Edwin Chirgwin (Map Melyn), 1892-1960


When Edwin Chirgwin died in November 1960 the Archdruid of Wales. Mr Edgar Phillips said “No mark of honour could fully express the esteem in which we held this noble son of Cornwall” and in his funeral address Cornwall’s Deputy Grand Bard, Rev D R Evans (Gwas Cadoc) remarked that Map Melyn had been ‘a source of constant inspiration and fruitfulness for the last 30 years.’

He was born in Newlyn in April 1892, the first-born of the five children of Edwin Chirgwin (1863-1925) and Catherine Jane Collins (1864-1926). From his earliest years he was fascinated by all aspects of Cornish history, folklore and ancient language. He was fortunate to know his great-grandmother, who knew a great deal about them all and was happy to pass on all she knew.

He attended the Wesleyan Day School in Newlyn and in 1906 went to the newly-created Grammar School at Penzance. He was an above-average pupil and became a Pupil Teacher in 1908, teaching in Newlyn and St. Ives, where the Headmaster described him as:- ‘…a teacher of rather exceptional merit and one who has the happy knack of imparting knowledge.’

In 1912 he went on to St Luke’s Teacher Training College, Exeter, and was fully qualified in 1913. World War 1 began in 1914 and he joined the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry serving in India, Palestine and Egypt as a Sergeant Signaller. In 1924 he married Dorothy Thomas of St Just and became Headmaster at St. Cleer in 1926, a post he held until his retirement in 1956.

From 1926 to 1960 he devoted all his spare time to the preservation of Cornwall’s history and language and was a regular contributor to newspapers and magazines, as well as being a well-known and respected lecturer. He won the Nicol Medal of the Royal Institution of Cornwall several times and produced several little booklets on the learning of Cornish.

He became a Bard of the Gorsedd of Cornwall in 1932 and regarded it as the proudest moment of his life, taking as his Bardic name, Map Melyn, (Son of a Mill) in allusion to the fact that his paternal forbears had been millers. The revival of Cornish was making great advances at this time and he was one of its pioneers. He was particularly known for the excellence of his poetry in Cornish and has been acclaimed as one of the best and most important poets of his time.

For a few years In World War 2 he was a Lieutenant in the Royal Ordnance Corps, serving in Gibraltar until his 50th birthday forced his retirement from military service. From 1944 to 1960 he was the Gorsedd’s Secretary.

He died at his home in Holywell Bay, Newquay in 1960 and there is a memorial stone, inscribed in Cornish, in St. Cleer churchyard. A full biography can be found in the Gorsedd’s archives and further information can be had from his nephew John Jenkin.

Herewith, also, a potted biography from my own archives – says more or less the same but there are a few extra bits which might be useful.


CHIRGWIN Edwin
Born Newlyn 1894.
Schoolmaster. Trained St Luke's, Exeter.
Headmaster St Cleer 1926 -1956.
Married Dorothy Thomas of Bosavern, St Just 1924 (q.v. CHIRGWIN Dorothy). No children.
Sgt DCLI WW1. 2nd Lt RAOC Gibraltar WW2 until age 50.
Barded through language proficiency 1932, taking name MAP MELYN, Son of the Mill, in reference to the ancestral trade of Millers.
Herald Bard of Gorsedd 1935. Secretary 1944 - 1960.
Prolific writer on Cornish subjects.
Frequent winner in Gorsedd Dialect and English/Cornish Prose competitions.
Twice winner of the RIC Nicol(sic) Medal.
1930s work on Cornish Church Fonts in RIC archives.
Leading poet in Cornish of his day.
Translated numerous books of the Bible and hymns into Cornish.
Author of Say it in Cornish; 1000 Placenames of Cornwall.
Honorary Druid of Brittany 1951; Honorary Druid of Wales 1952.
(Full biography with nephew JENKIN John q.v.)

 

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