Pump Articles
Elizabeth Carne
Elizabeth Carne was born in 1817 at Riviere House, Phillack, now a Grade II listed building. This Georgian house belonged to the Cornish Copper Company and commanded an impressive view over what was then the bustling industrial shipping port of Hayle. The cellars housed her father’s experimental laboratories and a small foundry, which were visited by eminent men of the time, including Humphry Davy. It was an exciting home for a curious child.
Elizabeth (a distant relative of the Brontës) was the seventh of eight children born to Joseph and Mary Carne, and the second daughter to be named Elizabeth. The first Elizabeth died shortly after birth. The family were wealthy, and Elizabeth led a privileged life, allowing her to pursue academic and philanthropic interests. Her father, Joseph, was a managing partner of the Cornish Copper Company, a mining engineer and, later, a banker.
When Elizabeth was a child, the family moved to Chapel Street, Penzance, to what is now a hotel adjacent to St Mary’s Church. Here, her father joined the bank established by her grandfather. Following his death, Elizabeth was destined to take up his leading position at the bank, an unprecedented step for a woman at the time.
Joseph shared his passion for collecting fossils, ore specimens and minerals with Elizabeth. In turn, she became an accomplished geologist, delivering several scientific papers to the Geological Society of Cornwall, becoming the first woman to do so and later its first female member. Quite an achievement. Elizabeth inherited, catalogued and expanded her father’s impressive mineral collection, now owned by the Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences.
With her contemporaries, Miss Hockin and Miss Tyacke, Elizabeth furthered her interest in conchology, developing a specimen case that could be transported to present their finds, including several rare Cornish specimens. Her illustrated records of shells found on nearby beaches are both impressive and detailed. These are complemented by her sketches of molluscs, studied alongside her sister, Caroline. Their collection of molluscs was donated to the Penzance Natural History Museum in 1899.
The family’s strong Wesleyan Methodist beliefs and values played a significant part in Elizabeth’s life. Through these, she developed a lifelong commitment to philanthropy, promoting education and addressing social problems, as well as declining religious and spiritual values. Elizabeth’s grandparents were active members of Cornwall’s growing Methodist movement, and her grandfather was regarded as the county’s father of Methodism. During his visits to the area, John Wesley stayed at the Carne family home.
Elizabeth’s father ensured that his daughters received an excellent education at home, where there was a strong Methodist emphasis on hard work, study and community service. This is reflected in the books and articles Elizabeth wrote, some under the pseudonym of John Altrayd Wittitterly. She articulated a strong belief in equality and the integration of communities, regardless of social status.
Elizabeth possessed an intellect recognised by many eminent visitors. One such visitor was John Stuart Mill, the British philosopher, who described her intellect as “remarkable”. When he visited, Elizabeth was only 15 years old, and he was particularly surprised by her intelligence because of both her gender and the remote location in which she had been raised. The presence of such distinguished intellectuals in the Carne household, together with the atmosphere of debate and discussion they fostered, undoubtedly encouraged Elizabeth’s own development and thinking.
Elizabeth’s second book, Country Towns, and the Place They Fill in Modern Civilization (1868), contributed to contemporary debates on social, educational and moral philosophy. In it, she expressed a passionate belief in the dangers posed by continued inequality, ignorance and poverty. She also voiced concerns about overcrowded slums, poor drainage, inadequate housing and polluted air—issues that remain strikingly relevant today.
After inheriting her father’s estates, Elizabeth devoted both her wealth and her time to improving the education and wellbeing of poor and disadvantaged local people. She distributed food, clothing and books to those most in need, established and funded three, possibly four, local schools, and donated money towards the purchase of land for community projects.
Elizabeth’s passion for the natural environment extended to Boscawen-Ûn. She purchased the site after learning that a local farmer intended to demolish it. At the time, the stone circle had a wall running through its centre, which Elizabeth had removed. She also commissioned the construction of the surrounding wall that still stands today, helping to protect this important historic monument. Elizabeth died of typhoid fever in 1873 and is buried in the churchyard at Phillack, where her tomb can still be seen.
