Fierce independence, a collective determination and a conviction in their individuality, sets the Cornish people apart. In his poem Song of the Western Men, Parson Hawker celebrated the anger felt in the county in 1688 by supporters of Bishop Trelawny who was unjustly imprisoned in the Tower by King James. The song is still sung with pride and passion as the ‘Cornish National Anthem’, encapsulating the indomitable spirit of the Cornish character and their instinct to protect their own.

Along with the Trelawnys, each of the principal Cornish families has its own fascinating story which forms part of the rich heritage of Cornwall confirming its distinctiveness from its neighbours.

The Great Cornish Families relates the history of twenty-two families, their houses and estates, and describes within the context of national history the part each has played in the politics, commerce and the arts of their day.

Great Cornish Families is dedicated to that great historian and man of letters, Dr A.L. Rowse, himself pre-eminent among the sons of Cornwall, and who was instrumental in persuading the author to undertake this much-needed book upon its original publication.

Here, presented in a new edition, is an accessible study of the vital role played by the great families of Cornwall in shaping the affairs of the county and the nation, studying their ups and downs; their great men and women as well as the odd black sheep.

The late Crispin Gill came from Cornish stock, although he was born and educated in Plymouth, and from school went straight to the editorial staff of the Western Morning News, of which he was Assistant Editor for over twenty years. During his lifetime he produced many books of which The Great Cornish Families is among the most enduring.

Imprint: Halsgrove. ISBN 978 0 85704 083 1, hardback, 214x230mm, 144 pages. Published 1995, reprinted 2000 and May 2011.