Welsh Mines Society Member of the National Association of Mining History Organisations

Home , Corris Uchaf, Cwmbrwyno, Cwmerfyn, Cwmystwyth, Glandyfi, Llywernog

ISSN 1746-7551 Welsh Mines Society Member of the National Association of Mining History Organisations

NEWSLETTER 65 Autumn 2011

Announcements...... 2 Forthcoming Events...... 5 Spring 2012 Indoor Meet...... 6 Bronfloyd Lead Mine...... 6 Aberdyfi: Detective Work...... 12 Geology and Mine Exploration.14 Goginan in the Francis Years... 16 Future Prospects for Cardigan- shire and Elsewhere...... 19 John Evans, Minera Miner...... 23 Lead Mine Near Caernarvon.... 25 News...... 28 Reviews and Publications...... 33 Correspondence...... 38 Membership...... 47 Lead Mine near Caernarvon (detail) – see item 17

Editorial

1. Meet Organisation At the WMS meeting on 17th September, Society President George Hall announced that he no longer wanted to be involved in organising and leading weekend meets. George has been responsible either wholly or in a large part for organising a number of recent meets, in particular selecting of venues for the evening meal and obtaining details of local accommodation. His contribution to the Society is in this respect possibly under- valued by members because of the seemingly effortless way in which things come together for the field meets. (George details the work involved in setting up a meet in item 8 below.) Consequently the Society now needs someone to step into George’s shoes to organise our meets. The main aspects are the choice of an area, the location of a suitable venue for the Saturday evening meal, arranging knowledgeable leaders for the area and, where necessary, contacting local landowner(s) to arrange access and car parking (or at least warning them

President: GEORGE HALL, Abilene, Sheet Road, Ludlow, SY8 1LR Chairman: JOHN HINE (a.k.a. Mole), The Grottage, 2 Cullis Lane, Mile End, Coleford, GL16 7QF Secretary/Treasurer: DAVID ROE, 20 Lutterburn Street, Ugborough, Ivybridge, PL21 0NG Editor: DAVE LINTON, Hendre Coed Uchaf, Llanaber, Barmouth, LL42 1AJ

www.welshmines.org Newsletter 65 Welsh Mines Society Autumn 2011 that there will be a number of visitors taking an apparently unusual interest in their land and the mining remains on it). This is not the first time we have asked for more members to participate in organising and leading meets. Chairman Mole made a similar plea in 2006 (see NL 54 item 11). However, with George’s expressed desire to be less involved in this aspect of the Society’s activities, the need for other members, particularly some of the younger and newer ones, to play their part is more urgent. Without meet organisers the affairs of the Society will be significantly impoverished. Whist we could operate as a purely correspondence-based society, with a Newsletter and individuals pursuing their own interests, I think without the weekend meets it would be difficult to maintain the interest and participation of existing members or to recruit new ones.

2. Copyright I discussed some aspects of copyright and the necessity of obtaining permission to use material for publication in NL 63 item 3. I should perhaps have gone into more detail. Authors should be aware that when an item is ‘re-published’, such as when a website publishes images of out-of-copyright maps, the copyright in those images is owned by the website publisher. Consequently, when using material from the web, or images supplied by other parties such as the RCAHMW or NLW, care should be taken to adhere to any terms and conditions associated with the images and the necessary permissions should be sought or licences obtained. Terms and conditions associated with images sometimes allow ‘non-commercial’ use of such material. However, considering that The Lode of History was put on sale outside the Society (and made a profit) we can hardly claim that a ‘non-commercial’ exemption applies. As previously mentioned, it would be embarrassing for me as Editor and for the Society as a whole if I published material which was later found to infringe copyright. At very least we might be required to withdraw and destroy all printed copies and we could be liable to damages and costs. Consequently, I would again draw the attention of anyone writing for the Newsletter or for future issues of Welsh Mines and Mining to the requirement that it is the responsibility of authors to obtain all necessary permissions before submitting material for publication.

