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Local News
Local Events
Cornwall to the Crystal Palace |
by Pamela Vass
The Cornish Fishwife who Walked into History
In the summer of 1851, a 75-year old fish seller set out from the far west of Cornwall with little more than a basket, a bonnet and a fierce determination to reach London - on foot.
Her name was Mary Kelynack.
Celebrity followed. Newspapers clamoured to tell the story of her extraordinary walk. She sat for a sculptor, inspired a song and a polka ... and even greeted Queen Victoria.
Another adventure, unknown until now, was to come, yet fame was fleeting. Back home in Cornwall, why did her story fade into folklore, and why was she laid in a pauper’s grave?
Through meticulous research, contemporary newspaper reports, eyewitness accounts and vivid storytelling, this is the extraordinary story of the endurance, humour and stubborn pride of a woman who refused to be overlooked.
252 pages 93 illustrations paperback