Visiting Devon & Cornwall
Many of the Retallicks came from the area around St Columb Major near the North Cornwall coast. In the middle of the last century the parish living of St Columb was the most wealthy in the whole of Cornwall. In the 1860s the rector, the Reverend Dr Samuel Walker, invested a great deal of money and energy in trying to induce the church authorities to make this town the seat of the bishopric of Cornwall. He failed and the cathedral was ultimately built in Truro. It is a matter of interest to me that he later invested much of his wealth in Kensington, London, to which my family “emigrated” about the same time to work in the building expansion then going on.
Many Retallick families are found in the parish records of St Columb and the surrounding villages, St Wenn, Withiel, Roche, Lanivet and many more. Here are a few watercolours painted by my father for your amusement.
Lanivet. – Lies about 2 miles west of Bodmin just off the main highway. For those with a taste for such things it has an excellent fish and chip shop. This village used stand on the main highway from Bodmin to Penzance but today is a pleasant back water left by the Bodmin by-pass.
Roche – There is a natural granite crag about 100 feet high rising from the plateau on which the village stands. On this rock are still the ruins of a little chapel with a hermit’s cell which for 600 years have been the object of reverence or curiosity.
Withiel – A great patchwork of fields and wooded hills stretches for miles from here to Bodmin Moor where Brown Willy and Rough Tor are the highest points in the whole of Cornwall. Not on the route to anywhere in particular, Withiel has managed to keep its rural farming character from days long gone.
Tin Mine near Zennor – One of the many ruins left in the aftermath of the demise of the Cornish tin mining industry. Only in 1999 did the final death blow fall when South Crofty closed its doors. Centuries of tradition came to an end.
Coastal Footpath – One of the most attractive features of Cornwall is the coastline. It is possible to walk almost the whole way taking in the magnificent scenery with its granite cliffs and rocky coves. Tales of King Arthur and Merlin, are easy to believe in such an evocative environment. Smugglers, wreckers and pirates are the stuff of Cornish legend.
Fishing in Cornwall – Over the centuries, three major occupations have been the means of livelihood for Cornishmen – Tin Mining, Farming and Fishing. The picturesque fishing villages are still a delight for visitors and artists alike although what was once a great industry is now withered to a mere token of former times.