Mining in Cornwall and Devon

Last updated

Ruin of Cornish tin mine Wheal Owles historic tin mine Cornwall UK.jpg
Ruin of Cornish tin mine
Openworks near the Warren House Inn, Dartmoor - looking down one gully towards a group of them in the middle distance, and more on the left side of the ridge beyond Tinners gullies near Warren House Inn.jpg
Openworks near the Warren House Inn, Dartmoor – looking down one gully towards a group of them in the middle distance, and more on the left side of the ridge beyond
Ruins of Poldice Mine in Gwennap Poldice Mine Gwennap Cornwall.jpg
Ruins of Poldice Mine in Gwennap
Waterwheel at Morwellham Quay, once used to crush manganese ore Waterwheel at Morwellham Quay.jpg
Waterwheel at Morwellham Quay, once used to crush manganese ore

Mining in Cornwall and Devon, in the southwest of Britain, is thought to have begun in the early-middle Bronze Age with the exploitation of cassiterite. [1] Tin, and later copper, were the most commonly extracted metals. Some tin mining continued long after the mining of other metals had become unprofitable, but ended in the late 20th century. In 2021, it was announced that a new mine was extracting battery-grade lithium carbonate, more than 20 years after the closure of the last South Crofty tin mine in Cornwall in 1998. [2]

Contents

Historically, tin and copper as well as a few other metals (e.g. arsenic, silver, and zinc) have been mined in Cornwall and Devon. Tin deposits still exist in Cornwall, and there has been talk of reopening the South Crofty tin mine. [3] In addition, work has begun on re-opening the Hemerdon tungsten and tin mine in southwest Devon. [4] In view of the economic importance of mines and quarries, geological studies have been conducted; about forty distinct minerals have been identified from type localities in Cornwall (e.g. endellionite from St Endellion).[ citation needed ] Quarrying of igneous and metamorphic rocks has also been a significant industry. In the 20th century, the extraction of kaolin was important economically.

Geology

The intrusion of granite into the surrounding sedimentary rocks [5] gave rise to extensive metamorphism and mineralisation. [6] As a result, Cornwall was one of the most important mining areas in Europe until the early 20th century. It is thought that tin ore (cassiterite) was mined in Cornwall as early as the Bronze Age. [7]

Over the years, many other metals (e.g. lead and zinc) have been mined in Cornwall. [8] Alquifou (based, along with the word alcohol, on the Arabic word "al-kuhl") is a lead ore found in Cornwall, and used by potters to give pottery a green glaze. [9] As a result of both natural and human processes, heavy metal contamination is present across much of the county, with arsenic levels varying in accordance with geological formations and their subsequent exploitation in the 19th and 20th centuries. Although arsenic has historically been extracted for use in paint, weedkillers and insecticides (most notably at Botallack in the late 19th century), it was generally a by-product of tin and copper processing. Arsenic and other unwanted heavy metals were often deposited in mine waste tips close to the mine from which they were extracted. [10]

History

Cornwall and Devon provided most of the United Kingdom's tin, copper, and arsenic until the 20th century. Originally tin was found as alluvial deposits of cassiterite in the gravels of stream beds.[ citation needed ] Eventually tin was mined underground; the first designed tin mines being invented by Matthew James Bullen [11] sprang up as early as the 16th century.[ citation needed ] Tin lodes were also found in outcroppings of cliffs.[ citation needed ]

Prehistoric period

Stone Age and early Bronze Age

Tin is one of the earliest metals to have been exploited in Britain. Chalcolithic metal workers discovered that by putting a small proportion of tin (5 – 20%) in molten copper, the alloy bronze was produced. The alloy is harder than copper. The oldest production of tin-bronze is in Anatolia (modern day Turkey) about 3500 BC, but exploitation of the tin resources in Britain is believed to have started before 2000 BC, [12] with a thriving tin trade developing with the civilisations of the Mediterranean. The strategic importance of tin in forging bronze weapons brought the south west of Britain into the Mediterranean economy at an early date. Later tin was also used in the production of pewter.

Map of Europe based on Strabo's geography, showing the Cassiterides just off the northwest tip of Iberia Map of Europe according to Strabo.jpg
Map of Europe based on Strabo's geography, showing the Cassiterides just off the northwest tip of Iberia
An example of the characteristic pattern of parallel ridges and scarp left by tin-streaming, east of Fox Tor, Dartmoor Open tinners workings Fox tor 2.jpg
An example of the characteristic pattern of parallel ridges and scarp left by tin-streaming, east of Fox Tor, Dartmoor
Tinner's leat in Trevelloe woods, Cornwall Tinner leat in Trevelloe woods - geograph.org.uk - 81962.jpg
Tinner's leat in Trevelloe woods, Cornwall

Mining in Cornwall has existed from the early Bronze Age Britain around 2000 BC. [11] [13]

Traditionally, Cornwall was thought to have been visited by Phoenician metal traders from the eastern Mediterranean, [14] [15] but this is uncertain. Timothy Champion observed in 2001 that "The direct archaeological evidence for the presence of Phoenician or Carthaginian traders as far north as Britain is non-existent". [16] In 2019, however, tin ingots found in a 13th century BCE shipwreck off the coast of Israel were determined by chemical analysis to have originated in Cornwall, UK. [17]

Britain is one of the places proposed for the Cassiterides , that is "Tin Islands", first mentioned by Herodotus. [18]

The tin content of the bronze from the Nebra Sky Disc dating from 1600 BC, was found to be from Cornwall. [19]

Originally it is likely that alluvial deposits in the gravels of streams were exploited, but later underground mining took root. Shallow cuttings were then used to extract ore.

Expansion of trade

As demand for bronze grew in the Middle East, the accessible local supplies of tin ore (cassiterite) were exhausted and searches for new supplies were made over all the known world, including Britain. Control of the tin trade seems to have been in Phoenician hands, and they kept their sources secret. The Greeks understood that tin came from the Cassiterides, the "tin islands", of which the geographical identity is debated. By 500 BC Hecataeus knew of islands beyond Gaul where tin was obtained. Pytheas of Massalia travelled to Britain in about 325 BC where he found a flourishing tin trade, according to the later report of his voyage. Posidonius referred to the tin trade with Britain around 90 BC but Strabo in about 18 AD did not list tin as one of Britain's exports. This is likely to be because Rome was obtaining its tin from Hispania at the time.[ citation needed ]

William Camden, in his Britannia of 1607, identified the Cassiterides with the Scilly Isles and first gave currency to the belief that the Phoenicians traded to Britain. [20] However, there is no evidence of tin mining on the Scilly Isles apart from minor exploratory excavations. Timothy Champion found it likely that the trade of the Phoenicians with Britain was indirect and under the control of the Veneti of Brittany. [16] Champion, discussing Diodorus Siculus's comments on the tin trade, states that "Diodorus never actually says that the Phoenicians sailed to Cornwall. In fact, he says quite the opposite: the production of Cornish tin was in the hands of the natives of Cornwall, and its transport to the Mediterranean was organised by local merchants, by sea and then over land through France, well outside Phoenician control." [16]

There is isotopic evidence to support that tin ingots found off the coast of Haifa, Israel were supplied from Cornwall. [21] [22]

Diodorus Siculus's account

In his Bibliotheca historica , written in the 1st century BC, Diodorus Siculus described ancient tin mining in Britain. "They that inhabit the British promontory of Belerion by reason of their converse with strangers are more civilised and courteous to strangers than the rest are. These are the people that prepare the tin, which with a great deal of care and labour, they dig out of the ground, and that being done the metal is mixed with some veins of earth out of which they melt the metal and refine it. Then they cast it into regular blocks and carry it to a certain island near at hand called Ictis for at low tide, all being dry between there and the island, tin in large quantities is brought over in carts."

