Wheal Gorland

Last updated

Wheal Gorland
Liroconite-76634.jpg
Liroconite from Wheal Gorland, its type locality
Location
Cornwall UK location map.svg
Schlaegel und Eisen nach DIN 21800.svg
Wheal Gorland
Location in Cornwall
Location St Day
County Cornwall
CountryEngland
Coordinates 50°14′30″N5°11′02″W / 50.2417°N 5.1839°W / 50.2417; -5.1839
Production
Products Copper, tin, arsenic and tungsten
History
Opened1792, 1906
Closed1864, 1909

Wheal Gorland was a metalliferous mine located just to the north-east of the village of St Day, Cornwall, in England, United Kingdom. It was one of the most important Cornish mines of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, both for the quantity of ore it produced and for the wide variety of uncommon secondary copper minerals found there [1] as a result of supergene enrichment. [2] It is the type locality for the minerals chenevixite, clinoclase, cornwallite, kernowite [3] and liroconite. [4]

Contents

History

The production of the mine was very inconsistent because of the sporadic distribution of its rich ore-bodies: in 1833 George Abbot wrote [5] that it had made profits of over £300,000, produced 1,400 tons of ore per annum, and ranked third, in terms of profits, [6] just behind Dolcoath mine and Consolidated Mines. However, in 1865 Thomas Spargo wrote [7] "now part of St. Day United; idle". [8]

In the early 1790s Wheal Gorland was connected to the Great County Adit and its own existing shallow adits were adapted to drain into this deeper adit. [1] Records show that between 1815 and 1851 the mine produced 40,750 tons of 7½% copper ore, 15 tons of black tin, and 18 tons of arsenic. [9] Much fluorspar was also produced, and gold was reputedly found in the gossan. [9] In 1852 the mine was taken over by the St. Day United Group of mines and it became the main site for maintenance of the Great County Adit, [1] but by 1864 it had been abandoned. [8]

The mine was reopened in 1906 when Edgar Allen and Company [1] reworked the stopes and the dumps for tin and tungsten ores. It sold 164 tons of tungsten ore and 18 tons of black tin before closing, for the last time, in 1909. [9]

Since 1988 the site has been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest because of the variety and quality of lead and copper minerals that have been found in the mine dumps. [10] A condition summary compiled on 21 July 2010 reported that the site was in an ″unfavourable declining condition″ because growth of scrubland vegetation was encroaching on to the waste dumps and hindering future excavations in search of minerals for scientific study. The summary further states that the vegetation on the remaining mine dump may also be affecting the minerals themselves, as formation of new soil horizons could affect chemical processes within the dump. [11]

Mineral Statistics

From Robert Hunt's Mineral Statistics of the United Kingdom [12] .

