St Columb Green Book Explained

St Columb Green Book is a very rare 16th century handwritten manuscript, bound in green leather detailing the parish records of St Columb Major, Cornwall. It was kept with a few intermissions from 1585 onwards.^[1] It gives a rare glimpse in day to day life in 16th century Cornwall. The original is very fragile and is now kept at the Kresen Kernow. A reprint of selected passages was published in 1912 by Thurstan Peter, in a Supplement to Journal of Royal Institution of Cornwall, vol. 19.

The book dating back to Elizabethan times covers just the Parish of St Columb Major. It is important, as it contains one of the earliest references to Morris dancing^[2] in the United Kingdom. Another entry gives the earliest written reference to the ancient sport of Cornish Hurling^[3] Also contained is an early reference to Robin Hood plays that existed in Cornwall.^[4]

Extracts of note

• 1585: (Early evidence of Morris dancing) coats for dancers, a friars coat, 24 dancing bells, a streamer of red mocaddo and lockram, 6 yards of white woolen cloth
• 1588 (In the year of the Armada) - Stock of money for the trayned (sic) soldiers
• 1589 Rec. for the lont of Robbyn Hood clothes^[5]
• 1593 Parish Carriage available for hire. Built by Remfray Rowse and Harry Hawke
• 1595 'sylver ball gylt' (earliest record of the Hurling game at St Columb which still exists)
• 1678: ffor ye burying of Peter the son of Sir John SeyntAubyn 13s 4d
• 1715: Pd Mr Robert Creeper in full for transcribing the Kings Letter £2 10s

Further reading

• The St Columb Green Book', Supplement to the Journal of the Royal Institute of Cornwall, 19 (1912) Covers period 1585 to 1687.

External links

• Description of the Green Book held by Cornwall Council
• Morris and Guize Dance traditions in Cornwall from the 'An Daras' webpage Includes a mention of the Green Book

Notes and References

1. https://books.google.com/books?id=ochAAQAAMAAJ&dq=green+book+st+columb&pg=PA110 Article in the Journal of the Royal Institute of Cornwall by R N Worth (page 110)
2. Book: Dawson Scott . C. A. . Nooks and Corners of Cornwall . 1912 . Library of Alexandria . 9781465545206 .
3. Book: Rawe . Donald Ryley . A prospect of Cornwall . 1986 . 9780709025856 . 20 July 2018.
4. Book: Bakere . Jane A. . The Cornish Ordinalia: A Critical Study . 1980 . University of Wales Press . 9780708307458 . 20 July 2018.
5. Book: Knight . Stephen Thomas . Robin Hood: An Anthology of Scholarship and Criticism . 1999 . Boydell & Brewer Ltd . 0859915255 . 93 . 10 August 2018.