 |
 |
It is certainly interesting work that you are doing. I would like to hear more about the excavation at Laskill. the couple of sentences that refer to the excavated furnace make it sound like a blast furnace. The reference to Kent in the 1490s of course merely refers to the first blast furnace in England of the standard early modern type. Brian Awty's work has pushed traced this back via Bray to Namur in the early 15th century. Work in Germany and Sweden suggests blast furnaces of some kind go back at least to the fourteenth century, though probably not in England. David Cranstone has several times suggested that we should not be surprised to find such furnaces in England and I wonder if that is not what this is. On the other hand figures quoted by Schubert (History of Iron & Steel 148) suggest that there were two bloomhearths and an output of about one ton per week. 25 tons per year per bloom hearth is a typical figure for powered bloomeries, as indicated by data from Llantrissant and Kyrkeknot (or Byrkeknot). Peter King, 49, Stourbridge Road, Hagley, Stourbridge West Midlands DY9 0QS telephone 01562-720368 ----- Original Message ----- From: Gerry Mcdonnell <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: 24 June 2002 10:36 Subject: Re: In the papers > chris > we used robe river australian ore courtesy of Corus, > and have produced aa bloom, its being sectioned today/ > tomorrow. pictures of the furnace already on the web, > some of the ones taken during smelting should appear > soon, along with metallography. no analyses until we > move into our new premises over the next month. > cheers > gerry > ps the daily telegraph, seemed to imply we were > building a blast furnace! > > ---------------------- > From > Dr Gerry McDonnell > Senior Lecturer in Archaeological Sciences > Ancient Metallurgy Research Group > Department of Archaeological Sciences > Bradford University Bradford UK BD7 1DP > Tel: +44 1274 233535/31 > Email: [log in to unmask] > Web Pages > Department http://www.brad.ac.uk/acad/archsci > Ancient Metallurgy Research Group: > http://www.brad.ac.uk/acad/archsci/depart/resgrp/amrg/amrginfo.html > Crift Farm Project (medieval tin smelting site): > http://www.brad.ac.uk/acad/archsci/field_proj/crift/crift.html > North Yorkshire Moors Ironworking Project: (Being > forged into shape) > ******************* >