>Once again Derbyshire is somewhat different. Large scale organisation
>was earlier and it was later that the orefield deteriorated into smaller
>scratchings. The London Lead Co. had departed by 1764, the Yatestoop
>Mine collection of Newcomen Engines had finished by 1740 and Deep Rake
>on Longstone Edge was reduced to be reworked by 1730. Virtually all the
>19th century attempts to mechanise mining were dismal failures, viz.
>John Taylor. Only Wass working a completely new area at New Millclose
>was a success
Dave,
Once again, I have difficulty with the 17th / 18th century and the
introduction of large scale organisation in Derbyshire as being described as
'early'. There is a view, Kiernan and others, that the scale of mining
increased in the mid to late 17th century in Derbyshire but it was still one
to three hundred years behind the agentiferous lead mining areas of Devon
and mid-Wales.
However, there were problems of deep working, underneath the medieval
bottoms, without the advantage of the later, more powerful, steam powered
pumping which might be common to both Derbyshire and Devon. But, like
Mendip, would not the mineralisation in Derbyshire rule out really deep
working? Where deep working really requires a large scale organisation.
Peter
______________________________________________
Dr Peter Claughton,
Blaenpant Morfil, nr. Rosebush, Clynderwen, Pembrokeshire, Wales SA66 7RE.
Tel. 01437 532578; Fax. 01437 532921; Mobile 07831 427599
University of Exeter - School of Historical, Political and Sociological Studies
(Centre for South Western Historical Studies)
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
Co-owner - mining-history e-mail discussion list.
See http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/files/mining-history/ for details.
Mining History Pages - http://www.exeter.ac.uk/~pfclaugh/mhinf/
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