Add MS 28554

PAPERS of William Gwavas, of Newlyn, Penzance, relating to the Cornish language, chiefly collected at Newlyn, Mousehole and St. Just; 1709-1736.

1. Letters of John Boson to William Gwavas, containing a version of the Lord's Prayer, two epitaphs on [,James] Jenkins of Alverton, Penzance (see f. 136) and various notes; Newlyn, 25 Dec. 1709-21 Feb. 1720. Cornish and English. ff. 2, 6, 10, 12.

2. William Gwavas to Oliver Pendar, John Boson, and Thomas Tonkin; London, Penzance and Newlyn, 11 Aug. 1711-1 Dec.

17 36. Cornish and English. ff. 3, 8, 13, 16, 20, 23, 144. The letter at f. 13 contains a list of authorities, etc., on the Cornish language.

3. Oliver Pendar to William Gwavas; Newlyn, 22 Aug. 1711. Cornish and English. f. 4.

4. Thomas Tonkin to William Gwavas; Polgorian, 22 May, 26 July, 1735, and n.d. 9. 14, 18, 22.

5. "The creacion of the world, with Noah's flood;" a play by William Gordan [or Jordan, of Helston], written 12 Aug. 1611 in Cornish and translated by John Keigwin of Mousehole, Penzance, in 1693. Cornish and English. Imperf. at the beginning. Printed in 1827 by Davies Gilbert, and in 1864 by the Philological Society with another translation by Dr. Whitley Stokes. Another copy, in Harl. MS. 1867, was probably taken from this. f. 24 b.

6. Version of the Lord's Prayer, beginning "Tas Dew ny es in Neff," f. 50.

7. "Mount Calvary," a poem on the Passion of Our Lord, stated to have been copied from a MS. found in Sacret [Sancreed] church, corrected and translated by W [illiam] H[als]; 1679, 1680. Cornish and English. Fifty-nine stanzas are wanting at the end. Printed with John Keigwins translation by Davies Gilbert in 1826, and by the Philological Society in 1861 with a translation by Dr. Stokes. The earliest existing copy is in Harl. MS. 1782, f. 51.

8. Part of a Cornish dictionary, containing from A. to Cl., in the same hand as the preceding. Probably the "Lhadymêr ay Kernow" of William Hals, mentioned by Pryce in the preface to his "Archæologia Cornu-Britanica." f. 59.

9. Cornish-English vocabularies, in the hand of W. Gwavas, ff. 79, 119 b.

10. Short epigrams, verses, etc., in Cornish with translations [in the handwriting of Rev. Henry Ustick, Vicar of Breage]. With the exception of an epitaph on John Keigwin and a single couplet, all are printed in Pryce's "Archæologia." f. 91.

11. Six versions of the ten commandments, five of the Lord's Prayer and four of the Apostles' creed, by John Boson, William Kerew, (from Matthew Row's MSS.), Thomas Boson, Oliver Pendar, William Gwavas and John Keigwin. That by Keigwin (f. 112 b) was written 1710 and is printed in Pryæce's "Archologia " as an ancient version. ff. 96 b, 106-114, 141, 143, 161.

12. The third chapter. of Genesis and the fourth and part of the second chapters of St. Matthew, translated by William Kerew, and copied [by H. Ustick] from the MSS. of Matthew Row of Hendra, Sancreed. Cornish. f. 99 b.

13. Maxims and verses of scripture (Prov. xxx. v. 5, 6. PS. xxxv. v. 1, 2, vii. v. 11, ii. v. 11). Cornish and English. The maxims are printed by Pryce. ff. 115, 12 .

14 Two versions of the first chapter of Genesis, one in the hand of W. Gwavas and one in that of Mrs. Veale, his daughter. Printed by Davies Gilbert, one with the "Creation," and the other with "Mount Calvary." ff. 11 7, 126.

15.The Story of John of Chy-an-Hur, in the hand of John Boson. Cornish and English. Imperfect at the end. Printed with a different translation and different spelling by Pryce, Dr. Lhuyd (in the "Archæologia, Britannica")and Davies Gilbert. f.128.

16. "Kanna Kernuak," a song on the Revolution of 1688, by John Tonkin of St. Just, beginning, "Menja Tiz Kernuak buz galowas," f. 130.

17. Song of moral advice, addressed to the people of St. Just, to the tune of "The Modest Maid of Kent," beginning, "Ni venja pea a munna Seer," f. 131.

18. [In obitum Regis Wilhelmi 3tii] "Carmen Britanicum dialecto Cornubiensi ad normam Poetarum Seculi Sexti," by Edward Lhuyd, keeper of the Ashmolean Museum at Oxford. Printed in Pryce's "Archaeologia Cornu-Britannica." f. 133.

19. Song "Pe le a era [wra] why moas moes fettow teag," with translation "Whither are you going, fair mayd, he said," and the ordinal and cardinal numbers and three sentences, written out by Edward Chirgwin [by whom the song, as printed by Pryce, is said to have been sung at Carclew in l698], ff. 135, 153.

20. Song "Ma leeaz Greage [Gwreg] Lackah vel zeage" by [James] Jenkins of Alverton, with translation. Printed by Pryce and Davies Gilbert. f. 136.

21. Inscription for a hurling-ball, by Thomas Boson, with translation 1 Sept. 1705. f. 137.

22. A literal translation into Cornish of the hundredth psalm of the Sternhold and Hopkins version, with part of a letter, unsigned, f. 138.

23. Letter of John Keigwin to William Gwavas, with a copy and a translation into Cornish by him of the letter of King Charles I. to the people of Cornwall. Printed in the Rev. A. Cummings's "History of Cury and Gunwalloe," 1875. f. 139.

24. Names of tenants put into verse by - Collins, vicar of Breage; 1723, f. 147.

25. Various etymologies, etc., chiefly of names of places, by William Gwavas, 1732, ff. 148-152, 156, 163, 167.

26. Epigram in Cornish on the verdict in the case of "Gwavas versus Kelynack," in the Court of Exchequer, 6 Nov. 1728; with notes and translation by the same. Printed by Pryce. f. 154.

27. Mottoes for bowls, and for Market jew [Marazion] bowling-green, with translations, by the same. Printed by Pryce and Davies Gilbert. ff. 158, 165.

28. Copy and explanation of the inscription on the tomb of Clarice de Bolleit, in St. Buryan church, f. 160 b.

29. Epitaph in Cornish and English by William Gwavas, for his own tomb; 16 Sept. 1719. The Cornish has been printed by Pryce and Davies Gilbert. f. 166. At the beginning of the volume is a letter from Davies Gilbert to the Rev. William Veale of Trevaylor, grandson of William Gwavas, relating to the collection ; East Brent, 22 July, 1836. Paper. Folio. Presented by the Rev. W. W. Wingfield, Vicar of Gulval, Penzance.