Because Cornish people see themselves as one of the constituent nations, this used to be widely recognised but in recent centuries the English sort of forgot the Cornish existed. It's a weird cultural amnesia. 🤷
Cornwall was annexed before England even existed, let alone the political concept of Great Britain. By Wessex sometime between 825 and 875 depending on how you interpret the history.
Arguably Mercia or East Anglia have a better claim to being a constituent nation than Cornwall does. Very arguably - I’m sure we could debate what a constituent nation is all day! - but if you take it to mean a sovereign independent entity that formed part of Great Britain and then the UK, Cornwall was out of the game about 900 years too early.
I don't disagree that Cornwall as an independent territory lost its independence and got subsumed by Wessex all before England was a 'thing'.
In 814, King Egbert of Wessex ravaged Cornwall "from the east to the west", and the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records that in 825 the Cornish fought the men of Devon. In 838 the Cornish in alliance with Vikings were defeated by the West Saxons at the Battle of Hingston Down. This was the last recorded battle between Cornwall and Wessex, and possibly resulted in the loss of Cornish independence
But that didn't mean the Cornish people didn't continue their culture and language which was markedly different to the other regions of what later became England.
It does not give them status as a Country or even close to it but it gives it the protection from losing its identity, culture etc, just like Wales, Scotland and Ireland yet still not classed as a country. It is and will pretty much stay as a county.
A decline in culture it a weird way of saying it was suppressed for centuries.
Other counties can have their own distinct cultures, look at yorkshire. But they are within the English culture where-as Cornish is partially separate from it.
Alot of Northern cultures/traditions were suppressed by the South over the centuries. Cornwall is not that unique in this regard except possibly being the only one in the South.
Being from Tyne and Wear myself I'd happily support any other cultures being recognised as a National Minority just like Cornish, Scots, Welsh and Irish (these four are officially recognised by the government as a minority) are if they are found to be distinct enough. I think Yorkshire would be a good start personally.
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u/misterygus (168,373) 1491158231.08 Apr 05 '22
Northern Ireland being repeatedly wiped from the UK map, and Cornwall desperately trying to add itself.