3. Towards a Better Understanding I have to apologise for the late publication of the Pro- ceedings of the WMS Conference in October 2010. This is due to a combination of events including Pam’s accident (see item 6 below), the late submission of papers, copyright issues (as discussed above) and the necessity for significant editing work on some papers. I hope that the publication will be with the printers by the end of the year at the latest.

Announcements

4. NAMHO Conference 2013 Peter Claughton has proposed that the Society host the 2013 NAMHO Conference at Aberystwyth. He suggests a lecture programme on the theme of Mining, Archaeology and the Environment: the legacy of mineral working – which he

- 2 - Newsletter 65 Welsh Mines Society Autumn 2011 thinks would suit the location, with some good examples available in the Ceredigion Up- lands behind Aberystwyth. He says he would have support in organising the lecture programme from a colleague working on the environmental history of mining at the University of Stirling and from the Department of Geography and Earth Sciences at Aberystwyth – ensuring interest from outside NAMHO similarly to the way the 2002 conference (on the theme of the application of water power in mining) attracted international interest. Peter says this would be an opportunity for interaction and co-operation outside the usual mining history community. Peter says that he (and his associates) have in mind the material evidence for historic and associated activities: drainage, rock cutting techniques (perhaps something on 3 foot adits?), ore preparation (dressing floors) and the environmental impact of mining. The sort of participation and contributions he hopes for are in the areas of archaeological investigation (a local example might be the work of the RCAHMW at Ystrad Einion) or the problems of in- terpreting historic mining techniques, as with hushing at Craigymwyn. On the environmental side he suggests there are at least two areas of interest: the current issues of heavy metal and acid mine drainage, how they are dealt with and the impact on mining heritage; and the application of paleo-environmental techniques in the investigation of past mining activity. Peter has visited Aberystwyth to check the conference facilities and the availability of accommodation and found they are, if anything, better than they were in 2002. Aberystwyth University’s favoured date for such a conference would be late June. Peter’s proposal was discussed after dinner at the WMS meeting on 17th September. There was not much support for the proposal, mainly on the grounds that it would be difficult to find volunteers from within the Society to handle conference organisation (both before and during the conference) and, with the unavailability of the underground sites in Cwmystwyth, (and possibly elsewhere) it would be a problem to arrange a sufficient number and variety of the underground trips which are a feature of NAMHO conferences. However, Mole volun- teered as general booking manager, Roy Fellows said he was willing to act as underground co-ordinator and said he was confident that a full range of underground trips could be provided, and Mike Munro offered to do the necessary web work. It was considered essential that anyone involved with the organisation of the conference should be contactable by email. The desires were expressed that it should be clear that the conference is being hosted by WMS, that there should be an emphasis on Welsh subjects for the papers to be presented and that the proceedings should be published by WMS in the series Welsh Mines and Mining. Following the meeting discussion has taken place between the above-named people and Mole has been active in contacting members to take on the various tasks needed to host the conference. The responses Mole has had so far leads him to think that it would just about be feasible for WMS to host the 2013 NAMHO Conference. However, he considers that before a formal decision is taken the membership should be offered the chance to comment. He therefore asks that members contact him (01594 833217, [email protected]) with their opinions (and, ideally, offers of help) by 12th December 2011. In particular such comments should take account of the fact that if WMS does host the NAMHO Conference then the proposed autumn 2013 WMS Conference would need to be postponed. If the membership is in favour of the proposal, it would be necessary to confirm its fea-

- 3 - Newsletter 65 Welsh Mines Society Autumn 2011 sibility, particularly with regard to underground (and surface) access and whether we would have sufficient volunteers. Consequently, it is unlikely that the Society would be able to an- nounce its decision before the NAMHO AGM and Council meeting in March 2012. Should it be decided not to go ahead with Peter’s proposal for 2013 then it might be that WMS would consider hosting a future NAMHO Conference – and again Mole would wish to hear members’ views on that. Mole

5. Bwlch Glas Bernard Moore has very generously offered the WMS the Mineral Rights for Bwlch Glas. The Officers of the Society considered this very carefully and came to the conclusion that we have neither the resources (in terms of people and funding) nor the constitutional framework (particularly charitable status which would enable us to access funding) that would allow us to take on a long-term project of this nature. This was endorsed by those members who were at the June WMS meeting at Carno and we have therefore had – with great regret – to decline Bernard’s generous offer.

