JOEL GRIFFETT

I have updated my website with a section on the three talks/presentations I can offer based on my research on Trevithick and other Cornish miners in Peru and Costa Rica, as well as my own adventures in their footsteps. Here I will repeat that information to ensure that more people are kept informed of those talks.

• The Lost Years of Richard Trevithick in Latin America 1816-1827 was the first talk I gave and provides a general overview of the entire eleven-year adventure from Peru to the Pacific, Costa Rica to the Caribbean.

• Cornishmen and machines in Peru 1815-1839 is a new talk based on my recently submitted thesis A Torrent of Silver: Richard Trevithick in Peru. It covers in depth Trevithick’s contributions to mining in Peru as well as stories of the other Cornish mine captains and smelters who joined him from 1819 onwards, most of whom stayed in the Andes long after Trevithick had departed.

• On the Avocado Mountain: Richard Trevithick in Costa Rica 1824-1827 is a joint talk given by myself and Ben Sumpter (Cornwall Underground Adventures). We will talk of the history and the geology of the Monte del Aguacate gold mining region of Costa Rica, as well as our adventure to the region last year where we discovered Trevithick’s lost gold mine, first claimed by him in 1825.

If you would like to schedule a talk please leave a comment on this post or email me at joelgriffett@gmail.com.

If you would like to attend, below is a list of upcoming talks I have already scheduled for this year and beyond:

• Monday 25th May – St. Tudy History Group (The Lost Years of Richard Trevithick)

• Friday 5th June – Trevithick Society, King Edward Mine, Troon (joint talk on Costa Rica with Ben Sumpter)

• Wednesday 9th September – Perranzabuloe Old Cornwall Society, Perranporth Memorial Hall (Cornishmen and machines in Peru)

• Monday 16th November – St Columb Old Cornwall Society, St. Columb Bowling Club (joint talk on Costa Rica with Ben Sumpter)

• Friday 5th February 2027 – Hayle Old Cornwall Society, Hayle Day Centre (Cornishmen and machines in Peru)

More will be added in due course but again, please feel free to leave a comment here or email me if you wish to schedule another. From Trelissick Gardens to someone’s living room (yes I have done talks in both settings) I will be happy to present in any location!