I hope Peter will allow this post as it's about quarrying rather than
mining.
It's well-known that the figures for numbers of workers in the "List of
Mines" relate to the numbers employed on the last payday of the year,
but does anyone know if the same is true for the "List of Quarries"?
I'm new to researching the history of quarrying, but would I be right in
thinking that that quarries would probably lay off workers in the
winter? If so, and if the number of workers recorded are those at work
at the end of December, then presumably the "List of Quarries'
systematically under-records the size of the workforce. Or am I missing
something obvious?
Any ideas, or recommendations for literature on the subject, will be
welcomed.
Keith Ramsey
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