6. Pam Cope As a number of Society members will already know, Pam Cope was seri- ously injured on the WMS meet at Llanerchyraur on 12th June when she was hit by a falling rock. Most of the party was sheltering from foul weather at lunchtime just inside a cavernous continuation of an opencut on the moor above Llanerchyraur when rock fell about 25 ft from the roof and struck Pam on the shoulder and back, causing a number of injuries. After a 999 call an air ambulance arrived on scene within 20 minutes, and she was in Shrewsbury A&E department an hour after the accident occurred. Pam suffered fractures of clavicle, scapula, six ribs and a number of vertebrae, plus a contused and bleeding lung and a scalp wound. She remained in Shrewsbury hospital for 11 nights until her condition had stabilised and she was then transferred to the orthopaedic hospital at Gobowen. She was discharged from Gobowen on 7th July and has recovered suf- ficiently to allow her to participate in the September WMS weekend meet. Thanks are given to those who stayed to help get Pam to the helicopter, and to the rest of the party for the safe and orderly way they came off the moor. Following the accident a Society appeal was made for donations to the Welsh Air Am- bulance. This raised £1685 (£500 from Society funds and £1185 from individual donations).

7. Email Addresses The recent emailing to WMS members about Pam Cope’s accident (see item 6 above) resulted in about a quarter of the messages sent being returned as unde- liverable due to incorrect email addresses. Despite the reminder in each issue of the News- letter, members do not seem to be keeping Secretary David Roe appraised of changes to their details. Email allows information to be communicated to members easily and with no significant cost to the Society, so it is essential that membership records are kept up to date. If your current email address is not as published in the 2009 membership directory or the subsequent amendments notified in the Newsletter please inform David Roe (david@d-roe. freeserve.co.uk) of your current email address. David Roe (above three items)

- 4 - Newsletter 65 Welsh Mines Society Autumn 2011 8. WMS Weekends I have received the impression that most of our members who attend field meetings like to have two a year, and to have them over a weekend, with a dinner at a reasonably comfortable, but not expensive, hotel, on the Saturday might. For the last few years I have organised many of these weekends. I have been happy to do this, and if they have been generally enjoyed I have been well repaid for the time and effort involved. However, I am now 87 years of age, and think that I should ask someone else to take on the job. Our meetings for 2012 are both in capable hands, but we need to find a replacement for me early in 2012. It is an advantage, but it is not essential, for the organiser to have a general knowledge of the distribution of mines in Wales. Volunteer leaders may come forward, but if not the new organiser will need to approach members, either in person, or by phone or email, to ask if they will act as field guide for a weekend. The volunteer guide will have to work out where to go, agree access with the landowner, and find a suitable meeting place, and he or the organiser will have to find a suitable hotel. This needs to be done in person and, in my experience, involves one, two, or three days per weekend out in the car, driving round and asking. Hoteliers are generally pleased to cooperate, and will offer a reasonable price when told that we usually expect 30 to 35 persons, and that, if we are given a menu well in advance, they can be given an exact number, and members’ choices, at least a week before the meeting. This is very helpful for the hotel, which may also be willing to offer a discount on room prices. As well as the hotel it will be desirable for the organiser or leader to find other B&B addresses and a camp site in the vicinity – these can usually be obtained from the local Tourist Information Office. All this information needs to be in the Spring Newsletter. It will be seen from the above that if the new organiser is willing to give three or four days a year to driving round Wales knocking on the doors of hotels, and has the use of e-mail and a phone, it is not an arduous or difficult job. I would always, so long as I am able, be willing, if required, to help or give advice. George W. Hall