Pliny, whose text has survived in eroded condition, quotes Timaeus of Taormina in referring to "insulam Mictim", "the island of Mictim" [sic], where the m of insulam has been repeated. [23] Several locations for "Ictin" or "Ictis", signifying "tin port" [24] have been suggested, including St. Michael's Mount, [25] but, as a result of excavations, Barry Cunliffe has proposed that this was Mount Batten near Plymouth. A shipwreck site with ingots of tin was found at the mouth of the River Erme not far away, [26] which may represent trade along this coast during the Bronze Age, although dating the site is very difficult. [27] Strabo reported that British tin was shipped to Marseille. [28]

Legend of Joseph of Arimathea

Ding Dong mine, reputedly one of the oldest in Cornwall, in the parish of Gulval, is said in local legend to have been visited by Joseph of Arimathea, a tin trader, and it is claimed that he brought a young Jesus to address the miners, although there is no evidence to support this. [29]

Iron Age archaeology

There are few remains of prehistoric tin mining in Cornwall or Devon, probably because later workings have destroyed early ones. However, shallow cuttings used for extracting ore can be seen in some places such as Challacombe Down, Dartmoor. There are a few stone hammers, such as those in the Zennor Wayside Museum. [30] It may well be that mining was mostly undertaken with shovels, antler picks, and wooden wedges. An excavation at Dean Moor on Dartmoor, at a site dated at 1400–900 BC from pottery, yielded a pebble of tin ore and tin slag. [26] Rocks were used for crushing the ore and stones for this were found at Crift Farm. [31] There have been finds of tin slag on the floors of Bronze Age houses, [32] for example at Trevisker. Tin slag was found at Caerloges with a dagger of the Camerton-Snowhill type.

In the Iron Age bronze continued to be used for ornaments though not for tools and weapons, so tin extraction seems to have continued. An ingot from Castle Dore is probably of Iron Age date.

Roman and Post-Roman periods

The tin resources are said to have been a reason the Romans invaded Britain, [33] but they had control of mines in Spain and Brittany in the 1st and 2nd centuries AD. Later production in Spain was curtailed, probably by raiding. Production in Britain increased in the 3rd century, for use in coinage, and there was extensive use of tin in pewter manufacture, at Camerton in Somerset for example. Cornwall and West Devon were less Romanised than many other parts of Britain, and tin mining may have been in local hands, with tin purchased by the imperial authority. A possible official stamp has been identified on the Carnington tin ingot. [34] A number of tin ingots have been found in Roman contexts, such as 42 found in a wreck at Bigbury Bay in 1991–92. [35] [36]

A site in the Erme Valley, Devon, shows sediment aggregation in late Roman and Post-Roman times due to tin mining on Dartmoor. [37] There is a peak in activity between the 4th and 7th centuries. Tin slag at Week Ford in Devon has been dated to 570–890 AD. [38]

St Piran (patron saint of tinners) is said to have landed at Perranporth from Ireland about 420 AD.

Medieval and modern mining

Middle Ages

There is no record of tin mining in Domesday Book, possibly because the rights were Crown property. During the first half of the 12th century Dartmoor provided most of the tin for Europe, exceeding the production of Cornwall. [39] The Pipe Roll of Henry II gives the annual tin production of Dartmoor as about 60 tons. In 1198 he agreed that "all the diggers and buyers of black tin, and all the smelters of tin, and traders of tin in the first smelting shall have the just and ancient customs and liberties established in Devon and Cornwall." This shows that mining had been going on for a long time. A charter confirming the miners' rights was granted by King John in 1201. The alluvial silt record in the Erme Valley, Devon, shows a build-up of tin waste between 1288 and 1389.

Following the transfer of power to the Norman lord Robert, Count of Mortain, who held the manor of Trematon, silver mining became a major industry, particularly in the Tamar valley around Bere Ferrers in Devon. Established in 1292 by the Crown under Edward I, skilled labour was initially imported from Derbyshire and North Wales, with specialist expertise from Germany and capital from Italy. [40] [41] Profits from rights to the silver mines for the Crown led to the rise of the ancient Cornish Edgcumbe family at Cotehele and later Mount Edgcumbe.

The wheelpit at Huntingdon mine Huntingdon wheelpit2.jpg
The wheelpit at Huntingdon mine
Crockern Tor - Parliament Rock as seen from the "floor" of the Great Court Crockern Tor, Dartmoor.jpg
Crockern Tor – Parliament Rock as seen from the "floor" of the Great Court
A statue commemorating Cornish and German miners in Bendigo, Victoria, Australia Bendigo Miners' statue.jpg
A statue commemorating Cornish and German miners in Bendigo, Victoria, Australia

In 1305 King Edward I established separate stannaries for Devon and Cornwall. Water was used to operate stamps to crush the ore, the lighter waste being washed away. The mineral "black tin" was placed in furnaces and layered with peat. The molten metal was poured into granite moulds which produced ingots of tin. These were taken on pack horses to the stannary towns for assaying. Usable deposits in Devon became worked out, and so Cornwall became the centre of tin production. In 1337 Cornish tin production was 650 tons, but in 1335[ clarification needed ] it had been reduced to 250 tons by the Black Death. In 1400 Cornish production rose to 800 tons. The production in Devon was only 25% of that of Cornwall in 1450–1470.

The tin works of Devon and Cornwall were of such importance that the medieval kings established stannary courts and stannary parliaments to administer the law in Cornwall and part of Devon. Up to the mid 16th century, Devon produced about 25–40% of the amount of tin that Cornwall did, but the total amount of tin production from both Cornwall and Devon during this period was relatively small.

Under the stannary system, tin was brought to coinage towns to be coined in coinage halls. The stannary towns in Cornwall were originally: Helston, Liskeard, Truro, Lostwithial and later Penzance. In Devon, the coinage towns were: Ashburton, Plympton, Chagford and Tavistock.

The Cornish Rebellion of 1497 originated among Cornish tin miners who opposed the raising of taxes by Henry VII to make war on Scotland. This levy was resented for the economic hardship it would cause; it also intruded on a special Cornish tax exemption. The rebels marched on London, gaining supporters as they went, but were defeated at the Battle of Deptford Bridge.

