"Brownies" are by no means unknown in West Cornwall. Some few years ago a brownie was said to occasionally appear in a certain house in Chapel-street, Penzance. He was perfectly harmless, apparently portended nothing and when he came seated himself comfortably in a chair by the fireside. A prominent Penzance man once assured me he had seen him.
The existence of "knockers" will not be called in question by any true westcountryman. These are the "Old Men" working away underground at their old "Pitches" (i.e., workings). Unfortunately for the romance of the thing, they are generally heard in miners' cottages in remote country districts; but there have undoubtedly been cases in which the inhabitants of houses built over filled and forgotten mine shafts have heard some very queer noises, connected in all probability with blasts of gunpowder in the mine beneath them.
LINDUM.
(Reply to Query 883).
In 'The Cornish Telegraph' for 22nd October 1908. What does he mean, in the cottages? This makes it sound like more of a poltergeist and less connected to the knockers of the mines. I don't know. Brownies are usually found around the house.
Showing posts with label knockers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label knockers. Show all posts
Wednesday, 19 July 2017
Wednesday, 24 May 2017
Superstitions of the Miner: Cornwall
By T.H. Rogers.
In addition to the general superstitions of Celtic Cornwall, there are, or were, several others held by the miners specially connected with their occupation, and as dangers usually increase strange beliefs there is little wonder that we find remarkable superstitions extant in mining circles.
Superstitions connected with the "Knockers," who were believed to have lived and worked in the mines, hold premier place in the Duchy. They are spoken of as the spirits of persons who inhabited Cornwall many thousands of years ago, and who, "though too good to be condemned to hell, were not good enough for the joys of heaven." Old miners state that in bygone days the noises "Knockers" made came through the blackness of the levels, and there were occasions when the beating of the borers, the falling of rock, and the rolling of barrows by the little people were mingled with their sharp cries.
The "Knockers" were eceedingly playful amongst themselves, but a demureness came over them when they knew they were being watched. Miners considered them friendly, and that they rendered meritorious service by leading them to valuable mineral deposits and lodes, as these little people were never heard working on other than rich ground. They could, however, be vindictive, and this the miner found to his dismay if he spoke of them in disrespectful language or neglected to follow the custom of leaving a part of his dinner in the level of the mine for their enjoyment.
Time was also when Bucca, the "Storm God," was a spirit Cornish fishermen thought necessary to propitiate. They left a fish on the sands for him, and in the harvest field at lunch-time a piece of bread was thrown over the shoulder and a few drops of beer spilled on the ground for him to insure good luck.
Lewis Morris, writing in 1754, illustrates the quaint earnestness with which miners of that time spoke of the "Knockers." He states: "They are a kind of good-natured, impalpable people, but to be seen and heard, and who seem to us to work in the mines; that is to say, they are types or forerunners of workers in the mines, as dreams are of some accidents which happen to us. I must speak well of these 'Knockers' for they have actually stood my very good friends, whether they are aerial beings called spirits or whether they are people made of matter not to be felt by our gross bodies. Our old miners are no more concerned at hearing them blasting, boring holes, landing deads, &c., than if they were some of their own people; and a single miner will stay in the work in the dead of night without any man near him and never think of any fear or harm that they will do him; for they have a notion that the 'Knockers' are of their own tribe and profession and are a harmless people who mean well.
"Let who will laugh, we have the greatest reason to rejoice and to thank the 'Knockers,' or rather God, Who sends us these notices. The word 'supernatural ' used among us is nonsense; there is nothing supernatural, for the degrees of all beings, from the vegetable life to the archangel, are natural, real, absolute creatures, made by God's own hand; and all their actions, motions, and qualities are natural."
The "spectral hand" was another superstition of great importance. It was known in several mines as well as in the slate quarries of Delabole. A light was said to ascend and descend near the ladders just ast the light of a miner's candle did when a man was going to or coming from his work, and when the credulous watched the strange light they saw a spectral hand near by. Unhappy was the man who caught sight of this, for he read in it the coming of death or great misfortune.
St. Agnes miners believed in the strange story of a woman named Dorcas, who committed suicide by throwing herself down one of the shafts of Polbreen Mine, and the apparition of her haunted the place long after. She took special delight in tormenting the miners when they were at work by calling their names and in other ways enticing them to leave their occupations. This prevailed, it is said, to such an extent that when a tributer had not done well during the month he was jeeringly asked whether he had been chasing Dorcas. When a fall of ground was about to occur it is said that she more than once warned the miners, and not a few lives were saved in consequence.
It is related that a miner named Lean was saved from sudden death in Wheal Jewel Mine in the parish of Gwennap by a "spectral" voice. He was hundreds of fathoms distant from any other person, and as he walked slowly through the levels, absorbed in examining a rich course of copper ore in the roof, he was startled by the words, "You are in the winze." He at once threw himself flat on his back at the bottom of the level, and, on sitting up, discovered that his heels were on the verge of the end of the winze, left exposed and open, embracing the width of the "gunnis" communicating with the next level, ten fathoms below. When warned he was about to take a step that would have resulted in death.
A miner considered it extremely unlucky to see a hare cross his path; it was believed that the spell could be avoided by going home and recommencing his journey, and people are known to have walked several miles to rid themselves of the bane that was upon them. It is recorded that a fatal accident was once foreshadowed at the famous Wheal Vor Mine, in the parish of Breage, by the appearance of a "spectral" hare, or white rabbit, in one of the engine houses. Men tried hard to catch the animal without success, and once when shut in a wind bore in which it had run it is said to have disappeared altogether.
It was a belief long held in Cornwall that when a woman died broken-hearted she came back to haunt the originator of her death in the shape of a white hare, and this phantom accompanied him everywhere and ultimately caused his death. People of the parish of Gulval relate a story concerning the victim of a white hare. It is said that a man of Kenegie was killed when hunting through falling from his horse, frightened by the spirit of a maiden, and was often seen riding and walking about in his hunting clothes.
In the days when witches and witchcraft held sway it was believed that witches took the form of a hare, and that they uttered some queer incantations when they changed from one shape to another, and it is interesting to note that colliers of the North of England and the miners of France held similar superstitions in connection with the hare.