9. Forthcoming Events 18th March 2012 WMS President’s Meet: see item 10 below 16th–17th June 2012 WMS Summer Meet: Britannia Mine, Snowdon – provisional date, details in Spring 2012 Newsletter 29th June–1st July 2012 NAMHO 2012 Conference: Quarry Bank Mill, Styal 22nd–23rd September 2012 WMS Autumn Meet: Forest of Dean – provisional date, details in Spring 2012 Newsletter 29th–30th June 2013 NAMHO 2013 Conference – provisional date

Should you become aware of forthcoming events of possible interest to members please tell the Editor about them so they can be included in future Newsletters.

- 5 - Newsletter 65 Welsh Mines Society Autumn 2011 10. Spring 2012 Indoor Meet

Sunday 18th March 2012

Location Abilene, Sheet Road, Ludlow, Shropshire SY8 1LR

Hosts George and Nheng Hall, Tel./Fax 01584 877521

Your President and his wife are again pleased to invite all members to a one-day informal meeting at their home, Abilene, Sheet Road, Ludlow, Shropshire, on Sunday 18th March 2012. Arrive at any time from 10:30am onwards. Tea, coffee and biscuits will be provided. A buffet lunch (pay on the day) will be available if booked a week beforehand. Members are welcome to bring presentations, slides etc., and there will be plenty of opportunity for chat.

11. Bronfloyd Lead Mine – Archaeological and Conservation Work Simon Timberlake The Early Mines Research Group (on behalf of the Welsh Mines Preservation Trust) have been undertaking archaeological investigations of the nineteenth-century dressing floors at this mine (a scheduled monument) since October 2009. The current work has been carried out with financial assistance from PLWM (for the archaeological work and for the stone- work conservation of the 40-foot wheelpit) and from Cadw, the latter providing a grant to cover the costs of commissioning a building conservation and engineer’s report on the sta- bility of the upstanding remains. As many WMS members will be aware, the survival here of mid-nineteenth-century ironwork (including two small waterwheel axles, several spokes of the former 40-foot iron waterwheel, and the remains of half a dozen end-tipping trams) is a fairly unusual find for a mid-Wales mine so close to Aberystwyth. We owe this rare survival to its location within the bottom of a fairly secluded wooded valley with limited access from either side, to the abandonment of much of the plant on the occasion of its final closure in 1892, and the incomplete or inefficient removal of ironwork during salvage operations in the 1940s. Consequently, the potential for archaeological survival beneath the now largely grassed-over lower dressing floors was promising. This site was first recorded by Marilyn Palmer in the 1980s with her Industrial Archae- ology students from Leicester. They surveyed the site and as a result suggested a model for the water-powered operation of the plant, and the pumping and drawing needs for the mine (Palmer & Neaverson, ‘Nineteenth century tin and lead dressing: a comparative study of the field evidence’, Ind. Archaeol. Rev. 12, 1989, pp. 20–39). No excavation was carried out at this time, but an archive of their photographic and survey work resides in the Royal Commission in Aberystwyth. Deterioration of this site has been much more rapid since then. When I visited in the mid-1970s there were still the rims and some of the spokes on one

- 6 - Newsletter 65 Welsh Mines Society Autumn 2011

Twentieth-century photograph of abandoned lower dressing floors at Bronfloyd Mine showing buddles, waterwheel for Pulveriser and ropeway (left), with the jigging sheds and the mine office in the background. of the small waterwheels above the river. The iron axle of this wheel is still there, perched precariously on the wooden frame, yet the masonry on the surface of the structure is rapidly spalling off; particularly bad was the freeze of last winter. One of the most important tasks recently has been to keep the walls free of tree saplings and shrubs. One of our first investigations was the excavation of the foundations of the building which housed the Dingey Patent Pulveriser. In October 2009 a T-shaped trench was dug across the footprint of this building. This revealed the remains of a series of narrow wooden joists resting upon wooden footplates and brick plinths around the perimeter of the building which appeared to have supported a (now removed) wooden floor upon which the machine would once have sat (perhaps an arrangement designed to reduce vibration!). Nothing at all remained of this machine except some broken cast mountings, a collection of discarded wedges, and some layers of crushed fines below floor level. An illustration (engraving) of the machine is shown in David Bick’s The Old Metal Mines of Mid-Wales Part 3. In brief, the mechanism consisted of a series of horizontally mounted steel rollers which revolved rapidly whilst rotating round (360º) on a circular iron crushing plate, the crushed ore being swept centrifugally through sieve grading grilles fixed around its circumference. Further research on this shows that the machine was approx. 2 m in diameter, weighed 4.5 tons,

