Cornish devolution is the movement to increase the governing powers of the County of Cornwall.
History of Cornish devolution and status
Origin of English rule
In 1066, much of Cornwall was invaded by the Normans and Brian of Brittany may have been made earl of Cornwall by William the Conqueror and some Cornish people returned to Cornwall from Brittany following prior invasion by the Anglo-Saxons.
The peerage of the Earl of Cornwall was created and first appointed to Condor of Cornwall, a survivor of the royal lineage of Cornwall.
Duchy of Cornwall
The Duchy of Cornwall was formed in 1337 by English king Edward III for his first born son, Prince Edward and a charter stated this would continue in the same manner for each eldest son of the English monarch. The Duke of Cornwall is the title given to the holder of the Duchy of Cornwall and the Duke holds some rights in Cornwall and owns the coastline and riverbeds around Cornwall as well as the significant profits from which are produced. These profits contribute to financial support of the English Duke of Cornwall.
Cornish rebellion and Stannery Parliament
In 1497, Michael Joseph An Gof and Thomas Flamank and a Cornish army marched upon London in protest of raised taxes by Henry VII who aimed to increase funding for a war against the Scots. The Cornish army was defeated and An Gof and Flamank were both executed. However, the rebellion may have influenced the decision by the Henry VII to introduce the Charter of Pardon in 1508 which gave powers to the Convocation of the Tinners of Cornwall (commonly known as the Stannary Parliaments) to veto English legislation in Cornwall.
Local Government Act 1888
The Local Government Act 1888 established Cornwall as an administrative county and established Cornwall County Council.
Modern Devolution Proposals
Early 2000's call for devolution powers from business
Managing director of Ginsters Mark Duddridge has outlined what he believes to be key reasons that Cornwall would benefit from increased devolution powers citing: expertise in handling public money at a large scale in Cornwall good understanding and working relationship with local partners and good outcomes for investors (following the experience of the previous devolution) good local knowledge and success with the previous devolution the slow pace of working with national partners with the UK government & risk of losing investors tradition in Cornwall as an international trading area securing £14/15 million of investment in the space of two weeks due to good knowledge of business and investors the following businesses in Cornwall: emerging offshore wind business, geo-resources, geoscience, lithium business, database business, space business
Early 2000's Proposed Cornish Assembly
The Cornish Constitutional Convention was formed in 2000 as a cross-party organisation including representatives from the private, public and voluntary sectors to campaign for the creation of a Cornish Assembly, along the lines of the National Assembly for Wales, Northern Ireland Assembly and the Scottish Parliament. Between 5 March 2000 and December 2001, the campaign collected the signatures of 41,650 Cornish residents endorsing the call for a devolved assembly, along with 8,896 signatories from outside Cornwall. The resulting petition was presented to the Prime Minister, Tony Blair.
Early 2020's Proposed Cornish Assembly
Cornish party Mebyon Kernow has called for the creation of a Cornish Assembly or parliament in light of the 2021 G7 summit in Cornwall, stating: "...what better legacy could there be than parity with the other Celtic parts of the UK, such as Scotland and Wales, in terms of influence and investment, and a comprehensive devolution deal, which would deliver a Cornish Assembly or Parliament?"
2020's Annual All Under One Banner: St Piran's Day
Since 2021 an "All Under One Banner" march has occurred annually on the 19th of March in Cornwall to both celebrate St Piran's Day and promote greater autonomy for Cornwall and a greater discussion on its future.
2021 Devolution report
A report by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), an independent think tank, suggested that Cornwall has "outgrown" the original devolution deal of 2015.
