Perhaps of interest to the discussion is a recent article on the Medieval
iron industry in Northamptonshire (Foard, G., 2001 'Medieval Woodland,
Agriculture and Industry in the Rockingham Forest, Northamptonshire',
Medieval Archaeology XLV, 41-96) where the workings for nodular ironstone
are descibed as 'quarry pits' - these are fairly shallow affairs (4.5m x
2.35m x 1m deep at Southwick) but it raises the question of when does a
quarry (opencast?) become a mine let alone a bell pit?!
I think 'quarry pit' is an apt description for what is being found in
Northanptonshire but should we start developing and agreeing on a national
termionology?
John Pickin
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