Historically, mining was the principal occupation in
Cornwall
,
dating back at least to between 1000 and 2000 B.C. when
Cornwall
is thought to have been visited by metal traders from the eastern
Mediterranean
.
Some of these traders may have stayed and inter-married with the local
peoples, which may explain why DNA tests of the descendants from Cornish
namesakes indicate a distant origin in the
Caucasus
region of the
Middle East
.
Historically,
Cornwall
supplied most of the tin, copper, zinc, lead, arsenic and silver used in
Britain
and her colonies. Originally found as alluvial deposits in stream beds and
coastal outcroppings, eventually it became necessary to dig for the
ores. Underground mines made an appearance in
Cornwall
as early as the 16th century. Inevitably the mine shafts dropped below the
water table, requiring water be pumped out before
continuing any deeper.
Hence housings for the pumps and the engines became necessary. These
engine houses were the sturdiest buildings at the mines, as they both
housed the machinery and supported the massive beams that worked the pumps.
It is not surprising that it is many of these engine houses or their ruins
dot the landscape in
Cornwall
still today.
The traditional Cornish Pasty, a meat and vegetable pie something
like a Calzone, had its origins as the working
lunch for miners. It was nourishing, easy to carry underground and
could be eaten with dirty fingers. The filling and untouched portion of the
pastry crust would be consumed and the dirty portion of the pasty discarded as an offering to appease the
“knockers”, capricious spirits who might otherwise lead miners
into danger.
By the mid-19th century, the Cornish mining industry and
population had reached its zenith. Foreign competition depressed the
price of copper and tin to a point which made mining Cornish ore
unprofitable and lead to the decline and eventual collapse of the industry.
Today, there are no more metal mining operations in
Cornwall
,
only china-clay mining, but some mine sites and their associated buildings
have been preserved as historical reminders of
Cornwall
’s
mining past. In the summer of 2006, the
Cornwall
and West Devon Mining Landscape was named as a World Heritage Site,
acknowledging the contribution the area made to the industrial revolution
and to the fundamental influence the area had on mining at large.
The combination of declining employment at home and the discovery of new
mineral reserves overseas motivated
many Cornish to seek a better life elsewhere. Moving offered the
chance of better pay and conditions, and the opportunity to more quickly
rise to a position of responsibility.
Cornwall
was soon gripped by a ‘culture of emigration’, a belief that
the best way to get on in the world was to get out of
Cornwall
. It is estimated that over a
quarter of a million Cornish migrated abroad in the latter half of the 19th century and the majority of them were miners. In every decade from
the 1860s to the early 1900s, some 20% of the male working population
departed. The extent of this mass population exodus, known as the Cornish
Diaspora, is typified by the parish of Crowan,
which lost nearly half its population, declining from 3982 in 1851 to 2066
in 1911.
Our namesakes joined other “Cousin Jacks and Jennys” – slang terms for Cornish migrants
- as they scattered all over the world to utilize their mining skills. They
ventured forth to establish homes in the mining areas of the
United
States
,
Canada
,
Australia
,
New
Zealand
,
South
Africa
, Central and
South
America
, the
Caribbean
Islands
and elsewhere in the
British
Isles
. As the Cornish were expert at hard rock mining and in
making and maintaining equipment to service the mines, their skills were
highly sought worldwide. It is said that, “If you find a hole in
the ground anywhere in the World, you will find a Cornishman at the bottom
of it.” It has estimated that today there are over 6
million people in the world who can trace their ancestry to
Cornwall
.
For more information on the history of mining in
Cornwall
see www.cornish-mining.org.
Those namesakes who emigrated from
Cornwall
to the
United States
during the 19th century include the following: |
1. Richard Eustice (1821-1900)
2. John Eustice (1827-1860)
3. John G. Eustice (1806-1882)
4. Richard W. Eustice (1809-1890)
5. John Eustice (1845-1889)
6. William Eustis (1801-c1870+)
7. William Eustice (1828-1889)
8. John Eustice (1844-1902)
9. James Eustice (1847-1911)
10. Josiah Eustice (1849-1909)
11. George Eustice (1816-1898)
12. George Eustis (1811-1856)
13. Tobias Eustis (1821-1889)
14. George Eustis (1847-1909)
15. Richard Eustice (1811-1854)
16. John Eustice (c1804-1850+)
17. John N. Eustice (1826-1899)
18. William James Eustice (1830-1897)
19. James Eustice (1832-1916)
20. William Eustice (1816-1858)
21. Thomas Eustice (1846-1885+)
22. William Henry Eustice (1810-c1870+)
23. John P. “Jackie” Eustice (1826-1900)
24. Thomas Eustice (1811-1858)
25. William Eustice (1845-1893+)
26. Richard Eustice (1840-??)
27. William H. Eustice (1831-??) |
