found tin; and this conviction induced the miners to celebrate
him on the 5th of March. which became his special day,
Davis
Gilbert tells us that “St Piran’s-day is said to be a favourite with the
tinners. Having a tradition that some secrets regarding the manufacture of tin
was communicated to their ancestors by that saint, they leave the manufacture
to shift for itself for that day and keep it as a holiday.” 6.
However Picrous, or Piecras, is another name which has been
floating by tradition, down the stream of time, in connection with the
discovery of tin in the eastern portion of Cornwall.
Quiller
Couch obligingly favours us with the following note on Picrous.day:— “The
second Thursday before Christmas-day is a festival observed by the tinners of
the district of Blackmore, in Cornwall and known as Picrous.day. It is not at
present marked by any distinctive ceremonies, but it is the occasion of a
supper and much merry-making. The owner of the tin-stream contributes a
shilling a man towards it. This is said to be the feast of the discovery of tin
by a man named Picrous. What truth there may be in the tradition of the
first tinner, Picrous, it is now too late to discover, but the notion is worth
recording. It has occurred to me whether, from some similarity between the
names (not a close one, I admit it), the honours of Picrous may not have been
transferred to St Piran, who is generally said to be the patron saint of
tinners.
Usher
places the date of Piran’s birth about the year 352. 7. However, it
is claimed that he was a contemporary of St. Finnian who according to the
Catholic church was born about 495ad and died in the
year 589ad. 8. This would have meant that the tin and
the smelting of it would not have been known in Cornwall before this date yet
we know from other writings that Tin was being exported from Cornwall before
that date.
Julius Caesar, writing in B.C. 40 about Britain, in his "Wars" (v.12)
had this to say -
"The
inland parts of Britain are inhabited by those, whose fame reports to be the
natives of the soil. The sea-coast is peopled with the Belgians, drawn thither
by the love of war and plunder. These last, passing over from different parts,
and settling in the country, still retain the names of the several states
whence they are descended. The island is well peopled, full of houses, built
after the manner of the Gauls, and abounds in cattle. They use brass money, and
iron rings of a certain weight. The provinces remote from the sea produce tin,
and those upon the coast, iron, but the latter in no great quantity." 9.
There
are three places in Cornwall to which the name of Perran is given ;—
Perran-A~vorthall—i.e.,
Pert-an on the noted River.
Perran-Uthno—ie.,
Pert-an the Little.
Perran-Zabuloe—i.e.,
Pert-an in the Sands. 10.
Piran
founded churches at Perran-Uthno and Perran-Arworthal, a chapel at Tintagel,
and a holy-well called the "Venton-Barren" at Probus. He is also said
to have made trips to Brittany where he is remembered in the area around the
village of Glomel where a manor is named after him.
He is
also remembered in Arthurian tradition. Geoffrey of Monmouth says he was
chaplain to King Arthur, and Archbishop of York after Saint Samson was
exiled by Saxon invasions, though it is doubtful he ever took up his See.11.
Piran died at his little hermitage near the beach. His relics were a great draw
to pilgrims but, due to inundation by the sands, they were moved inland to the
Parish Church of Perran-Zabulo, built to house them. 12.
A
college, dedicated to St Piran, once stood in the parish of St Kevern. This
probably had some connection with Perran Uthnoe. The shrine of St Perran was in
that parish, which is said to have contained his bead, and other relics. Lysons
quotes a deed in the registry of Exeter, showing the great resort of pilgrims
hither in 1485. 13
This
sufficiently proves that the saint, or some one bearing that name, was
eminently popular amongst the people; and in St Piran we have an example - of
which several instances are given - of the manner in which a very ancient event
is shifted forward, as it were, for the purpose of investing some popular hero
with additional reasons for securing the devotion of the people, and of drawing
them to his shrine.
The
tinners of Cornwall also have a festival to commemorate the discovery of
smelting.” 14.
Just as
the legend imputes the discovery of tin to St Piran, so it ascribe its
reduction from the ore, in a large way, to what is believed to be an imaginary
person, St Chiwidden. The last Thursday before Christmas day - was formally
always claimed by the tinners as a holiday, and was called by them "White
Thursday" (Jew-widn), because on this day, according to tradition, black
tin (Tin Ore) was melted and refined into white tin. From Jew-widn to
Chy-widden is an easy transition. Jew-widn is a name given to the old furnaces
generally caled Jew's houses.
But
Pawley White tells us that
chi-widden
translates from the Cornish as white house , and must, therefore, mean a smelting
or blowing-house, where the black ore of tin is converted into a white metal. 15.
The Legend that the merchants of Tyre are said to have traded with
Cornwall for tin as early as the days of King Solomon is often been quoted for
the use of the term Jew's houses. However, this may have been the fault of the
English speakers who took the Cornish pronunciation of CH as J to mean
Jew instead of Chy. 16
References.
1.
Colgan, Acta Sanct. Hib. (Louvain, 1645)
2.
Davies Gilbert (1838), Parochial History of Cornwall, Vol III, p. 332.
3. See
Gilbert, vol iii. P. 329. The name of this saint is written Piran, Peran, and
Perran.
4.
"Popular Romances of the West of England" Robert Hunt. p. 272
5. ibid
p.274
6. ibid
Gilbert
7.
Usher Usserii Britannicar. Eccl. Antiq. c. xi. p. 185. ed. Lond. 1687.
8. The
Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume VI
9.
Julius Caesar, writing in B.C. 40 about Britain, in his "Wars" (v.12)
10.
ibid 4.
11.
Geoffrey of Monmoth. "History of the Kings of Britain,"
12.
Canon G.H. Doble. Old Cornwall Vol.3 1937 - 1942 P. 50
13 Dugdale’s “Monasticon,” vol. vi.
14 ibid 4.
15 G.
Pawley-White: A Handbook of Cornish Surnames. Pub Dyllansow Truran 1999.
16 R.
Morton Nance: A Guide to Cornish Place-Names. Pub Cornish Language Board.
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