Quarrying was of very limited importance in medieval Cornwall. Stone for church building was very rarely imported from outside the county: they used whatever stone could be found within a short distance. For some ornamental features such as doorways, pillars and fonts good use was made of varieties of elvan (e.g. Polyphant and Catacleuze). The granite was not quarried but collected from the moorlands and worked on site. Quarrying of slate developed in north Cornwall in the later Middle Ages and later developed in early modern times into larger undertakings. [42]

Early modern period

After the 1540s, Cornwall's production increased rapidly and Devon's production was only about 10–11% of that of Cornwall. From the mid-16th century the Devon stannaries generated very little income for the Crown, and they were sidelined under the Privilege of Parliament Act 1512. The first Crockern Tor stannary parliament in Devon was held in 1494 and the last in 1748. At Combe Martin several disused silver mines are located on the eastern ridge and evidence of tunnels can still be seen, as well as the remains of a wheelhouse used to lift ore from the mine. There are items in the Crown Jewels made from Combe Martin silver.[ citation needed ]

A second tin boom came around the 16th century when open cast mining was used. German miners who had knowledge of the techniques were employed. In 1689, Thomas Epsley, a Somerset man, developed a method to blast the very hard granite rock loose, using gunpowder with quill fuses. It revolutionised hard rock mining. Six days' work with a pick could be accomplished with one blast. [43] There was a third boom in the 18th century when shafts were dug to extract the ore.

Later modern period

Richard Trevithick's steam engine Trevithick1803Locomotive.jpg
Richard Trevithick's steam engine

In the 19th century Cornish mining reached its zenith, before foreign competition depressed the price of copper, and later tin, to a level that made the extraction of Cornish ore unprofitable. The areas of Cornwall around Gwennap and St Day and on the coast around Porthtowan were among the richest mining areas in the world. At its height the Cornish tin mining industry had around 600 steam engines working to pump out the mines (many mines reached under the sea and some went down to great depths). Adventurers put up the capital, hoping that the mine would return them a profit, but the outcomes were very uncertain.[ citation needed ]

Caradon Hill had the most productive mine in east Cornwall. The South Caradon Copper Mine, 1 km to the southwest of the Caradon Hill transmitting station, was the largest copper mine in the UK in its heyday in the second half of the 19th century. Other disused copper and tin mines are scattered around the base of the hill. By the mid-19th century Looe had become a major port, one of Cornwall's largest, exporting local tin, arsenic, and granite, as well as hosting thriving fishing and boatbuilding industries. At Callington arsenic was found with copper ores and was processed by crushing and condensing; the poisonous nature of dust containing arsenic made the work very hazardous. Numerous precautions were taken but the workers tended to die in middle age. [44] Menheniot was a centre of lead mining and is now surrounded by disused shafts and engine houses. Lead seams were discovered in the 1840s and Menheniot became the centre of a mining boom which lasted until the 1870s. During this period the population doubled. [45] Kit Hill Country Park is steeped in mining history. Metals extracted included tin, silver, copper, and tungsten. The main mines were Kit Hill Summit Mines (which included a windmill near the present stack) (started about 1826; Kit Hill United closed in 1864); East Kit Hill Mine, worked from 1855 to 1909; Hingston Down mine (which worked westwards towards Kit Hill, may have started in the 17th century, it closed in 1885; and South Kit Hill Mine, worked from 1856 to 1884.

View from Dolcoath Mine towards Redruth, c. 1890 Tin-mining-cornwall-c1890.jpg
View from Dolcoath Mine towards Redruth, c. 1890

The last Cornish Stannary Parliament was held at Hingston Down in 1753, and the Devon Stannary Parliament last met in 1748. The Stannary Courts of Devon and Cornwall were combined in 1855 and their powers transferred to local authorities in 1896.

By the middle and late 19th century, Cornish mining was in decline, and many Cornish miners emigrated to developing mining districts overseas, where their skills were in demand: these included South Africa, Australia and North America. Cornish miners became dominant in the 1850s in the iron and copper districts of northern Michigan in the United States, as well as in many other mining districts. In the first six months of 1875, over 10,000 miners left Cornwall to find work overseas.

20th century and after

Satellite image of east Cornwall and west Devon marked to show the three locations of china clay extraction SW England China Clay Pits.png
Satellite image of east Cornwall and west Devon marked to show the three locations of china clay extraction
Loading china clay (kaolinite) at Carne Point, Fowey Tonne Fowey P8272189-1.JPG
Loading china clay (kaolinite) at Carne Point, Fowey
The Blackpool Dryers and Mills for processing china clay near Burngullow Panoramic view of the clay processing plants at Burngullow and Black - geograph.org.uk - 419514.jpg
The Blackpool Dryers and Mills for processing china clay near Burngullow

During the 20th century, various ores were briefly profitable, and mines were reopened, but today none remain. Dolcoath mine (Cornish for Old Ground),[ citation needed ] the 'Queen of Cornish Mines', was 3,500 feet (1,100 m) deep, and was for many years the deepest mine in the world,[ citation needed ] not to mention one of the oldest before its closure in 1921. The last working tin mine in Europe was South Crofty, near Camborne, until its closure in March 1998. After an attempt was made to reopen it, it was abandoned. There were local media reports in September 2006 that South Crofty was being considered for re-opening as the price of tin had soared, but the site was subject to a compulsory purchase order (October 2006).[ citation needed ] On the wall outside the gate is some graffiti dating from 1999:

Cornish lads are fishermen and Cornish lads are miners too.
But when the fish and tin are gone, what are the Cornish boys to do?

(This is from the chorus of the song 'Cornish Lads' by Cornish singer/songwriter Roger Bryant, written at the time of the closure of Geevor Mine. See CD "The Writing's on the Wall" by Roger Bryant. Other recordings by Jinks' Stack and Mike Nicholson.)

The collapse of the International Tin Council in 1986 was the end for Cornish and Devonian tin mining. The most recent mine in Devon to produce tin ore was Hemerdon Mine near Plympton in the 1980s. The last Cornish tin mine in production at South Crofty closed in 1998. The Hemerdon tungsten and tin mine in south-west Devon re-opened as Drakelands Mine in 2015. [46] [4]

In 1992, Geevor mine was acquired by Cornwall County Council as a heritage museum, which is now run by Pendeen Community Heritage. Both Geevor Tin Mine and Morwellham Quay have been selected as "anchor points" on the European Route of Industrial Heritage. [47]

The extraction of china clay (kaolin) continues to be of considerable importance: the larger works are in the St Austell district. The amount of waste in proportion to kaolin is so great that huge waste mounds were created whose whiteness in the early years means that they can be seen from afar. The Eden Project has been developed on the site of a former china clay and tin quarry. Extraction of slate and roadstone by quarrying still continues on a reduced scale: it was formerly an important industry, and has been carried on in Cornwall ever since the Middle Ages. [48] Several quarries have been productive enough to need their own mineral railways. Granite of high quality has been extracted from many Cornish quarries such as De Lank. Some granite has been taken very long distances for use in building. There are also some important quarries in Devon, such as Meldon (a source of railway ballast for the Southern Railway) and granite quarries on Dartmoor such as Merrivale.

