author

H. R. (Hugh Robert) Coulthard

1860–1939

Best known for a richly detailed history of Breage and Germoe in Cornwall, this clergyman-author wrote with a strong sense of place and a clear love of local memory. His work brings together parish history, legend, and everyday life in a way that still feels vivid today.

1 Audiobook

The Story of an Ancient Parish: Breage with Germoe With Some Account of Its Armigers, Worthies and Unworthies, Smugglers and Wreckers, Its Traditions and Superstitions

The Story of an Ancient Parish: Breage with Germoe With Some Account of Its Armigers, Worthies and Unworthies, Smugglers and Wreckers, Its Traditions and Superstitions

by H. R. (Hugh Robert) Coulthard

About the author

Born in Cairo in 1860, Hugh Robert Coulthard became an Anglican clergyman and later served as Vicar of Breage with Germoe in Cornwall for thirty-two years. Records also identify him as an Honorary Canon of St Ia in Truro Cathedral, and he died at Breage on January 15, 1939.

As a writer, he is chiefly known for The Story of an Ancient Parish: Breage with Germoe, published in 1913. The book reflects his deep interest in Cornwall’s local history, gathering together material on the parish’s people, traditions, notable families, smugglers, wreckers, and folklore.

Surviving archival descriptions suggest that Coulthard also wrote The Romance of Cornwall and kept papers connected with his historical work. Taken together, these records show an author who was not only a parish priest but also a careful local historian, preserving the stories and character of his community.