Cornish Characters and Strange Events

This collection of biographical sketches and anecdotes profiles a wide range of Cornish figures—sailors, miners, inventors, politicians, eccentrics, and criminals—and recounts local tragedies, smuggling episodes, ghost stories, and other strange occurrences. Drawing on local records and old prints, it links regional geography, mining life, and lingering Celtic influence to traits such as seafaring daring, religious fervour, and folkloric belief. Individual entries mix life story, curious incident, and accounts of technical achievement, with illustrations and varied vignettes that together sketch the social textures and peculiarities of provincial Cornwall.