*/Preliminary Notice of Conference/*
*'A Celebration of the Tinworking Landscape of Dartmoor in its European
Context - Prehistory to the 20^th Century'*
*Tavistock, Devon, 6-11 May 2016*
The tinworking landscape of Dartmoor is arguably the finest in the world
for its extent, completeness, chronological range and accessibility.
Most of it falls within Dartmoor National Park and much is on open
moorland to which there is unrestricted public access. Although always
closely connected historically to the Cornish tin industry, Dartmoor's
tinworking landscape is quite distinct, as it lacked the deep tin
deposits of its neighbour and also had an abundance of water
resources.In the 18^th , 19^th and 20^th centuries Dartmoor tinworking
was on a relatively small scale. Consequently, archaeological remains of
these and earlier periods (especially AD 1300-1700) are still of
outstanding extent and quality.
Historically, the industry generated significant wealth for the county
of Devon, being ranked as more important than seafaring in about AD
1600. Much tin was exported to Europe and beyond.
Hundreds of hectares of streamworks and openworks survive, served by
numerous reservoirs and miles of leats. Ore was crushed and smelted in
waterpowered mills, of which at least 100 survive archaeologically.Some
200accommodation 'lodges' have been identified on open moorland. In the
19^th century shafts reached a depth of 500ft (152m), often drained by
pumping **waterwheels up to 60ft (18m) in diameter, with horse-powered
'whims' used for hauling. The largest mine employed up to 200 men, women
and children. The moorland industry survived until 1930 and its last
decades included innovative use of water-powered turbines generating
electricity. From the 1860s onwards, much was documented
photographically. Superb archives also exist.
To mark the 25^th anniversary of the *Dartmoor Tinworking Research
Group* (www.dtrg.org.uk), and to coincidewith the 10^th anniversary of
the *UNESCO World Heritage *designation of the *Cornwall and West Devon
Mining Landscape *(www.cornish-mining.org.uk) this conference, based in
the stannary town and World Heritage Site area of Tavistock, from 6-11
May 2016, will comprise lectures and full day field excursions.
The conference will celebrate the diversity of Dartmoor's unrivalled
industrial landscape, and will compare its features and technologies
with those of contemporary tinworking areas of continental Europe --
Czech Republic, Germany, France and Spain, as well as that of Cornwall.
Lecturers already confirmed include Dr Tom Greeves, Dr Peter Herring, Dr
Phil Newman, Henrietta Quinnell, and Dr Petr Rojik (Czech Republic). To
be confirmed areThomas Helm and Rainer Sennewald from Germany and
Michael Rund from the Czech Republic, and others from France and Spain.
Exhibitions and publications are being planned.
A detailed programme for the conference, and costings, will be available
on the website of the Dartmoor Tinworking Research Group
(www.dtrg.org.uk <http://www.dtrg.org.uk>) from the *early Summer of
2015. To register an interest* in this conference, or for further
information, please send an email to Dr Tom Greeves at
[log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>.
--
Tom Greeves MA PhD 39 Bannawell Street Tavistock Devon PL19 0DN 01822
617004 www.tomgreeves.org <http://www.tomgreeves.org>
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