The Bezants
A recurring theme in my work is 15 disks, its not just a personal obsession with the number, its part of the heraldry and symbology of Cornwall. theres a story dating back to the 13th century, when the duke of Cornwall was captured by the Saracens, and they asked for a ransom of 15 gold coins of byzantium (bezants) for his safe return, the people of cornwall raised the ransom one and all and the duke was released.
the 15 bezants has now been a part of cornish heraldry for at least 700 years and can be seen everywhere from town bollards to town crests.
This is the chain i made for the master of ceremonies in penzance, a copper chain set with polished disks of cornish sepentine.
St Piran’s Millstone
The patron saint of Cornwall and tin miners, St Piran was born in Ireland, a quite remarkable individual, he is said to have studied in Rome, been made a bishop and raised the dead, this went down well with his countrymen, but slightly less so with the kings who decided to put a stop to his shenanigans by tying him to a millstone and tossing him into the sea during a storm.
The almighty had different ideas tho and calmed the sea and sent this unconventional vessel floating south till it washed up on Perranzabuloe, Pirans first deciples in Cornwall were a badger, a fox, and a bear, he lived for a while as a hermit but his gift with miracles soon came to the attention of the Cornish who gathered around him and founded the abbey of Lanpiran with Piran as the Abbot.
During this time he made a hearth of black local stone, maybe he knew something the locals didnt or maybe it was divine inspiration, but the stone when heated produced a white metal that sat on the top in a cross, and so tin smelting was rediscovered in Cornwall and the flag of St Piran was made.
A few bits i’ve made for various events around Cornwall
