The problem is to decide if they are bell pits or just shafts along the line of a vein or perhaps a water channel or 'qanat'. Bell pits are a very ancient means of working a mineral deposit, flint etc. Most shafts sunk in line, were sunk onto a common drift, either to save hauling long distances or to maintain an air circuit. I'm sure that people will have their own way of describing this system but I hope that this explains my thinking.
Regards
Ian
-----Original Message-----
From: Mike Lenzie <[log in to unmask]>
To: mining-history <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thu, 29 Aug 2013 15:41
Subject: Surface signature of Bell pits
I have looked extensively at available information on the surface signature of
bell pits. Most appear to be a deep depression. In a few isolated cases (from
Germany), the surface signature is a mound with a central depression.
- I don't understand why some bell pits have mounds - but most do not. Is this a
question of the time available for settlement? Is this a peculiarity of the
geology/mining technique?
- The old drawings appear to show round shafts. I have examples which appear to
be squares. Is there any significance to a square pit - rather than round?
- can anyone point me in the direction of examples of bell pits which appear as
mounds with off-centre shafts rather than big craters or mounds with central
shafts?
The reason I ask is because I am an amateur archaeologist and have about 10
mounds up to 2m high and 10m across. They occur in a line about 15m OR 30m apart
- i.e. quite regular. On one I can see a 1.6m square depression about a foot
deep. Another has two 1.6-2m square depressions. None of these depressions are
central to the mounds.
There is coal in the area - however the mounds appear to follow a layer called
the "orchard" limestone.
There is NO ... and I mean NO ... record of these mounds except my own. They are
not on any ordinance survey nor any mining record nor any other historical
record (and I have looked high and low) and since well before 1945 the area has
been wooded ... so no aerial photographs.
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