In 2017, plans were reported to extract lithium reserves from beneath Cornwall by Cornish Lithium, who had signed agreements to develop potential deposits. [49]

In April 2019, a British-based company, MetAmpère Limited, drilled six lithium exploration holes in the UK at a site near St Austell. [50] MetAmpère has successfully extracted lithium from hard rock at a laboratory scale, resulting in plans for a further 20 drill holes. [51] In 2021, a new mine was extracting battery-gradelithium carbonate. [2]

Disasters

In the metalliferous mines of Cornwall, some of the worst accidents were at East Wheal Rose in 1846, where 39 men were killed by a sudden flood; at Levant Mine in 1919, where 31 were killed and many injured in a failure of the man engine; [52] 12 killed at Wheal Agar in 1883 when a cage fell down a shaft; [53] and seven killed at Dolcoath mine in 1893, when a large stull collapsed. [54]

Main mining areas

A stamp mill with eight tin stamps at Geevor Tin Mine Geevor waterwheel stamps.jpg
A stamp mill with eight tin stamps at Geevor Tin Mine
The dressing floor at Hooten Wheals, Dartmoor, showing the remains of two early 20th-century circular buddles View Hooten Wheels2.jpg
The dressing floor at Hooten Wheals, Dartmoor, showing the remains of two early 20th-century circular buddles
The preserved engine house and stack at East Wheal Rose East Wheal Rose.jpg
The preserved engine house and stack at East Wheal Rose
A Cornish mine in Mineral del Monte, Hidalgo, Mexico AcostaMineMuseum.JPG
A Cornish mine in Mineral del Monte, Hidalgo, Mexico
Church and pub at Zennor, with the sign of the Tinners Arms The pine, the pub sign and the church - Zennor - geograph.org.uk - 1807780.jpg
Church and pub at Zennor, with the sign of the Tinners Arms

Cornwall

River Tamar

Devon

Methods and processing

See Dartmoor tin-mining

Study and education

The Royal Geological Society of Cornwall was founded in 1814 [59] to promote the study of the geology of Cornwall, and is the second oldest geological society in the world. [60] The Cornish Institute of Engineers was begun by mechanical engineers. Mining is an important area in which it is active.

Camborne School of Mines

Because of the importance of metal mining to the Cornish economy, the Camborne School of Mines (CSM), founded in 1888, developed as the only specialist hard rock education establishment in the United Kingdom. It continues to teach mining as well as many other earth-related subjects (e.g. engineering geology) relevant to the Cornish economy.

CSM now forms part of the University of Exeter, and has relocated to the University's Tremough campus in Penryn. Despite this move, the School continues the use of "Camborne" in its name. CSM graduates are to be found working in the mining industry all over the world.

Terminology and symbolism

Several Cornish mining words are still in use in English language mining terminology, such as costean, gunnies, vug, [61] kibbal, gossan, mundic and kieve. [62]

Fish, tin, and copper together are sometimes used as a symbol of Cornwall because they show the three main traditional industries of Cornwall. Tin has a special place in the Cornish culture, the Stannary Parliament, and 'Cornish pennies' are a testament to the former power of the Cornish tin industry. Cornish tin is highly prized for jewellery, often of mine engines or Celtic designs.

The houses at Penair School are named after four notable tin mines. Among the pubs whose names refer to tin mining are the Tinner's Arms in Zennor and the former Jolly Tinners pub in St Hilary. The pub sign at Zennor pictures a tin miner at work, testimony to its origins. [63] The Jolly Tinners building at St Hilary was at one time used to accommodate the St Hilary Children's Home. [64] [65]

Three hares

The three hares is a circular motif which appears in sacred sites from the Middle and Far East to the churches of south west England (where it is often referred to as the "Tinners' Rabbits"). [66] It occurs with the greatest frequency in the churches of the West Country of England. The motif appears in architectural wood carving, stone carving, window tracery, and stained glass. In South Western England there are nearly thirty recorded examples of the Three Hares appearing on 'roof bosses' (carved wooden knobs) on the ceilings in medieval churches in Devon, (particularly Dartmoor). There is a good example of a roof boss of the Three hares at Widecombe-in-the-Moor, [67] Another exemplary roof boss can be found in the town of Tavistock, in Dartmoor, on the edge of the moor.

Tinners' Rabbits is the name of a dance of many forms involving use of sticks and rotation of three, six or nine dancers. [68] [69]

World Heritage Site

Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Tin mine Cornwall arty1.jpg
Old tin mine workings near Pendeen in Cornwall
Location Cornwall and West Devon, United Kingdom
Criteria Cultural: (ii)(iii)(iv)
Reference 1215
Inscription2006 (30th Session)
Area19,719 ha (48,730 acres)

In 1999, the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape was added to the UK government's tentative list for submission to the World Heritage list. It was announced on 13 July 2006 that the bid had been successful. This World Heritage Site is unique in that it covers a technique exported worldwide, including Mexico and Peru, and will consist of a trail linking mining sites from Land's End in Cornwall, through Porthtowan and St Agnes up the spine of the county to the Tamar Valley forming the border with Devon. There, the exporting port of Morwellham is being developed alongside the Devon Great Consols Mine to demonstrate the nature and scale of the operations, with the Eastern Gateway to the World Heritage Site being anchored in the ancient stannary town of Tavistock, the base for Devon's own 19th-century gold rush.

Heartlands, the £35m National Lottery funded regeneration project, and gateway to the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape World Heritage Site, opened to the public on 20 April 2012. This free visitor attraction had been 14 years in the planning (since South Crofty mine closed in 1998). [70]

In 2014, work was completed to preserve the iconic New Cooks Kitchen Headframe at South Crofty tin mine. [71] at an approximate cost of £650,000.

Individual mines

One of the preserved engine houses at Pool, housing a 30 inch engine East Pool mine, Michells Shaft engine house.jpg
One of the preserved engine houses at Pool, housing a 30 inch engine

Hemerdon Mine

Hemerdon Mine, alternatively known as the Drakelands Mine or Hemerdon Ball or Hemerdon Bal Mine, [72] is a historic tungsten and tin mine, 11 km (7 miles) NE of Plymouth, near Plympton, in Devon. It lies to the north of the villages of Sparkwell and Hemerdon and adjacent to the large china clay pits near Lee Moor. The mine, which had been out of operation since 1944, except for the brief operation of a trial mine in the 1980s, hosts one of the largest tungsten and tin deposits in the world. It restarted production in 2015. [73] [74]

South Crofty Mine

In November 2007 it was announced that South Crofty mine, near Camborne, may restart production in 2009. When it closed in 1998 it was Europe's last tin mine. Its owners Baseresult Holdings Ltd, which bought the mine in 2001, have created a new company, Western United Mines Limited (WUM), to operate it and has said it will be spending in excess of £50m on restarting the mine. The company claims that rising tin prices had given the mine, first opened in the late 16th century, another 80 years of life. More than £3.5m will be spent during the next seven months on continuing the mine development.

