Tre, Pol and Pen
The phrase Tre, Pol and Pen is used to describe people from or places in Cornwall, UK. The full rhyming couplet runs: By Tre Pol and Pen / Shall ye know all Cornishmen,[1][2] a version of which was recorded by Richard Carew in his Survey of Cornwall, published in 1602.[3] Many Cornish surnames and place names still retain these words as prefixes, such as the surname Trelawny and the village Polzeath. Tre in the Cornish language means a settlement or homestead; Pol, a pond, lake or well; and Pen (also Welsh and Cumbric), a hill or headland. Cornish surnames and placenames are generally pronounced with the emphasis on the second syllable.[4]
Examples in Cornish surnames[edit]
Tre[edit]
- Squire Trelawney, character in Treasure Island
- Sir Jonathan Trelawny, 3rd Baronet
- Petroc Trelawny
- Arthur Tremayne
- Henry Trengrouse
- John Trevaskis
- Marcus Trescothick
- Sir Charles Trevelyan, 1st Baronet
- Richard Trevithick
- Richard Trevithick Tangye
Pol[edit]
- Ross Poldark, fictional character in series of the same name
- James Polkinghorne
- Richard Polwhele
Pen[edit]
- Edward William Wynne Pendarves
- David Penhaligon
- Charles Penrose
- Guy Penrose Gibson
- Dolly Pentreath
- Sir Humphrey Pengallan, character in Jamaica Inn
