According to the biography of king Ęthelwulf of Wessex (d 858)in the "Oxford
Dictionary of National Biography"
(http://www.oxforddnb.com/public/lotw/2.html), in c852, the abbot of
Ferričres asked him for lead for his monastery roof, a request which the
author feels "implies appreciation of Ęthelwulf's access to the resources of
the Mendip Hills".
Since I live on the edge of the Mendips, I'm ashamed to say that I don't
know what happened to the Mendip lead industry after the departure of the
Romans. I'd always assumed that mining ceased and didn't start again until
some time after the Norman conquest, but this suggests that lead was mined
by the Saxons. Is there any evidence to support this, and is it known if
mining was, in fact, carried on continuously from the Roman period until the
nineteenth century?
Keith Ramsey
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