Peter following your request I hope to receive a review from the Minerals
world I found the following Review from Chris Howes Editor Descent
magazine no 247 November / December 2015
Mike
Not many books in the Caving World run to two volumes each of a very neat
500 pages. Even aside from the nature of the content, this makes Mines and
Minerals of the Mendip Hills somewhat unique as the result of Peter Burr's
research into the area's geology and history that has taken him over thirty
years to complete . Any way you look at it, this is a major contribution to
our knowledge of Mendip.
Nearly 40 years after working on the subject of his book in 1967 John
Gough revised "The Mines of Mendip" and this became the turn to reference
for anyone researching the lead mines and ores of the region . In 2012 the
Mendip Cave Registry and Archive published Earth Colours and extended
portions of Gough's coverage, but Peter now adds his complementary thousand
pages.
Whilst Mining enthusiasts and Geologists will find the title of immediate
appeal , perhaps cavers will not> The geological coverage will be obvious
to all but, at least in part, any emphasis on mines alone is misplaced:
mines have long seen sporting exploration and the book is full of
historical detail that have their own broader appeal. Speleology on Mendip
is a rich field and never more so than when it comes to mining remains so,
as well as photographs of Ores and samples expect to find histories of
mining families, an assessment of the effects of wars and the slave trade,
tables of mineral rights, ownership, historical photographs and how miners
themselves fitted into the landscape: beer and sugar consumption, house
rent, tobacco costs, accidents and more, Here we have an assessment of
Elizabethan Monopolies, the influence of German Technology and how this was
bank rolled. Sample families are traced such as John Wookey whose lead mine
was confiscated by the Lord Bishop of Wells in about 1648 and, indeed these
forms of meticulous research mean that Mines and Minerals of the Mendip
Hills could be of interest to family history researchers.
The first volume, broadly speaking, looks at mineral be found on Mendip in
general and in caves such as Banwell, Lamb Leer, Fairy and White Spot then
turns through four more chapters to inspect more closely the lead mines at
Green Hill, the Rowpits and lamb Hill plus calamine working each time
including the Social History as the Minerals themselves. Volume 2 continues
this theme(and page numbering) adding chapters on the Ochre Mines, the Iron
Mines of Higher Pitts, Priddy Hill Farm, Ham, Nunney and Elm as well as
looking at the origin of Mendipite. Next comes chapters on various
quarries, Celestine workings and mining for Bartyes, Copper, Zinc and other
Ores.
The book concludes with an immense reference list running to 2700 entries
for manuscripts, newspapers and other literature clsoing with an index.
This looks large and inclusive but sadly it was not prepared with the same
care as the text, some pages are incorrect and many entries that should be
easy to find are not - the aforesaid John Wookey one.Its a shame that Word
was used to compile thee index: its creditable to include one, but this one
is frustrating to actually use (the more so for family history researchers
, who will find plenty of facts but names hard to find).
Credit must go to MCRA for publishing such a specialist work. The book will
not only become the standard reference on the subject and will remain so
for many years. If at £65 (reprint now £70) feels high in the real world of
publishing it is not. For your money you receive two extensive and well
printed hardback volumes that are properly bound with a hollow spine and
ribbon marker; they take up 8cm of shelf space and weigh 4.3kg. While this
is not a book for light bedtime reading, if you have interest in Mendip you
should not hold back this publication is both impressive and well worth
the cost
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