When?

December

Chewidden Thursday was a traditional miners’ holiday held in west Cornwall on the last Thursday to fall at least a week before Christmas. The day was named after St Chewidden, who is said to have been a friend of St Piran and the discoverer of “white tin”. 

Cornish miners from the Pool area
Miners from the Pool area Reproduced courtesy of Paddy Bradley as featured on cornishmemory.com
Read more articles in our book.

White tin is the hot metal that comes from rocks when they are heated. The name Chewidden is based on the Cornish language words for smelting house (where tin was smelted from rock), Chy Widn, or white house. Because of this, Chewidden Thursday was also known as White Thursday. There are many other examples of tin miners’ holidays, including Friday in Lide, Picrous Day and the traditional celebrations associated with St Piran’s Day.

CONTRIBUTE TO THIS ARTICLE BY EMAILING YOUR IMAGES, VIDEOS OR TEXT TO CORNWALLFE@GMAIL.COM.

results

Suggested for you

Wine cellar

Picrous Day

Read more
Miners at East Pool Mine in 1893

Friday in Lide

Read more
Bragg photo of a man eating a pasty in the Redruth area in 1906

Redruth Pasty Festival

Read more
Schoolchildren celebrating St Piran's Day in Porthleven

St Piran’s Day

Read more