I don't know about hatches in mining but hatch names are fairly common in
south-east England. They are usually where a road passed through the edge of
a deer park - the hatch kept the deer in. They are sometimes found the edge
of open forests - I not certain of their exact significance here although I
think they are again related to deer management.
John Phillips
-----Original Message-----
From: mining-history [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
Robert Waterhouse
Sent: 29 October 2006 18:14
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Hatches
Dear List,
In the Tamar and Tavy valleys in West Devon we have several woods called
Hatch Wood. I had thought that these might relate to deer-management or
salmon trapping, both of which use the name for gates or trapping devices.
However, a friend recently suggested that they might relate to an early
mining technique called a 'hatch'. I understand that Agricola mentions
hatches, which seem to relate to shafts or box-like open-works, but wondered
if anyone else has come across the term, or has evidence of other places in
Britain where placenames record this term. Needless to say, all three Hatch
Woods in the area are stuffed with old copper and tin workings, which are
documented from the 15th century up to the 19th.
Robert Waterhouse
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