Lizard Point

The Lizard is a peninsula of Cornwall, United Kingdom, and contains the most southerly point of the island Great Britain, Lizard Point. The peninsula measures approximately 14 x 14 miles. Historically a particularly hazardous stretch of coastline, it was also known as the "Graveyard of Ships". The name 'Lizard' is a corruption of the Cornish name 'Lys Airt', meaning 'high court'; it is purely coincidental that much of the peninsula is composed of a rock called serpentine. Lizard Point in Cornwall, England Photo by 2micha (2micha@gmx. ... Lizard Point in Cornwall, England Photo by 2micha (2micha@gmx. ... Foghorns at Lizard Point Lizard Point in Cornwall is the southernmost tip of The Lizard peninsula. ... Peninsula A peninsula (Latin, literally meaning almost island) is a geographical formation consisting of an extension of land from a larger body, surrounded by water on three sides. ... Motto: Onen hag oll (Cornish: One and all) Geography Status Ceremonial and (smaller) Non-metropolitan county Region South West England Population - Total (2004 est. ... This is a list of the extreme points of the United Kingdom: the points that are farther north, south, east or west than any other location. ... Lizard Point is a rocky outcrop between Mount Steamer and Mount Roberts. ... The Cornish language (in Cornish: Kernowek, Kernewek, Curnoack) is one of the Brythonic group of Celtic languages that includes Welsh, Breton, the extinct Cumbric and perhaps the hypothetical Ivernic. ... Serpentine Serpentine is a group of common rock-forming hydrous magnesium iron phyllosilicate ((Mg,Fe)3Si2O5(OH)4) minerals; it is also often rich in other metal ores, including chromium, manganese, cobalt and nickel. ...

History

Early

There is evidence of early inhabitation with several burial mounds and stones. Part of the peninsula is known as the Meneage (land of the monks). There are several towns and villages on the peninsula, some of which are covered below. Alternate meanings of barrow: see Barrow_in_Furness for the town of Barrow in Cumbria, England; also Barrow, Alaska in the U.S.; also River Barrow in Ireland. ...

Helston once headed the River Cober, before it was cut off from the sea by Loe Bar in the 13th century. It was a small port which exported tin and copper. Helston was certainly in existence in the sixth century when it was inhabited by Saxons. The name comes from the Cornish 'hen lis' or 'old court' and 'ton' denoting that it was a Saxon manor; the Domesday Book refers to it as Henliston. It was granted its charter by King John in 1201. It was here that tin ingots were weighed to determine the duty due to the Duke of Cornwall. Location within the British Isles Helston (Cornish: Hellys or Henlys) is a small town in Cornwall, UK, at the northern end of the Lizard Peninsula. ... Loe Bar is a unique geographical feature. ... General Name, Symbol, Number tin, Sn, 50 Chemical series poor metals Group, Period, Block 14, 5, p Appearance silvery lustrous gray Atomic mass 118. ... General Name, Symbol, Number copper, Cu, 29 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 11, 4, d Appearance metallic brown Atomic mass 63. ... Domesday Book (also known as Domesday, or Book of Winchester), was the record of the great survey of England completed in 1086, executed for William the Conqueror, that was similar to a census by a government of today. ... John (French: Jean) (December 24, c. ... The Dukedom of Cornwall was the first dukedom created in the peerage of England. ...

By the 14th century, a hamlet of fishermen's dwellings had established itself around the cove at Porthleven, named from the old Cornish porth (harbour) and leven (level or smooth). It grew with miners and farmworkers; and building of a harbour began in 1811. In 1855 the harbour was deepened, and a boatbuilding industry began, lasting until recently. The port imported coal, limestone and timber, and exported tin, copper and china clay. The harbour also heralded the start of Porthleven's golden days of pilchard fishing. Porthleven is a small fishing village situated near Helston in Cornwall. ...

Mullion holds the 15th century church of St Mellanus, and the Old Inn from the 16th century. The harbour was completed in 1895 and financed by Lord Robartes of Lanhydrock as a recompense to the fishermen for several disastrous pilchard seasons.

The small church of St Peter in Coverack, built in 1885 for £500, has a serpentine pulpit, a rock unique to the Lizard.

