In the prehistoric period, copper was undoubtedly smelted using wood or
charcoal in small crucible furnaces. However by the early modern period,
there were probably smelt mills. When copper smelting restarted in England
in 1687 after a period when the market was swamped by Swedish copper,
smelting was undertaken in reverberatory furnaces (cupolas). It was found
that it was more economic to take the ore to the fuel than vice versa, so
that Cornish copper ores were smelted at Swansea. It is possible that some
kind of assaying took place at the mine, and ore concentration almost
certainly would have, but it is very unlikely that smelting would have been
undertaken at a mine in the 19th century, unless there was coal immediately
available. I would not be surprised if Australian ore was not smelted at
Swansea. I am afraid that I am dealing with matters on the fringes of what
I know.
Peter King
49, Stourbridge Road,
Hagley,
Stourbridge
West Midlands
DY9 0QS
01562-720368
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-----Original Message-----
From: mining-history [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of
Trevor Dunkerley
Sent: 15 November 2006 11:29
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Copper Smelting
Tony & Roger,
Bampfylde Mine in North Devon was the largest copper producer in the South
West during the 19th century. Until recently there was no evidence of
smelting on the site.
However, discoveries of slag last year, and subsequent C14 dating indicate a
smelting date of mid 15th century. The charcoal for the C14 date was
extracted from within the slag.
Probably time to rethink?
Kindest regards,
Trevor
Visit http://www.histarc-hands.co.uk for the historical and archaeological
North Devon Scene.
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