- 7 - Newsletter 65 Welsh Mines Society Autumn 2011 and cost £140 in 1881 (North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers Transactions Vol. 30, 1880–81); the mechanism of its operation is also described in some detail. Two other papers also refer to the operation of the Dingey Pulveriser: one in the Transactions of the Society of Engineers for 1874 (‘Recent Improvements in Tin Dressing Machinery’ by Herbert Cox) and one in the book The Practice of Ore Dressing in Europe by W.B. Kunhardt (1884). It was claimed that the Dingey Pulveriser was an improved type of crushing machine in that it reduced the ore to sand size, yet avoided the problem of crushing it to pulp which sometimes occurred with stamps. It was also noted that the Pulveriser was ideal for crushing tin ores (for which purpose it seems to have been mostly marketed), but also occasionally for lead halvans. However, amongst all of this there is no mention of its use in processing lead-silver ores, for which David Bick refers to its ‘ill-fated’ operation at Bronfloyd. The amount of quartz associated with sulphides within the waste tips at the mine suggests that this ore may have required a considerable amount of crushing. It could be that potentially silver-rich ores were being put aside for separate treatment. During April and October 2010 trenches was dug across the site of a building thought to have contained several of the jigging frames, referred to in Marilyn Palmer’s plan of the c. 1872 mine layout as ‘… six Remfrey jigs, one Durie, one Davies jig and a classifier ...’. These were probably housed in two adjacent stone, brick and timber buildings shown on

Wooden box drain system at the site of a post-1880s(?) hand-operated jig machine. Excavated in Autumn 2010.

- 8 - Newsletter 65 Welsh Mines Society Autumn 2011 photographs of the mine after it was abandoned. These buildings lay on the east and north sides of a lower, rectangular area, investigated in 2009, which comprised a series of brick and stone lined pits that contained what appeared to be settling slimes from the jigging floors. The trench excavated in 2010 revealed part of a rectangular brick foundation for what may once have been the base of a jigging frame (documentary evidence suggests that these (earlier, c. 1872) jigs were mechanically driven from the adjacent 40-foot waterwheel which also supplied power to the two crusher houses either side of the wheelpit). Overlying all of this was a complex of well-preserved timber ‘box’ drains suggesting a later phase of use. It was thought these might have been linked to one or more manually operated jigs, perhaps set up during the final period of the mine’s operation at the end of the nineteenth century. There is also evidence for modification to the original system, with an additional drain on the west side neatly jointed into the existing system. Associated with the largest drain (which had a removable cover) was a rectangular, timber-lined tank measuring 0.8 m by 0.55 m by 0.25 m deep. Within the fill of this tank, comprising very finely crushed rock, were fragments of an iron sieve. An identical arrangement of large drain and tank, the latter containing the remains of more than one sieve (one mesh, the other perforated), was partly exposed immediately to the south of this, presumably the location of a second jig along the west side of the building. Both of these larger drains fed into a salt-glaze pipe (largely removed) which

Excavated south-western quadrant of the central round buddles showing concentric beam ring support for previously removed sloping wood plank base.

