"One of the most well documented cases of blacking up in Cornwall actually comes from the Britannia Coconut Dancers of Bacup. Their dances were, reputably, brought up from Cornwall by the Cornish miners who went all over the world in the 17 and early 18th centuries."

where is the evidence for this, Cat? I understand that even the Bacup dancers don't know where their dance comes from, or why it looks like it does.