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At 20:29 18/12/2009, Robert Waterhouse wrote: >The reason I asked was that while in the Devon Record Office the >other day, I found a piece of paper (yes, paper), calling itself a >warrant for a lease of Mines Royal in Tavistock, Lewannick and South >Petherwin, described in a note on the back as being 'for our Lord >Russell', but actually made out to Richard Myller. It was signed >'James Roy' (I think this is actually James I, the King) and >'Richard Weston', and dated 10th March 1624. It doesn't actually >mention what sort of metal was to be mined, but I am guessing tin or >copper or both, as none of these parishes are associated with >silver-lead as far as I am aware. Robert, This is a grant of Mines Royal, ie. copper, gold and silver bearing ores, rather than a grant by the Society of Mines Royal. It is one of a small number of grants by the Crown which appear to run counter to the original grant to the Society. They are probably a manifestation of the rising, commercially aware, new gentry who wished to control all the mineral resources on their estates - culminating in the so called Mines Royal Acts of 1688 and 1693. 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 Humanities and Social Sciences http://huss.exeter.ac.uk/archaeology/staff/claughton.shtml 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.people.exeter.ac.uk/pfclaugh/mhinf/ _____________________________________________