What do you think of when you hear of Penzance? Pirates of Penzance, I hear. When I saw the name on the map, I knew I have to visit it!
The name Penzance is derived from the Cornish 'Pen Sans', meaning holy headland, as a chapel once stood on the point to the west of the harbour more than a millennium ago.
The town received various Royal Charters in 1512 and it has long been the commercial centre of local region. I thought I was onto something when I read about the Royal Charter. That must be why there were pirates!
In fact, in the medieval times, Penzance was subjected to a number of raids by Turkish and Algerian pirates. It was also known to pirates as a place to hide their ships after looting on the high-seas.
By the time the operetta was written (1879), Penzance was supposed to have long been a peaceful town. Nevertheless, we can still find pirate ships to this day! :P
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