Crofty Developments, a partner of the new company, still has to resolve a row with the South West Regional Development Agency (RDA) over use of more than 30 acres (120,000 m2) of land surrounding the site. The RDA wants to make a compulsory purchase order on the site for leisure, housing and industry, but Crofty Developments has been fighting in the High Court to retain the site. The Cornish mining industry, started in 2000 BC, reached its peak in the 19th century, when thousands of workers were employed in up to 2,000 mines, before the industry collapsed when ores began to be produced more cheaply abroad. [75]

Partial list of Cornish mines

MineOpenedClosedOperated byProductProduction
Ale & Cakes18th century1870United Mines (1780-1857)

Clifford Amalgamated Mines (1857-1870)

Tin & Copper
Alfred Consols18011964Copper, Tin & Lead175,000 Tonnes of Copper
Balleswidden18321877Tin
Basset & Grylls18581913Tin
Belowda18721902Tin
Binner Downs17581830sCopper, Iron, & Tin4,500 tonnes per year

100 tonnes of Iron Ore

Blencowe ConsolsTin
Blue Hills1897Tin
Boiling Well18151865Copper, Lead, Silver, Zinc2,900 tonnes of Copper
410 tonnes of Lead
54 tonnes of Zinc
5,900 ounces of Silver
Boscaswell Downs1850sTin & Copper
Boscawen Mine18th centuryCopper, Tin & Zinc
Boscean Mine 1584?Tin
Bosorne1820Tin
BosweddenTin & Copper
Botallack Mine 17211914Stephen Harvey James (1835–1870)
Botallack Mines, Limited (1906–)
Tin
arsenic
copper
Budnick Consols18551912Lead, Tin & Zinc
Buttern HillTin & Wolfram
Cape Cornwall Mine 18391875St Just Consolidated Tin and Copper Mining Company Tin
copper
Carnon Mine 18241830Tin
Consolidated Mines 17821857copper
Ding Dong mines c. 17th century1879 Tin
Dolcoath mine 17201920 Tin
copper
East Wheal Rose  ?1886lead
Geevor Tin Mine 17801991Geevor Tin Mines Ltd Tin
Great North Downs 18th century1846Tin
Arsenic
Copper
Great Wheal Busy 17201909copper
arsenic
Tin
100,000 tons
Great Wheal Charlotte before 18201840Copper
some Tin
2,800 tons
(18346)
Killifreth Mine 1927copper
arsenic
tin
King Edward Mine Camborne School of Mines (1890–) Tin
Levant Tin Mine [76] 17481930Levant Mining Company (1820–1930)
National Trust (1967–)
Copper
Tin
Arsenic
Mount Wellington Tin Mine 19761991Kensa Heat Pumps (2001–) Tin
Poldark Mine (Wheal Roots) 17201780 Tin
South Crofty 1590s1998South Crofty Limited (1906–1967)
Siamese Tin Syndicate Ltd (1967–1982)
Rio Tinto (1982–1988)
Carnon Holdings Limited (1988–1994)
Crew Natural Resources of Canada (1994–2001)
Base Result (2001-2007)
Western United Mines Limited (2007-2011)
Celeste Copper Corporation (2011-2016) Strongbow Minerals Limited 2016 -
Tin 400,000 tonnes
Wheal Briggan ??Copper
Wheal Boys ??Tin
Copper
Wheal Castle ??Tin & Copper
Wheal Drea ??Tin
Wheal Edward ??Tin & Copper
Wheal Godolphin c. 16th century1930Godolphin FamilyTin
Wheal Gorland 17921909St Day United
Edgar Allen and Company (1906-1909)
Arsenic
Copper
Tin
Tungsten
Wheal Jane 17501992Falmouth Consolidated Mines (1906–1915)
Consolidated Gold Fields (1960–1969)
Rio Tinto Group (1969–1980)
management consortium (1970–)
Tin
Silver
Zinc
Wheal Owles 17001893Tin & Copper
Wheal Peevor 17011889Tin & Copper
Wheal Plenty ??Copper
Wheal Prosper 18601866Tin & Copper
Wheal Rose ??Tin & Copper
Wheal Trewavas 18341846Tin & Copper
Wheal Vor c. 16th century1910Tin & Copper
South Terras Mine c18701937Union Mines Ltd, Uranium Mines Ltd, Minerals Research Syndicate, British Metalliferous Mines Ltd, Societie Industrielle Du RadiumUranium, Radium, Tin, Iron, Ochre> 2,000ts U, > 10g Ra

Railways

A freight train of china clay Clay from Cornwall to the North - geograph.org.uk - 1083538.jpg
A freight train of china clay

Note: The term "mineral railway" is usually understood to mean a railway operated in direct association with a single mine or a group of mines. An ordinary railway might convey the traffic of any consignor. However the terminology is not exact.

Cornwall Minerals Railway

The Cornwall Minerals Railway opened in 1874, connecting harbours at Fowey and Newquay and sites of mineral extraction in the area between them, in particular in the Bugle and St Dennis areas. The railway absorbed and extended several existing short mineral lines.

East Cornwall Mineral Railway

The ECMR connected copper extractive industries in the Kit Hill area to a quay at Calstock on the Tamar.

Hayle Railway

The Hayle Railway opened in 1837, serving engineering works and copper quays at Hayle and the copper mines of Redruth and Camborne. [77]

List of mineral railways in Cornwall

NameOpenedClosedGaugeLocationNotes
Basset Mines Tramway [78] before 1907191820 in (508 mm) Redruth Steam locomotive worked line connecting the West Basset Mine and the stamps at Carnkie
Botallack Mine [78] before 1864800 mm (2 ft 7+12 in) St Just 300-yard surface line and cliff-side inclines into the mine.
Camborne Mines Ltd. Pendarves Mine [79] after 1979600 mm (1 ft 11+58 in) Camborne Underground railway serving the Pendarves tin mine
Cornwall Tin and Mining Corporation Mount Wellington Mine [79] by 19792 ft (610 mm) Twelveheads Underground Tin mine
CTS Mining Ltd. Wheal Concord mine [80] after 19872 ft (610 mm)BlackwaterUnderground mine railway using battery electric locomotives
Geevor Tin Mines Ltd. Pendeen Mine [78] [79] 1911199118 in (457 mm) St Just Extensive underground tin mine railway. Part of the site, with reinstated tramway, has been reopened as the Geevor Tin Mines Museum.
Rosevale Historical Mining Company [78] 1974present2 ft (610 mm) and 18 in (457 mm) Zennor Newly re-opened tin mine using battery-electric locomotives
South Crofty Mine [78] [79] 190019981 ft 10 in (559 mm) and 18 in (457 mm) Camborne Extensive tin mine with internal railway. The mine was re-opened in 2001 although currently without the use of railway transport.
Wheal Jane Ltd. Clemo's Shaft [79] 196519922 ft (610 mm) Baldhu Locomotive-worked Cornish tin mine.
Wheal Pendarves Ltd. Wheal Pendarves mine [80] after 1987600 mm (1 ft 11+58 in) Camborne Locomotive-worked Cornish tin mine.

