Cornwall’s prehistory and history help us to understand Cornwall as it is today, which is different from the rest of Britain. More survives here from the Neolithic and Bronze ages than in any other part of mainland Britain, and the Romans made little impact on Cornwall. The Middle Ages saw Cornwall struggling to come to terms with being seen as part of “England” and Cornwall was as much the cradle of the industrial revolution as any other part of the country.
Use the timeline below to access articles about each period in Cornwall’s long and fascinating story.
The human history of Cornwall begins with the reoccupation of Britain after the last Ice Age perhaps 10,000 years ago. The upland areas of Cornwall were the parts first settled, probably as there was less clearance needed; it was likely they were first occupied in Neolithic times. Mesolithic and Palaeolithic…
Read More
Bronze Age cultures began to appear in Cornwall around 2200 BC with new ideas spreading from the Continent to the existing population, but the changes were gradual not sudden and stone tools continued to be used for centuries after the first copper then bronze tools appeared. It may be that…
Read More
As new ideas and discoveries from Celtic central and north-western Europe arrived in Britain after 800 BC, so the “Bronze Age” gave way to the “age of iron”. Whether Celtic people “invaded and settled” Britain, as was once thought, is now uncertain. Certainly the people already living in Britain at…
Read More
Zennor Quoit – where Roman coins were found. In Cornwall, the first impact of the Roman domination of north-west Europe must have been felt around 56BC, when Julius Caesar’s conquering army arrived in Brittany. At the famous naval battle in the Bay of Quiberon the “Celts” of Brittany were defeated…
Read More
King Doniert’s Stone – commemorating the untimely death of a “King of Cornwall” After the Roman withdrawal from Great Britain, Saxons and others were able to conquer and settle most of the east of the island. But Cornwall remained under the rule of local Romano-British and Celtic elites. The Dumnonii…
Read More
Restormel Castle – Built around 1100, this is one of the best-preserved Normal motte-and-bailey castles in Cornwall. It dominates the Fowey Valley near Lostwithiel. With the arrival of the Normans to the British mainland in 1066, the River Tamar became the agreed border. There was an acceptance that Cornwall had…
Read More
A time of new religious and political ideas. Pendennis Castle, Falmouth During this period English rulers sought to establish firmer control over the furthermost parts of Britain – Scotland and Ireland especially but this trend also affected Cornwall. Here the loyalty of many gentry, particularly in East Cornwall was secured…
Read More
The struggle between King and Parliment. King Charles Castle, Tresco – The stone castle was built in the sixteenth century as part of Henry VIII’s programme of coastal defence. The Civil Wars of the mid seventeenth century were a result of political, constitutional, religious and social changes and disagreements, which…
Read More
Portreath with the inclined plane in the far background. Road, Canal & Railway… The development of Cornwall’s roads was hugely affected by the duchy’s unique topography and landscape. Cornwall’s rivers run north-south, so all traffic along the peninsula has to cross several valleys; even to enter Cornwall by road the…
Read More
A brief history from the Industrial Revolution to the present day. The industrial revolution had a huge impact on Cornwall and it was at this time amongst the most industrialised part of the UK, if not the world. Copper Mining When people think about mining in Cornwall they normally…
Read More
