Mining in a medieval landscape : the royal silver mines of the Tamar Valley / Stephen Rippon, Peter Claughton and Chris Smart.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Rippon, Stephen, 1968-

Contributor:

Claughton, Peter F.

Smart, Chris (Archaeologist)

Bernard W. Freeman Book Fund.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Silver mines and mining--England--Tamar River Valley--History.

Silver mines and mining.

History.

Tamar River Valley (England)--History.

Tamar River Valley (England).

England--Tamar River Valley.

Physical Description:

xiii, 207 pages : illustrations, maps ; 25 cm

Place of Publication:

Exeter, UK : University of Exeter Press, 2009.

Summary:

This book explores and industry that was of profound importance both in terms of the local economy and the history of mining nationally: the late-medieval royal silver mines at Bere Ferrers in the Tamar Valley on the Cornwall/Devon border.

Just to the north of Bere Ferrers lies Bere Alston - probably the first purpose - built mining town in Britain - along with the remarkable engineering feat that was the ten mile long leat supplying the water to power the pumps that drained the mines. The Bere Ferrers silver mines employed up to 400 men in the area, mining on a scale and at depths not previously possible, and changed forever the way that mining was carried out in medieval Britain.

Mining in a Medieval Landscape is pioneering study of the history and archaeology of this fascinating and little-known part of our industrial heritage.

Contents:

1 Introduction: the impact of industry on the medieval landscape 1

2 Earth's riches: metal resources in medieval Devon 13

3 Silver production in medieval England and the Devon mines 45

4 The extraction and processing of silver-bearing ores 71

5 Fuelling the industry: the management of water and woodland 101

6 The mining community and its impact on the wider landscape 121.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 188-203) and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Bernard W. Freeman Book Fund.

ISBN:

0859898288

9780859898287

9780859898270

085989827X

OCLC:

428923050