Who are the Spanish Armada seamen that then resided in Cornwall?

Answer 1

There is no record of Spanish Armada survivors settling in Cornwall. I would be surprised that Spanish-speaking Catholic enemy combatants would be welcomed at all much less to intermarry. The Spanish Armada has spawned numerous family legends about survivors in Ireland (especially), Cornwall, even Wales, and some areas of England and Scotland.

This is often used to explain away darker appearances of some people as if they are atypical.

'Names such as Pascoe, Jago, Bennetto or Jose, are not evidence of Spanish influence. All of these were attested well before the Spanish Armada of 1588 or the burning of Paul in 1595, events which in 19th century popular memory were associated with the intoduction of Spanish blood. The stubborn presistance of the popular myth of Spanish origins seems to be the result of a combination of a search for romantic origins - usually overseas - and the ignorance of the Cornish language.'

Recent DNA studies have indicated that most 'Celts' are genetically close to Iberian populations (Basques in particular). These Iberians settled Britain and Ireland thousands of year ago. Even the Roman Tacitus commented on the Iberian appearance of the Welsh Silures.