Nautical

The Lizard has been the site of many maritime disasters. It forms a natural obstacle to entry and exit of Falmouth and its naturally deep estuary. Map sources for Falmouth, Cornwall at grid reference SW810325 Falmouth (Template:Ll: Aberfal) is a seaport on the south coast of Cornwall in the United Kingdom. ...

At Lizard point stands the Lizard Lighthouse, built in 1752, although a light was known to have been here since 1619. Further east lies the Manacles, near Porthoustock; one and a half square miles of jagged rocks just beneath the waves.

In 1721 the Royal Anne Galley, an oared frigate, was wrecked at Lizard point. Of a crew of 185 only 3 survived; lost was Lord Belhaven who was en voyage to take up the Governorship of Barbados.

A 44 gun frigate, HMS Anson, was wrecked at Loe Bar in 1807. Although close to shore many lost their lives in the storm. This inspired Henry Trengrouse to invent the musket fired line, later to become the Breeches Buoy. Henry Trengrouse (March 18th, 1772 - Feb 14th, 1854) was born in Helston, Cornwall, was educated at the Grammar School, and lived there all of his life, working as a builder and cabinet-maker. ...

The transport ship Dispatch ran aground on the Manacles in 1809 on its return from the Peninsular War, losing 104 men from the 7th Hussars. The following day, with local villagers still attempting a rescue, HMS Brig Primrose hit the northern end of these rocks, with 120 officers and men, the only survivor being a drummer boy. The Peninsular War (1808–1814) (known as War of Independence in Spain as French Invasions in Portugal and as Guerre dEspagne in France) was a major conflict during the Napoleonic Wars, fought in the Iberian Peninsula with Spanish, Portuguese, and the British forces fighting against Napoleonic French. ...

The SS Mohegan, a 7000 tonne passenger liner, also hit the Manacles in 1898 with the loss of 106 lives.

The American passenger liner The Paris was stranded on the Manacles in 1899, with no loss of life.

Smuggling was a regular, and often necessary, way of life in these parts, despite the efforts of coastguards or 'Preventive men'.

In 1801, the King's Pardon was offered to any smuggler giving information on the Mullion musket men involved in a gunfight with the crew of HM Gun Vessel Hecate.

Political

In 1497 a Cornish rebellion began in St Keverne. The village blacksmith Michael Joseph lead the uprising, protesting against the punitive taxes levied by Henry VII to pay for the war against the Scots. The uprising was routed on its march to London and Joseph was subsequently hung, drawn and quartered. The Cornish Rebellion of 1497 was a popular uprising in 1497 by the tin miners of Cornwall in the south west of Britain. ... Michael An Gof (also known as Michael Joseph; An Gof is Cornish for blacksmith) and Thomas Flamank (a Bodmin landowners son and London lawyer) led the Cornish Rebellion of 1497, in which rebels marched on London to protest at King Henry VIIs levying of a tax with which... Henry VII (January 28, 1457 – April 21, 1509), King of England, Lord of Ireland (August 22, 1485 – April 21, 1509), was the founder of the Tudor dynasty. ...

Technology

In December 1901, on the cliffs above Poldhu, Guglielmo Marconi sent a radio communication across the Atlantic to St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada. Poldhu is a small area in south Cornwall, England, situated on the Lizard Peninsula it comprises Poldhu Point and Poldhu Cove. ... Guglielmo Marconi Guglielmo Marconi, GCVO (25 April 1874 – 20 July 1937) was an Italian electrical engineer and Nobel laureate, known for the development of a practical wireless telegraphy system commonly known as the radio. Marconi was President of the Accademia dItalia and a member of the Fascist Grand Council... The Atlantic Ocean is Earths second-largest ocean, covering approximately one_fifth of its surface. ... St. ... This is about the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. ...

In 1869, John Pender formed the Falmouth Gibraltar and Malta Telegraph company, intending to connect India to England with an undersea cable. Although intended to land at Falmouth, the final landing point was Porthcurno near Lands End. Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population – Total (mid-2004) – Total (2001 Census) – Density Ranked 1st UK 50. ... Aerial photo of Porthcurno Beach showing the Minack Theatre in the cliff face and Green Bay In the 19th Century Porthcurno was connected to the rest of the World by telegraph cables. ... For the clothing retailer, see Lands End. ...