Mineral statistics

Cornwall Mineral Production (Tons) [1]
YearWhite TinBlack TinTinCopper OreCopper MetalLead OreSilverZincUraniumTungstenArsenic
18451498346063
18461324444933
18471376657304
1848101761272266614
1849107191266506773
1850103831340206783
1851945512728567099.27125
1852967416559311777622010.667125
1853576388661819441191446909.6875
1854594787471848581197950059.34259375477
1855600089471615761052058829.41425443
18566177935016398010520659710.1841251514
185765829783152729986960368.5777812547
1858692010618147330972754378.64234375396
1859710010670143238962849868.838718750.0127445
186069510426145359953042437.3067519515
1861745011640143119916942296.829093757539
1862847614127141800906341197.6539687512901
18631000615157129229841142717.0834062513721
18641010815211127633796435396.67852633
18651003915686121253741342967.7663752827
1866999015080103670655143516.507343751117
1867870013649886605995648110.251375111200
1868930013953867225726631010.712437591267
1869976014725717905144677510.72346875251189
1870102001523456526414863609.89846875511813
1871109001627246766334056738.78528125204148
187295601426641902294440996.8156875882950
187399721488540285297329234.25371875503480
187499421403940455277123372.84728125332286
187596141399549393269819320.94446875462412
187685001368843016303420701.360625232557
187795001414239225293816740.874468750.1151718
1878101061504536871290310220.61693750.4101843
18799532146653037123425450.3546875131659
18808918137372673720045700.375512044
18818615128982451018814090.451753508542775
18829300141702564118864540.360156252190583473
18839262143992325013625880.295156256271113380
18849559150912153917923520.15625352643347
18859296143231973415781600.0781252813743889
188692411412475416801680.068752631511791
1887921514083341535800228551661
188891841428268386880064621584
1889887713756495949600600.51927
18909574148685271375000221043143
18919324144444290305000311383048
189292051426028132001106371252567
18938803136372673190001025221751
1894830712880336223900271901900
189566271058255043910004001821
1896483476575616399002535431366
18974452712041402940026301251014
1898464773785293376000263261062
189940116389517236700117941361
19004263679259264620044181160
1901459472784251332009279211258
190243877552454731800052101029
190342657354535140100.007312546269690
19044126673344333470000161827
19054451717446513581340.24811031671523
19064496711430533161120.218758112531599
19074340698628023101060.225158712591368
1908490978161556152470.1005937517712241409
19095108816615801420032163431817
19104734748387071100762591817
191148177665988942070672461912
19125181806459099300421892011
19135220825742158400951831449
191449887987500505003442061706
191563254610823142179
191660686050511512256
191752316170132052083
1918534061902201790
191951286301662093
19204832310081060911752
1921700
19223400
19231000
19242000
19252300
19262300
19272600
19282800
19293300
19302500
1931600
19321300
19331500
19342000
19352100
19362100
19372000
19382000
19391800
19401600
19411500
19421400
19431400
19441300
19451000
1946900
1947800
1948900
1949900
1950900
1951900
1952900
19531000
1954900
19551100
19561100
19571100
19581100
19591200
19601200
19611200
19621200
19631300
19641300
19651300
19661300
19671400
19681600
19691700
19701700
19711800
19723300
19733600
197438004802810
197541005622.63092
197640004142.083020
197742003501.44348
197832001160.351676
1979270060
198033002974332
198137006653.0410855
198242007263.0410186
198340007402.718880
198452007562.587478
198552005965344
198643006025659
198740007506557
198834007325502
198938005085771
199034009456593
19912300290887
19922000
19932200
19941900
19952000
19962100
19972400
1998500
Totals457,969798,696169,1004,072,680219,951170,470223.275101,3431,5436,328114,729
Bal maidens at work, showing traditional dress SpallingLge.jpg
Bal maidens at work, showing traditional dress
Wheal Coates, St Agnes Tin mine near St Agnes 2.JPG
Wheal Coates, St Agnes

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cornwall</span> County of England

Cornwall is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised by Cornish and Celtic political groups as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, Devon to the east, and the English Channel to the south. The largest urban area in the county is a conurbation that includes the former mining towns of Redruth and Camborne, and the county town is the city of Truro.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stannary law</span> Tin mining law in Cornwall and Devon, England

Stannary law is the body of English law that governs tin mining in Cornwall and Devon; although no longer of much practical relevance, the stannary law remains part of the law of the United Kingdom and is arguably the oldest law incorporated into the English legal system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dartmoor tin mining</span>

The tin mining industry on Dartmoor, Devon, England, is thought to have originated in pre-Roman times, and continued right through to the 20th century, when the last commercially worked mine closed in November 1930. From the 12th century onwards tin mining was regulated by a stannary parliament which had its own laws.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Devon</span>

Devon is a county in south west England, bordering Cornwall to the west with Dorset and Somerset to the east. There is evidence of occupation of the county from the Stone Age onwards. Its recorded history starts in the Roman period, when it was a civitas. It was then a separate kingdom for a number of centuries until it was incorporated into early England. It has remained a largely agriculture-based region ever since, though tourism is now very important.

A stannary was an administrative division established under stannary law in the English counties of Cornwall and Devon to manage the collection of tin coinage, which was the duty payable on the metal tin smelted from the ore cassiterite mined in the region. In Cornwall, the duty was passed to the Duchy of Cornwall; in Devon to the Crown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geevor Tin Mine</span> Former tin mine in Cornwall, England

Geevor Tin Mine, formerly North Levant Mine is a tin mine in the far west of Cornwall, England, between the villages of Pendeen and Trewellard. It was operational between 1911 and 1990 during which time it produced about 50,000 tons of black tin. It is now a museum and heritage centre left as a living history of a working tin mine. The museum is an Anchor Point of ERIH, The European Route of Industrial Heritage. Since 2006, the mine has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape.

