Tinners' Omens

A Cornishman who works in his native tin or copper mines must never be addressed as a miner, or trouble will promptly ensure. This is because such a designation might cause him to be confounded with other underground workers, colliers in particular, and the clannish Cornishman esteems himself, with or without reason, to be of an altogether higher social standing than "darty coalers". But then the true-bred man from west of the Tamar has no doubt that his race is vastly superior to any outlandish foreigners from up the country, no matter what their rank or dignity may be.

Although the tinner has not the explosive firedamp to dread, yet the deep Cornish mines have their own dangers, no less swift and sudden. Many run out far under the sea, so that the crash of breaking waves thunders incessantly overhead. In very ancient times, the Phoenicians and they that dwelt in Tyre traded with the Celtic folk of Cornwall for tin and copper, then lying near the surface; there were shipping-places on islands round the coast where the metal was brought by the country folk, who jealously guarded the sources of their wealth. St Michael's Mount, the Island of St. Ives, the Chapel Rock at Perranporth, and even lordly Tintagel itself, were among the most notable of these stations.

Marazion, or Market Jew, was so called by the Jewish slaves, who were sent by the Carthaginians and Romans to work in the mines, the former name signifying "the bitterness of Zion." Tradition tells that the souls of these unlucky ones, because of their unbelief and also of their nefarious practices as tinners, are still condemned to toil underground, as they did in life, until the end of all things. They are known as the Knockers, or Buccas, and the belated or solitary tinner often hears the tap of their ghostly pickaxes; but this is not altogether an alarming sound, for wherever the Knockers work, the ore is certain to be plentiful and of excellent quality. Sometimes they will do a kindness to a mortal who has worked side by side with them for years, not doing anything to offend their sensitive feelings, but they are oftener malicious, and their vengeance is swift.

For this reason tinners object to the sign of the Cross being made underground, as the holy symbol irritates the Knockers. A stranger, going through the levels, made a cross on the wall by an adit, or opening, that he might know his way, for he had to return alone. He was directly implored by the men, his guides, to alter the mark into another form, for a cross would certainly bring ill-luck to the mine. Notwithstanding this, the Piskies, another tribe of Cornish spirits, who have hopes of ultimate salvation, meet at Christmas Eve at the bottom of the deepest mines, when exquisite music may be heard, with choirs of unearthly voices singing, "Nowell, Nowell." The Knockers sometimes betray the presence of an unsuspected lode of ore, from strange noises being heard underground, as of miners at work, in places where there is no mortal shaft. Houses built over such spots are subject to uncanny hauntings.

In a life of constant, unforeseen peril, it is natural that supernatural warnings should be eagerly watched for. To meet a red-haired woman or to see a hare run across the path when going to work is an evil omen, and many a man will forfeit a day's pay rather than go underground after such a token. At Wheal Vor a fatal accident was always presaged by the appearance of a white hare or rabbit in one of the engine-houses. This mysterious animal has often been chased in the enclosed space by the men - no dog dares join the hunt - but always escapes. On one occasion it dodged into an unused pipe lying on the ground, and stopped at the farther end, exactly as a living rabbit might have done. Secure of their prey, the pursuers rushed to the spot, only to find the pipe empty, and all trace of their quarry vanished.

The Seven Whistlers, why seven no man can tell, for they are invisible, also warn the tinners against decending in the face of impending danger, by strange, musical whistlings heard in the air at the shaft's mouth.

At Wheal Vor, there was once an accident in one of the engine-houses, not that where the white rabbit is seen, which resulted in the death of a man and boy, their remains being burned in the furnace. From that moment troops of little black dogs haunted the spot, seeming to issue from the furnace when all the doors were shut. No bribes nor threats would induce the men to be left alone in such company, and it was even difficult to get hands to work this machine.

At another mine there was, or is, an apparition known by the gruesome name of the "Dead Hand." This is seen in a deserted shaft, long unused, and is always the forerunner of misfortune. In the evening dusk a faint glow shines from the shaft, and those bold enough to walk up to its edge may see a man's hand moving up or down the empty hole, as though someone were climbing where no ladder has stood for many a day. This had grasps a miner's candle, fixed in a ball of clay in the usual manner, the spectral gleam falls upon the hand, though no other part of the body is visible. The light has the irregular motion of a candle hld by a man who grasps stave after stave of a ladder while his finger and thumb clasp the clay socket. Tradition tells how an unlucky tinner, who did not bear the best of characters among his fellows, while ascending alone, was seized with giddiness, tripped, and fell. Though he was buried with Christian rites, yet the appearance was first seen soon after his death; and his late comrades, terrified, took the trouble to sink a new shaft rather than pass the ghostly hand upon the narrow ladders.

Saint Perran is the patron saint of tinners and is said to have invented their banner, a white cross on a black ground, symbolising the black tin ore and the white metal. Some think it was he who first taught the Cornish folk to "stream" for tin. But he lived in the fourth century after Christ, so it is difficult to reconcile this with the other legend of the Tyrians who traded in Cornwall in the days of King Solomon. Be this as it may, Saint Perran was a man of great local importance in his day, for many villages are called by his name, such as Perranzabuloe, Perranawhorthal, Perranuthnoe, and Perranporth. There is a story that he sailed the seas from Ireland sitting miraculously upon a floating mill-stone, so perhaps his history is not to be entirely accepted without question.

However, one evening when the holy man was cooking his supper, he took a large, heavy black stone for one side of his fireplace. This primitive stove burned with intense heat, and suddenly a stream of brilliant white metal flowed from the block of ore. The Saint rejoiced; and called the Cornishmen together that they might celebrate his discovery with feasting. This they did with much zeal, consuming their national drinks of mead and metheglin in such quantities that "Drunk as a Perraner," passed into a proverb that remains to the present time. This event took place on the second Thursday before Christmas, since called Pierous Day, and still kept as the tinners' holiday.

The Globe, 17th September 1902.