CORNISH hero Edward Rowe (aka Kernow King) has been enthralling school children with tales of amazing Cornish heroes of the past with the help of Cornwall Council’s Archives and Cornish Studies Service.

Using copies of original documents held in Cornwall Council’s extensive archives, the children explored how we research people and know about the lives of a range of amazing women and men connected to Cornwall, including Emily Hobhouse, Henry Trengrouse, and John Couch Adams — who was born near Launceston and predicted the existence of Neptune using maths.

Edward and Jenny Beare brought the stories to life at nine schools, including Upton Cross and Delaware, with a hilarious play in which they portrayed two archivists who bring ‘the wrong box’ into school and have to improvise their history workshop instead.

Chloe Phillips, learning lead for Cornwall Council’s Archives and Cornish Studies Service, said: “The play and workshop were a great way of us reaching nearly 700 children across Cornwall, and built on our existing outreach programme. Children were inspired and amused by the play, and then fascinated by seeing copies of the real documents and understanding how we find out about Cornish heroes past and present, and how they too could become a Cornish hero and be part of our archive in future.”

Edward said: “It was a joy for us to perform to schools all around Cornwall and it was a special honour to go back to my primary school in Roche for the penultimate show. My brother and sister, mum and her sister, and nan and all her sisters went to Roche school, so to return after many years since leaving was really wonderful.

“All the children we performed to were enthralled. They laughed and cheered as they realised some of the world’s greatest women and men came from their home villages and towns.”

Cornwall Council cabinet portfolio holder for planning and economy Bob Egerton said: “It’s great to see talented performers working with our young people to help them appreciate our Cornish Heroes and to encourage in them a thirst for history and heritage.”

The tour was funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund as part of the Kresen Kernow project to build Cornwall’s new archive centre, which will open in Redruth in 2019.