- 9 - Newsletter 65 Welsh Mines Society Autumn 2011 emptied into the slimes pits to the west. A PXRF analysis of the crushed fines within the base of the first jig revealed around 20–22% Pb within the fill of the wooden box tank, but 34–38% Pb outside of it. We still need to work out the exact relationship between this and the processing we think was involved! To the west of the jigs and slimes tanks lay three buddles, which in October 2010 were subjected to varying levels of investigation. The remains of these buddles are shown on the photographs of the site taken in the 1930s. It appears they were fed with material from the jigs via a large hopper mounted on a rail. The paddles of the buddles were driven by means of a small 8-foot waterwheel which lay to the south. A second buddling floor to the west held the well-preserved remains of another two wooden buddles. The juxtaposition of these with the former building suggests that these may have been intended for the separate treatment of silver-rich ores crushed using the Dingey Patent Pulveriser. The south-eastern quadrant of the larger of these two buddles (at 6 m diameter) revealed that some parts of the timber floor and brick lining around the edge were well-preserved. The carpentry involved in the construction of this buddle was of a particularly high quality. There were four rings of timbers laid to support the base; the missing parts of these, and the associated radial support timbers, survived as shallow impressions in the underlying thin deposit of clayey silt. At the centre was a complex of timbers which would have supported the weight of the central spindle and paddles. The floor of this buddle was made of narrower, thinner radial planks than seen in the other buddles, and possibly using pitch pine rather than oak as appears to be the case elsewhere. As in the other examples, each plank was fas- tened to the underlying rings of supporting timbers by nails. In June 2011 we returned to undertake stone rubble clear- ance and excavate two small test pit/ trenches within the remains of two buildings either side of the 40-foot wheelpit 40-foot wheelpit undergoing consolidation April 2011 which formerly housed the

- 10 - Newsletter 65 Welsh Mines Society Autumn 2011 roller crushers. This had been left till the completion of the first stage of masonry conservation work which involved the partial re-build and consolidation of the upper half of the innermost walls of these buildings common also to the rear of the wheelpit. This work had been undertaken during the early part of the winter months of 2010 by Cadw recommended contractors Capps & Capps using a lime mortar mix and stone from the fallen walls of this wheelpit and crusher house. Removal of rubble and vegetation from the floor of the smaller western 24-inch diameter roller crusher house first uncovered the remaining discarded spokes of the former iron waterwheel, whilst a test pit dug through the floor underneath showed, somewhat surprisingly, only the compressed earth base of the building, but no evidence whatsoever of crushing residues, machine or floor footings, or any remains of wood or ironwork. This suggests that the crusher may have been removed, or else was never installed, and also that the floor was cleaned out during the later working of the mine. In contrast to this, the larger eastern crusher house which housed the 38-inch diameter roll, had within its 0.2–0.3 m deep floor levels ac- cumulated layers of crushings and considerable amounts of dumped ironwork including broken machine mounts (perhaps from the rolls when they were eventually scrapped), iron wedges, and various sizes of machine-made sieve plates, the latter probably used as graders with the rolls to ensure collection of the right size of milled ore suitable for the jigs and buddling floors. A long-term programme of conservation work is antici- pated at this mine following the completion of archaeological investigations. Spe- cialist masonry conservation Blake-type Stone Breaker (Richards & Locke’s Text Book of Ore (which has been insisted upon Dressing, 1909)

- 11 - Newsletter 65 Welsh Mines Society Autumn 2011 by Cadw) is both costly and time-consuming, yet it is hoped that much of the dressing floors will eventually be restored to a much more stable and informative ‘ruined’ condition. It would seem that we are in this for the long haul! For those who know the site well, and are interested in some of the machinery specified in the various Mining Journal reports of the 1860s–70s, I include a diagram of the workings of a Blake-type Stone Breaker. One of these machines (powered by the uppermost 20-foot waterwheel) was installed on the top level of the dressing floors at Bronfloyd, just below the ore bins. The brick walls which once surrounded this breaker have since collapsed onto the large flat area above the top of the crusher houses, but otherwise no trace survives of this machine or its mountings. The Blake Breaker, invented by Eli Whitney Blake (c. 1870), was the first successful jaw breaker, and held its place as a standard machine right up until the 1940s.

