All attempts to work copper in England and Wales before the late 17th
All attempts to work copper in England and Wales before the late 17th century, even the renown Mines Royal operations in Cumberland, were economic failures.
This rather sweeping statement surely needs clarification - what is the evidence for this? I would certainly agree that large scale copper mining in England & Wales did not commence until the start of the 18th Century, but in view of the extent of early copper mining in North wales (eg Llandudno) what is the evidence that this was not successful?
In many areas of Cornwall & Devon where lode mining for tin started at an early date, and where copper ores exist as well, I am sure that copper ore would have been come across, and some attempt made to extract it, even with the problems of getting it smelted and the Crown monopoly. Some documentary evidence for working beyond the Mines Royal I believe survives for the Botallack area (see article in the RIC Journal, will check this when I can as I don't have a copy to hand). I think this article also covers refs to 16th C copper mining on the Cornish side of the Tamar - again I need to check this.
The problems restricting copper mining before the 18thC certainly seem to have restricted it, and the fact that in the early 18th C there is documentary evidence of copper mining at many sites (eg Tamar valley & West Cornwall) suggest that there were plenty of locations where the existance of copper was known at that time. What we don't know is how many of these had actually been worked before.
What is really needed is some proper archaeological work on sites where pre 18thC mining seems likely to have occurred - workings on both sides of the Tamar, Botallack area, & perhaps sites such as Wheal Prudence spring to mind. This could cover both lode workings, & any stamping mills known to be pre 18th C such as on the Devon side of the Tamar.
In the 19th Century there were various sales of "Tamar Slag" as copper ore, presumably lead ores smelted at the Tamar works contained enough copper for this to accumulate in the slag (?) & be worth selling on, but of course at that time much of the lead ores came from mines all over Devon & Cornwall and beyond. Not sure of the metallurgy of this.
Alasdair Neill
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