How old fisherman Tom saved the people of Mousehole from starvation
People of Mousehole were starving, seas too stormy to sail in safely, stores empty.
Tom Bawcock was old, no family, nothing left to loose - had a life time of seas though.
Thought he’d risk it, take his boat out the mouse hole one more time, throw his nets; with a bit of luck he’d catch a fish as well as a wave. He rode the storm, returned with a hold full of fish shining silver like stars. People of Mousehole baked a pie, a starry gazey pie, still do, have a fish feast to remember Tom’s fish feat.Beauty.
Tom’s tale is immortalised in Antonia Barber’s children’s book The Mousehole Cat, which was brought to life in a puppet play by PuppetCraft, and now by Cousin Jack’s Theatre in a play in Mousehole every year at Christmas.
The people of Mousehole celebrate Tom Bawcock’s Eve, 23rd December, with a lantern procession and by baking star gazey pies.
They sing the Starry Gazey Pie song, with words by Robert Morton Nance..
Photo of Old Tom the fisherman and his cat Mowser, carved by John Roberts, from PuppetCraft’s show The Mousehole Cat, which toured 1999-2011.