A radar station called RAF Drytree was built during World War II. The site was later chosen for the Telstar project in 1962; its rocky foundations, clear atmosphere and closeness to the equator being uniquely suitable. This became the Goonhilly satellite earth station, now owned by BT Group plc. Some important developments in TV satellite transmission were made at Goonhilly station. The Royal Air Force (often abbreviated to RAF) is the air force branch of the British Armed Forces. ... Combatants Allied Powers Axis Powers Commanders {{{commander1}}} {{{commander2}}} Strength {{{strength1}}} {{{strength2}}} Casualties 17 million military deaths 7 million military deaths World War II, also known as the Second World War (sometimes WW2 or WWII), was a mid-20th century conflict that engulfed much of the globe and is accepted as... Alternate use: Coleco Telstar, Telstar Records The original Telstar had a roughly spherical shape Telstar was the first active communications satellite, the first satellite designed to transmit telephone and high-speed data communications, as well as the first privately owned satellite. ... Goonhilly almost always refers to the large telecommunications site, Goonhilly Satellite Earth Station, located on Goonhilly Downs near Helston on the Lizard peninsula in Cornwall, England. ... A satellite is any object that orbits another object (which is known as its primary). ... The site of the Andover Earth Station was selected by AT&T in December 1960. ... BT Group plc (formerly known as British Telecommunications) which trades as BT (and previously as British Telecom) is the privatised former UK state telecommunications operator . ...

A wind farm exists near to the Goonhilly station site. A tall tower holds a wind turbine aloft where winds are consistently stronger. ...

Titanium was discovered here by Reverend William Gregor in 1791. General Name, Symbol, Number titanium, Ti, 22 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 4, 4, d Appearance silvery metallic Atomic mass 47. ... William Gregor (25 December 1761 - 11 June 1817) was the English clergyman and mineralogist who discovered the elemental metal titanium. ...

Ecology

Several nature sites exist on the Lizard Peninsular; Predannack nature reserve, Mullion Island, Goonhilly Downs and the National Seal sanctuary. This is also home to England's rarest breeding bird - the Cornish Chough. Goonhilly Downs is an area of the Lizard Peninsula in Cornwall, just south of Helston and the Naval Air Station at Culdrose. ... Binomial name Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax (Linnaeus, 1758) The Red-billed Chough, or just Chough (pronounced ), Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax is a member of the crow family, Corvidae. ...

The Lizard one of the most specialised floras of any area in Britain, including many Red Data Book plant species. It is one of the few places where the rare formicine ant Formica exsecta (the narrow-headed ant), can be found. Tribes, Genera and Species Species: Formica rufa Genus: Camponotus(World-wide) Formica, Lasius(Holartic) Gigantiops(Neotropical) Polyrhachis(Asian, African tropics) Melophorus(Australian) Kyromyrma(Cretaceous fossil) Tribes: Camponotini Formicini Gesomyrmecini Gigantiopini Lasiini Melophorini Myrmecorhynchini Myrmoteratini Notostigmatini Oecophyllini Plagiolepidini The Formicinae is a subfamily within the Formicidae containing ants of moderate evolutionary... Subfamilies Dorylomorph subfamilies Apomyrminae Cerapachyinae Dorylinae Ecitoninae Formicomorph subfamilies: Aneuretinae Dolichoderinae Formicinae - e. ... Binomial name Formica exsecta Nylander, 1846 Narrow Headed Ant (Formica exsecta) or Excised Wood Ant is a species of ant native to the British Isles. ... Binomial name Formica exsecta Nylander, 1846 Narrow Headed Ant (Formica exsecta) or Excised Wood Ant is a species of ant native to the British Isles. ...

Media coverage

The Lizard was featured on the BBC television programme Seven Natural Wonders as one of the wonders of the South West. Corporate logo of the British Broadcasting Corporation The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is the national public service broadcaster of the United Kingdom (see British television). ... Seven Natural Wonders is a television programme that aired on BBC Two from 3 May to 20 June 2005. ...

Daphne du Maurier based many novels on this part of Cornwall, including Frenchman's Creek. Dame Daphne du Maurier DBE (May 13, 1907 – April 19, 1989) was one of the most successful Cornish novelists of all time. ... Frenchmans Creek is a 1942 historical novel by Daphne du Maurier. ...

See also

• Hayle Kimbro Pool
• Lizard Point