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At 15:39 06/07/05 +0100, Keith Ramsey wrote: >In the light of the failed "Time Team" excavation, two questions spring to >mind. > >1) When we talk about Roman lead mining in the Mendips, what do we mean? >Were they only working deposits on the surface, or did they actually dig >down to any great depth? > >2) "Time Team" assumed that wood was used for smelting, but, since the >Romans were working coal in north Somerset, is there any evidence that it >was used at Charterhouse? Keith et al., Before I comment on the two queries above I should explain that I did not see the Time Team programme and perhaps many of the list, particular those not resident in the UK, did not see it either. When members refer to a TV programme, or similar, some explaination of the context would be appreciated. As to Roman mining on Mendip - the work carried out by Malcolm Todd in the late 1990s (and, as far as I know, still ongoing) suggested that fault fissure deposits at Charterhouse had been worked to a significant depth but I don't think the excavations revealed how deep. Attempts, by Cornish miners, to work the lead deposits at depth were a failure - the Cornish do not appear to have understood the mineralisation which is confined to a shallow horizon in the Dolomitic Conglomerate where it overlies the Carboniferous Limestone. So the potential for deep working is limited. As to the use of coal - whilst it was used from the late 16th / early 17th century as fuel for the ore hearth / slag hearth lead smelting process, there is no evidence for its use during the Roman occupation period other than for space heating and the working (smithing) of iron. Wood charcoal was used and evidence is coming to light for the use of the bole (fired by brushwood) at that period but I'm not aware of any investigation of smelting furnaces on Mendip although there is good evident for the use of cupellation (refining) hearths. Peter ______________________________________________ Dr Peter Claughton, Blaenpant Morfil, nr. Rosebush, Clynderwen, Pembrokeshire, Wales SA66 7RE. Tel. +44 (0)1437 532578; Fax. +44 (0)1437 532921; Mobile +44 (0)7831 427599 Hon. University Fellow School of Historical, Political and Sociological Studies (Centre for South Western Historical Studies) University of Exeter 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/ _____________________________________________