Fishermen home again in Mousehole


Most of the men earn a living
Harvesting fish from the Sea
All of their craft were Sailing Boats
Entirely powered by the Wind
For motorised vessel were not available then
First class seamanship you couldn’t rescind
But here we see the men on he beach
Another fine image of Cornish Life
With a fishing fraternity
Sorting the Fish from their Catch
With their wives dressed ready for work
Cleaning & gutting with skills hard to match
Even the children show and interest
Of what goes on here at the beach
Because they might grow up to be Fishermen too
And what better lesson could anyone teach
The days are long and the work is hard
To eke out a minimal living
Totally reliant on the weather
Which at times can b unforgiving


Dennis Shrubshall 18th November 2023

Shrubby, you "paint pictures with words" Thanks fpr sharing.

I agree with Keeper....thanks Shrubby..

The legend of Tom Bawcock the brave fisherman of Mousehole.

Tom Bawcock a legendary character from Mousehole, Cornwall, was a fisherman in the 16th Century. The legend is that one bad winter it was so stormy the fishing boats were unable to leave the harbour.
As Christmas approached, the poor villagers who relied on fish as their primary source of food, were facing starvation.

The story goes that seeing their plight Tom Bawcock decided he would brave the storm and he went out in his fishing boat. Despite the difficulties he encountered with the weather he managed to catch enough fish to feed the villagers. The entire catch was baked into on huge pie which had the fish heads poking out of the pastry to prove the pie contained fish !

This has since become known as Stargazy Pie.

In commemoration of Tom and his pie there is a festival in Mousehole annually on the evening of 23rd December
In celebration of Tom Bawcock and his bravery the villagers of Mousehole parade a large Stargazy Pie through the streets in a procession accompanied by villagers carrying handmade lanterns.
This has become known as Tom Bawcock’s Eve.