I concede to Mike Gill (pleading, as Doctor Johnson did in 1755 when challenged about the definition of a word in his - the first ever - dictionary of the English language, "ignorance, pure ignorance) that the introduction of use of the word "gangue" had nothing to do with German miners, though the question as to whether it is Anglo-Saxon or Viking Danish comes to mind.



And having never seen most of the things Trevor Dunkerley writes about (although Deep Adit at Tywarnhaile copper mine, Porthtowan, Cornwall, which we had to survey as mining students, is indeed a "coffin adit"), I concede ignorance of many aspects of Derbyshire lead mining.



However, looking at my bookshelves, I remembered that I have a copy of  "The Miners Dictionary" by William Hooson, my copy being a "limited facsimile edition prepared directly from the copy that formed part of the Institution [of Mining and Metallurgy]'s historical collection". This was reprinted in 1979 from an original published in MDCCXLVII (which I take to be 1747).

 

The first page of this says it is 

"The MINERS DICTIONARY explaining not only the TERMS used by MINERS, but also containing the THEORY and PRACTICE of that most useful ART of MINEING [sic], more especially of LEAD MINERS.

How a gentleman may know whether HE has MINES in his land, or not.

How he may know the cheapest and best way to come at THEM.

The METHOD of carrying THEM on, in order to make them Profitable Works.

Together with a large Account of all necessary Materials that are required, conducive thereto.

The WHOLE being of very great Use to all MINERS and GENTLEMEN, who have MINES in their own Lands, and to all such as are concern'd in MINES.

Being OBSERVATIONS made by the AUTHOR, from more than FORTY YEARS Practice and Experience, at the MINES in the High and Low PEAK in Derbyshire, Shropshire, South and North Wales, and the North of England.

By WILLIAM HOOSON, a DERBYSHIRE Miner."

 

I note that the word "gangue" does not appear in the book, so I guess it was not in common use in 1747.  [My 1996 copy of Chambers Dictionary implies that it came into use in English in the 19th century].

 

In his section on Veins, Hooson says they are of different kinds, and within the space occupied by a vein there is ".. the Mettle, or Ore of what sort soever, together with its Soil that naturally attends it, be it more or less; this Space is called by some the Chert of the Vein, and by reason of the difference of Veins, they are distinguished into several sorts thus:"

Then in two columns he lists 

 

Hard, Soft, Quick, Dead, Sparry  

 

Caukey, Kevelly, Leppey, Old and New

 

Adding "The Names of these several sorts of Veins do well enough explain themselves". [!!!]

 

Looking up Kevell, I see it is discussed in half a page of text which, for the moment I will refrain from copying out. "Caukey" is not defined, whereas for Leppey he says "Tis when Work is Soft, Kind, and Winable enough, without any Hardship, as Boreing, Cuting, Blasting, or such like".

 

So, back to "gangue". When did the word come into use???

Tony Brewis