A TALK entitled The Americans in Cornwall is due to be given to the St Austell Old Cornwall Society.

Phil Hadley is scheduled to give the talk on Monday, November 11, at 7.30pm in White River Community Church, Trinity Street.

Everyone who has an interest in the history, heritage and customs of Cornwall is welcome to attend.

The speaker at the October meeting was Helen Luther, the curator of Fowey Museum, who has done extensive research about Fowey Consols in the area around Tywardreath.

Helen, who gave an excellent talk about the women who worked at tin mines, was dressed as a bal maiden complete with a gook, the special white headdress worn by the women.

This gook was in the West Cornwall style. The St Austell gook was bonnet-shaped with a protective cloth extending over the neck.

The talk was entitled the Troubles and Strife of the Mining Wife. The women walked three to five miles to the mine and were employed from 6am to 8pm sorting and breaking rock samples for assaying. They wore long woollen dresses, a cape, a gook and an apron.

The wages in 1837 were 16 shillings a month and depended on copper and tin prices.