Cornwall

Cornwall’s economic history can be divided into three categories: agriculture, fishing, and the mining of metals such as copper and tin. The invention of the steam engine in the 18th century made mining a lot more successful, since deep mines could be pumped more quickly and easily. Cornwall therefore became a very successful mining area, until the 19th century when a great deal of copper and tin ore was discovered in other countries, and the mining industry declined in Cornwall as a result of this.

At this time there was also a lot of emigration. In fact, approximately 11 million people living in places like America and Africa are thought to have been descended from Cornish people!