It has been claimed that the courses of rich lodes have been indicated by small dancing lights, known in Cornwall as "Jack o' Lanterns," and not a few miners to-day hold the belief that where these are observed there are rich mineral deposits underground. It is said that the fortunes of North Basset Mine, near Carn Brea, were entirely changed by means of these strange lights.
About 70 years ago the miners could not discover sufficient mineral to meet the cost, and it was decided that if matters did not improve the mine would have to be closed. Grace Mill, an elderly woman, who lived near the mine, implored the miners - without success at first - to sink a shaft where she had seen the "Jack o' Lanterns," and when everything else had failed they set to work in the place recommended by Grace. Here was found what has been described as one of the richest deposits of malachite, red oxide, and black and grey copper ore ever found in the county, and profits of over £90,000 were made. "Grace's" shaft is still pointed out, and the old woman for the remainder of her days received a weekly sum of money from the directors in recognition of her services and advice.
Black cats are said to bring luck, but for some reason not easily accounted for miners considered themselves warned off a level if they met a black cat in it, and would not go there until the animal had been driven out. Old miners dropped tallow from their candles or a piece of their dinner by the side of snails to ensure good luck. In early times, however, snails were regarded as mysterious creatures, and Herodotus wrote that they were hermaphrodites, and therefore capable of determining events. Throughout the ages they were used in various forms of divination, and this probably accounts for the respect shown them by the old tinners of Cornwall.
There were many other superstitions that entered into the lives of the miners, and some of them come to us as meaningless; but that may be because the fragment bears no likeness to the cermony or belief to which it belonged in far-off days. Careful study will reveal the fact that the superstitions of numerous districts are strikingly similar, and things identical are widely diffused, which causes students of folk-lore to speak of the legends and traditions of different countries as parts of a creed once common to almost the whole world.
Western Morning News, 24th February 1926.
In addition to the general superstitions of Celtic Cornwall, there are, or were, several others held by the miners specially connected with their occupation, and as dangers usually increase strange beliefs there is little wonder that we find remarkable superstitions extant in mining circles.
Superstitions connected with the "Knockers," who were believed to have lived and worked in the mines, hold premier place in the Duchy. They are spoken of as the spirits of persons who inhabited Cornwall many thousands of years ago, and who, "though too good to be condemned to hell, were not good enough for the joys of heaven." Old miners state that in bygone days the noises "Knockers" made came through the blackness of the levels, and there were occasions when the beating of the borers, the falling of rock, and the rolling of barrows by the little people were mingled with their sharp cries.
The "Knockers" were eceedingly playful amongst themselves, but a demureness came over them when they knew they were being watched. Miners considered them friendly, and that they rendered meritorious service by leading them to valuable mineral deposits and lodes, as these little people were never heard working on other than rich ground. They could, however, be vindictive, and this the miner found to his dismay if he spoke of them in disrespectful language or neglected to follow the custom of leaving a part of his dinner in the level of the mine for their enjoyment.
Time was also when Bucca, the "Storm God," was a spirit Cornish fishermen thought necessary to propitiate. They left a fish on the sands for him, and in the harvest field at lunch-time a piece of bread was thrown over the shoulder and a few drops of beer spilled on the ground for him to insure good luck.
Lewis Morris, writing in 1754, illustrates the quaint earnestness with which miners of that time spoke of the "Knockers." He states: "They are a kind of good-natured, impalpable people, but to be seen and heard, and who seem to us to work in the mines; that is to say, they are types or forerunners of workers in the mines, as dreams are of some accidents which happen to us. I must speak well of these 'Knockers' for they have actually stood my very good friends, whether they are aerial beings called spirits or whether they are people made of matter not to be felt by our gross bodies. Our old miners are no more concerned at hearing them blasting, boring holes, landing deads, &c., than if they were some of their own people; and a single miner will stay in the work in the dead of night without any man near him and never think of any fear or harm that they will do him; for they have a notion that the 'Knockers' are of their own tribe and profession and are a harmless people who mean well.
"Let who will laugh, we have the greatest reason to rejoice and to thank the 'Knockers,' or rather God, Who sends us these notices. The word 'supernatural ' used among us is nonsense; there is nothing supernatural, for the degrees of all beings, from the vegetable life to the archangel, are natural, real, absolute creatures, made by God's own hand; and all their actions, motions, and qualities are natural."
The "spectral hand" was another superstition of great importance. It was known in several mines as well as in the slate quarries of Delabole. A light was said to ascend and descend near the ladders just ast the light of a miner's candle did when a man was going to or coming from his work, and when the credulous watched the strange light they saw a spectral hand near by. Unhappy was the man who caught sight of this, for he read in it the coming of death or great misfortune.
St. Agnes miners believed in the strange story of a woman named Dorcas, who committed suicide by throwing herself down one of the shafts of Polbreen Mine, and the apparition of her haunted the place long after. She took special delight in tormenting the miners when they were at work by calling their names and in other ways enticing them to leave their occupations. This prevailed, it is said, to such an extent that when a tributer had not done well during the month he was jeeringly asked whether he had been chasing Dorcas. When a fall of ground was about to occur it is said that she more than once warned the miners, and not a few lives were saved in consequence.
It is related that a miner named Lean was saved from sudden death in Wheal Jewel Mine in the parish of Gwennap by a "spectral" voice. He was hundreds of fathoms distant from any other person, and as he walked slowly through the levels, absorbed in examining a rich course of copper ore in the roof, he was startled by the words, "You are in the winze." He at once threw himself flat on his back at the bottom of the level, and, on sitting up, discovered that his heels were on the verge of the end of the winze, left exposed and open, embracing the width of the "gunnis" communicating with the next level, ten fathoms below. When warned he was about to take a step that would have resulted in death.
A miner considered it extremely unlucky to see a hare cross his path; it was believed that the spell could be avoided by going home and recommencing his journey, and people are known to have walked several miles to rid themselves of the bane that was upon them. It is recorded that a fatal accident was once foreshadowed at the famous Wheal Vor Mine, in the parish of Breage, by the appearance of a "spectral" hare, or white rabbit, in one of the engine houses. Men tried hard to catch the animal without success, and once when shut in a wind bore in which it had run it is said to have disappeared altogether.
