They are the ones usually standing to the side while their partners take centre stage - but now the spotlight is being shone on the often overlooked consorts of Helston's mayors.

Briege Thomas, the wife of the town's last mayor Mike Thomas and his consort for the past two years, has spent hours researching the history of those who partnered the mayors of this town.

She has trawled through copies of old newspapers and council records, as well as spoken to as many of consorts she could manage.

She told the Packet she was shocked to find that there was no official record of consorts, which made the task all the harder.

Her resulting findings are now recorded in a book, the Mayoral Consorts of Helston, which was launched at Helston Museum and will be on sale there for £7.50, as well as from the Guildhall.

Mrs Thomas said: "I'm so pleased, I feel there is now an accurate list. I feel I've left something concrete after the two years, that was there before."

The book includes a list of consorts dating back to 1898, as well as photographs of 35 consorts and interesting stories about them.

Some photographs have been provided by the granddaughter of ten-times mayor Henry Toy, which people are unlikely to have seen before now. Others have come from Paul Yockney, a press photographer in the town for many years. The earliest in the book dates back to 1905.

Mrs Thomas had the idea to do some research into the consorts of Helston after attending the funeral of one last year, while she was still mayoress.

"I was wearing the chain and thinking, 'This is the chain she wore. I wonder who else wore it'," she said. "It turned out there was no list of names. I thought I'd find out, not realising what I got myself into."

It seemed there were many misplaced assumptions, with consorts often mistaken for wives when in fact they were daughters or aunts.

"It's as correct as I can get it, and as comprehensive," said Mrs Thomas.

Helston's first female mayor, Susan Bawden Cowls, was elected in 1945, with current serving mayor Gillian Geer only the fourth woman to hold the office. It had been assumed that Mrs Cowls would have the first male consort, but in fact it was her daughter.

Another story in the book tells of Francis Henry Cunnack, mayor in 1910, whose nephew Edward went on to write the Flora Day booklet. His wife died just a few weeks after becoming consort.

There is also a photograph of the back of the consort's chain, showing the inscriptions on the shields that make up the chain and the donors - which include the New York Cornish Association and the Johannesburg Cornish Association.