John Boson (writer)
Encyclopedia
John Boson was a writer in the Cornish language
. The son of Nicholas Boson
, he was born in Paul, Cornwall
. He taught Cornish to William Gwavas. His works in Cornish include an epitaph for the language scholar John Keigwin, and the "Pilchard Curing Rhyme". He also translated parts of the Bible, the Lord's Prayer and the Apostles' Creed. The only known surviving lapidary inscription in the Cornish language (to Arthur Hutchens, died 1709), is also his work, and can be found in Paul Church
where John Boson, his father, and their relative Thomas Boson
are also buried.
His work is collected, along with that of Nicholas and Thomas Boson
, in Oliver Padel
's The Cornish writings of the Boson family (1975).
Cornish language
Cornish is a Brythonic Celtic language and a recognised minority language of the United Kingdom. Along with Welsh and Breton, it is directly descended from the ancient British language spoken throughout much of Britain before the English language came to dominate...
. The son of Nicholas Boson
Nicholas Boson
Nicholas Boson was a writer in, and preserver of, the Cornish language. He was born in Newlyn to a landowning and merchant family involved in the pilchard fisheries....
, he was born in Paul, Cornwall
Paul, Cornwall
Paul is a civil parish and village in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated two miles south of Penzance and one mile south of Newlyn.The village of Paul is represented on Penzance Town Council...
. He taught Cornish to William Gwavas. His works in Cornish include an epitaph for the language scholar John Keigwin, and the "Pilchard Curing Rhyme". He also translated parts of the Bible, the Lord's Prayer and the Apostles' Creed. The only known surviving lapidary inscription in the Cornish language (to Arthur Hutchens, died 1709), is also his work, and can be found in Paul Church
Paul Parish Church
Paul Parish Church is a parish church in the Church of England located in Paul, Cornwall, UK.-History:The church is said to have been founded in 490 by Paul Aurelian, a Welsh saint. The church building is medieval but was largely destroyed in a raid by the Spanish in 1595.. It was rebuilt by...
where John Boson, his father, and their relative Thomas Boson
Thomas Boson
Thomas Boson was a writer in the Cornish language and the cousin of Nicholas and John Boson. Thomas helped William Gwavas in his Cornish language research, and wrote an inscription in Cornish for Gwavas's hurling ball. He also made translations of the Ten Commandments, the Apostles' Creed, the...
are also buried.
His work is collected, along with that of Nicholas and Thomas Boson
Thomas Boson
Thomas Boson was a writer in the Cornish language and the cousin of Nicholas and John Boson. Thomas helped William Gwavas in his Cornish language research, and wrote an inscription in Cornish for Gwavas's hurling ball. He also made translations of the Ten Commandments, the Apostles' Creed, the...
, in Oliver Padel
Oliver Padel
Oliver James Padel is an authority on the origin and meaning of place-names, currently Honorary Research Fellow in the Department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse, and Celtic in the University of Cambridge and Visiting Professor of Celtic at the University of the West of England.He was born in 1948...
's The Cornish writings of the Boson family (1975).