It was a belief long held in Cornwall that when a woman died broken-hearted she came back to haunt the originator of her death in the shape of a white hare, and this phantom accompanied him everywhere and ultimately caused his death. People of the parish of Gulval relate a story concerning the victim of a white hare. It is said that a man of Kenegie was killed when hunting through falling from his horse, frightened by the spirit of a maiden, and was often seen riding and walking about in his hunting clothes.
In the days when witches and witchcraft held sway it was believed that witches took the form of a hare, and that they uttered some queer incantations when they changed from one shape to another, and it is interesting to note that colliers of the North of England and the miners of France held similar superstitions in connection with the hare.
It has been claimed that the courses of rich lodes have been indicated by small dancing lights, known in Cornwall as "Jack o' Lanterns," and not a few miners to-day hold the belief that where these are observed there are rich mineral deposits underground. It is said that the fortunes of North Basset Mine, near Carn Brea, were entirely changed by means of these strange lights.
About 70 years ago the miners could not discover sufficient mineral to meet the cost, and it was decided that if matters did not improve the mine would have to be closed. Grace Mill, an elderly woman, who lived near the mine, implored the miners - without success at first - to sink a shaft where she had seen the "Jack o' Lanterns," and when everything else had failed they set to work in the place recommended by Grace. Here was found what has been described as one of the richest deposits of malachite, red oxide, and black and grey copper ore ever found in the county, and profits of over £90,000 were made. "Grace's" shaft is still pointed out, and the old woman for the remainder of her days received a weekly sum of money from the directors in recognition of her services and advice.
Black cats are said to bring luck, but for some reason not easily accounted for miners considered themselves warned off a level if they met a black cat in it, and would not go there until the animal had been driven out. Old miners dropped tallow from their candles or a piece of their dinner by the side of snails to ensure good luck. In early times, however, snails were regarded as mysterious creatures, and Herodotus wrote that they were hermaphrodites, and therefore capable of determining events. Throughout the ages they were used in various forms of divination, and this probably accounts for the respect shown them by the old tinners of Cornwall.
There were many other superstitions that entered into the lives of the miners, and some of them come to us as meaningless; but that may be because the fragment bears no likeness to the cermony or belief to which it belonged in far-off days. Careful study will reveal the fact that the superstitions of numerous districts are strikingly similar, and things identical are widely diffused, which causes students of folk-lore to speak of the legends and traditions of different countries as parts of a creed once common to almost the whole world.
Western Morning News, 24th February 1926.
Saturday, 11 February 2017
From Bingley's Tour Round North Wales
Manners and Customs of the Welsh.
From Bingley's Tour Round North Wales.
[extract]
The Roman Cavern, in Llanymynech-hill, called Ogo, has long been noted, as the residence of a clan of the fairy tribe, of whom the villagers relate many surprising and mischievous tricks. They have listened at the mouth of the cave, and have sometimes even heard them in conversation, but always in such low whispers, that their words have been never distinguishable. The stream that runs through it is celebrated as being the place in which they have been heard to wash their clothes and do several other kinds of work.
These busy little folk seem to be somewhat allied to what are called Knockers, which by thWelsh are believed to be a species of aerial beings, that are heard under-ground, in or near mines, who by their noises direct the miners where to find a rich vein. The following extraordinary account of them, is from a letter of Mr. Lewis Morris to his brother, Mr. W. Morris, Comptroller of the Customs of Holyhead, dated October 14th, 1754. I will make no comment upon it, and only preface it by observing, that Mr. Morris was a very learned and sensible man, and a person whose judgment is esteemed of great weight by every one who has been either acquainted with him or his writings.
"People who know very little of the arts or sciences, or the powers of nature, (which, in other words, are the powers of the author of nature) will laugh at us Cardiganshire miners, who maintain the existence of Knockers in mines, a kind of good-natured impalpable people, not to be seen, but h eard, and who seem to us to work in the mines; that is to say, they are types, or forerunners of working in mines, as dreams are of some accidents which happen to us. The barometer falls before rain or storms. If we did not know the construction of it, we should call it a kind of dream, that foretells rain; but we know it is natural, and produced by natural means, comprehended by us. --- Now how are we sure, or any body sure, but that our dreams are produced by the same natural means? -- There is some faint resemblance of this in the sense of hearing: the bird is killed before we hear the report of the gun. However this is, I must speak well of these Knockers, for they have actually stood my very good friends, whether aerial beings, called spirits, or whether they are a people made of matter, not to be felt by our gross bodies, as air and fire, and the like.
"Before the discovery of Esgair y Mwyn mine, these little people, as we call them here, worked hard there day and night; and there are abundance of honest, sober people, who have heard them, and some persons who have no notion of them or of miners either; but after the discovery of the great ore, they were heard no more.
"When I began to work at Llwyn Llwd, they worked so [?] there for a considerable time, that they even frightened some young workmen out of the work. This was when we were driving levels, and before we got any ore; but when we came to the ore, they then gave over, and I heard no more talk of them.
"Our old miners are no more concerned at hearing them blasting, boring holes, landing deads [sic], &c. than if they were some of their own people; and a single miner wiill stay in the work, in the dead of night, without any man near him, and never think of any fear or harm they will do him; for they have a notion that the Knockers are of their own tribe and profession, and are a harmless people who mean well. Three or four miners together shall hear them sometimes, but if the miners stop to take notice of them, the Knockers will also stop; but let the miners go on at their own work, suppose it is boring, the Knockers will go on as brisk as can be, in landing, blasting, or breaking down the loose; and they were always heard, a little from them, before they came to the ore.
"These are odd assertions, but they are certainly facts, though we cannot, and do not pretend to account for them. We have now very good ore at Llwyn Llwd, where the Knockers were heard to work, but have now yielded up the place, and are no more heard. Let who will laugh, we have the greatest reason to rejoice and thank the Knockers, or rather god, who send us these notices."
An intelligent friend of mine informs me that those noises the Knockers, as they are called, have very lately been heard in the parish of Llanfighangel Ysceifrog, in Anglesea, where they continued at different intervals for some weeks. In accounting for these noises it has been observed, that they probably may have proceeded either from the echo of the miners at work, or from the dropping of the water; but these seem by no means sufficient, if Mr. Morris's assertion be true, that while the miners are going on with one kind of work, they are going on with another, while for instance, as he says, the miners are boring, they are blasting, the former certainly cannot be true, and the blasting entirely puts the latter conjecture out of the question, for droppings of water could never produce any effect of that kind. As I am only acquainted with the subject from report, I am under the necessity of leaving the elucidation of these extraordinary facts to some who have better opportunities of enquiring into them. I have only to express a hope that the subject will not be neglected, and that those who reside in the neighbourhood where they are heard, will inquire into them carefully, and, if possible, give to the world a more accurate account of them than the present.
Chester Chronicle, 23rd January 1801.
From Bingley's Tour Round North Wales.
[extract]
The Roman Cavern, in Llanymynech-hill, called Ogo, has long been noted, as the residence of a clan of the fairy tribe, of whom the villagers relate many surprising and mischievous tricks. They have listened at the mouth of the cave, and have sometimes even heard them in conversation, but always in such low whispers, that their words have been never distinguishable. The stream that runs through it is celebrated as being the place in which they have been heard to wash their clothes and do several other kinds of work.
These busy little folk seem to be somewhat allied to what are called Knockers, which by thWelsh are believed to be a species of aerial beings, that are heard under-ground, in or near mines, who by their noises direct the miners where to find a rich vein. The following extraordinary account of them, is from a letter of Mr. Lewis Morris to his brother, Mr. W. Morris, Comptroller of the Customs of Holyhead, dated October 14th, 1754. I will make no comment upon it, and only preface it by observing, that Mr. Morris was a very learned and sensible man, and a person whose judgment is esteemed of great weight by every one who has been either acquainted with him or his writings.
"People who know very little of the arts or sciences, or the powers of nature, (which, in other words, are the powers of the author of nature) will laugh at us Cardiganshire miners, who maintain the existence of Knockers in mines, a kind of good-natured impalpable people, not to be seen, but h eard, and who seem to us to work in the mines; that is to say, they are types, or forerunners of working in mines, as dreams are of some accidents which happen to us. The barometer falls before rain or storms. If we did not know the construction of it, we should call it a kind of dream, that foretells rain; but we know it is natural, and produced by natural means, comprehended by us. --- Now how are we sure, or any body sure, but that our dreams are produced by the same natural means? -- There is some faint resemblance of this in the sense of hearing: the bird is killed before we hear the report of the gun. However this is, I must speak well of these Knockers, for they have actually stood my very good friends, whether aerial beings, called spirits, or whether they are a people made of matter, not to be felt by our gross bodies, as air and fire, and the like.
"Before the discovery of Esgair y Mwyn mine, these little people, as we call them here, worked hard there day and night; and there are abundance of honest, sober people, who have heard them, and some persons who have no notion of them or of miners either; but after the discovery of the great ore, they were heard no more.
"When I began to work at Llwyn Llwd, they worked so [?] there for a considerable time, that they even frightened some young workmen out of the work. This was when we were driving levels, and before we got any ore; but when we came to the ore, they then gave over, and I heard no more talk of them.
"Our old miners are no more concerned at hearing them blasting, boring holes, landing deads [sic], &c. than if they were some of their own people; and a single miner wiill stay in the work, in the dead of night, without any man near him, and never think of any fear or harm they will do him; for they have a notion that the Knockers are of their own tribe and profession, and are a harmless people who mean well. Three or four miners together shall hear them sometimes, but if the miners stop to take notice of them, the Knockers will also stop; but let the miners go on at their own work, suppose it is boring, the Knockers will go on as brisk as can be, in landing, blasting, or breaking down the loose; and they were always heard, a little from them, before they came to the ore.
"These are odd assertions, but they are certainly facts, though we cannot, and do not pretend to account for them. We have now very good ore at Llwyn Llwd, where the Knockers were heard to work, but have now yielded up the place, and are no more heard. Let who will laugh, we have the greatest reason to rejoice and thank the Knockers, or rather god, who send us these notices."
An intelligent friend of mine informs me that those noises the Knockers, as they are called, have very lately been heard in the parish of Llanfighangel Ysceifrog, in Anglesea, where they continued at different intervals for some weeks. In accounting for these noises it has been observed, that they probably may have proceeded either from the echo of the miners at work, or from the dropping of the water; but these seem by no means sufficient, if Mr. Morris's assertion be true, that while the miners are going on with one kind of work, they are going on with another, while for instance, as he says, the miners are boring, they are blasting, the former certainly cannot be true, and the blasting entirely puts the latter conjecture out of the question, for droppings of water could never produce any effect of that kind. As I am only acquainted with the subject from report, I am under the necessity of leaving the elucidation of these extraordinary facts to some who have better opportunities of enquiring into them. I have only to express a hope that the subject will not be neglected, and that those who reside in the neighbourhood where they are heard, will inquire into them carefully, and, if possible, give to the world a more accurate account of them than the present.
Chester Chronicle, 23rd January 1801.
Wednesday, 8 February 2017
Knockers and other Little People: Cornish Miners' Superstitions
By John Lavington.
Special to "The Western Morning News and Mercury."
Among Cornish mining superstitions most prominent place must be given to the belief in the tribes of small people, usually known as "knockers," who are supposed to live and work in the mines. "Knockers" are akin to brownies and pixies, and are rumoured to be "little, withered, dried-up creatures," about the size of children a year old, having heads disproportionately big for their bodies, ungainly limbs, and small, squeaky voices.
In North Britain and Ireland they are supposed to be benevolent demons, too good for hell but not good enough for heaven. By some in the Western peninsula they are supposed to be the spirits of an ancient people who inhabited Cornwall. Formerly they were much larger, but since the time of Christ they have become smaller and feebler, and it is supposed that they will ultimately become extinct - which in one sense, no doubt, is true.
By others they are supposed to be the spirits of the Jews who crucified the Christ, and who were condemned to live and work in the deep levels of the mine. On certain festivals, such as Easter, All Saints' Day, the Jewish Sabbath, and Christmas Day, they were allowed to rest, but on Christmas Day they were compelled to sing carols. Stories are told of these who have heard the sweet, unearthly music of the knockers as they have sung their carols in the depths of the mine.
