Sebastian,
The Society for Mines Royal were active in Cornwall during the 1580-1600
period but pulled out around 1593.    The main search was for copper with
silver as a by-product, although I don't know if any was produced.
Certainly the ores were assayed for silver .   (The silver aspect of the
related SMR activities at Keswick between 1565 and 1635 was overempahsised
by some of the correspondents who were less involved in actual activities,
so this may also have happened in Cornwall).   Smelting was carried out at
Neath and the project was organised by Thomas Smyth in London.     The
Cornish partners who farmed the mines were William Carnewse and others, who
appear to include Messrs Edgecombe and Weston  with technical assistance
from the Hechstetters.   Ulrich Frosse (various spellings) was the mine
agent at Perin Sands and later moved to the Neath smelter, supposedy
because of his quieter disposition - whatever that means.   He was replaced
in Cornwall by John Oates.    Mines mentioned include Perin Sands,
Treworthie, Logan  (?Illogan), St  Tannes (?St Annes), St Just, Synner
(?Zennor) and St Hillier.     Basko (Pascoe) Winser was one of the money
lenders.

There's also a mention of silver being found at  Sir Francis Godolphin's
mine at 30lbs!  per hundredweight - high but it was reported as an item of
gossip and 30 ozs might be more accurate.

 It's covered in Elizabethan Copper by M.P. Donald and in Cal. State Papers
Elizabeth for the period in consideration.

Regards

Richard




"Sebastian Halliday" <[log in to unmask]> on 19-04-99 10:12:19

Please respond to [log in to unmask]


To:   "Mining History" <[log in to unmask]>
cc:    (bcc: Richard Smith/UK-Europe/3M/US)
Subject:




I am involved in the editing of a facsimile edition of Carew




Æs Survey of
Cornwall (1602).

There is, of course, quite a lot of information about mining, most of it
very clear and interesting. But there are one or two points which puzzle me
and on which I would like advice.

1. Carew says that Edward I and Edward III 






æreaped some good benefit






Æ from
silver mining. Any suggestions as to why he has singled out these two
kings? Also he says that 






æsome gentlemen not long since made trial [of
silver mining] to their loss






Æ. Any ideas about who these Cornish gents
might have been -presumably some time between 1580 and 1600.

2. He distinguishes between stream and load works and explains how shoad
may be used to find both stream and load tin. He then says: 






æThe colour of
both the shoad and the load resembleth his [its] bed, as the sea sand doth
the cliffs






Æ. There is no problem about the shoad, but what is the 






æbed






Æ. If
it is the ore in its load then how is it distinguished from the load tin?
If it is something else (what?) then why is the load related to it as the
sand to the cliffs - i.e. ground away from it?

3. He also notes that there is profit to be made by working over the debris
of old stream and load works. It seems that, at the time, people were
puzzled as to why this should be. Three theories were prevalent:

1) 






ætin groweth






Æ !!

2) 






æit separateth from the consumed offal [ used-up waste]






Æ

3) 






æwhosoever readeth that which Francis Leandro hath written touching the
iron minerals in the isle of Elba will cleave perhaps to a third conceit
[notion], for he avoucheth that the trenches out of which the ore there is
digged, within twenty or thirty years become alike full again of the same
metal as at first, ........, deducing thence this reason, that the air and
water replenishing the void room [empty space], through the power of the
universal agent and some peculiar celestial influence, are turned into the
self substance






Æ.

Does anyone know about this controversy. Who was Leandro? Can anyone make
sense of his theory?

Sorry for such a long posting. I would be very grateful for any
information.

Sebastian Halliday

--------------------------------------
Sebastian Halliday, The Count House, Count House Lane
Carbis Bay, St Ives.  TR26 2PY   Tel:+44 (0)1736 794786

email: [log in to unmask]