Priest Cove

Cove in Cornwall, England

50°07′30″N 5°42′22″W﻿ / ﻿50.125°N 5.706°W﻿ / 50.125; -5.706

Priest's Cove, Penwith with Cape Cornwall in the background Priest's Cove from the air Priests Cove, Cornwall

Priest Cove (Cornish: Porth Ust, meaning St Just's Cove) or Priest's Cove is a small cove one mile (1.6 km) west of St Just, Cornwall, UK.[1] The name is from the Cornish Porth Ust, the port or cove of St Just, which was shortened to Por’ Ust. The apostrophised name "Priest’s" is a spelling mistake and the site has no connection with the clergy.[2]

## Geography

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The cove lies next to Cape Cornwall which was also linked to St Just, being called Kilgoodh Ust, meaning goose-back of St Just, in the Cornish language.[3] The cove and surrounding area are designated as part of the Aire Point To Carrick Du Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).[4] The South West Coast Path, which follows the coast of south west England from Somerset to Dorset passes by on the cliffs above the cove.

## Fishery

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In around 1830, cellars were erected for the purpose of establishing a pilchard fishery. The speculation was abandoned owing to the exposed coast.[5] A small fishing fleet is based at Priests Cove, and for example, pollack (Pollachius pollachius) were landed in December 1879.[6]

## Recreation

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Approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) out to sea are the Brisons, a pair of small islands to which an annual swim is held. In 1881 the Cape Cornwall Regatta was held in the cove. There were five races; 15 feet (4.6 m) and 24 feet (7.3 m) boats had to race the course over two rounds and 13 feet (4.0 m) just the once. The cliffs were lined with a large crowd of spectators.

## References

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* Cornwall portal

1. ^ Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 203 Land's End ISBN 978-0-319-23148-7
2. ^ Joseph, P. 2006. "Cape Cornwall Mine". British Mining; No 79. Sheffield: Northern Mine Research Society, p. 111. ISBN 978-0-901450-60-9.
3. ^ Weatherhill, C. (2007) Cornish Place Names and Language. Ammanford: Sigma Press.
4. ^ "Status: Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) notified under Section 28 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 as amended. Local Planning Authority: Cornwall County Council, Penwith District Council National Grid Reference: SW 360279 to Area: 704.81 (ha.) SW 513410" (PDF). SSSI.naturalengland.org.uk. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
5. ^ A Rambling Contributor (25 October 1883). "Roundabout Papers No. 8. St Just-in-Penwith". The Cornishman. No. 276\. p. 7. `{{cite news}}`: `|last1=` has generic name (help)
6. ^ "St Just". The Cornishman. No. 75\. 18 December 1879. p. 4.

## External links

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Media related to Priest's Cove, Cornwall at Wikimedia Commons

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