I wrote this day-in-the-life piece for a display at our local church and wanted to keep a record of it here on my website. A poem in ballad form runs through the display, leading readers from one section to the next in the spirit of a Cornish walking song.
We left our home in County Cork,
No food remained to share,
Our ship set sail across the sea,
But Christ was with us there.
An Irishman in Cornwall
Patrick Sullivan came from County Cork, Ireland. In the aftermath of the Great Famine, hunger and poverty drove many Irish families to seek work across the sea. Patrick’s mining experience drew him to Cornwall, where the rapidly expanding copper mines needed skilled labour. In 1851, he and his family made Cornwall their new home.
Men like Patrick worked in the mines of Caradon Hill. They rented cottages in the surrounding villages where they raised their families and formed communities. Their labour contributed to Cornwall’s mining wealth, while their presence strengthened the small Catholic population around Liskeard.
Before we ventured down the mine,
We crossed ourselves in prayer,
The darkness weighed upon our souls,
But Christ was with us there.
Working In The Mines
Patrick descended by ladder into narrow, dark workings, carrying a candle, tools and food. The air was damp and foul. Water dripped through the rock, dust entered his lungs and the sound of iron striking stone travelled through the tunnels. He worked with hammer and chisel, drilled holes for gunpowder and helped remove broken ore.
Working underground was dangerous, and earnings were uncertain. The work was often organised through agreements called “bargains.” A team accepted a particular job for an agreed price, so Patrick’s earnings depended upon the quality of the ground and the speed of the men.
Our home was cold for half the year,
Our breath hung in the air,
Dry logs were few and coal was spent,
But Christ was with us there.
Home Life
Patrick returned home with dirt worked deep into the lines of his hands. He washed at a basin, but no amount of water could entirely remove the mine. Dust remained in his hair, beneath his fingernails and in the cough that followed him home and refused to leave.
The family’s evening meal was simple. Bread, potatoes or broth had to stretch according to the week’s earnings. Clothes were mended rather than replaced, candles were used sparingly and every coin had somewhere it needed to go. Saturday evenings brought a welcome change to the monotony of the days. Working clothes were put aside. Boots were scraped clean and better clothes were laid out for the next morning.
Long miles we walked through bog and moor,
The paths were worn and bare,
The wind blew hard, the rain fell down,
But Christ was with us there.
The Mass Paths
On Sunday morning, Patrick and his family left home early. There was no Catholic chapel among the scattered mining settlements of Caradon, so to attend Mass they had to walk to Liskeard. They followed footpaths worn into the land, crossed streams and climbed over stone stiles. Routes of this kind were commonly known as mass paths.
The journey could be long, wet and cold. Boots sank into mud, children grew tired and Sunday clothes offered little protection from the Cornish weather. Other families might join them along the way, their separate paths gradually merging as they approached the small chapel in West Street.
The chapel filled with songs of hope,
A haven from despair,
We knelt before our Saviour true,
For Christ was with us there.
The West Street Chapel
A small Roman Catholic chapel opened in West Street, Liskeard, in 1830, only a year after Catholic Emancipation removed many restrictions placed upon Catholics in Britain. For Patrick and the other Irish families, the chapel offered them a familiar place to worship.
The chapel was also a place of fellowship and mutual support. Families exchanged news, shared difficulties and helped one another through sickness, unemployment and bereavement. After a week spent underground, Patrick could stand among his community as a husband, father and man of faith.
Liskeard Unlocked
Men like Patrick left few written accounts of their lives. Their footsteps have disappeared from the paths and their names survive only occasionally in old records. Yet their labour, families and faith became part of Liskeard’s story, ultimately leading to the 1863 expansion of the Church of Our Lady and St Neot that you see here today.
Patrick Sullivan
Patrick Sullivan is a composite character, representing Irish Catholic mining families who settled around Caradon and Liskeard during the nineteenth century.