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History of Cornwall
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History of Cornwall
Featured Property
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Local Information
Cornwall Misc Links
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There were not many people here in the early Stone Age, but a drift across the land bridge from Europe brought settlers to Cornwall. The first stone tools found date from about 4500BC. There is the remains of a stone age settlement at Carn Brea near Redruth.
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Around 2500BC a trade started growing in tin and copper to foreign shores. The traders brought Bronze tools and gold ornaments to exchange for the minerals. The remains of such Bronze Age villages can still be seen on Bodmin Moor and the West Penwith Uplands. Excavations have shown these peoples to be well organised, living in villages and practicing farming and metalworking.
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When the Romans abandoned Britain, Cornwall came under Saxon influence, and following the Norman conquest, the first real integration of Cornwall into Britain took place. The whole of Cornwall was given to William's half brother, Robert. He made his headquarters at Launceston, where he built the castle to enforce his rule. Then for the next few hundred years Cornwall was rule by a succession of relatives of the Norman and Plantagenet kings.
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The invention of the steam engine in the 18th century and its rapid development in the 19th, led to revolutional advances in mining. Engines could pump dry mines at a great depth, they could haul up ore and on the surface could perform many of the jobs that previously had to be done by hand.. The Cornishman, Richard Trevithick, was one of the leaders in steam engine development. Mines were sunk deeper, ports had to be developed to get the ore out, and there was plenty of employment available in the mines. But by the middle of the 19th century vast deposits of tin and copper ore were found abroad, and deep, expense Cornish mines became uncompetitive. Cornish mines started a long downhill decline, and the last mines have now closed.
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| Mining has finished, the fish stocks are not what the were, Cornwall has little industry, but it has its scenery and the best climate in Britain. Miles of sandy beaches, coastal walks, open moorland and a benign climate that sees spring arriving early, and autumn lingering longer. Hence tourism is the mainstay of the Cornish economy. As Cornwall tries hard to capitalise on it's geography, it is striving to attract visitors here all year round. |
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