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Dear Trevor, What you say is indeed correct. Not only did this apply to Mid-Wales, but to all other mining areas. Farming, whether as subsistence or alternative employment was a 'regular' and very normal 'thing': the mines/mining Co.s' had regular complaint about absenteeism at harvest time, but there was absolutely nothing they could do about it - it was just one of those things... indeed many mines had simply to shut down at certain times due to this. The Llangynog mines were very prone to this for example: the Weardale mines had to put up with it just the same... likewise in Derbs., N.Wales., & Cornwall. Freighting of ore and smelted metal suffered just the same, in that in many cases the mines/smelters had to rely on farmers for their haulage (due to their owning horses and carts), so this aspect was of course very prone to harvest interruption - however, it must be stated, that during the early 1800's it was recorded that the health of such labour was poor due to low income, and that they were simply not fit enough to supply a 'regular' service - this not due to freight rates, but due to the basic income from their small farms. This situation however did not last to long. Mid-Wales had a strong wool market (as indeed did other mining areas), and there were many woollen mills around here (clearly defined by the OS maps), so there is every reason to believe that miners could switch and change as they saw fit - even then for health reasons. Regards, Bernard