Rick Rescorla – Hayle’s Hero Who Saved Thousands
Few people from Hayle have left such an extraordinary legacy as Rick Rescorla. Born Cyril Richard Rescorla in Hayle on 27 May 1939, he grew up in the town during the Second World War, inspired by the American soldiers stationed here as they prepared for the D-Day landings. Those early experiences shaped a remarkable life devoted to service, courage and leadership.
Leaving Hayle as a young man, Rick joined the British Army’s Parachute Regiment and served in Cyprus during the Emergency before working with the police in Northern Rhodesia and later the Metropolitan Police in London. In 1963 he emigrated to the United States, where he joined the U.S. Army and went on to become one of the most highly respected officers of the Vietnam War. During the Battle of Ia Drang in 1965, his outstanding bravery and leadership earned him the Silver Star, Bronze Star and Purple Heart among many other decorations.
After retiring from military service as a Colonel, Rick entered the world of corporate security. He became Vice President of Security for Morgan Stanley, whose offices occupied many floors of the South Tower of New York’s World Trade Center. Having studied previous terrorist attacks, including the 1993 bombing of the complex, he believed another attack was inevitable. Despite resistance from some employees, he insisted on regular evacuation drills, believing that preparation would one day save lives.
His prediction proved tragically correct on 11 September 2001. When terrorists attacked the World Trade Center, many companies told their staff to remain where they were. Rick ignored those instructions. Drawing on years of military experience, he calmly ordered the evacuation of Morgan Stanley’s employees. Moving through the building with a loudspeaker, he reassured frightened people, even singing Cornish songs to keep them calm as they descended the stairwells.
More than 2,600 Morgan Stanley employees and visitors escaped safely thanks largely to the evacuation procedures Rick had insisted upon and his determined leadership that morning. Having ensured that almost everyone had reached safety, he turned back into the building to search for anyone left behind. He never returned. Rick died when the South Tower collapsed, sacrificing his own life while trying to save others.
Hayle has never forgotten its famous son. A memorial on the harbour honours his courage and reminds residents and visitors alike that one of the world’s greatest acts of selfless heroism began with a boy from our own town.
Rick Rescorla’s story is one of bravery, humility and duty. He showed that true leadership means putting others before yourself, even in the face of overwhelming danger. More than twenty years after his death, his example continues to inspire people around the world, and Hayle can rightly remain proud of one of its greatest sons.
Hayle Railway
HAYLE was not only an important outpost of the Industrial Revolution which swept Britain during the early years of the 19th century, it was also at the forefront of railway development, the old Hayle–Redruth line forming the oldest Cornish section of what was to become the GWR.
Opened for mineral traffic in 1838, having been built under powers conferred by the Hayle Railway Act of 1834, the railway began carrying passengers in 1843 and continued as a separate railway until 1846 when it was absorbed into the West Cornwall Railway linking Truro with Penzance. Although short-lived, the railway played a significant role in railway development in West Cornwall and much of its original route was adopted by the larger company, with some deviations being necessary to avoid awkward inclines at Angarrack and Penponds.
The Great Western Railway Magazine of February, 1938, says:
“It is uncertain how many locomotives in all were operated over the Hayle Railway, but some, if not all, of them were actually built at Hayle at Messrs Sandys, Carne and Vivian’s Copper House Foundry. The engine Cornubia, built by this firm in 1838 to run on the Hayle Railway, was described as ‘a splendid machine, capable of forty miles an hour, safe and satisfactory in working, and possessing beauty and simplicity of design.'”
The opening of the line for passenger traffic on May 22, 1843, was a great occasion, observed as a holiday along its entire length. Two covered vehicles were provided for passengers—travel was free on the first day—but so great was the demand that open trucks were laid on. A local newspaper said the covered coaches were reserved for “those who were fortunate or considered sufficiently respectable to get places.” But there was severe congestion with “those on the trucks being clustered like bees and the close carriages resembling the hold of a slave ship.” All, however, seemed pleased, so great is the charm of gratuitous amusement.
