Owlman of Mawnan Smith

 

I love hearing tales from The Cornish Bird Blog(man)!

In this one The Owlman of Mawnan Smith a tale that has been repeated several times tells of a large greyish silver bird resembling an owl, with red eyes and huge claws, half bird / half man has been spotted over the years! 

In one telling a scared eyewitness says 

The time was 15 minutes after 9, more or less. And I was walking along a narrow track through the trees. I was halted in my tracks when about 30m ahead I saw a monstrous ‘Birdman’ thing. It was the size of a man with a ghastly face, a wide mouth, glowing eyes and pointed ears. It had huge clawed wings and was covered in feathers of silver grey colour. The thing had long bird legs which terminated in large black claws. It saw me and rose, floating towards me. I just screamed then turn and ran for my life. The whole experience was totally irrational and dreamlike. 

I think I must somehow go to Cornwall and see for myself. I believe this is my nemesis!

Ritual and Law in 17th Century Britain - Wife Swapping

How absurd a thought, yet here it is Devonshire Characters and Strange Events.by S. Baring-Gould.

‘There is no myth relative to the manners and customs of the English that in my experience is more tenaciously held by the ordinary Frenchman than that the sale of a wife in the market place is an habitual and an accepted fact in English Life.’ SBG, 1908

If you'll notice in the image, she looks like a pink piggy with a rope around her neck being eyed by three gentleman at the Smithfield Market by Laurie & Whittle 1796.

A more sinister image of the practice depicts women being sold as actual property in the following less colorful image from Harper's magazine, 1876.

The misogyny of women has progressed from comedy to property in under 100 years; and this, more than 100 years ago.

Read more about this origins and direction of this darkly tragic story written deep in the bones of who we are at The Cornish Bird Blog.

~SCC