Alfred Kenneth Hamilton Jenkin was a Cornish bard and historian with a particular interest in Cornish mining, publishing The Cornish Miner, now a classic, in 1927.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gwennap</span> Village and civil parish in Cornwall, England

Gwennap is a village and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is about five miles (8 km) southeast of Redruth. Hamlets of Burncoose, Comford, Coombe, Crofthandy, Cusgarne, Fernsplatt, Frogpool, Hick's Mill, Tresamble and United Downs lie in the parish, as does Little Beside country house.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wheal Jane</span> Disused tin mine in West Cornwall, England

Wheal Jane is a disused tin mine near Baldhu and Chacewater in West Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The area itself consisted of a large number of mines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape</span> World Heritage Site in southwest England

The Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape is a World Heritage Site which includes select mining landscapes in Cornwall and West Devon in the south west of England. The site was added to the World Heritage List during the 30th Session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Vilnius, July 2006. Following plans in 2011 to restart mining at South Crofty, and to build a supermarket at Hayle Harbour, the World Heritage Committee drafted a decision in 2014 to put the site on the List of World Heritage in Danger, but this was rejected at the 38th Committee Session at Doha, Qatar, in favour of a follow-up Reactive Monitoring Mission.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geology of Cornwall</span>

The geology of Cornwall, England, is dominated by its granite backbone, part of the Cornubian batholith, formed during the Variscan orogeny. Around this is an extensive metamorphic aureole formed in the mainly Devonian slates that make up most of the rest of the county. There is an area of sandstone and shale of Carboniferous age in the north east, and the Lizard peninsula is formed of a rare section of uplifted oceanic crust.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dolcoath mine</span> Former copper and tin mine in Cornwall, UK

Dolcoath mine was a copper and tin mine in Camborne, Cornwall, United Kingdom. Its name derives from the Cornish for 'Old Ground', and it was also affectionately known as The Queen of Cornish Mines. The site is north-west of Carn Brea. Dolcoath Road runs between the A3047 road and Chapel Hill. The site is south of this road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Crofty</span> Tin and copper mine in Cornwall, England

South Crofty is a metalliferous tin and copper mine located in the village of Pool, Cornwall, England. An ancient mine, it has seen production for over 400 years, and extends almost two and a half miles across and 3,000 feet (910 m) down and has mined over 40 lodes. Evidence of mining activity in South Crofty has been dated back to 1592, with full-scale mining beginning in the mid-17th century. The mine went into serious decline after 1985 and eventually closed in 1998. After several changes of ownership, South Crofty is owned by Cornish Metals Inc, which is working to re-open the mine, as of November 2022, having received a permit for dewatering the mine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cornish currency</span>

Currency, in the form of coins, has been issued in Cornwall periodically since at least the 10th century AD, while banknotes were issued into the 19th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bal maiden</span> Female manual labourer

A bal maiden, from the Cornish language bal, a mine, and the English "maiden", a young or unmarried woman, was a female manual labourer working in the mining industries of Cornwall and western Devon, at the south-western extremity of Great Britain. The term has been in use since at least the early 18th century. At least 55,000 women and girls worked as bal maidens, and the actual number is likely to have been much higher.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Pool mine</span> Former metalliferous mine in Cornwall,UK

East Pool mine, was a metalliferous mine in the Camborne and Redruth mining area, just east of the village of Pool in Cornwall. Worked from the early 18th century until 1945, first for copper and later tin, it was very profitable for much of its life. Today the site has two preserved beam engines and is part of the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape World Heritage Site. It is owned by the National Trust.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tin sources and trade during antiquity</span>

Tin is an essential metal in the creation of tin-bronzes, and its acquisition was an important part of ancient cultures from the Bronze Age onward. Its use began in the Middle East and the Balkans around 3000 BC. Tin is a relatively rare element in the Earth's crust, with about two parts per million (ppm), compared to iron with 50,000 ppm, copper with 70 ppm, lead with 16 ppm, arsenic with 5 ppm, silver with 0.1 ppm, and gold with 0.005 ppm. Ancient sources of tin were therefore rare, and the metal usually had to be traded over very long distances to meet demand in areas which lacked tin deposits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Devon Great Consols</span> Former copper mine in Devon, England

Devon Great Consols was a copper mine near Tavistock in Devon. The lease on the site was taken from the Duke of Bedford in 1844 by a group of investors, Sanderson & Co., that included the father of William Morris. The 1,024 shares, sold at one pound each, were divided among the six men. Earlier attempts to mine this property had all ended in failure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basset Mines</span> Mining company in Cornwall, England

Basset Mines was a mining company formed in Cornwall, England, by the amalgamation of six copper and tin mining setts. It operated from 1896 until 1918, when it was closed due to a fall in the price of tin.

Presented below is an alphabetical index of articles related to Cornwall:

