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Afraid I don't know when zinc mining ceased at Shipham, but the term "calamine" is a historic name for a type of zinc mineralisation, a combination of zinc silicate (hemimorphite) and zinc carbonate (smithsonite). The term derives from the zinc mines in Belgium of the same name (La Calamine) - so I'd suggest that this refers to a zinc mine, although I'm not 100% certain. There has been some recent research into the geology of this type of mineralisation by Maria Boni at the University of Naples - although I don't think anyone has looked into the geology of the non-sulphide zonc mineralisation of the UK as yet. Simon -- Dr. Simon Jowitt Research Fellow – Economic Geology School of Geosciences Monash University VIC 3800 Australia [log in to unmask] Office: +61 3 9905 1119 Fax: +61 3 9905 4903 ----- Original Message ----- From: Keith Ramsey <[log in to unmask]> Date: Monday, July 12, 2010 6:48 am Subject: Mendip Calamineries To: [log in to unmask] > Can anyone tell me when zinc mining ceased at Shipham in > Somerset? I > know the answer will be in Gough's "Mines of Mendip" but I haven't > got a > copy to hand. > > According to the published 1831 census results "In the parishes of > Rowberrow and Shipham, 65 and 106 men respectively are employed in > Lead > Mines and Calamine Works". I was under the impression that all > such work > had ceased by 1841, but we've just found a report of an 1841 > census > entry that refers to a "Head Miner" in a "Calaminery" (although we > haven't been able to check the original return yet). > > I'm also intrigued by the term "calaminery", which I haven't come > across > before. Was it a common term, and does it refer to a zinc mine or > some > kind of processing works? > > Keith Ramsey > > Bristol Research > [log in to unmask] >