Hi Trevor,
Yes, the feed for a shaking table would be a fine slurry and you would have
seen bands of colour as the material was separated (perhaps lead ore,
barytes, fluorspar, iron, zinc blende and limestone). Presumably Derbyshire
Stone would only be interested in one or two of these bands and the rest
would be collected in a barrow and dumped as a rough mix.
In the first half of the 18th century, such material may have been treated
in a trunk buddle. This was a long, narrowish wooden trough with a
compartment at its head into which the slurry was placed. A strong flow of
water then washed the finer, lighter material away and left behind grains of
ore.
The very finest slurry might have been treated in something like a dolly
tub.
Other fine material may have been caught in rudimentary slime pits.
If you are really digging a buddle, there should be traces of wooden boards
over a width of say a yard (or so) and a length of maybe seven or eight
feet. There should also be signs of a water supply and a way for water to
leave the buddle.
Mike Gill
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