References

  1. 1 2 Carey, Chris; Tsoraki, Christina; Jones, Andy M.; Harris, Oliver J.T.; Crellin, Rachel J.; Lyons, Peter (May 2023). "Beaker and Early Bronze Age Tin Exploitation in Cornwall: Cassiterite Processing Identified through Microwear and pXRF Analyses". European Journal of Archaeology. 26 (2): 147–167. doi: 10.1017/eaa.2022.30 . ISSN   1461-9571.
  2. 1 2 Belda, Christina (20 January 2021). "UK produces first-ever battery grade lithium carbonate in Cornwall". FastMarkets MB. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  3. "Tin mine aims to re-open in 2009". BBC News. 2 November 2007.
  4. 1 2 "Work starts at multi-million pound Plymouth mine". Plymouth Herald. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
  5. Henley, S. (1976) Rediscovery of a Granite Dyke at Perranporth, Cornwall, Transactions of the Royal Geological Society of Cornwall, XX(4), pp. 286–299
  6. Durrance, E. M. [et al.] (1982) Hydrothermal Circulation and Post-magmatic Changes in Granites of South-west England, Proceedings of the Ussher Society, 5(3), pp. 304–320
  7. Barber, Martyn (2003). Bronze and the Bronze Age (9780752425078 ed.). Tempus Publishing Ltd. p. 98.
  8. Barton (1963)
  9. Wikisource-logo.svg This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain :  Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Alquifou". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
  10. Jobson, Daniel (10 September 2021). "The Problem with Arsenic in Cornwall". Ground Consultants Limited. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  11. 1 2 "Ten things you probably didn't know about Cornish mining". National Trust. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
  12. French, C.N. "The 'Submerged Forest' palaeosols of Cornwall" (PDF). The 'Submerged Forest' Palaeosols of Cornwall. Geoscience in South-west England. 1999. 9: 365–369. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
  13. Penhallurick, Roger David (1986). Tin in Antiquity: Its Mining and Trade Throughout the Ancient World with Particular Reference to Cornwall. Institute of Metals. ISBN   978-0-904357-81-3.
  14. Hawkins, Christopher (1811) Observations on the Tin Trade of the Ancients in Cornwall. London
  15. Cunliffe (1982)
  16. 1 2 3 Champion (2001)
  17. Metcalfe, Tom (26 September 2019). "Bronze age tin from Israeli shipwrecks was mined in Britain". Chemistry World. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  18. Histories, Book 3, para 116
  19. Haustein, M. (2010). "Tin isotopy: a new method for solving old questions". Archaeometry. 52 (5): 816–832. doi:10.1111/j.1475-4754.2010.00515.x.
  20. Hawkins
  21. Berger, Daniel; Soles, Jeffrey; Giumlia-Mair, Alessandra; Brügmann, Gerhard; Galili, Ehud; Lockhoff, Nicole; Pernicka, Ernst (2019). "Isotope systematics and chemical composition of tin ingots from Mochlos (Crete) and other Late Bronze Age sites in the eastern Mediterranean Sea: An ultimate key to tin provenance?". PLOS ONE. 14 (6): e0218326. Bibcode:2019PLoSO..1418326B. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0218326 . PMC   6594607 . PMID   31242218.
  22. Woodyatt, Amy (19 September 2019). "Ancient tin found in Israel has unexpected Cornish links". CNN. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  23. As noted by de Beer (1960) , p. 162, quoting Pliny's garbled geography: "The island of Mictim in which tin is produced is distant inwards from Britain six days' voyage, and that the Britons sailed to it in coracles of wickerwork covered in hide." (Pliny's Natural History IV.104.
  24. "Diodorus referred to Iktin in the accusative case, from which some commentators have deduced that the nominative case was Iktis, but there is no evidence for this", remarks de Beer (1960) , p. 162
  25. de Beer (1960)
  26. 1 2 Fox (1973)
  27. "Erme Ingot". Protected Wreck Sites. Historic England. Archived from the original on 28 May 2016. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  28. Strabo, III.2.9.
  29. Matthews, John (ed.) (1991) A Glastonbury Reader: Selections From the Myths, Legends and Stories of Ancient Avalon. London: HarperCollins (reissued by The Aquarian Press)
  30. Cradock & Cradock (1996)
  31. Buckley & Earl (1990)
  32. Penhallurick
  33. Emsley (2001)
  34. Warner 1967
  35. Tylecote
  36. Fox (1996)
  37. Thornycroft, Pirrie and Brown
  38. Gerrard 1997
  39. Cathro (2005)
  40. "Current research - silver mining". Exeter University. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
  41. 1 2 3 4 Rippon, Claughton & Smart (2009)
  42. Clifton-Taylor, Alec (1970) "Building materials", in: Pevsner, N. Cornwall; 2nd ed. Penguin; pp. 29–34
  43. The Breage parish register records Epsley's burial in 1689: "Thomas Epsly of Chilchumpton parish, Summersitsheere. He was the man that brought that rare invention of shooting the rocks which came heare in June 1689, and he died at the bal and was buried at breag [sic] the 16-day of December 1689". Halliday, F. E. (1959) A History of Cornwall. London: Gerald Duckworth; p. 253
  44. Baring-Gould, S. (1899) A Book of the West. Vol. II: Cornwall. London: Methuen; pp. 109–112
  45. "GENUKI: Menheniot". GENUKI. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
  46. "Hemerdon tungsten mine: Britain's first metal mine in 40 years opens". BBC News. 17 September 2015. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  47. "European Route of Industrial Heritage Anchor Points". Archived from the original on 12 April 2008. Retrieved 30 April 2008.
  48. Hatcher (1970)
  49. "Cornwall could be on the verge of a mining revolution as vast reserves of precious lithium found". Cornwall Live. Archived from the original on 23 January 2017. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
  50. Telford, William (16 September 2019). "Test success brings £250m Cornish lithium quarry a step closer". Birmingham Post. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  51. Smith, Roderick (17 September 2019). "'Staggeringly good' Lithium Exploration Results from Cornwall".
  52. Corin, John (1992). Levant, a Champion Cornish Mine. The Trevithick Society. pp. 40–44. ISBN   0-904040-37-2.
  53. Vivian, John (1970). "The Wheal Agar Skip Disaster". Tales of the Cornish Miners. St. Austell: H. E. Warne Ltd. pp. 22–24.
  54. Vivian, John (1970). "When the Bottom of Dolcoath Fell In". Tales of the Cornish Miners. St Austell: H. E. Warne Ltd. pp. 38–40.
  55. "Map of Camborne mines". Cornwall Calling. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
  56. "Tamar Valley & Tavistock". Cornish Mining. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
  57. "Tamar Valley – Mining Heritage Project". Tamar Valley AONB. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
  58. 1 2 Rippon, Claughton & Smart (2009) , p. 14
  59. "Camborne School of Mines Virtual Museum - The Cornubian Orefield". Projects.ex.ac.uk. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
  60. "Mining schools and Institutes". Cornish Mining World Heritage Site. Archived from the original on 9 December 2008.
  61. Dictionary of Mining, Mineral, and Related Terms; by American Geological Institute and U S Bureau of Mines (pp. 128, 249, and 613)
  62. Herring, Peter; Sharpe, Adam; Smith, John R.; Giles, Colum. "Bodmin Moor, An Archaeological Survey. Volume 2: The Industrial and Post-Medieval Landscapes" (PDF). Archaeology Data Service. English Heritage. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  63. "The Tinner's Arms". The Tinner's Arms. Archived from the original on 5 May 2012. Retrieved 31 October 2012.
  64. "St Hilary's". Walsinghamanglicanarchives.org.uk. Archived from the original on 28 June 2013. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
  65. Walke, Bernard (2002) Twenty Years at St Hilary. Mount Hawke: Truran; p. 190
  66. Chapman, Chris (2004). "The Three Hares Project" . Retrieved 11 November 2008.
  67. "Greeves, Tom, From China to Widecombe: The Extraordinary Journey of The Three Hares, Widecombe-in-the-Moor". Widdecombe-in-the-moor.com. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
  68. "Choreography, Tinners Rabbits dance" (PDF). Breathless in Berthoud Border Morris. 8 February 2008. Retrieved 29 June 2010.
  69. "Video, Tinners Rabbits dance". Weblo.com. Archived from the original on 18 March 2012. Retrieved 29 June 2010.
  70. "Heartlands World Heritage Site". Heartlandscornwall.com. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
  71. "South Crofty heritage conservation work gathers pace". Cornwall.gov.uk. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
  72. "Mindat online database". Mindat.org. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
  73. "Mineweb Article". Mineweb.com. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
  74. "BBC NEWS - UK - England - Devon - Tungsten and tin mine to reopen". BBC News. 4 December 2007. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
  75. "Tin mine aims to re-open in 2009". BBC. 2 November 2007. Retrieved 30 April 2008.
  76. "A brief history of Levant Mine". National Trust. 30 April 2005. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  77. Bennett, Alan (1988). The Great Western Railway in West Cornwall. Cheltenham: Runpast Publishing. ISBN   1-870754-12-3.
  78. 1 2 3 4 5 Dart, Maurice (2005). Cornwall Narrow Gauge including the Camborne & Redruth tramway. Middleton Press. ISBN   1-904474-56-X.
  79. 1 2 3 4 5 Industrial Locomotives 1979: including preserved and minor railway locomotives. Industrial Railway Society. 1979. ISBN   0-901096-38-5.
  80. 1 2 Bryant, R.S. (ed.) (1987). Industrial Locomotives, including preserved and minor railway locomotives. Industrial Railway Society. ISBN   0-901096-55-5

Bibliography

Further reading

Devon
United States