Copper Production (from ticketing records; 1801-1853)
Year(s)Ore (Tons)Metal (Tons)Value (£)Comment
1801435.0039.803782.75Cu est., 6 months only
1802639.0063.635411.25Cu est., c 6 months only
1803881.0080.548119.83Cu est., c 8 months only
18041536.00123.6213531.88Cu est
18052242.00164.8122443.80Cu est
18062293.00169.9516495.40..
18072016.00159.5013857.63Cu partly est
18081640.00151.1210515.98Cu est
18091198.0078.018185.58Cu est
18101395.0087.117822.83..
18111485.0082.946411.23..
18121438.0081.655695.58..
18131102.0076.656384.83..
18141937.0086.017007.60..
18151394.00102.068221.45Fluorspar sold at copper ticketings not included
18161177.0085.745402.05Fluorspar sold at copper ticketings not included
18171077.0084.086479.90Fluorspar sold at copper ticketings not included
18181491.00110.7511288.85Fluorspar sold at copper ticketings not included
18191611.00124.1311427.40..
18201568.00138.9011363.73..
18211203.00105.467806.60..
18221412.00144.9111229.63..
18231386.00127.3410432.48..
18241769.00150.9612604.23..
18252180.00155.2015059.80..
18262986.00241.8317943.00Fluorspar not included
18272847.00214.5216455.73Fluorspar not included
18282885.00201.8015606.30Fluorspar not included
18292190.00161.4711974.30Fluorspar not included
18302099.00164.0511507.73Fluorspar not included
18311158.00100.696966.85Fluorspar not included
18321238.00108.708163.05..
18331771.00107.018357.83..
1834953.0075.935913.60..
1835796.0070.535369.18..
1836684.0061.805949.95..
1837576.0050.943785.08..
1838477.0042.593362.03..
1839503.0045.963414.15..
1840457.0042.743510.75..
1841354.0030.562739.83..
1842598.0043.303268.35..
1843581.0039.702833.40..
1844444.0032.212288.20..
1845366.0023.111652.43..
1846144.009.96676.98..
185193.008.19571.85From Mineral Statistics
185227.001.90160.40From Alfred Jenkin's tables
18538.000.4246.80..
Tin Production (1888-1919)
Year(s)Black (Tons)Stuff (Tons)Value (£)
1888no-details....
188913.00308.00660.00
1890..439.00624.00
1891..167.00200.00
1892..60.0052.00
1893no-details....
1898..154.0066.00
1899..25.0070.00
1900..14.0013.00
19085.90..406.00
190911.90..851.00
191013.00..1,430.00
19113.00..327.00
19170.25..64.00
19180.45..84.00
1919no-details....
Arsenic Production (1874-1919)
Year(s)Ore (Tons)Value (£)
18745.305.00
187612.3052.00
1893no-details..
19064.0022.00
190717.00353.00
190824.00197.00
190956.60497.00
191015.0090.00
191116.0084.00
1918no detailed return..
Tungsten Production (1899-1918)
Year(s)Ore (Tons)Value (£)
189920.506.00
190626.702,025.00
190729.403,620.00
190836.802,334.00
190970.506,051.00
191034.002,924.00
191111.001,158.00
19170.60109.00
19180.2525.00
Employment (1888-1918)
Year(s)TotalOvergroundUnderground
18887..7
188916115
189014113
1891615
1892312
1898-18992..2
19001..1
190524204
1906543717
1907805129
1908885929
1909995445
1910663927
1911-1912613625
19162..2
19172..2
19182..2

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Wellington Tin Mine</span> Tin mine in St Day, Cornwall, UK

Mount Wellington Tin mine, two miles east of the village of St Day in Cornwall, in the United Kingdom, opened in 1976 and was the first new mine in the region in many years.

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Day</span> Human settlement in England

St Day is a civil parish and village in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is positioned between the village of Chacewater and the town of Redruth. The electoral ward St Day and Lanner had a population of 4,473 according to the 2011 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poldice mine</span> Former metalliferous mine in southwest Cornwall, England

Poldice mine is a former metalliferous mine located in Poldice Valley in southwest Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated near the hamlet of Todpool, between the villages of Twelveheads and St Day, three miles (5 km) east of Redruth. Since the early 2000’s the area has been adopted by the local mountain biking community known as the Dice Rollers. The area is now nationally famous as the best location to ride MTB in the south west attracting attention from youtube superstars such as Ben Deakin and his friend Matt Edgie. This is a popular location for mountain bicycling

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mining in Cornwall and Devon</span> Mining in the English counties of Cornwall and Devon

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. 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.

<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">Dolcoath mine</span> Former copper and tin mine in Cornwall, England

Dolcoath mine was a copper and tin mine in Camborne, Cornwall, England, 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 receive a permit for dewatering the mine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great County Adit</span> Series of interconnected drainage adits in Cornwall, England

The Great County Adit, sometimes called the County Adit, or the Great Adit was a system of interconnected adits that helped drain water from the tin and copper mines in the Gwennap area of Cornwall, in the United Kingdom. Construction started in 1748 and it eventually reached a length of over 40 miles (64 km) of a tunnel, providing drainage to over 100 mines at an average depth of 80–100 metres (260–330 ft).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wheal Peevor</span> Former metalliferous mine in Cornwall, England

Wheal Peevor was a metalliferous mine located on North Downs about 1.5 miles north-east of Redruth, Cornwall, England. The first mining sett was granted here in around 1701 on land owned by the St Aubyn family. It was originally mined at shallow depths for copper, but when the price for that metal slumped after 1788, the mine was able to change to mining tin ore, which was found deeper down. In the late 18th century Wheal Peevor had the advantage of being drained by the Great County Adit which was around 100 metres deep here. The mine covered only 12 acres but had rich tin lodes. In addition to tin and copper, pyrite was also mined here between 1872 and 1887.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Wheal Rose</span> Former metalliferous mine in Cornwall, England

