Unfortunately, Cornwall has not kept hold of it's Gansey history as successfully as other regions of the British Isles. Indeed when Mary Wright began her investigations into the garment back in 1975 for an exhibition by the Women's Institute called ' Tomorrow's Heirlooms, she struggled to find anyone in Cornwall who remembered the knitting or the knitters. In fact, she was told she had begun twenty years too late. There appears to be no written record nor physical gansey remaining from this era. Such a common everyday work garment held no value and were probably disposed of when the Herring Boom ended around 1930. She sent word through Cornwall (when I asked how, she replied, 'I belong to the WI, my dear.') that she was looking and she eventually did find people who remembered and shared memories of grandmothers who made Knitfrocks. But actual examples of a Cornish Gansey were never found. And that would probably be the end of the tale if it weren't for a gentlemen photographer called Lewis Harding.

Lewis Harding was the grandson of Sir Harry Trelawny of Trelawne, near Polperro. He had been educated overseas and led an unusual life. He returned to Polperro in 1850, aged 43. The legendary doctor of Polperro, Dr Johnathan Couch wrote that Lewis 'had returned from a distant climate in a very imperfect state of health' and that he should 'observe the actions and habits of the rooks in peace and quiet at Trelawne during the varying months of the year.' Reading between the lines, Lewis was in need of psychiatric help and the very progressive Dr Couch prescribed 'occupational therapy' which included, as well as studying the rooks, taking up the very new art of photography. He took to this new hobby so enthusiastically that he completed a visual record of Polperro which opened a window on the hard life of a fishing village in mid 1800s. Crucially for Mary and for us, his work includes not only photos of the knitters, it also records the head and chest shots of the fishermen working and living in Polperro at that time. 80 photos in total. And it is from these photos, (still hanging in Polperro Heritage Museum of Smuggling & Fishing) that Mary was able to expand the detail of the ganseys they wore and to meticulously record the stitch patterns with graph paper and pencil. If you'd like to read more about Lewis Harding and see more photos you can purchase the book here

Mary went on to find more photos of fishermen wearing ganseys and the motifs in her book are named. For example, the Lizard Lattice, Looe: Eddystone as well as The Vicar of Morwenstow: Slate and the Lizard, William Stephens: Rope. The issue of ownership of motifs is contentious. The myth of fishermen being washed ashore and the pattern on their gansey showing the place where they came from is well worn, tired and a nonsense. As Mary told me and indeed states in her book, she gave each pattern a name according to the place she found the photograph and the people featured in the photograph. There is a charming photo of a group of boys with musical instruments taken by Lewis Harding. The pattern from one of the sweaters was charted and she has named it the Polperro: Musician. Of course, families and villages favoured certain motifs and styles and these patterns were handed down to the younger generations of knitters in the family via the matrilineal line. Therefore, in the unlikely event a fishermen was washed ashore locally, folk may know who he was because the family pattern and style was known (and/or initials added). Due to the migratory nature of the Herring Fleet, we can see patterns found in Polperro (such as Seeds and Bars), also favoured far up the coast in the Yorkshire village of Whitby. In addition , the Herring Girls, voracious knitters as well as gutters and packers, would have brought their own patterns into town when the fleet arrived. I suggested knitters would share patterns but Mary said with a glint in her eye 'or stole!'

Polperro is a charming fishing village in South East Cornwall that I urge you to visit. It has changed little in appearance since Lewis Harding's photos. The Heritage Museum contains Mary's Gansey Collection and also a charming display of hand carved knitting sticks which aided the knitters with speed and accuracy so they could produce Ganseys for the merchants on a weekly basis. For a small village, according to the official census of 1851, twenty-eight women and girls from Polperro were listed as 'knitters'. This is is not an insignificant number and this industry continued for at least a century.

If you want to learn more, then I recommend reading Mary's book which you can buy here

I will leave you with my memory of Mary. One of my good knitters and best buddy, Vicki, tracked Mary down and in 2012 wrote to her asking if we could visit which she agreed to. We made our way to her house in Launceston where she lived alone without internet and only a landline, preferring written correspondence or phone calls. Despite my nervousness, she was extremely welcoming and very surprised we were interested or even knitting ganseys at all. She had written the book a long time ago and wasn't even aware that it was still selling or that anyone would put themselves through the arduous task of knitting such a big project on tiny needles. I assured her that her book was very much alive and kicking and that knitters were enjoying creating their own Ganseys because of her work. She was reassuring about my own Ganseys, telling me not to be too precious. Follow the construction by all means but the knitters of our ancestors knit what was in their head and used whatever they could get hold of. If it fit and and I liked it, then that was enough.

A few weeks later, we took Mary to meet a large gathering of 'Gansey Experts' who had come down to be part of Museum of Barnstaple and North Devon's Gansey Exhibition which heavily featured the Appledore Gansey. She was curious and interested that the heritage had continued, little knowing what a legend she was in Gansey Land. I did warn her, but she was 'very overwhelmed' in her own words, when most of the people at the exhibition swept her up and made a great fuss of her presence. She was exhausted when I took her home but had enjoyed every minute. We became good friends from then onwards, although I still think she doubted whether in the current climate of throwaway fashion, that anyone would really want to commit to knitting a gansey these days. She passed away last year in 2025. I really doubt she knew how important that little book was to become to the heritage craft of Gansey Knitting and indeed, to me. It sent my career into a trajectory I never expected and I am unfailingly grateful to her.