Old Cornwall Society
Welcome to the Liskeard Old Cornwall Society – Keeping traditional Cornish events alive
The Trecarrel Room on the top floor of Stuart House is home to the extensive archive of the Liskeard Old Cornwall Society. The society was formed in 1928 and is one of the forty one societies across the county that form the Federation of Old Cornwall Societies. The Federation works with other organisations, such as the Gorsedh Kernow and the Cornwall Heritage Trust, in the promotion to the wider public of all things Cornish. The stated aim of all Old Cornwall Societies is ‘Safeguarding Cornwall’s unique soul and identity through a sound knowledge of its past’. The Federation publish a twice yearly journal titled Kernow Goth, distributed free to all the societies’ members. Their excellent website, www.kernowgoth.org, which includes a page dedicated to Liskeard OCS, contains a well-stocked online Cornish bookshop.
Trecarrel Room Archive
The archive in the Trecarrel Room is dedicated to the history of Liskeard and its adjoining parishes. It includes photographs, books, documents, newspapers and research undertaken by former and present members over the years.
The room is open for visitors to browse and chat on Tuesday mornings, or by appointment on other days by emailing the President on contactbrian@btinternet.com. A committee, which includes a President, Treasurer, Secretary and Recorder, meet regularly to ensure we are ‘Safeguarding [Liskeard’s] unique soul and identity’.
Monthly Meetings
From September to April inclusive, monthly meetings are held on:
The second Friday of the month at 2.30pm
in the Emily Hobhouse Room of the Public Hall,
West Street,
Liskeard
Speakers are invited to give illustrated talks on a variety of Cornwall related subjects; entry is free to OCS members, the current annual subscription is £12, but visitors are also welcome for a small donation. Currently there are 44 paid up members of Liskeard OCS.
Keeping traditional Cornish events alive
Keeping traditional Cornish events alive is an important function of Old Cornwall Societies. At Liskeard we attend, in varying numbers, the ‘Midsummer Bonfire’, in anticipation of a bountiful harvest, ‘Crying the Neck’, to celebrate the end of harvest time, and Oak Apple Day, held in St Neot in memory of Charles II’s escape from the Parliamentarians at the Battle of Worcester in 1651. A more recent, but very popular, event is the May St Cleer Well Dressing ceremony which involves local children in the programme of history, prayer, song and dance.
From the massive Trethevy Quoit down to the smallest milestone, the physical remains of Cornwall’s rich heritage are maintained by organisations such as the Cornwall Heritage Trust, the Cornwall Archaeological Society and, of course, the Old Cornwall Society movement. Here in Liskeard the OCS regularly arrange the tidying and cleaning of the Holy Wells at St Keyne and Menheniot, the restored Lock 21 on the old Liskeard & Looe Union Canal, and the preserved sections of the Tremabe Bridge, which carried the St Cleer Road over the disused Liskeard & Caradon Railway.
Visit us today and experience the charm of Stuart House’s Old Kitchen Café and Hidden Garden.