Trelawney’s Troopers: The Cornwall Society of Cambridge University

“A good sword and a trusty hand / A heart merry and true / King James’ men will understand what Cornish lads can do…” it swirls around a dimly lit room in the Old Divinity School of St John’s College. The inviting aroma of newly imported life-sustaining pasta teases the senses. Brown Willy, an essential piece of Cornish cinema, commands our attention. Cambridge University’s Cornwall Society’s quarterly film night has begun.

A few hours later, aided by a few pints of Rattler, all the pards (people) present engage in a well-earned troil: the Cornish folk dance. Torsos gyrating, arms linked in unison and adamantine smiles, one can’t help but admire the distinct shared camaraderie that blossomed.

“Swirling torsos, arms linked in unison and adamantine smiles, one can’t help but admire the distinct communal camaraderie that has blossomed”

You may object that one might find similar displays of cultural expression at other ethnic societies in Cambridge. However, the traditions upheld by the Cornwall Society are particularly striking when Cornwall’s rather unusual position in England is considered. Along with Ireland, Scotland, Wales, the Isle of Man, and Brittany, it is one of the Celtic nations; fiercely guards its British language, Kernewek, which was revived in the early 20th century after facing extinction in the mid-18th; boasts its own hymn, “Trelawney”; and has a national day, St Piran’s Day, on which Cornish flags are flown, traditional dress is worn and ballads are sung. In short, it possesses almost all the elements of a separate nation.

However, it is a county of England. In many ways it feels like England. But it retains a distinctive air that is hard to ignore; it is rare to find St. George’s Crosses flying there. Compare the different groups of people in Cornwall. Wealthy second-home owners in Cornwall will insist on their English character. Others, however, consider themselves Cornish rather than English. Not really English; not really a separate country. The word liminal comes to mind.

Armed with my best “geddon,” I spoke to Society President Maddy Rose-Hunter to find out how the Society deals with this dichotomy. Established in the fog of Lent 2022, it is a product of the difficulties of adaptation. “I found the people I was living with and dating so different from the people at home,” she tells me, before adding, “I felt weird about my accent.” It’s an experience that almost anyone who isn’t middle class, has an RP accent, and lives in the home counties can relate to. For Maddy, however, such difficulties relate specifically to the regional liminality of Cornwall. She recalls, for example, responding to someone saying, “I’m going to do my hair,” by saying, “Where?” (a Cornish slang term meaning “where”). She was met with a “blank face”.

In this light, the Society symbolized an antidote to the consequences of regional obscurity in Cornwall. Reflecting on the Society’s wider function, she “thinks that having Cornish representation here is really important”. Easter. The songs. The flags. The Troilus. The rapidity with which the members’ Cornish accents emerged from their RP oral caves. It seems to me that the Society is a purified piece of the Duchy itself, completely devoid of its English qualities, here in Cambridge.

“it’s this cultural intensity, Maddy believes, that allows the Society to provide a ‘sense of familiarity'”

It is this cultural intensity, Maddy believes, that allows the Society to provide a “sense of familiarity”. It acts as a ‘home from home’ to its new Cornish members, many of whom of course cannot ‘go home for the weekend’ as many of their home counties can. As a result, Seb Gentile, a year after its establishment, was prompted to join as a freshman because of this strong emphasis on distinctive Cornish traditions. “You’d get everyone together to (…) watch Brown Willy and eat cookies” was too appealing a prospect to resist. And it is well justified. I think it’s quite tempting for us students to enjoy all those elements at home, however small, that differ from those of Cambridge. It allows us to cope in a strange, familiar and yet new environment. Exhibit A: I find myself scoffing scones, almost falling into a trance as I look at images of my local hill and lament the demise of the ancient Kingdom of Dumnonia. For every pasty devoured together, every line of “Trelawney” roared together, and every St Piran’s flag waved together, the English-Cornish divide widened.

How, you might ask, does this assertion of difference influence the Cornish identity of the members? To really understand the house, you have to leave it. For Seb, the Society’s activities made him “appreciate the traditions” of Cornwall to a greater extent. Maddy agrees, but explains the powerful impact on her identity. “We really immersed ourselves culturally (…) (and) I think it 100% reinforced my Cornish national identity.” Her use of the word “national” is significant. Here in the stuffy halls of Cambridge University, will we witness the birth of a new Cornish nationalist movement?

Although this is of course speculation, one of the Society’s members thought the same way when he joined the Society, despite not being from Cornwall. Rob Monteiro, from London, had an “interest in Cornish nationalism” before joining, which led him to attend CS events with Ella, a fellow Cornish college student, when he came to Cambridge. One of the aspects of the Society that Maddy values ​​is its inclusion of non-Cornish people, referred to as “Kernow fans”. “I think a lot of people in Cambridge may feel differently, or ‘OMG, it’s so posh here! ‘ and, I think, Cornwall Soc (…) doesn’t take itself too seriously, so I understand why (non-Cornish) people come,” she tells me. Consequently, Rob liked to be “treated kindly as one of their own.” However, he found even more comfort in noting the similarities between Cornwall and his native Brazil. For him, a “dual culture” was discovered, derived largely from its provincialism and common agricultural background.

So the Cornwall Society is much more than a facilitator of an endless Rattler binge session. Engaging with the distinctive traditions of Cornwall one at a time, the Society is a testament to the true value of exploring home while away from home.