Bodmin to Host Gorsedh Kernow Week
- barbarabrittain212
- 16 hours ago
- 4 min read
Bodmin will be at the heart of Cornwall's cultural celebrations during the first week of September, when visitors and residents alike will have the chance to hear the Cornish language spoken throughout the town.
Bodmin will be alive with a packed programme of events and activities during the 2026 Esedhvos Kernow Festival of Cornish Culture. From live music and exhibitions to heritage walks, language events and the historic Bardic Ceremony, there's something for everyone to enjoy. You can view the full programme of events here.
The main annual Gorsedh Kernow Ceremony takes place on Saturday 5 September 2026 at 2pm in Priory Park, Bodmin. The celebrations continue the following day with Gorsedh Evensong at 3pm in St Petroc's Church. This is conducted in Cornish, but an English transcript is provided alongside the Cornish in the service order.
Among those playing an important role during the weekend is Revd Canon Jane Kneebone, Chaplain to Gorsedh Kernow, whose lifelong passion for languages has helped shape one of Cornwall's most significant cultural and scholarly projects – the ongoing revision of the Cornish Bible.
Jane Kneebone Photo credit Truro Diocese
A Passion for Languages
Jane chairs the Bishop of Truro's Ecumenical Advisory Group for the Cornish Language and organises bilingual and Cornish-language services throughout the year. While many are held online via Zoom, some services are in person, including Christmas celebrations and the annual Gorsedh gathering.
Languages have been central to Jane's life for decades. While studying Theology through the University of London during the 1990s, she mastered Hebrew and Greek, and can also translate Aramaic, read Anglo-Saxon and Middle English, and is fluent in Cornish.
Preserving Cornwall's Language Through Scripture
Jane is one of three scholars working on The Cornish Bible Project (Ragdres an Bibel Kernewek), alongside respected linguists Wella Morris and Ross Crichton. Operating under the auspices of the Bishop of Truro's Ecumenical Advisory Group for Services in Cornish, the project is revising the first draft of the complete translation, continuing the work of checking against the source languages, Hebrew, Aramaic and New Testament Greek.
So far, the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible) and the Gospels of Matthew and Mark have been fully checked and independently reviewed. Jane estimates the remaining work will take another three to four years before the complete revised Bible is ready for publication.
Reflecting on the project, Jane said:
"I'm incredibly proud, not of myself, but of being part of the Cornish Bible Project, alongside two fabulous linguists, building on what Dr Keith Syed started in the 1990s."
Explaining why such detailed work is necessary, she added:
"We are comparing the Cornish translation of the Bible with the original Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek for the purposes of being as accurate as possible – but no translation is ever finished. Others will take on this role in the future no doubt."
Why a Cornish Bible Matters
For Jane, the importance of the project extends far beyond scholarship.
She explained:
"Firstly, there should be a Bible in every language. Cornish is a revived and modern language and so must be included.
Secondly, the Bible in the vernacular is an aid to devotion and it's therefore important that it is translated into good Cornish for Cornish readers to use.
Thirdly, it acts as a teaching resource. I know someone who learnt Welsh by reading the Welsh Bible!
And finally, it's a wonderful piece of literature."
Although the Gospels, Psalter, New Testament and Pentateuch are already available in printed Cornish editions, the complete Bible in Cornish has yet to be published in book form. When the revision is complete and, funding permitting, printed copies of the whole Bible will become available. Presently online versions of the Bible in Cornish are An Bibel Kernewek, YouVersion and through the Bible Society’s website.
A Brief History of the Cornish Bible Project
Unlike Welsh, which received official approval for a Bible translation during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, no such permission was granted for Cornish. Historians have long argued that this decision, together with the requirement for English-language worship following the Reformation, contributed significantly to the decline of the Cornish language.
Although portions of Scripture were translated into Cornish during the 17th and 18th centuries, the language itself came close to disappearing before being revived during the 20th-century Celtic language revival led by Henry Jenner and others.
A major milestone came in 1996 when Dr Keith Syed was commissioned by the Bishop’s Group to co-ordinate the Cornish Bible Project and oversee the translation of the complete Bible into modern Cornish. As the only member of the original team able to work directly from Hebrew, Greek, Aramaic, Syriac and Latin, he oversaw the translation of the complete Bible, assisted by a number of specialist scholars.
The New Testament was published in Comon Cornish (Kernewek Kemmyn) in 2004, followed by the Psalter and then the Pentateuch seven years later. Eventually the full Bible became available in standard modern Cornish online.
Preparing for Gorsedh Weekend
In the run-up to this year's celebrations, Jane has visited Bodmin twice to teach five hymns in Cornish to Bodmin Way Community Choir. The choir has been invited to sing them during Gorsedh Evensong on Sunday 6 September, alongside those at the service.
Jane has provided recordings of her clear Cornish pronunciation for every verse of every hymn, making it easy for learners to hear and practise authentic pronunciation over the summer.
Jane with Caroline Bodmin Way's choir director
She is looking forward to welcoming the choir, local residents and visitors to St Petroc's Church for the service, which offers an opportunity to experience Cornwall's living language, rich musical tradition and enduring cultural heritage.
Whether attending the colourful Gorsedh ceremony in Priory Park, Evensong the following afternoon or any part of the Esedhvos Festival, visitors can expect a week celebrating Cornwall's unique identity, history and language — one that continues to flourish through the dedication of people like Revd Canon Jane Kneebone and others working to ensure Cornish remains a living language for future generations.
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