Camborne Hill

Last updated

"Goin' up Camborne Hill"
Song
LanguageEnglish
English titleGoing up Camborne Hill
Songwriter(s) Unknown

Camborne Hill (Cornish : Bre a Gammbronn) is a Cornish song that celebrates Richard Trevithick's historic steam engine ride up Camborne Hill, (Tehidy Road up Fore Street) to Beacon on Christmas Eve in 1801. A commemorative plaque is inlaid in a wall. [1] It is popular at Rugby matches and Cornish gatherings all around the world.

Contents

Camborne Hill itself runs from Tehidy Road Post Office up Fore Street to the corner of HSBC with Commercial Street. Camborne Hill is not Beacon Hill which runs from the library to Beacon as is commonly misinterpreted.

The tune can be traced back to The Diggers' Song of 1649. But the use of the words "Coming Down" more obviously links it to song "Jack Hall" of 1707. [2]

On 11 September 2001, Rick Rescorla, a chief security officer at the World Trade Center (WTC) in New York, originally from Hayle and a rugby man, sang Cornish rugby songs on his megaphone to keep morale high as he was evacuating over 2,000 employees of Morgan Stanley from the WTC's Second Tower. Survivors have said to particularly remember him singing Camborne Hill. Rescorla was last seen alive on the 10th floor, heading upwards, [3] shortly before it collapsed. [4]

Lyrics

Goin' up Camborne Hill, coming down
Goin' up Camborne Hill, coming down
The horses stood still;
The wheels went around;
Going up Camborne Hill coming down

White stockings, white stockings she wore (she wore)
White stockings, white stockings she wore
White stockings she wore:
The same as before;
Going up Camborne Hill coming down

I knowed her old father old man (old man)
I knowed her old father old man
I knowed her old man:
He blawed in the band;
Going up Camborne Hill coming down

I 'ad 'er, I 'ad 'er, I did
I 'ad 'er, I 'ad 'er, I did
I 'ad 'er, I did:
It cost me a quid
Going up Camborne Hill coming down

He heaved in the coal, in the steam (the steam)
He heaved in the coal, in the steam
He heaved in the coal:
The steam hit the beam
Going up Camborne Hill coming down

Oh Please 'ave a baby by me
Oh Please 'ave a baby by me
I'm young and I'm strong:
Won't take very long
Going up Camborne Hill coming down

Goin' up Camborne Hill, coming down
Goin' up Camborne Hill, coming down
The horses stood still;
The wheels went around;
Going up Camborne Hill coming down

The song is used several times in Pasolini's film The Canterbury Tales despite the fact that it is very anachronistic for the 1300s. The tune is sung by travelers at the Tabard Inn as they lie down to rest.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Trevithick</span> British inventor and mining engineer (1771–1833)

Richard Trevithick was a British inventor and mining engineer. The son of a mining captain, and born in the mining heartland of Cornwall, Trevithick was immersed in mining and engineering from an early age. He was an early pioneer of steam-powered road and rail transport, and his most significant contributions were the development of the first high-pressure steam engine and the first working railway steam locomotive. The world's first locomotive-hauled railway journey took place on 21 February 1804, when Trevithick's unnamed steam locomotive hauled a train along the tramway of the Penydarren Ironworks, in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Redruth</span> Town and civil parish in Cornwall, England

Redruth is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The population of Redruth was 14,018 at the 2011 census. In the same year the population of the Camborne-Redruth urban area, which also includes Carn Brea, Illogan and several satellite villages, stood at 55,400 making it the largest conurbation in Cornwall. Redruth lies approximately at the junction of the A393 and A3047 roads, on the route of the old London to Land's End trunk road, and is approximately 9 miles (14 km) west of Truro, 12 miles (19 km) east of St Ives, 18 miles (29 km) north east of Penzance and 11 miles (18 km) north west of Falmouth. Camborne and Redruth together form the largest urban area in Cornwall and before local government reorganisation were an urban district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camborne</span> Town in Cornwall, England

Camborne is a town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The population at the 2011 Census was 20,845. The northern edge of the parish includes a section of the South West Coast Path, Hell's Mouth and Deadman's Cove.

Cornwall is a Celtic nation with a long musical history. Strengthened by a series of 20th century revivals, traditional folk music has a popular following. It is accompanied by traditions of pipers, brass and silver bands, male voice choirs, classical, electronic and popular music.

