Dolly Pentreath [younger]

treeve · Mar 23, 2010

Daines Barrington visited Dolly Pentreath in 1768, as part of his exploration of the extent and state of the Cornish Language in Cornwall; ‘My guide however told me if I would ride about ten miles about in my return to Penzance he would conduct me to a village called Mousehole, on the western side of Mount's Bay, where there was an old woman called Dolly Pentreath, who could speak Cornish fluently.’ He reported back, with his findings and the response ‘the journals were enriched with their dialogues; the old lady's picture was ordered to be taken by the most eminent artist’ came. The portrait engraved by Richard Scaddan must therefore be dated c1770. Does this look like a 95 year old woman? However Daines Barrington says, ‘Dolly Pentreath is short of stature, and bends very much with old age, being in her eighty-seventh year; so lusty however as to walk hither, to Castle Horneck, about three miles, in bad weather, in the morning and back again. She is somewhat deaf, but her intellects seemingly not impaired ; has a memory so good’….

treeve · Mar 24, 2010

One of the most remarkable men of the period was William Bottrell, who delighted in the stories of piskies, giants, ghosts and people. He had the most incredible of talents, and that was to relate these stories in a lively and entertaining fashion. He spent many years collecting tales and drolls; There are two important facts that came to William Bottrell's attention. These were related (with other facts) by a woman from Sennen who knew her intimately, as they had been in contact for very many years.

Dolly lived in Duck-street, and there the dame was visited by many other great scholars as well as the honourable Daines Barrington, who laboured hard to convince themselves, and the learned world, that the old lady's lingo had a close affinity to Hebrew, Greek, Latin, Coptic, and other languages of the ancient world.

Dolly was married to a person called Jeffrey, but as she belonged to one of the most ancient and respectable families in the parish of Paul, she always retained her maiden name. This practice is still very general when the wife's family are or were persons of note.

That is a particularly important point as now any birth of a girl Pentreath is plausible if around 1687. It may well have been a second name to be called Dorothy. We can now dispense with Polwhele’s assertions. She married a Jefferey. Because her nieces and Nephew were Pentreath, we now know they were blood kin. We know her father was Nicholas Pentreath. With the way things work, we can assume he was born c1665, and it is very likely that there was a Dorothy in his life, mother or wife. One point we know is that he was a fisherman. That indicates that he was Mousehole by 'residence' - it would seem rash for young Dolly to get hitched with an outsider.

treeve · Mar 24, 2010

Dorothy [Dowryte in Register] Pentreath baptised 16th May 1692,
daughter of Nicholas Pentreath and Elizabeth Newhall married 3rd February 1689.
As to her date of birth, that depends upon emotions, intentions and biology.
Cousin Nicholas married Doaryte Crankan.

I cannot yet find a marriage to a Jefferey, but it is always a possibility that that was his first name. Or that a marriage took place in another parish?

Dolly Pentreath [younger]

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