Everything about Mining In Cornwall totally explained
Mining in Cornwall first began in the early
Bronze Age approximately 2,150 BC and ended with the
South Crofty tin mine closing in
1998.
History
Mining in Cornwall has existed from the early
Bronze Age around 2,150 B.C.
Cornwall is thought to have been visited by metal traders from the eastern
Mediterranean. They named
Britain the
Cassiterides, that's
Tin Islands. Cornwall and the far west of
Devon provided most of the
United Kingdom's
tin,
copper and
arsenic. Originally the tin was found as
alluvial deposits in the gravels of stream beds, but eventually underground working took place. Tin
lodes outcropped on the cliffs and underground mines sprung up as early as the
16th century.
Up to the middle
1500s, Devon produced approximately 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. After the
1540s, Cornwall's production increased rapidly and Devon's production was only about 1/9–1/10 that of Cornwall's. From the mid-16th century the Devon Stannaries were worth very little in income to the King and were sidelined as such following the Supremacy of Parliament Act
1512, an
Act of Supremacy (this not apply to the Stannaries of Cornwall).
However it was in the
19th century that
mining reached its zenith, before foreign competition depressed the price of copper, and later tin, to a level that made Cornish ore unprofitable. The area of Cornwall around
St Day and on the coast around
Porthtowan was one of the richest mining areas in the world and at its height the Cornish tin mining industry had around 600
steam engines working to pump out the mines. Many mines stretched out under the sea. Adventurers put up the capital, and the mines would hopefully return them a profit.
By the middle and late
1800s, Cornish mining was in decline, and many Cornish miners emigrated to developing mining districts overseas, where their skills were in great demand. 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.
During the
20th century various ores became briefly profitable, and mines were reopened, but today none remain.
Dolcoath mine, (
Cornish for
Old Ground), the 'Queen of Cornish Mines' was, at a depth of 3500 feet (1067 m), for many years the deepest mine in the world, not to mention one of the oldest before its closure in
1921. Indeed, the last working tin mine in Europe,
South Crofty, was to be found near
Camborne until its closure in March
1998. An attempt was made to reopen it but the mine was then abandoned. There have been local media reports in September
2006 that South Crofty is being considered for re-opening as the price of tin has soared however the site is now part of a Compulsory Purchase Order (October 2006). 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?"
The collapse of the world tin
cartel in
1986 was the last nail in the coffin for Cornish tin mining.
Both
Geevor Tin Mine and
Morwellham Quay have been selected as "anchor points" on the
European Route of Industrial Heritage.
Gwennap, Cornwall's "Copper Kingdom"
Mining in
Gwennap is an industry stretching back to prehistoric times when tin streaming in the Carnon Valley is believed to have occurred. In surrounding valleys stones of
cassiterite (SnO
2) were washed downstream from outcropping lodes and trapped in the alluvial mud where they could be easily extracted. Later these outcropping tin lodes were worked by 'bounders' and the open workings (coffins) of these early miners are still partiall visible at
Penstruthal.
Early evidence of the antiquity of mining in Gwennap is recorded in the
Stannary Roll of
1305-
1306 which notes that Johannes Margh of
Trevarth sent 30 shipments of tin to
Truro. In
1512 two local men were overheard quarreling in
Cornish about the theft of
tynne at Poldyth in Wennap.
Tin raised in Gwennap was dressed and smelted locally. Early modern 'crazing mills' powered by water, such as that which existed at Penventon, were built to grind, and later stamp the tin ore. This released cassiterite which was then smelted in local 'burning houses'. Demand for
charcoal in the smelting process rapidly depleted Gwennap's ancient woodland, leaving a wild, moorland, landscape.
Deep exploitation of the tin lodes wasn't possible with the limited technology of the early modern period as Cornish mines were wet due to the high rainfall of the area. De-watering workings at depth with 'rag and chain pumps', leather bags or 'kibbles' (metal buckets) were all ineffective. Deep lode mining was only made possible by two innovations.
