Polperro’s doctor, naturalist 1789 - 1870
Jonathan Couch was born into a Polperro family and there he lived for most of his life, apart from a spell training as a doctor at Guys Hospital in London.
He was the village doctor for 60 years, and when not treating fishermen he studied their catch. He painted and noted the many different different kinds of fish bought into the harbour, and the resulting 4 volume History of the Fishes of the British Isles is still a standard fish reference text today. A member of the Linnean Society, he was one of the leading naturalists of his time.
He wrote a study of his village, and the occupations, beliefs and tales of its inhabitants, which was published after his death. A Methodist preacher, he was buried in the Methodist cemetery at Lansallos.
He passed on his love of folklore to his son and grandchildren.
A Short History of Polperro 1870
History of the Fishes of the British Isles. 4 Vols 1862-1865
‘The Life of Jonathan Couch’ Bertha Couch 1891
‘Doctor by Nature’ Jeremy Rowlett Johns 2010
Thomas Quiller-Couch
1826-1884
Jonathan’s second son Thomas, trained as a doctor at Guys Hospital, London, then worked as a doctor in Cornwall, first in Polperro and later in Bodmin where his son Arthur was born in 1863.
Thomas was a botanist and artist as well a a doctor, with an interest in Cornish folklore and customs. He published many articles in the journal Notes and Queries.
He contributed stories from East Cornwall to Robert Hunt’s ‘Popular Romances of the West of England’ 1865, and wrote a ‘Glossary of Words Used in East Cornwall’ 1880 (published with Margaret Courtney’s Glossary of West Cornish Words.)
He edited his father’s ’History of Polperro’ for posthumous publication, and added to the chapters on fairy mythologies, witchcrafts and charms, feasts and festivals.
Mabel Quiller-Couch
1866 - 1924
Eldest daughter of Thomas and Mary Quiller-Couch, Mary was born in Bodmin but moved to Hampstead, London to live with her sister Lilian. They worked together editing and compiling books, including editing their father’s book about the holy wells of Cornwall. Mabel also wrote children’s books, including a book of her retellings of Cornish tales, Cornwall's Wonderland.
Ancient and Holy Wells of Cornwall 1894
Cornwall’s Wonderland 1914
A Book of Children Verse 1911 ( compilation)
Arthur Quiller-Couch, 1863-1944
Author, literary critic, academic. Edited the Oxford book of English Verse
Once known as ‘the greatest living Cornishman’
https://www.arthurquillercouch.com