Two weeks later the railway experimented with what was almost certainly the first-ever railway excursions, with special trains laid on for the Whit Monday holiday. The train ran four times in each direction, enabling passengers to go, and return, at any time of the day, after visiting the beautiful Bay of St Ives, the sandy beaches of Gwithian and Hayle, and Gwennap Pit, the noted scene of Wesley’s labours. It was in this open-air amphitheatre that Wesley addressed miners during his evangelical trips to Cornwall.
The photographs above show what were, in 1938, surviving relics of the old Hayle railway. The picture on the upper left shows the original Hayle station, by the Thirties in use as a women’s club. It stood at the foot of the present viaduct, but was eventually demolished in the late Forties to improve motorists’ visibility in Foundry Square.
The main section of the Hayle Railway was just under ten miles long, but branches to Portreath, North Crofty, Roskear and Tresavean extended its total length to 17 miles 15 chains. It was laid to narrow gauge (4 ft 8½ ins) on stone blocks and was single track throughout, except for some specially-operated inclines.
The North Quay chimney is one of the last visible reminders of a little-known chapter in Hayle’s industrial history – glass making.
The Glass Works
During and just after the First World War, a glass factory operated on North Quay. The first company was the Cornish Glass Works (1917–1919), followed by the Pentowan Glass Works (1920–1925). They used local materials, including sand from Hayle Towans and china-clay waste from the St Austell area.
Unfortunately, the local raw materials contained relatively high levels of iron, which meant the factory could only produce dark green and brown glass. Most of the output was beer bottles for local breweries, limiting the market for their products.
The later Pentowan company invested in a larger furnace capable of producing around ten tons of molten glass and hoped to expand into jam jars, medicine bottles and sauce bottles using recycled glass. Despite these efforts, the business was not commercially successful and closed in 1925.
The Chimney
The chimney itself is actually older than the glass works. It originally served the Pentowan Calcining Works, which refined arsenic recovered from mining waste from nearby Wheal Lucy. When the glass works took over the site, they reused the existing chimney for their furnaces.
After the glass works closed, most of the buildings were eventually demolished. The site later became home to an ICI/Associated Octel bromine extraction plant during the Second World War, producing additives for aviation fuel. The chimney survived while the surrounding industrial buildings disappeared.
Why It Matters
Today the North Quay chimney is one of the few surviving structures that tells the story of Hayle’s brief glass-making industry. While Hayle is famous for the engineering achievements of John Harvey and the town’s foundries, the chimney is a reminder that the town also experimented with other industries as mining declined in the early 20th century.
An interesting detail is that during the North Quay regeneration works of 2011–12, the chimney was deliberately retained as an important historic landmark.
Wosson, Hayle Pump.
Led by its Dialect Recorders, Chris Trevena, and Paul Phillips, the Federation of Old Cornwall Societies has instigated a new enterprise to highlight our wonderful Cornish Dialect. Chris (‘Kovadhor an Bobel’) and Paul (‘Kaffler Rannyeth’) are both bards of Gorsedh Kernow and have recently undertaken extensive work to record Cornish stories and dialect. This has resulted in a substantial body of material, which will be issued in monthly volumes on the first day of each month. In addition to the recordings made with Paul Phillips, two volumes have been produced with Brian Stevens of St Ives, and a further two volumes recorded by the late Kathleen Hawke (“Keren”) will also be released.
Although a considerable body of written dialect material survives into present-day, recorded dialect remains comparatively scarce. Combined with the decline of traditional Cornish manner of speech, this work acts as a call to action. The Federation of Old Cornwall Societies’ motto, “Gather ye the fragments that are left, that nothing be lost”, underpins this project and its commitment to safeguarding the spoken heritage of Cornwall for future generations. The aim is to share and promote Cornish Dialect, as well as invite more people from each part of Cornwall who wish to have their stories recorded.
This work is highlighting an important yet overlooked aspect of Cornish heritage: our dialect.
