A PREVIOUSLY unrecorded song by Cornish writer, linguist and songwriter Richard “Dick” Gendall (1924–2017) is being released for the first time, more than fifty years after it was written.

The new single, Poor Cousin Jack, recorded by local musician Richard Trethewey, tells the story of a young Cornish family forced to live in a caravan because second homes had already begun to price local people out of their communities.

Written in 1973, the song foresaw a future in which housing would become increasingly out of reach for young families, a future now widely reported as Cornwall faces one of the most acute housing crises in the UK.

Recent coverage has highlighted the growing number of families unable to find long-term rental homes, the rise of holiday-let conversions, and the pressure placed on communities where second homes outnumber permanent residents.

Gendall’s song, unearthed half a century later, reads less like nostalgia and more like early reportage, a clear-eyed account of a problem that has only intensified.

Trethewey, who like Gendall is a Bard of the Cornish Gorsedh, has worked alongside Gendall’s widow, Jan Gendall, to bring these songs forward with care and respect.

He said: “When Jan first played me Poor Cousin Jack, I was struck by how directly it speaks to what we’re seeing now. Gendall wasn’t predicting the future, he was documenting what was already happening. The fact that the same story is unfolding again, but on a much larger scale, makes the song feel incredibly urgent.”

Poor Cousin Jack is one of several unrecorded Gendall songs Trethewey has brought together for a forthcoming EP, Cornish Protest Songs, to be released later in the year.

While the single focuses on housing and second homes, other tracks explore pressures on Cornish life from different angles, including the decline of traditional fishing communities and the impact of large-scale trawling on mackerel stocks.

Two of the songs, Silver Net and Theft of the Mackerel Shoals, were written for Brenda Wootton and released on her 1979 album Carillion, but Poor Cousin Jack and Boat for Sale have never been recorded until now.

The EP features performances from Kath Buckler (cello), Samuel J Stephens (vocals), Phil Innes (bass and percussion), Molly Biscoe (vocals), Harbottle & Jonas (vocals), and Jim Causley (vocals).

The project also includes Trethewey’s own song Smoking Chimneys, newly expanded from its original 2012 instrumental form to reflect on Gendall’s themes and the responsibilities Cornwall faces today.

Trethewey added: “These songs aren’t museum pieces. They’re part of an ongoing conversation about who Cornwall is for, how communities survive, and what happens when local voices are pushed aside and a reminder that Cornwall must also be a forward-thinking, welcoming Duchy.

The single’s artwork is an illustration by Molly Biscoe, depicting Poor Cousin Jack and his wife living in the shadow of lavish holiday homes on the Cornish coast, a striking visual echo of the song’s themes.

Poor Cousin Jack is released on Sunday, September 27 and will be available via all major streaming platforms.