Generally the knockers were supposed to befriend the miners by assisting in their labours and signifying the presence of rich lodes - for the knockers were never heard except where there was an abundance of rich mineral - but if treated disrespectfully they could be very vindictive and cause great ill-luck. Consequently they were regarded with a certain amount of reverence by the miners, who sought to propitiate them by leaving a part of their dinner on the ground for their enjoyment. Similarly, fishermen left a fish upon the sands for the pixies, and harvesters scattered bread from their lunch and spilled a few drops of ale upon the ground for them.
Many old Cornish miners can tell of the prognostication of the knockers, whose noises came through the dark workings of the mine, sometimes like the beating of the borers or the roiling of barrows, and sometimes like the falling of rock, and even the dull metallic clink of ripe ore.
In connection with the Wheal Rodney Mine, near Marazion, an old miner recently told me the following story:--
"A miner named P-- and his son were at work in one of the levels which for some days had proved very unremunerative, but they continued to dig in the hope that they would again find the lode. They were busily working one day, when they heard someone throw down a 'bag of drills' in a working near by which had long been considered 'dead.' The old man expressed surprise that anyone should take the sett, and their curiosity was further aroused by the sound of vigorous working there.
"At last the old man's curiosity got the better of him, and he told his son to throw down his tool 'and we'll gone and see what to'ther fellow's about.' When they reached the old working they found neither miner nor signs of work, and the old sett appeared as for months past. 'Them must have bin the knockers,' said the old man. 'We'll knack ovver there and see if we can do better here.' After some ridicule the captain gave them permission to work the sett, when they quickly discovered that the 'knockers' had led them aright and an exceptionally rich lode was found."
Another story tells of a miner who was going to his work along one of the levels, when he was suddenly surprised by the sound as of someone "shooting ripe ore from a sack" just by his side. He looked about, but plainly no one could be near, as the level was narrow and straight and could be clearly scanned by the light of his lamp. As he turned to continue his journey he again heard the sound and noted its direction. It seemed to proceed from a large shaley piece of rock, which he pulled down with his fingers. Imagine his surprise when there "rolled at his feet a pile of ripe, red copper, like cinders."
An amazing story was published in "The Western Morning News" some years ago under the title of the "Wendron Treasure Hunt." An old lady living at Wendron was alledged to have been visited on several occasions by the "little people." When she eventually summoned courage enough to inquire why they troubled her, she was told to break down the plaster at one part of the house and a secret passage would be discovered, and if she dug deep enough much treasure would be found.
An attempt was made to recover the treasure, but while nothing was found that could possibly be described as treasure, the amazing thing is that at the place indicated by the little people a secret passage leading to the earth was actually found hidden by the lath and plaster. Several of the men who pursued the search are still living, and one of them from whom I recently had the story, still firmly believes that the treasure would have been found if only the landlord had granted the facilities required to prosecute the search!
The knockers are not confined to the Cornish mines, but are said to inhabit the coal mines of Wales. The coal mines of the north are said to be frequented by elves, - some of which are helpful tothe miners, but others are mischievous sprites.
The "duergars" of Scandinavia and the "kobolds" of the German mines are akin to the knockers, but unlike the knockers of the Cornish mines, which were usually friendly, the kobolds and duergars were frequently antagonistic to the miner, delighting to frustrate his work at every opportunity. In the mines in Africa and America, the earth is said to "talk," and there is probably some affinity between such "earth talks" and the "knockings" of the Cornish mines.
Ghosts were not unknown to haunt the mines, as is evidenced by the name of one mine - Wheel Sperris, the haunted mine - near St. Ives. Robert Hunt in his "Popular Romances of the West of England," published a story of a ghost which was supposed to frequent Polbrean Mine. A woman named Dorcas committed suicide by throwing herself down the mine, and for some time after her spirit haunted the place. She seems to have been of a malevolent turn of mind and delighted to torment the miners by calling their names and hindering them in their work. This occurred so frequently, that the miner who was unfortunate in his work was proverbially spoken of as "chasing Dorcas." On one occasion, however, Dorcas is said to have redeemed her character. Two miners were boring in an end, when the name of one of them was clearly heard between the blows. Hoever, when they listened, they could hear nothing. On resuming the boring the name was heard again, and when they took no notice it was again pronounced, but so vehemently that the man threw down his hammer and went to see who called him. Immediately he did so a huge granite boulder fell upon the spot where he had been standing, completely covering his companion, who, however, was taken out alive.
No doubt there are physical explanations for most of the basal causes of these superstitions. The miner laboured in an environment which lent itself to tales of the weird and uncanny, and in an atmosphere decidedly sepulchral and ghostly. If to-day we still feel unhappy at the sight of a single magpie or a broken mirror, and uncomfortable in the company of twelve other persons, let us be tolerant of those superstitions which enthralled the untutored minds of our fathers, and which here and there still exert their paralysing grip of fear upon the credulous and ignorant.
Western Morning News, 20th March 1922.
Special to "The Western Morning News and Mercury."
Among Cornish mining superstitions most prominent place must be given to the belief in the tribes of small people, usually known as "knockers," who are supposed to live and work in the mines. "Knockers" are akin to brownies and pixies, and are rumoured to be "little, withered, dried-up creatures," about the size of children a year old, having heads disproportionately big for their bodies, ungainly limbs, and small, squeaky voices.
In North Britain and Ireland they are supposed to be benevolent demons, too good for hell but not good enough for heaven. By some in the Western peninsula they are supposed to be the spirits of an ancient people who inhabited Cornwall. Formerly they were much larger, but since the time of Christ they have become smaller and feebler, and it is supposed that they will ultimately become extinct - which in one sense, no doubt, is true.
By others they are supposed to be the spirits of the Jews who crucified the Christ, and who were condemned to live and work in the deep levels of the mine. On certain festivals, such as Easter, All Saints' Day, the Jewish Sabbath, and Christmas Day, they were allowed to rest, but on Christmas Day they were compelled to sing carols. Stories are told of these who have heard the sweet, unearthly music of the knockers as they have sung their carols in the depths of the mine.
