Archive Open Day

This is the earliest photograph of a wedding in the Newlyn Archive. It shows Joseph Carter and Harriet Badcock on their wedding day in 1871. Harriet’s mother was one of the three sisters whose husbands, brother and cousin had formed the major part of the crew that sailed the PE 322 Mystery to Australia in 1854. It is not surprising that Harriet married Cap’n Joe Carter, a yacht captain. The family lived at Clifton Villa in Buccas Pass at the bottom of what was then called Paul Hill. So it is most appropriate that their picture should advertise the next Archive Open Day at Trinity Centre, Chywoone Hill which is a stone’s throw from Clifton Villa.

The Open Day, Love and Marriage in a Fishing Village, is on Saturday 7 February 2015, 10am-3.30 pm in the Main Hall at Trinity Centre. It focuses on a number of ‘Newlyn’ weddings, showing marriage certificates and telling the stories of the families concerned. ‘Love’ must be inferred from these photos but it is blazoned to the world in the naming of fishing boats like ‘Village Bride’, ‘Ben-my-Chree’ (woman my love), ‘Karenza’ (my love) and ‘True Love’. Many fishing boats were named after wives, sons and daughters and although the archive has photos and details of these boats we do not know the stories associated with the naming of the fishing boats so please share them with us. There will be experts on hand to help you explore your own family history but do make a place in history for your parents and grandparents by letting us copy your photos and marriage, birth and death certificates. You can download the poster for the Open Day by clicking on the PDF file below but do try and come along.

Poster_2015.02.pdf28/01/2015, 11:07