Not sure how relevant this is, but R A Angerstein, visiting Camborne in
1754, describes a furnace owned by Robert Severin which smelted copper ore
to a matte which was then sent to Redbrook for further refining. The furnace
was fired with Welsh coal and the slag cast into blocks for use as a building
material.
Peter Berg
>-- Original Message --
>Date: Wed, 15 Nov 2006 12:03:09 -0000
>Reply-To: "The mining-history list." <[log in to unmask]>
>From: Peter King <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Re: Copper Smelting
>To: [log in to unmask]
>
>
>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
>[log in to unmask]
>
>
>-----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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