Another honour for our Bard of Cornwall

BARD of Cornwall and Moonta local, Lilian James OAM, has received further recognition for her dedication to Cornish culture.

Mrs James was recently awarded the Grand Bard’s Award — the highest honour — at the annual Gorsedh Kernow gathering in Marazion, Cornwall.

She has long taught the Cornish language and authored many books in Cornish, inspiring others to keep the culture alive in Australia.

The Grand Bard’s Awards, accompanied by specially commissioned Awen medals, are presented to individuals or groups who make outstanding contributions to the Celtic spirit of Cornwall.

Mrs James’ medal and certificate were presented by Grand Bard of Cornwall Jenefer Lowe and accepted on her behalf by Robyn Coates, also a Bard of Cornwall, from Preston, Victoria.

“This award is a testament to the work she has done to keep Cornish culture — and particularly the language — alive and kicking in Australia, where the challenges are greater than for those teaching in Cornwall,” Mrs Coates said.

“It also reflects the tenacity of the Cornish diaspora in maintaining their links and culture.

Mrs James said she was proud to receive the honour.

“It’s a big honour for someone from Australia,” she said.

She began learning Cornish in 1983, passed the final grade of her language course with distinction in 1988, and was made a Bard of Cornwall that same year.

In 2006, she was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia, recognising her contribution to the preservation and teaching of Cornish.

With Cornish ancestry on both sides of her family, Mrs James has visited Cornwall five times and said she was always taken by the warmth of the welcome.

“What I loved was the people, because I think they knew my heritage and they accepted me straight away,” she said.

“I was one of them — ‘you’re one of we’ — that’s what they say.”

She has taught Cornish widely, including during the biennial Copper Coast Kernewek Lowender, and has had numerous books and articles published in Cornish, both in Australia and Cornwall.

These include her 2019 memoir, Golden Embers: A Childhood Memoir of East Moonta, which gives a nostalgic look at  local life and features traditional Cornish games,
recipes, songs and home remedies once part of everyday life in the region.

Mrs James is now working on a novel for adults titled The Perfect Gift.

She has also provided translations for signage at Moonta Mines, the Copper Coast Lifestyle Village and for games held on Moonta Oval as part of the Kernewek Lowender.

Language revival

Mrs James said the language nearly died due to the influence of successive rulers of Britain — including the Saxons and Romans — and the forced shift to English.

Cornish was the primary language in Cornwall throughout much of the medieval period, until it was gradually pushed westwards by the spread of English. 

It remained in community use in parts of Cornwall until the mid-18th century, with some traditional speakers possibly persisting into the 19th century.

A revival began in the early 20th century, and in 2010 UNESCO reclassified Cornish from extinct to critically endangered. 

It now has a growing number of second-language speakers.

Mrs James said she was encouraged by efforts in Cornwall and by people of Cornish descent worldwide to keep the language alive.

“It is a revival, and I really think the lamp is shining a little bit brighter,” she said.