In
1748, John Williams of
Scorrier initiated the construction of the Great County
Adit, a phenomenal feat of engineering, which drained mine workings through a system of adits. Over the next century this was extended from
Poldice to include many other mines consisting of 63 miles (101 km) of tunnels in all.
The other remarkable invention was that of the steam engine, allowing mines to be de-watered to greater depths. As one of Britain's earliest industrial regions, Gwennap had by the early 19th century had become synonymous with steam technology, attracting Britain's top engineers including
Boulton & Watt and
William Murdoch. Together with Cornish engineers such as
Loam, Sims,
Woolf,
Hornblower and
Richard Trevithick, these men enabled the pumping engine to perform beyond the expectations of the time.
Such innovations coincided with an increased national demand for copper, needed in the brass parts for the machinery of the industrial revolution. By
1779 copper was ousting tin as the main mineral extracted, but it was the period from
1815 to
1840 which was the heyday of mining in Gwennap. This era saw the rise of huge mining enterprises including the Consolidated, United, and Tresavean Mines. Consolidated yielded almost 300,000 tons of copper between
1819 and
1840 which sold for over £2 million. Gwennap the "Copper Kingdom" was then the richest known mineralised area in the world.
Mining rapidly transformed the landscape. Consolidated Mines alone had 19 engine houses for pumping, winding and crushing: the red waste rock from deep underground lay strewn about the moors and the valleys constantly echoed to the roar of the 'stamps'. Another visible sign of industrialisation was the construction of mineral tramways which transported copper ore and Welsh
coal to and from coastal ports more efficiently than packs of
mules.
In
1809 a horse drawn tramway was constructed between
Portreath and
Scorrier which was later extended to Poldice and
Crofthandy. This was followed by the building of the
Redruth- Chasewater Railway in
1824 running from Pedn-an-Drea and Wheal Buller, Redruth to Devoran.
Mining reached its technical apogee in Gwennap in the
1840s with the installation of the first ever
man engine in Britain at Tresavean Mine; but the nature of the area's geology, which had bestowed such wealth, eventually proved its downfall. In the nearby Camborne-Redruth district, rich deposits of tin were found below the copper. In Gwennap no such deposits were found and when low prices caused the collapse of the copper market in the
1860s, many mines were forced to close or amalgamate. Consolidated and United were incorporated into Clifford Amalgamated. Many of the mines that continued or went over to tin production couldn't survive the rising cost of coal and the fluctuations of mineral prices, causing a second wave of closures in the mid
1870s.
Few mines survived the troubled times of the late
1800s but Tresavean was one success story. Brought back to life as a tin mine in
1908 it was the second deepest mine in Cornwall at 2660
feet when it closed in
1928. Other mines that were resurrected in the 20th century include Wheal Gorland, worked for
tungsten before the
World War I, Wheal Busy, Mount Wellington, Whiteworks, Poldice, Parc an Chy, and Wheal Jane. The last mine to work commercially was Wheal Jane which ceased operation in
1991 bringing to a close over two thousand years of mining in the Gwennap area.
The main mining areas in Cornwall
Camborne School of Mines
Because of the importance of metal mining to the Cornish economy, the
Camborne School of Mines (CSM) developed as the only specialist hard rock education establishment in the
United Kingdom in
1888. It continues to teach mining as well as many other earth-related subjects relevant to the Cornish economy, such as renewable energy. CSM now forms part of the
University of Exeter, and has relocated to the University's
Tremough campus in
Penryn. Despite this move, the students and School continue with the use of "Camborne" in the title. CSM graduates are to be found working in the mining industry all over the world.
World Heritage Site
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 will be 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 Klondike Gold Rush, which brought the then
Duke of Bedford, for example, at least £2 million at the time (equivalent to £158 Million in 2006 terms
(External Link
).
As at
27 September 2006, the hoped-for £1.1m Interpretation Centre planned for Tavistock has been cancelled. Although £300K of funding is secure from the
National Lottery, the remaining £800K from the
Regional Development Agency hasn't been forthcoming.
(External Link).
South Crofty mine to re-open ?
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'll 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 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 2,000 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.
List of Cornish Mines
Further Information
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