Generally the knockers were supposed to befriend the miners by assisting in their labours and signifying the presence of rich lodes - for the knockers were never heard except where there was an abundance of rich mineral - but if treated disrespectfully they could be very vindictive and cause great ill-luck. Consequently they were regarded with a certain amount of reverence by the miners, who sought to propitiate them by leaving a part of their dinner on the ground for their enjoyment. Similarly, fishermen left a fish upon the sands for the pixies, and harvesters scattered bread from their lunch and spilled a few drops of ale upon the ground for them.
Many old Cornish miners can tell of the prognostication of the knockers, whose noises came through the dark workings of the mine, sometimes like the beating of the borers or the roiling of barrows, and sometimes like the falling of rock, and even the dull metallic clink of ripe ore.
In connection with the Wheal Rodney Mine, near Marazion, an old miner recently told me the following story:--
"A miner named P-- and his son were at work in one of the levels which for some days had proved very unremunerative, but they continued to dig in the hope that they would again find the lode. They were busily working one day, when they heard someone throw down a 'bag of drills' in a working near by which had long been considered 'dead.' The old man expressed surprise that anyone should take the sett, and their curiosity was further aroused by the sound of vigorous working there.
"At last the old man's curiosity got the better of him, and he told his son to throw down his tool 'and we'll gone and see what to'ther fellow's about.' When they reached the old working they found neither miner nor signs of work, and the old sett appeared as for months past. 'Them must have bin the knockers,' said the old man. 'We'll knack ovver there and see if we can do better here.' After some ridicule the captain gave them permission to work the sett, when they quickly discovered that the 'knockers' had led them aright and an exceptionally rich lode was found."
Another story tells of a miner who was going to his work along one of the levels, when he was suddenly surprised by the sound as of someone "shooting ripe ore from a sack" just by his side. He looked about, but plainly no one could be near, as the level was narrow and straight and could be clearly scanned by the light of his lamp. As he turned to continue his journey he again heard the sound and noted its direction. It seemed to proceed from a large shaley piece of rock, which he pulled down with his fingers. Imagine his surprise when there "rolled at his feet a pile of ripe, red copper, like cinders."
An amazing story was published in "The Western Morning News" some years ago under the title of the "Wendron Treasure Hunt." An old lady living at Wendron was alledged to have been visited on several occasions by the "little people." When she eventually summoned courage enough to inquire why they troubled her, she was told to break down the plaster at one part of the house and a secret passage would be discovered, and if she dug deep enough much treasure would be found.
An attempt was made to recover the treasure, but while nothing was found that could possibly be described as treasure, the amazing thing is that at the place indicated by the little people a secret passage leading to the earth was actually found hidden by the lath and plaster. Several of the men who pursued the search are still living, and one of them from whom I recently had the story, still firmly believes that the treasure would have been found if only the landlord had granted the facilities required to prosecute the search!
The knockers are not confined to the Cornish mines, but are said to inhabit the coal mines of Wales. The coal mines of the north are said to be frequented by elves, - some of which are helpful tothe miners, but others are mischievous sprites.
The "duergars" of Scandinavia and the "kobolds" of the German mines are akin to the knockers, but unlike the knockers of the Cornish mines, which were usually friendly, the kobolds and duergars were frequently antagonistic to the miner, delighting to frustrate his work at every opportunity. In the mines in Africa and America, the earth is said to "talk," and there is probably some affinity between such "earth talks" and the "knockings" of the Cornish mines.
Ghosts were not unknown to haunt the mines, as is evidenced by the name of one mine - Wheel Sperris, the haunted mine - near St. Ives. Robert Hunt in his "Popular Romances of the West of England," published a story of a ghost which was supposed to frequent Polbrean Mine. A woman named Dorcas committed suicide by throwing herself down the mine, and for some time after her spirit haunted the place. She seems to have been of a malevolent turn of mind and delighted to torment the miners by calling their names and hindering them in their work. This occurred so frequently, that the miner who was unfortunate in his work was proverbially spoken of as "chasing Dorcas." On one occasion, however, Dorcas is said to have redeemed her character. Two miners were boring in an end, when the name of one of them was clearly heard between the blows. Hoever, when they listened, they could hear nothing. On resuming the boring the name was heard again, and when they took no notice it was again pronounced, but so vehemently that the man threw down his hammer and went to see who called him. Immediately he did so a huge granite boulder fell upon the spot where he had been standing, completely covering his companion, who, however, was taken out alive.
No doubt there are physical explanations for most of the basal causes of these superstitions. The miner laboured in an environment which lent itself to tales of the weird and uncanny, and in an atmosphere decidedly sepulchral and ghostly. If to-day we still feel unhappy at the sight of a single magpie or a broken mirror, and uncomfortable in the company of twelve other persons, let us be tolerant of those superstitions which enthralled the untutored minds of our fathers, and which here and there still exert their paralysing grip of fear upon the credulous and ignorant.
Western Morning News, 20th March 1922.
Monday, 6 February 2017
Cornish Miners' Superstitions (by an ex-miner?)
(By Herbert Richards).
It has been said that Cornish miners are a class very superstitious, and that they take particular notice of tokens, which they say portend good or ill luck. They also affirm that many lives have been saved from disaster by carefully watching signs and tokens. Nearly everyone, however, is more or less superstitious, though most people would deny this. Ninety-nine persons out of a hundred will walk around a ladder rather than under it. How many will refuse to sit thirteen at table, or to embark on some undertaking on the thirteenth of the month. I would like, therefore, to give to readers of the "Cornishman" some of the happenings which were said to have taken place in some of our local tin mines, when mining was in full swing, and the rattle of stamps made music in the valleys.
Miners affirm that they often see little imps or demons underground, and that their presence is a sign of good luck, and that they indicate the presence of lodes of tin, about which they work during the absence of the miners. A miner was once heard to say that he had often seen them, sitting on pieces of timber, or tumbling about in curious attitudes when he went underground to work.
Another story is that miners do not like the form of the Cross made underground. A man on one occasion going through a level made a cross by the side of one, to mark his way back, as he would have to return by himself. But he was compelled to alter it into another form.
