Tre, Pol and Pen

The phrase Tre, Pol and Pen is used to describe people from or places in Cornwall, UK. The full rhyming couplet runs: "By Tre Pol and Pen / Shall ye know all Cornishmen", a version of which was recorded by Richard Carew in his "Survey of Cornwall", published in 1602. Many Cornish surnames and place names still retain these words as prefixes, such as the surname Trelawny and the village Polzeath. "Tre" in the Cornish language means a settlement or homestead; "Pol", a pond, lake or well; and "Pen" (also Welsh and Cumbric), a hill or headland. Cornish surnames and placenames are generally pronounced with the emphasis on the second syllable.