At 20:29 18/12/2009, Robert Waterhouse wrote:
>The reason I asked was that while in the Devon Record Office the
>other day, I found a piece of paper (yes, paper), calling itself a
>warrant for a lease of Mines Royal in Tavistock, Lewannick and South
>Petherwin, described in a note on the back as being 'for our Lord
>Russell', but actually made out to Richard Myller. It was signed
>'James Roy' (I think this is actually James I, the King) and
>'Richard Weston', and dated 10th March 1624. It doesn't actually
>mention what sort of metal was to be mined, but I am guessing tin or
>copper or both, as none of these parishes are associated with
>silver-lead as far as I am aware.
Robert,
This is a grant of Mines Royal, ie. copper, gold and silver bearing
ores, rather than a grant by the Society of Mines Royal. It is one of
a small number of grants by the Crown which appear to run counter to
the original grant to the Society. They are probably a manifestation
of the rising, commercially aware, new gentry who wished to control
all the mineral resources on their estates - culminating in the so
called Mines Royal Acts of 1688 and 1693.
Peter
Dr Peter Claughton,
Blaenpant Morfil, nr. Rosebush, Clynderwen, Pembrokeshire, Wales SA66 7RE.
Tel. +44 (0)1437 532578; Fax. +44 (0)1437 532921; Mobile +44 (0)7831 427599
Hon. University Fellow - School of Humanities and Social Sciences
http://huss.exeter.ac.uk/archaeology/staff/claughton.shtml
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See http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/files/mining-history/ for details.
Mining History Pages - http://www.people.exeter.ac.uk/pfclaugh/mhinf/
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