If miners see a snail when going to bal in the morning, they drop a piece of tallow candle by its side.
Two miners who worked at Wheal Vor, in Breage, were in the habit of calling out a dog or two and hunt over the Godolphin estate nearby. One morning while they were with the dogs, one of them gave the alarm that a man on horseback was coming down the road. "It's not possible," said the other. "No horse can ever come over that road."
"Yes it is," said the other, "And old Capn. T is on its back," replied the first.
"Hold thy tongue," replied his comrade. "Capn. T died months ago."
"I know that," said the other, "but tes he sure enough."
Both crouched down behind a bush, but the informant, whose father was one of the parties, declared that the appearance of Capt. T on a black horse passed noiselessly down the road immediately before them, but that he did not notice their presence.
Another strange tale comes from Wheal Vor. A man and a boy were engaged in sinking a shaft, when the lad through accident or carelessness, missed in charging a hole, so it was found necessary to pick out the charge. This they proceeded to do, while the man severely repremanded the boy for carelessness. Several miners were on the plat above, chatting with the man and boy. Suddenly the charge exploded, when man and boy were seen to be thrown up in a volume of flame. A party quickly descended, and the remains of the poor fellows were seen to be scorched beyond recognition. A bystander, in order to spare the feelings of the relatives, caught the burning mass on a shovel and threw it into the blazing furnace of Woolf's engine nearby. From that time the engine man declared that numbers of little black dogs continually haunted the place, even when the doors were closed, and it was found very difficult to get an engine-man to work the engine.
On Christmas Eve, in former days, the "small people," known as "Spriggans," met at the bottom of the deepest mines and sang Christmas carols, and the miners during their work could hear melodious voices beyond all earthly voices singing the well-known carol "Noel" and the strains of a deep-toned organ shook the rocks.
It is said that miners often hear with alarm, noises as if other miners were at work deep underground, and at no great distance, the wheeling of barrows, the sound of pickaxes, and the fall of earth, are distinctly heard through the night. This is supposed to be the echo of their own labours, but sometimes the noises continued long after their labours were ended and voices were occasionally intermingled with the sounds.
Midsummer-eve and New Year's Day were holidays with the miners. It is said that they refused to work on those days from superstitious reasons.
I heard recently that just before the accident at Wheal Reath, a few weeks ago, when three miners were trapped by an inflow of water, that a miner had a warning that something was going to happen at the mine, and he did not go underground. The following incident illustrates this belief in warnings. A workman once lodged in a house near Wheal Grey, in Breage. He says the daughter of the person with whom he lodged, came in to her mother crying, "Billy and Jim ben out theer for more than an hour, and I ben chasing them among the banks and they wa'ant let me catch them. As fast as I go to one bank, they go to another."
"Hold your tongue, child," said the mother. "Twas their fore-noon core, an they have both ben in bed these hours..."
"I'm sure I ben chasing them," said the child.
The mother then went upstairs and awoke the lads, telling them the story. One of them at once said: "It is a warning, something will happen in the old end, and I sha'ant go to mine this core."
"Nonsense," said the other. "Don't be so foolish. The child has been playing with some strangers, and it isn't worth while to be spaled (pay cut) for any such foolishness."
"I tell you," replied the other, "I won't go," and as it was useless for one man to go alone, both remained away, and strange as it may seem, in the course of the night a run took place in the end they had been working in, and tens of thousands of kibblefuls (iron buckets) came away. Had they been at work both men would have been buried alive.
At Wheal Vor it has always been believed that the appearance of a white rabbit, or hare, in the engine house presaged a fatal accident, and some of the miners solemnly declare that they have chased hares and rabbits till they were hemmed in apparently without being able to catch one. A white rabbit on one occasion, it was said, ran into a windbore, lying on the ground, and though stopped in it escaped.
Another strange token comes from Wheal Vor. A man on being relieved from his turn as watcher during the night heard a loud noise like the emptying of rubbish in front of the account house, where he was staying; on going out, nothing was to be seen. The poor fellow thinking this strange sound was a bad warning pined away and died within a few weeks.
The following about the knockers is very interesting. These used to be heard in Cornish mines and caused a great deal of discussion as to who or what they were. They are miners say, the ghosts of the Jews that crucified our Lord, and were sent for slaves to work the mines in Cornwall and we find their old smelting houses, which we call Jews' houses, and their blocks at the bottom of the great bogs, which we call Jews' tin.
We used to break into old shafts which they had made, and they say that if a man on a still night works about these shafts he may hear the ghosts of them at work, knocking and picking as clearly as if a man were working in the next level. In some mines these little knockers were known as Buccas, and miners affirm that these sprites have been heard working away in the remote part of a lode of tin repeating the blows of the pick with great precision, and have often indicated to miners where they might find productive lodes.
The following interesting account of the knockers is related: One Saturday night after I had retired to rest and had been some time in bed, I heard a bedroom door open and footsteps moving about on the landing of the stairs, and a movement in the kitchen beneath. This noise continued so long that I feared that one of the children had been taken suddenly ill, and on the Sunday morning when I went down to breakfast, I asked the servant what occasioned the noises during the night. She declared that none of the family had left their bedroom during the night. But one of the family informed me that the house was haunted, and that they often heard strange noises as of miners beating a borer, but I believe they all come from the lode of tin which runs under the house. They were the "knockers" which you heard working upon a lode of tin.
Numerous stories have come from mines in the Lelant and St. Ives district, where the "knockers" have been heard. Since the decline of Cornish mining, very little is known of these things, but in the old mining days it is a fact that all these curious superstitions were believed in.
The Cornishman, 4th March 1937.
It has been said that Cornish miners are a class very superstitious, and that they take particular notice of tokens, which they say portend good or ill luck. They also affirm that many lives have been saved from disaster by carefully watching signs and tokens. Nearly everyone, however, is more or less superstitious, though most people would deny this. Ninety-nine persons out of a hundred will walk around a ladder rather than under it. How many will refuse to sit thirteen at table, or to embark on some undertaking on the thirteenth of the month. I would like, therefore, to give to readers of the "Cornishman" some of the happenings which were said to have taken place in some of our local tin mines, when mining was in full swing, and the rattle of stamps made music in the valleys.
