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Phantoms of Kernow: Classic Tales of Haunted Cornwall
Kernow – as Cornwall is known in the Cornish tongue – is a land haunted by a long heritage of ghost tales and uncanny folklore, from its wicked wreckers and the spectral death-ship that awaits them to mine-dwelling fiends, blood-sucking abominations and the revenant spirits of a druidic past. And the phantoms are stirring once more.
In her new selection of sixteen stories hailing from 1865 to 1952, Joan Passey charts a course through this unique literary landscape, including timeless retellings of ghostly lore, rare Victorian chillers and weird nightmares by key figures of Cornish literature such as Sabine Baring-Gould, Arthur Quiller-Couch and Daphne du Maurier.
In her new selection of sixteen stories hailing from 1865 to 1952, Joan Passey charts a course through this unique literary landscape, including timeless retellings of ghostly lore, rare Victorian chillers and weird nightmares by key figures of Cornish literature such as Sabine Baring-Gould, Arthur Quiller-Couch and Daphne du Maurier.
275 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 19, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 11, 2025
This is a great collection of paranormal tales based in Cornwall, England. The stories come from the 1800's and early 1900's, so there's a greater focus on psychological horror rather than gore. The stories that feature pre-christian haunts are particularly interesting as they bring something strange and unfamiliar which adds to the unease of psychological horror.
October 17, 2025
Another great little Weird Tales collection from British Library. First few stories are a bit underwhelming, but the latter tales are easy 5 stars.
Personal favourites are: The Man Who Coined His Blood Into Gold, The Misanthrope, The Iron Pineapple, The Living Stone, The Old Man & Negotium Permbulans…
All in all, I won’t be traveling down to Cornwall anytime soon!
I received an free copy from the publisher in return for an honest review.
Personal favourites are: The Man Who Coined His Blood Into Gold, The Misanthrope, The Iron Pineapple, The Living Stone, The Old Man & Negotium Permbulans…
All in all, I won’t be traveling down to Cornwall anytime soon!
I received an free copy from the publisher in return for an honest review.
December 7, 2025
“The Misanthrope” (1918) J. D. Beresford
This is a superb weird or strange story. The narrator visits an island hermit hiding from his own ability to cull nasty fellow-man insights from his own backward glances at those around him.
❖ ❖ ❖
“Now if any one here has ever been to Cornwall, he will know what a queer county it is. It is cram-full of legends and so on. Every one who has ever been there seems to have left his mark. You get the Phœnicians in goodness knows what century; they came there for tin, and some of the mines still in work are supposed to have been opened by them. Cornish cream too seems to have been brought there by them—for I need not tell you perhaps that the stuff is originally Cornish and not Devon. Then Solomon, some think, sent ships there—though personally I believe that is nonsense; but you get some curious names—Marazion, for instance, which means the bitterness of Zion. That has made some believe that the Cornish are the lost tribes. Then you get a connexion with both Ireland and Brittany in names, language, and beliefs, and so on—I could go on for ever. They still talk of ‘going to England’ when they cross the border into Devonshire.
“Then the people are very odd—real Celts—with a genius for religion and the supernatural generally. They believe in pixies; they have got a hundred saints and holy wells and holy trees that no one else has ever heard of. They have the most astonishing old churches. There is one convent—at Lanherne I think—where the Blessed Sacrament has remained with its light burning right up to the present. And lastly, all the people are furious Wesleyans.
“So the whole place is a confusion of history, a sort of palimpsest, as the Father Rector here would tell us. A cross you find in the moor may be pagan, or Catholic, or Anglican, or most likely all three together. And that is what makes an explanation of what I am going to tell you such a difficult thing….
“Father Brent's Tale” (1907) R. H. Benson
❖ ❖ ❖
This is a superb weird or strange story. The narrator visits an island hermit hiding from his own ability to cull nasty fellow-man insights from his own backward glances at those around him.
❖ ❖ ❖
“Now if any one here has ever been to Cornwall, he will know what a queer county it is. It is cram-full of legends and so on. Every one who has ever been there seems to have left his mark. You get the Phœnicians in goodness knows what century; they came there for tin, and some of the mines still in work are supposed to have been opened by them. Cornish cream too seems to have been brought there by them—for I need not tell you perhaps that the stuff is originally Cornish and not Devon. Then Solomon, some think, sent ships there—though personally I believe that is nonsense; but you get some curious names—Marazion, for instance, which means the bitterness of Zion. That has made some believe that the Cornish are the lost tribes. Then you get a connexion with both Ireland and Brittany in names, language, and beliefs, and so on—I could go on for ever. They still talk of ‘going to England’ when they cross the border into Devonshire.
“Then the people are very odd—real Celts—with a genius for religion and the supernatural generally. They believe in pixies; they have got a hundred saints and holy wells and holy trees that no one else has ever heard of. They have the most astonishing old churches. There is one convent—at Lanherne I think—where the Blessed Sacrament has remained with its light burning right up to the present. And lastly, all the people are furious Wesleyans.
“So the whole place is a confusion of history, a sort of palimpsest, as the Father Rector here would tell us. A cross you find in the moor may be pagan, or Catholic, or Anglican, or most likely all three together. And that is what makes an explanation of what I am going to tell you such a difficult thing….
“Father Brent's Tale” (1907) R. H. Benson
❖ ❖ ❖
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 8, 2025
Loved every story in this excellent book. As always another great compilation of short stories edited this time by Joan Passey. Looking forward to the next volume to arrive through my post box. 10/10
September 21, 2025
'Phantoms of Kernow. Classic tales of hunted Cornwall' - by multiple authors - a haunting collection of horror stories varying from realistic issues of Cornwall such as growing tourism and the arrival of strangers to mystic ghosts and even Cornish vampires. I truly enjoyed reading the stories that would entice you in the worlds of their own and send you down the streets of old Gothic Cornwall and Devon where the mysteries awaited hidden in people, things and landscapes. I was also introduced to some new horror/mystery authors whose work may not be so well-known but they are definitely gems. Overall, a must read for horror fans along with, perhaps, a trip to Cornwall/Devon :)
September 7, 2025
read a majority of this whilst in Cornwall visiting some of the places mentioned which made for an extra interesting read, I loved these stories!! The ghost of the treasure chamber, Dr Wygrams Son, The man who coined his blood into gold, A pair of hands, Aunt Joanna, The Iron pineapple and The living stone were of particular interest
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews