1824
Trelawny aka The Song of the Western Men
| Tune: | Original |
| Lyrics: | Robert Stephen Hawker |
| Composer: | Robert Stephen Hawker |
A good sword and a trusty hand!
A merry heart and true!
King James’s men shall understand
What Cornish lads can do!
And have they fixed the where and when?
And shall Trelawny die?
Here’s twenty thousand Cornish men
Will know the reason why!
And shall Trelawny live?
Or shall Trelawny die?
Here’s twenty thousand Cornish men
Will know the reason why!
Out spake their Captain brave and bold:
A merry wight was he:
Though London Tower were Michael’s hold,
We’ll set Trelawny free!
We’ll cross the Tamar, land to land:
The Severn is no stay:
With “one and all,” and hand in hand;
And who shall bid us nay?
And shall, &c.
And when we come to London Wall,
A pleasant sight to view,
Come forth! come forth! ye cowards all:
Here’s men as good as you.
Trelawny he’s in keep and hold;
Trelawny he may die:
Here’s twenty thousand Cornish bold
Will know the reason why
And shall, &c.
Penned by an antiquarian vicar but adapted from older songs, and first published in a regional newspaper, this has become for many the anthem of Cornish independence. Its subject – probably Sir John Trelawny, 1st Baronet, imprisoned by Parliament in the Tower of London in 1628 – is less significant than the stirring rhetorical question posed by its iconic chorus.
| Cause: | Nationalist |
| Theme: | Identity | Political Process |
| Addressed to: | Regional Identity |
| Target of Protest: | The Ruler |
| Proposal/Solution: | Independence/Secession | Armed Rebellion |