Traditions and Hearthside Stories of West Cornwall, Vol. 1

Traditions and Hearthside Stories of West Cornwall, Vol. 1 is a book by William Bottrell, first published in 1870. It collects the fireside legends, local superstitions and everyday lore of West Cornwall as Bottrell recorded them in the nineteenth century, preserving tales of giants and mermaids, a gallery of Cornish fairies (spriggans, buccas and knackers), miners’ lore, witchcraft stories and village anecdotes.

The tone is intimate and conversational — the sort of material that would once have been told at the hearth — giving modern readers a direct line to the oral culture and social life of Cornwall’s past. More than a mere curiosity, the work stands as an important record for anyone interested in Cornish folklore, regional history and Celtic studies; it has informed later collectors and students of British folk tradition while remaining readable for general audiences seeking “Cornwall legends”, “folk tales” or “hearthside stories.”

Full of local colour, dialect touches and moral asides, the book is both a primary source for historians and a rich anthology for readers who enjoy traditional myths, sea-folk tales and rural superstition.