Rugby union at the 1908 Summer Olympics. The event was summarised under the "Football" heading along with association football. The host Great Britain was represented by Cornwall, the 1908 county champion. Defending Olympic champions France withdrew, leaving Australasia, as the only other remaining entrant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rick Rescorla</span> War hero, and victim and hero of 9/11 (1939–2001)

Cyril Richard Rescorla was a British-American soldier, police officer, educator and private security specialist. He served as a British Army paratrooper during the Cyprus Emergency and a commissioned officer in the United States Army during the Vietnam War. He rose to the rank of colonel in the Army before entering the private sector, where he worked in corporate security.

Rugby union in Cornwall is Cornwall's most popular spectator sport with a large following. The followers of the national side are dubbed Trelawny's Army. In 1991 and 1999 Cornwall won the County Championship final played at Twickenham Stadium, beating Yorkshire and Gloucestershire respectively to win the Cup. They had another strong spell in the 2010s, reaching seven of the eight finals contested between 2013 and 2022, winning four of them.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hayle</span> Town in Cornwall, England

Hayle is a port town and civil parish in west Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated at the mouth of the Hayle River and is approximately seven miles (11 km) northeast of Penzance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cornish Pirates</span> English rugby union club, based in Penzance

The Cornish Pirates are a professional rugby union team who play in the Championship, the second level of the English rugby union pyramid, and are the premier Cornish rugby club. Formerly known as Penzance & Newlyn RFU, the Cornish Pirates play and train at their home ground, the Mennaye Field in Penzance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brenda Wootton</span> Cornish folk singer and poet (1928–1994)

Brenda Wootton was a Cornish folk singer and poet and was seen as an ambassador for Cornish tradition and culture in all the Celtic nations and as far as Australia and Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dolcoath mine</span> Former copper and tin mine in Cornwall, UK

Dolcoath mine was a copper and tin mine in Camborne, Cornwall, United Kingdom. Its name derives from the Cornish for 'Old Ground', and it was also affectionately known as The Queen of Cornish Mines. The site is north-west of Carn Brea. Dolcoath Road runs between the A3047 road and Chapel Hill. The site is south of this road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camborne RFC</span> Rugby union club, based in Camborne, Cornwall

Camborne RFC was established in 1878, known locally by fans as 'Town', are one of the most famous rugby union clubs in Cornwall. They are currently champions of Regional 1 South West, a level five league in the English rugby union system and are promoted to National League 2 West.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Pool mine</span> Former metalliferous mine in Cornwall,UK

East Pool mine, was a metalliferous mine in the Camborne and Redruth mining area, just east of the village of Pool in Cornwall. Worked from the early 18th century until 1945, first for copper and later tin, it was very profitable for much of its life. Today the site has two preserved beam engines and is part of the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape World Heritage Site. It is owned by the National Trust.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basset family</span> Anglo-Norman family

Members of the Basset family were amongst the early Norman settlers in the Kingdom of England. It is currently one of the few ancient Norman families who has survived through the centuries in the paternal line. They originated at Montreuil-au-Houlme in the Duchy of Normandy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of Cornwall</span> Overview of and topical guide to Cornwall

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Cornwall: Cornwall – ceremonial county and unitary authority area of England within the United Kingdom. Cornwall is a peninsula bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall is also a royal duchy of the United Kingdom. It has an estimated population of half a million and it has its own distinctive history and culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basset Mines</span> Mining company in Cornwall, England

Basset Mines was a mining company formed in Cornwall, England, by the amalgamation of six copper and tin mining setts. It operated from 1896 until 1918, when it was closed due to a fall in the price of tin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Austell RFC</span> Rugby union club, based in Cornwall

St Austell RFC is a Cornish rugby union club based in the town of St Austell and was founded in 1963. The club run three senior men's teams as well as ladies side, a colts and multiple junior/mini sides. The club's kit is red and white hoops and the first team currently play in Regional 1 South West with home games at Tregorrick Park.

Alex Ducker is an English professional rugby union & rugby league player who plays as a winger or full back. He is currently playing back at at Camborne. He previously played for Plymouth Albion from 2019 until 2022. An extremely gifted try scorer who can also kick points, he is most comfortable on the wing but can also play at full back. During his career he has led a nomadic existence which has seen him play for all of the top club sides in Cornwall including a stint with the Cornish Pirates. Ducker has been capped by the Cornwall senior rugby union side and has played summer rugby league with the Cornish Rebels, as well as experiencing Premiership Rugby Sevens with the Exeter Chiefs.

Presented below is an alphabetical index of articles related to Cornwall:

References

  1. Traditional Cornish song
  2. 'Folksongs of Britain & Ireland' by Peter Kennedy
  3. The New Yorker, 3 February 2002 – The Real Heroes Are Dead
  4. Daily Telegraph, 23 October 2008 – Cornish rugby union celebrate 125 years of pride and passion – but are they the lost tribe?