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Peter King wrote: > There is evidence of medieval iron > smelting in Northamptonshire in the 11th century and then nothing until > after 1850. No one has provided any satisfactory explanation as to why. > >From what I know of the history of iron industry in the early modern period, > there is no reason why a Northamptonshire industry should not have > developed, assuming this landlocked county could provide a couple of > thousand acres of coppices for fuel. I'd like to point out that there is indeed evidence for iron production in Northamptonshire in medieval times, especially in and around Rockingham Forest. You may wish to have a look at the East Midlands Archaeological Research Framework (medieval; Northants), developed at Leicester University in collaboration with local authorities: http://www.le.ac.uk/archaeology/east_midlands_research_framework.htm Results of ongoing fieldwork are just emerging but it is clear that there are further medieval sites in South Lincolnshire, making use of a similar geology. There are significant limestone deposits in Northamptonshire (though not as extensive as e.g. around Lincoln), outlined for example in the BGS memoirs of the region. The comparative decline - as one still assumes - of iron production in the East Midlands in medieval times may be due to a sensible reduction in the availability of fuel wood in the area after the high industrial output (not only of iron but also pottery) of Roman times. However, recent research into the practice of coppicing increasingly questions this theory. A colleague once told me that the majority of Northamptonshire woodlands were retained as medieval hunting forests, but to what extent this affected the regional iron production I cannot substantiate. At least charcoal making is widespread in these medieval woodlands - cf. G. Foard (2001) Medieval agriculture and industry in Rockingham Forest, Northamptonshire. Medieval Archaeology 45, 2001. Irene -- Irene Schrüfer-Kolb MA, PhD, AIFA http://physics.open.ac.uk/~uckolb/isk