Joan Petchey
Joan Eileen Petchey | |
|---|---|
| Born | 17 September 1920 Truro, Cornwall, England |
| Died | June 1990 (aged 69) St Austell, Cornwall, England |
| Occupations | Teacher, linguist |
| Organization(s) | Gorsedh Kernow, Mebyon Kernow |
| Known for | Cornish language revival |
Joan Eileen Petchey (17 September 1920 – June 1990), known by her bardic name Elowen, was an English teacher, linguist, and participant in the twentieth-century Cornish language revival.
She taught French and Cornish and was active in promoting spoken revived Cornish. She was admitted to Gorsedh Kernow as a bard in 1950.
Early life
Petchey was born in Truro, Cornwall, on 17 September 1920, the daughter of William Petchey and Lillian Petchey (née Williams).[1]
According to the 1939 Register, she was living in Chelsea, London, where she worked as a typist for the Inland Revenue.[1]
Cornish language revival
Petchey studied Cornish with the linguist Wella Brown in Liskeard and later became a teacher of both French and Cornish.[2]
She became known as one of the more fluent speakers of revived Cornish during the mid-twentieth century. Elizabeth Carne, later Grand Bard of Gorsedh Kernow, described her as an exceptionally gifted speaker who demonstrated that Cornish could again function as a spoken language.[2]
During the 1960s, Petchey organised the Celtic Circle, a correspondence network enabling speakers and learners of Celtic languages to exchange letters in their respective languages.[2]
She also organised annual Cornish-language summer schools in Truro.[2]
Petchey was admitted to Gorsedh Kernow in 1950 under the bardic name Elowen, the Cornish word for “elm tree”.[3]
Among her students was the Rev. Dr. Cadoc Leighton, who later acknowledged her as one of his principal teachers of Cornish.[4]
She was also a supporter of Mebyon Kernow, a Cornish nationalist party.[2]
Death
Petchey died in St Austell, Cornwall, in June 1990.[2]
The linguist Nicholas Williams later described her as one of the strongest champions of the Cornish language revival.[2]
References
- 1 2 1939 England and Wales Register, entry for Joan E. Petchey.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Joan Petchey – Elowen". Cornish Language Board (Kesva an Taves Kernewek), 2020. YouTube video.
- ↑ Gorsedh Kernow. "Bardic Roll by Surname" (PDF). Retrieved 26 June 2026.
- ↑ Gorsedh Kernow. Diaspora: Cornish National Identity Abroad, Vol. 2 (2020).