Miners affirm that they often see little imps or demons underground, and that their presence is a sign of good luck, and that they indicate the presence of lodes of tin, about which they work during the absence of the miners. A miner was once heard to say that he had often seen them, sitting on pieces of timber, or tumbling about in curious attitudes when he went underground to work.
Another story is that miners do not like the form of the Cross made underground. A man on one occasion going through a level made a cross by the side of one, to mark his way back, as he would have to return by himself. But he was compelled to alter it into another form.
If miners see a snail when going to bal in the morning, they drop a piece of tallow candle by its side.
Two miners who worked at Wheal Vor, in Breage, were in the habit of calling out a dog or two and hunt over the Godolphin estate nearby. One morning while they were with the dogs, one of them gave the alarm that a man on horseback was coming down the road. "It's not possible," said the other. "No horse can ever come over that road."
"Yes it is," said the other, "And old Capn. T is on its back," replied the first.
"Hold thy tongue," replied his comrade. "Capn. T died months ago."
"I know that," said the other, "but tes he sure enough."
Both crouched down behind a bush, but the informant, whose father was one of the parties, declared that the appearance of Capt. T on a black horse passed noiselessly down the road immediately before them, but that he did not notice their presence.
Another strange tale comes from Wheal Vor. A man and a boy were engaged in sinking a shaft, when the lad through accident or carelessness, missed in charging a hole, so it was found necessary to pick out the charge. This they proceeded to do, while the man severely repremanded the boy for carelessness. Several miners were on the plat above, chatting with the man and boy. Suddenly the charge exploded, when man and boy were seen to be thrown up in a volume of flame. A party quickly descended, and the remains of the poor fellows were seen to be scorched beyond recognition. A bystander, in order to spare the feelings of the relatives, caught the burning mass on a shovel and threw it into the blazing furnace of Woolf's engine nearby. From that time the engine man declared that numbers of little black dogs continually haunted the place, even when the doors were closed, and it was found very difficult to get an engine-man to work the engine.
On Christmas Eve, in former days, the "small people," known as "Spriggans," met at the bottom of the deepest mines and sang Christmas carols, and the miners during their work could hear melodious voices beyond all earthly voices singing the well-known carol "Noel" and the strains of a deep-toned organ shook the rocks.
It is said that miners often hear with alarm, noises as if other miners were at work deep underground, and at no great distance, the wheeling of barrows, the sound of pickaxes, and the fall of earth, are distinctly heard through the night. This is supposed to be the echo of their own labours, but sometimes the noises continued long after their labours were ended and voices were occasionally intermingled with the sounds.
Midsummer-eve and New Year's Day were holidays with the miners. It is said that they refused to work on those days from superstitious reasons.
I heard recently that just before the accident at Wheal Reath, a few weeks ago, when three miners were trapped by an inflow of water, that a miner had a warning that something was going to happen at the mine, and he did not go underground. The following incident illustrates this belief in warnings. A workman once lodged in a house near Wheal Grey, in Breage. He says the daughter of the person with whom he lodged, came in to her mother crying, "Billy and Jim ben out theer for more than an hour, and I ben chasing them among the banks and they wa'ant let me catch them. As fast as I go to one bank, they go to another."
"Hold your tongue, child," said the mother. "Twas their fore-noon core, an they have both ben in bed these hours..."
"I'm sure I ben chasing them," said the child.
The mother then went upstairs and awoke the lads, telling them the story. One of them at once said: "It is a warning, something will happen in the old end, and I sha'ant go to mine this core."
"Nonsense," said the other. "Don't be so foolish. The child has been playing with some strangers, and it isn't worth while to be spaled (pay cut) for any such foolishness."
"I tell you," replied the other, "I won't go," and as it was useless for one man to go alone, both remained away, and strange as it may seem, in the course of the night a run took place in the end they had been working in, and tens of thousands of kibblefuls (iron buckets) came away. Had they been at work both men would have been buried alive.
At Wheal Vor it has always been believed that the appearance of a white rabbit, or hare, in the engine house presaged a fatal accident, and some of the miners solemnly declare that they have chased hares and rabbits till they were hemmed in apparently without being able to catch one. A white rabbit on one occasion, it was said, ran into a windbore, lying on the ground, and though stopped in it escaped.
Another strange token comes from Wheal Vor. A man on being relieved from his turn as watcher during the night heard a loud noise like the emptying of rubbish in front of the account house, where he was staying; on going out, nothing was to be seen. The poor fellow thinking this strange sound was a bad warning pined away and died within a few weeks.
The following about the knockers is very interesting. These used to be heard in Cornish mines and caused a great deal of discussion as to who or what they were. They are miners say, the ghosts of the Jews that crucified our Lord, and were sent for slaves to work the mines in Cornwall and we find their old smelting houses, which we call Jews' houses, and their blocks at the bottom of the great bogs, which we call Jews' tin.
We used to break into old shafts which they had made, and they say that if a man on a still night works about these shafts he may hear the ghosts of them at work, knocking and picking as clearly as if a man were working in the next level. In some mines these little knockers were known as Buccas, and miners affirm that these sprites have been heard working away in the remote part of a lode of tin repeating the blows of the pick with great precision, and have often indicated to miners where they might find productive lodes.
The following interesting account of the knockers is related: One Saturday night after I had retired to rest and had been some time in bed, I heard a bedroom door open and footsteps moving about on the landing of the stairs, and a movement in the kitchen beneath. This noise continued so long that I feared that one of the children had been taken suddenly ill, and on the Sunday morning when I went down to breakfast, I asked the servant what occasioned the noises during the night. She declared that none of the family had left their bedroom during the night. But one of the family informed me that the house was haunted, and that they often heard strange noises as of miners beating a borer, but I believe they all come from the lode of tin which runs under the house. They were the "knockers" which you heard working upon a lode of tin.
Numerous stories have come from mines in the Lelant and St. Ives district, where the "knockers" have been heard. Since the decline of Cornish mining, very little is known of these things, but in the old mining days it is a fact that all these curious superstitions were believed in.
The Cornishman, 4th March 1937.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)