He is also speaking about the Cornish, & than not many Cornish could speak
Welsh.
Bob Orchard.
----- Original Message -----
From: "D.R.Poyner" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, January 19, 2006 9:27 PM
Subject: Re: Snowdon Copper Mines
> Isn't this thread going away from Alasdair's query? Why would a
> manager be asked to speak French? It seems implausible to me,
> although I don't know much about the area.
>
>
> David Poyner
>
> On 19 Jan 2006 at 7:15, Bob & Annette Orchard wrote:
>
> > CORNISH / WELSH / BRETON
> >
> > I think that these languages were similar, & that people would have
> > had a grasp of the gist of the conversation.
> >
> > Bob Orchard.
> >
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Alasdair Neill" <[log in to unmask]>
> > To: <[log in to unmask]>
> > Sent: Wednesday, January 18, 2006 11:11 PM
> > Subject: Snowdon Copper Mines
> >
> >
> > > The last edition of Below! (Shropshire Caving & Mining Club)
> > > contains an article (anonymous) statin "When a new mine manager was
> > > wanted at any of the mines on Snowdon, it was a prerequisite that
> > > applicants spoke English and French, because so many of the miners
> > > were Breton. 'Llyn Llydaw@ means 'Lake Brittany' in Welsh".
> > >
> > > Does anyone have any proof of this? I understand that the name
> > > Llydaw, although translating as Breton (I am no Welsh speaker) is
> > > thought to be more likely to be a personal name, & anyway is
> > > recorded much earlier than the date the Snowdon copper mine was
> > > discovered (c mid 18th Century). In the 1850's there were proposals
> > > to bring in Cornish miners, & most names
> > of
> > > workings in the area are either Welsh or Cornish. It would surely
> > > have been much more likely that managers were Welsh speakers
> > > (although I don't suppose there were many Welsh speakers amongst the
> > > Cornish).
> > >
> > > Alasdair Neill.
> > >
> > >
> >
>
>
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