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
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----- 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]
>
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