Identifying the last native speaker of the Cornish language was a subject of academic interest in the 18th and 19th centuries, and continues to be a subject of interest today. The traditional view tha
Dolly Pentreath (1692–1777)
William Bodinar's letter, dated 3 July 1776
John Davey (Cornish speaker)
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John Davey or Davy was a Cornish farmer who was one of the last people with some traditional knowledge of the Cornish language. According to Henry Jenner, the level of his ability in the language is u
Last speaker of the Cornish language
…met Jenner in 1875 and passed on to him his knowledge of Cornish. Victor also taught some Cornish to his granddaughter Louisa Pentreath. The farmer John Davey, who died in 1891 at Boswednack, Zennor, may have been the last person with considerable traditional knowledge of Cornish, such as numbers, rhymes and…
Plaque commemorating Davey in Zennor