Cornish dialect varies from parish to parish, trade to trade, and speaker to speaker, with each community across the Duchy maintaining its own expressions, mannerisms, and stories passed down through generations. Recognition of this linguistic distinctiveness can be traced as far back as 1689, when the antiquarian William Scawen, in ‘Antiquities Cornu Britannick’, lamented the decline of the Cornish language (Kernewek) and noted early forms of Anglo Cornish dialect. The 19th century saw further documentation, from the humorous writings of I. T. Tregellas to the scholarly work of Fred W. P. Jago. Local newspaper reports soon followed, publishing weekly dialect anecdotes shared at Women’s Institutes, village halls, chapels, and amateur dramatic societies – stories of village gossip, fête day mishaps, and the familiar antics of “mawther” and “feyther”. These tales brightened homes, gatherings, and public houses then, as they continue to do so today.
We are very happy to take part in interviews, or contribute to articles connected to Cornish dialect. We are available to speak about the aims of the series, the recording process, and the wider importance of preserving Cornish dialect, should this be of interest to you and your audience.
Full Schedule of Cornish Dialect & Stories 2026:
1st May: Cornish Dialect & Stories With Paul Phillips (Volume 1)
1st June: Cornish Dialect & Stories With Brian Stevens (Volume 1)
1st July: Cornish Dialect & Stories With Paul Phillips (Volume 2)
1st August: Cornish Dialect & Stories With Brian Stevens (Volume 2)
1st September: Cornish Dialect & Stories With Paul Phillips (Volume 3)
1st October: Cornish Dialect Words With Kathleen Hawke (A – K) (Volume 1)
1st November: Cornish Dialect Words With Kathleen Hawke (L – Z) (Volume 2)
1st December: Cornish Dialect & Stories With Paul Phillips (Volume 4)
Lastly: We have a Bandcamp, a YouTube channel dedicated to Cornish Dialect, as well as a Facebook group. Links for those can be found below:
Bandcamp link:
https://www.federationofoldcornwallsocieties.bandcamp.com/music
YouTube link:
https://www.youtube.com/@ cornishdialect/videos
Cornish Dialect Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/ groups/393498350758748
Meur ras / Thank you.
Chris Trevena – Dialect Officer for the Federation of Old Cornwall Societies
The Cinnamon Trust
Do you own a dog, or two, or more? Hayle must have more doggy residents than most places! Very apt, therefore, that The Cinnamon Trust has its National Headquarters in Hayle.
I visited Cornwall a number of times before coming to live here in 2013, and being a ‘doggy person’, I was always intrigued by Cinnamon here in Hayle. Once I moved here, and discovered more about this great organisation, it wasn’t long before I offered to walk dogs for The Cinnamon Trust.
Over a few years, I walked several dogs for their owners, who were unable to do so themselves for health or age reasons. We became friends, and even after I stopped the dog walks, I kept in contact with their owners. The dogs, Abbie, Bertie, Sophie. James and Crumpet, Ruby and Scruffy all benefitted from the walks, and I remember them all with affection.
I’ve been a dog lover all my life. I hankered for a dog of my own at a young age, and pestered my parents until they bought me a puppy one Christmas. I was in Seventh Heaven, but alas, the poor wee thing succumbed to distemper, a terrible puppy disease, just two weeks later. Since then, many dogs have passed through my life, and Frankie is the most recent. He came to live with me four years ago, when his previous owner had a change of circumstance, and could no longer keep him. Frankie gives me company, he makes me laugh with his funny ways, he keeps me fit by taking me for walks two or three times a day. I think he’s the best dog in the world, as do most other owners of their dog!
Frankie has befriended many of the staff at The Cinnamon Trust. He gets excited when he sees them coming towards him. Sadly, it is cupboard love – it’s the treats they give him that he likes best! But I feel a great respect for The Cinnamon Trust and the wonderful work it does, not only locally, but throughout the country. Their newsletter is always full of appreciative comments from those who are helped or who help. I thank them for their friendship to Me and my Dog.
More next time. Tina Morgan