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Can anyone give me any information at all please about "Little Cornwall" and the Cornish Miners that settled in Burnley? I was born in Burnley and lived in Lowerhouse until moving to the Ribble Valley. However for the last 40 years or thereabouts I have lived mainly in Cornwall. I now live in a 19th century Tin Miners cottage in West cornwall, which is right in the heart of tin mining country. My Dad, born, in 1931 who lived in Rosegrove, Burnley, told me he had friends in the 30's that lived in Little Cornwall around Rossendale Road. My Uncle who still lives close to Burnley told me the Cornish Miners came to Cornwall to break a strike. I would be grateful for any info.

As a result of a strike in the mines in 1873 some 400 miners and their families from Devon and Cornwall were brought in and offered a two years contract of 7s a day. They were first housed in an iron building but later accommodated in cottages at Brunshaw and at Little Cornwall near the Griffin Inn.
Taken from History of Burnley part iv, by W Bennett.
Hope this helps

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Gloria

I'd be dangerous with a brain.

I lived in Rosegrove about the same period as your dad and heard the same stories about the Cornish miners. At that time 'Rossendale Rd' was call 'Back Lane'. The Griffin pub came much later and is now a Funeral Directors. Opposite the Cemetery gates was 'Stoddarts Tenement', again long since gone. Whether the miners were lodged here is a possibility. However, my Dad used to say they were farther up 'Rossendale Rd' nearer the 'Plane Tree' settlement. Again, it may be coincidence but slightly higher up the road towards Manchester Rd there used to be a pub called the 'Jolly Collier'. I've nothing concrete to back any of this up its just hearsay.

My Great grandfather was one of the Devon/Cornish miners that came up. However, his story was that although Little Cornwall was built to house them, they took one look and refused to live there. He and his brothers subsequently chose Rosegrove and Lowerhouse in which to live. I seem to remember following this up and looking at the 1881 census and not one Devon or Cornish family were living in Hapton Street or Valley Street (These two streets were Little Cornwall). I well remember seeing the slag heap near these two streets when walking to the cemetery with my mum as a little girl.

Mo

There are photos of Valley St and 'Little Cornwall' in the 'Burnley section gallery'. (I used to deliver papers to these streets.) I suppose the whole issue revolves round when they were built. They were recorded in the Barrett's 1872-78 directory but not on the 1852 maps. By the same token, Rosegrove hardly existed before 1890. Its said that the miners were promised work without knowing what the real purpose was. Capitalism rules. The whole business is still a bit of a mystery to me.

My GT.Grandparents on Mums side were from Cornwall and Devon and came to Burnley in the early 1870's.

He was from St Agnes, Cornwall, she was from Tavistock, Devon. His family were copper miners and he came to Burnley to work in the coal mines, but had no idea they would be used to break the strike.
She appears to have been in a workhouse in Plymouth? and found work as a domestic servant in Burnley.

They married in 1878 and from the marriage cert were living at Cliviger and St James St.

From 1881 Census they lived on Ashworth St, and had two other Cornish people boarding with them.

From 1891 Census they lived on Tentre St,

From 1901 Census they lived on Lyndhurst Rd.

I will keep searching.