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>By the way, what was the scale of your medieval mining in Devon and >Mid-Wales? Is it anything like the 1,500 tons of ore produced annually >in Ashford Liberty in the 1580's? > David, Difficult to make comparisons in terms of the weight of ore produced - ore production in Devon is quoted in volume measure - but output from the Bere Ferrers mines peaked at over 166 tons of metallic 'fertile' lead per annum, producing silver worth nearly £2000, in the late 1290s and averaging around 60-70 tons of fertile lead in the early part of the 14th century. Production from Combe Martin in the 1580s gave an alleged profit of £50,000 over a three year period and the mid Wales mines were producing around 200 tons of fertile lead per annum in the early 17th century. But the important point is that this production did not result from the 'consolidation' of small mines From their inception these mines were worked as large units, employing large numbers of miners (over 300 at the Bere Ferrers mines at the close of the 13th century) in capital intensive activity (planned prospecting and drainage schemes), under centralised management. The mines of the Derbyshire Peak in the 16th century did account for a very high output of lead / lead ore, but as Burt points out, it came from a multiplicity of small mines and that did allow them to react quickly to market demand. Derbyshire was at the forefront of recovery from the low levels of primary production in the mid 16th century, and able to supply the continental market, as workers moved easily from agriculture into mining. Such an elasticity of supply could not, however, be maintained as the shallow resources were finite. New ore processing technology might extend the working life of the shallow mines but a larger scale of working became inevitable once drainage was required to access deeper resources; something which the English Crown had recognised by the early 14th century, setting the pattern for future development of silver and, eventually, all non-ferrous metal mining. Peter ______________________________________________ Dr Peter Claughton, Blaenpant Morfil, nr. Rosebush, Clynderwen, Pembrokeshire, Wales SA66 7RE. Tel. 01437 532578; Fax. 01437 532921; Mobile 07831 427599 University of Exeter - School of Historical, Political and Sociological Studies (Centre for South Western Historical Studies) E-mail: [log in to unmask] Co-owner - mining-history e-mail discussion list. See http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/files/mining-history/ for details. Mining History Pages - http://www.exeter.ac.uk/~pfclaugh/mhinf/ _____________________________________________