UK officially recognizes the Cornish as a distinct people
They are the people that gave us King Arthur and the word for Britain, the Cornish of southwestern England.
The original Cornish were Brythonic Celts. By the time the Roman empire collapsed, they were heavily Romanized and Christian. Eventually, Germans took over most of England and the only part of England ruled by Celts became smaller and smaller.
At the beginning of the Viking age, the Celts made an alliance with Danish Vikings against the Kingdom of West Saxon (Wessex). They lost and the West Saxons took more of their land, leaving only modern day Cornwall.
What is most significant about this new move, is the upcoming referendum of Scottish secession and the general explosion in self-determination movements all over Europe.
The land to the west of the Tamar river was a jubilant place to be after the government announced that the Cornish are to be recognised as a national minority for the first time. Dancing was promised on the streets of Bodmin, poetry (in Cornish, of course) was being recited – and a fair few pints of good old Cornish being downed in celebration.
“I think it’s a very important day for Cornwall,” said Bert Biscoe, an independent councillor and a long-time campaigner for the status. “Up to now we have been an invisible minority. This makes us visible. We’ve long been regarded as an eccentric add-on. I think this gives us an opportunity to gain more dignity, more respect.”
The announcement came from Whitehall, more than 200 miles away. The chief secretary to the Treasury, Danny Alexander, said it meant Cornish people would be classified under the European framework convention for the protection of national minorities in the same way as the UK’s other Celtic people, the Scots, the Welsh and the Irish.
Alexander said: “Cornish people have a proud history and a distinct identity. I am delighted that we have been able to officially recognise this and afford the Cornish people the same status as other minorities in the UK.”
The communities minister, Stephen Williams, said: “This is a great day for the people of Cornwall who have long campaigned for the distinctiveness and identity of the Cornish people to be recognised officially. The Cornish and Welsh are the oldest peoples on this island and as a proud Welshman I look forward to seeing Saint Piran’s flag flying with extra Celtic pride on 5 March next year.”
Alexander was visiting Bodmin on Thursday to join the celebrations. Biscoe said: “Bodmin has a habit of breaking out in spontaneous dance. I’m sure there’ll at least be a skip in the step of most of the people of Cornwall today.”
After the celebrations are over, the politicians – both in Cornwall and on a UK level – will work out the ramifications of the status. Biscoe said it would help Cornish bodies when they applied for grants from UK organisations. It might, for example, be easier for Cornish groups to apply for arts funding for specific Cornish projects. Biscoe said it should also make health statistics relating to Cornish people clearer.
Cornish Flag
Celtic Nations Flag
The Celtic people were pushed into the westernmost corners of Western Europe.