Sorry to bore you all, but here are some further thoughts on this 
topic.

A little while ago Peter Claughton encouraged us all to 
adopt/develop new methods of research (without enlightening us as 
to what they might be).  As his response on early smelting and 
mining in Yorkshire shows, perhaps he should adopt a more 
hypothetico-deductive approach.  He claims that we are restricted 
to three snapshots of the mediaeval industry and thereby ignores 
many more snippets of evidence which can be used to built up a 
model for what was going on.  Before pooh-poohing this, remember 
that ten years ago this approach led me to point out that 
customary mining law did not have to be imported or imposed by 
Derbyshire miners and that evidence pointed to it having been used 
much more widely in Yorkshire.  This was met with incredulity, but, 
a few years later, Les Tyson turned up a set of laws used by 
Marrick Priory to regulate its mines at Hurst.

I have no problems with David Kiernan's model for 16th century 
Derbyshire, but I do resent unquestioning (ie Derby-centric) 
attempts by others to transplant it.  What David describes is a very 
mature phase of a long established industry and there is nothing to 
suggest that Yorkshire, or any other county, approached the scale 
of operations in mediaeval Derbyshire.  If it is wrong for me to 
question the differences (with a moderate knowledge of the 
subject), then it must be an academic folly to impose an 
inappropriate model.

I can see little point in comparing experience in the silver industry - 
as this metal was of negligible importance in Yorkshire and (I 
believe) Derbyshire.  Apart from a few ounces at Grassington and 
claims for minute mines in the Forest of Bowland, I have yet to see 
a reliable reference to silver production in the Yorkshire Dales 
(certainly south of the A66).

There are indications that the lead industries of Derbyshire, 
Yorkshire and the North Pennines were different.  Not least are the 
intriguing sites identified by John Pickin in the last area.  With the 
possible exception of Grinton smeltings and another site near 
Marrick, similar sites appear to be absent in the other two areas.  
What about the Mendip too?

Lead mining in mediaeval Yorkshire was dominated by the 
monasteries. There is plenty of evidence of their involvement in and 
organisation of other industries (iron-making, potting, glass making 
quarrying etc etc).  We know that they smelted at bales, but there 
are also early references to a smelt mill near Pateley Bridge and 
another near Kettlewell.  Fountains Abbey had major iron working 
furnaces (with water-powered bellows) near the first of these and 
was quite capable of applying this technology to lead smelting.  
This alone points to a significant difference from the Kings Field 
experience in Derbyshire.

Why is it that Lawrence Barker has been able to identify almost as 
many bales in Swaledale and Arkengarthdale as there are boles in 
the whole of Derbyshire?  Their distribution is also radically 
different.  There is no evidence that a system of ore-buyers cum 
merchant-smelters, such as the one described by David Kiernan, 
evolved in Yorkshire.  On the contrary, everything points to the 
mineral lords keeping control of smelting - which is a much better 
way of regulating an industry comprised of small, dispersed 
production units.

As for when slag furnaces/hearths (the term blackwork oven is an 
alien one) were introduced into Yorkshire - I have no idea, but 
vitreous slags were found at many of Lawrence's sites.  This 
suggests that all of them either worked after Peter's tentative early 
15th century date or that he may have to think again on that one 
too!

Mike Gill




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Mike Gill
[log in to unmask]
Northern Mine Research Society
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