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Dear Mike Interested in your comments generally. We'd dearly like to see a greater engagement with primary sources. See link below for our first steps (quick and dirty but we think it's a start getting it published at all). Paul Brough Historic Collections Manager Visit the controversial world of 18th century Cornish mining. See the letters of Matthew Boulton, James Watt, Thomas Wilson, their partners and enemies at www.cornish-mining.org.uk/mintech/boulton_watt/boulton_watt.htm Supported by The Heritage Lottery Fund -----Original Message----- From: Mike Gill [mailto:[log in to unmask]] Sent: 12 April 2005 22:37 To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Mining in the South West of England Hi Trevor, >if you could expound a little further on this. That's easy - I've often seen the eyes of otherwise keen, intelligent people glaze over and their spirit drain away at the mention of their doing archaeology. As a bit of a mixture myself (i.e. a mining surveyor, with degrees in archaeological sciences and economic history) I can sympathise with professionals trying to push their disciplines, but sometimes the uninitiated are easily alienated by it. That's why I favour encouraging them to look, think, make sketches, take photographs (with a scale) and measure what they've seen and thought about. At the very worst, they could interpret it as a 'ritual' site. The rest might well be the bias of a crusty northerner, but I went to a seminar which purported to be about "Mining history in south-west England; new approaches, new history?" and, possibly naively, have tried to suggest some avenues to follow. I, for one, would love to read more mining history from Cornwall cos I live too far away to do much there for myself. What I am not interested in is the bigger, deeper, more influential, more diasperic sort of clap trap that often taints mining history in the south west. My comment (on Saturday) that those present in Exeter should reflect on why mining history in the SW was 25 years behind its counterpart in the north (of the M4) was not entirely jocular. We've been publishing monographs on individual mines, or groups of mines, since 1966 - if that approach had been adopted in Cornwall, we might have something about Poldice, Tresavean, Ding Dong, Tregurtha Downs, West Chiverton etc etc. We might also know what is specifically Cornish about Cornish pitwork! Fire in the hole. Mike -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.308 / Virus Database: 266.9.6 - Release Date: 11/04/2005 *************************************************************** Please note that the Council may need to disclose this e-mail under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 or the Enviromental Information Regulations 2004. Important: This e-mail and its attachments are intended for the above-named only and may be confidential. If they have come to you in error you must take no action based on them, nor must you copy or show them to anyone; please e-mail us immediately at [log in to unmask] Security Warning: Although this e-mail and its attachments have been screened and are believed to be free from any virus, it is the responsibility of the recipient to ensure that they are virus free. The Authority will not accept liability for any damage caused by a virus