CORNISH-L Archives

From: "Albert Jenkin" <>
Subject: Re: [CON] Miner's dwelling
Date: Fri, 2 Mar 2001 10:46:08 -0500
References: <003901c0a325$2bd264e0$764da1d1@oemcomputer>

Ker Dorothy -

A stone cottage for most families, and frightful small by our modern
standards. Others were clay, packed up, stacked up and carved to shape with
a spade or mattock or whatever was handy. Slate roof for the most part,
sometimes thatch. One or two rooms often, wth a loft for sleeping and
storage. Refinements would be added as fortune allowed. Cooking would have
been done in the open fireplace. A well or nearby stream provided water,
and a hole in the ground behind a bush would be their start-up privy, to be
enclosed, again, as fortune allowed. Furniture would be home-made or
hand-me-downs to start.

The stone cottages built by Cornish miners here in North America were built
by fairly experienced miners who had a more reliable payday and better
prospects. They would have been a cut above what our cousins back home
started out with. The older, ruder, cottages were improved beyond
recognition, or taken down and replaced by better, with a ground floor and
1st floor above. Early 19th century folk had lower expectations than we.

Albert Jenkin of Carwinnion Cottage

----- Original Message -----
From: "Richard A. Richards" <>
To: <>
Sent: Friday, March 02, 2001 9:29 AM
Subject: [CON] Miner's dwelling


> Hi List -
>
> Since there are so many miners in our family background, would SKS give a
description of the type of dwelling a miner's family would live in during
the 1800's? They seem to have a good many children to accomodate.
>
> Dorothy Richards, Manns Choice, PA
>
>
>
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This thread:

• [CON] Miner's dwelling by "Richard A. Richards" <>

  • Re: [CON] Miner's dwelling by "Albert Jenkin" <>