Revelation…or family secrets

Today was a fascinating day. We started with pasties! What are pasties? It’s a cross between a calzone-look, pastry shell, and a pot pie filling. The inside can be filled with various meats and veggies. Everyone had a traditional one with meat, potatoes, turnips, and onions, and I had one with a Thai filling. Yummy!

Oh, while at the pasty shop we ran into this!!

We took the pasties and went to Roche Rock for lunch. Perched on top of this big rock was a chapel dedicated to St. Michael in 1409. How the heck did they build a chapel on top of this rock?? Seriously, what effort! They really must have liked the rock. Actually, it is a pretty impressive rock and you see as far as you can imagine from this place.

We even picked some fresh wild blackberries along the way.

We then went to see dead Higmans.

This must have been the church that the Higmans attended. Richard traces the Higmans back to Roche in Cornwall.

I think it was dated to about the 1100s.

Then, we walked through the cemetery and saw a bunch of Higmans’ tombstones.

I know you can’t see most of these but it’s very interesting and very old.

So the scandal. We are actually not Higmans but Sticks. We think that Thomas Stick was a farmer and Jenepher Higman worked for him. It was believed that Jenepher had Thomas Stick’s baby but they were not married. Thomas Stick’s father left money for Thomas to provide for John (Higman) until he was 18. But, because John was illegitimate he took his mother’s last name. John was the one who left Cornwall for the U.S. So, we could have easily been Sticks. Actually, by surname, we are Sticks.

We also visited the house John (Stick) Higman was born, what we believe to be the Stick farm.

Ok, now we have a whole new branch of family to explore.

The Roche area is known for China clay (the kind they make plates and such from), tin, and slate. They were all the best in the world but many factories have closed due to cheaper (and lesser quality). We also happened upon a huge slate quarry. This was the largest hole in Europe but has since been overtaken.

Many walls along the road are made of stacked slate. It’s really quite neat.

Some more beautiful views of Trevone Beach where Richard Higman and family live.

And, I met the Queen Mother. What a trip!!

Now, we are off to see Stonehenge!