East Wheal Rose was a metalliferous mine around three-quarters of a mile (1.2 km) south east of the village of St Newlyn East and is around 4 miles (6.4 km) from Newquay on the north Cornwall coast, United Kingdom. The country rock at the mine was killas and its main produce was lead ore (galena), but as is usual when mining this mineral, commercial quantities of silver and zinc were also found and sold.

Wheal Vor was a metalliferous mine about 2 miles (3.2 km) north west of Helston and 1 mile (1.6 km) north of the village of Breage in the west of Cornwall, England, UK. It is considered to be part of the Mount's Bay mining district. Until the mid-19th century the mine was known for its willingness to try out new innovations. Although very rich in copper and tin ores, the mine never lived up to its expectations. During the later part of the 19th century it had several periods of closure, with an attempt to reopen it in the 1960s which was not successful mainly because of bureaucracy. Today the site is part of the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wheal Busy</span> Disused metalliferous mine in Cornwall, England

Wheal Busy, sometimes called Great Wheal Busy and in its early years known as Chacewater Mine, was a metalliferous mine halfway between Redruth and Truro in the Gwennap mining area of Cornwall, England. During the 18th century the mine produced enormous amounts of copper ore and was very wealthy, but from the later 19th century onwards was not profitable. Today the site of the mine is part of the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape World Heritage Site.

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

East Pool mine, was a metalliferous mine in the Camborne and Redruth mining area, just east of the village of Pool in Cornwall, England. 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">Consolidated Mines</span> Former metalliferous mine in Cornwall, England

Consolidated Mines, also known as Great Consolidated mine, but most commonly called Consols or Great Consols was a metalliferous mine about a mile ESE of the village of St Day, Cornwall, England. Mainly active during the first half of the 19th century, its mining sett was about 600 yards north–south; and 2,700 yards east–west, to the east of Carharrack. Although always much troubled by underground water, the mine was at times highly profitable, and it was the largest single producer of copper ore in Cornwall. Today the mine is part of the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape World Heritage Site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portreath Tramroad</span>

The Portreath Tramroad, or alternatively the Portreath Tramway, was opened in 1815, providing a wagonway route from mines near Scorrier in Cornwall, England, to a port at Portreath. From there, it could be transported to market by coastal shipping. It was later extended to serve the Poldice mine near St Day and became known as the Poldice Tramroad, or Poldice Tramway.

<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. 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.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Buckley, J A (2000). The Great County Adit. Pool, Camborne, Cornwall: Penhellick Publications. pp. 55–56. ISBN   1-871678-51-X.
  2. "Camborne School of Mines Virtual Museum - The Cornubian Orefield". University of Exeter. Retrieved 20 June 2009.
  3. "Kernowite: New green mineral discovered in 220-year-old rock". BBC News . 23 December 2020. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  4. "Wheal Gorland, St Day United Mines (Poldice Mines), Gwennap area, Camborne - Redruth - St Day District, Cornwall, England, UK". mindat.org. Retrieved 20 June 2009.
  5. in: An Essay on the Mines of England: Their Importance as a Source of National Wealth
  6. in a table entitled: Mines which have been continuously productive, and are still working profitably
  7. on page 54 of: The Mines of Cornwall and Devon: Statistics and Observations (online at Google Books)
  8. 1 2 "The Mines of Gwennap - Wheal Gorland". Cornwall in Focus. Retrieved 20 June 2009.
  9. 1 2 3 Dines, H. G. (1956). The Metalliferous Mining Region of South-West England. Volume I. London: HMSO. p. 408.
  10. "Wheal Gorland" (PDF). Natural England. 24 June 1988. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
  11. "SSSI unit information". Natural England. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
  12. Burt, Roger; Burnley, Ray; Gill, Michael; Neill, Alasdair (2014). Mining in Cornwall and Devon: Mines and Men. University of Exeter Press. ISBN   978-0-85989-889-8.