12. Aberdyfi – Some Detective Work Roger Bird I went to Aberdyfi to look for any remnants of the time, around 1700, when Aberdyfi played a pivotal role in the trans-shipment of the Mine Adventurers’ ore from their base at Garreg (Glandyfi) to Sir Humphrey Mackworth’s smelting works at Neath. It rapidly became apparent that even though Aberdyfi was the premier port along that part of Cardigan Bay, it provided little more than a place where vessels could be beached close to a rudimentary riv- erside quay. So, with that en- quiry at an end, I remembered that David Bick had mentioned some mines at Aberdyfi (The Old Metal Mines of Mid- Wales, Part 5, pp. 8–10) and decided to look instead for any remaining traces of those. David had identified two mining sites and produced two names, Balkan Hill and Corbet Dovey. Since one of the sites was in the area known as Balkan Hill, he associated that site with the Bal- kan Hill name and, logically, decided that the other site, a level in the rock face behind a Victorian riverfront terrace on the western side of the town, must have been Corbet Dovey. Knowing that this latter mine

- 12 - Newsletter 65 Welsh Mines Society Autumn 2011 had had a 50-foot waterwheel that could only have been sited on the foreshore where it would have been close to the quay and jetty with its sailing ships and very photogenic ambi- ence, I looked hopefully through the many photographs and sketches of the period to find that the wheel was only conspicuous by its absence. I have every respect for David’s work, and rightly so, but something here was not right. Normally when researching a mine, I chart its progress by looking at a sequence of maps starting with estate plans then Ordnance Survey Old Series drafts, tithe map and First and Second Edition Ordnance Survey 25-inch maps, but Corbet Dovey comes after the tithe map and expired before the First Edition map by which time the site had been built upon so it does not appear on any of these maps. It also has no known surviving leases or mine plans and very little in the way of reports, making it extremely difficult to identify its location. Very fortunately, this mine was in operation immediately prior to the building of the railway for which detailed plans had been drawn up showing the proposed route with a band of ground either side into which the actual line might deviate. There is no doubt that with the mine in the position given by David Bick there would have been a conflict of interests with the railway route and so I went to Meirionnydd Record Office, Dolgellau, where the plans are kept (Z/CD/202). There is absolutely no indication of mining activity at that time, 1863, in the area behind the Victorian terrace. However, to the north of the strip of ground af- fected by the railway, in an area where properties and boundaries are otherwise only lightly inked in in black, is a site prominently labelled ‘Mine Works’. This is right on the edge of the plan and only the southern fringe of the works is shown but, as there are no records of other operations at the time, there seems to be little doubt that this was Corbet Dovey. The site is that known as Balkan Hill, which suggests that David’s two names relate to the same site rather than to two different ones. By detailing the history of Corbet Dovey, it becomes clear how a confusion of names has arisen. On the tithe map (1842), the mine site is simply recorded as the field of pasture land called Cae Llidiart. It is possible that some mining had taken place here, but, if so, there is no indication in the name or usage. The official mineral statistics have no mention of Corbet Dovey in 1859, but David Bick records the dispatch of 43 tons of copper ore in 1860. In April 1861, a newspaper report said that new machinery had been installed at the Corbet Dovey Copper and Lead Mines works and that the prospects were excellent. Some 50 men were employed at the works which were within a stone’s throw of the town (A Real Little Seaport, Lewis Lloyd, 1996, p. 76). I cannot confirm the full 50 men, but census returns for 1861 at Aberdyfi list William Norris, 29, Mine Agent (min. stats. give Norris, Tate & Co. as the lessees), 11 ‘miners copper mine’ and 3 women ‘working at the mine works copper’. What happened after this is unknown, but no further sales seem to have been recorded and the mine and plant were put up for auction in August 1863 (MJ 1863, p. 586). The plant included the 50-foot waterwheel, 30-inch crushers, jiggers, washing machine and so on. A 21-year lease from June 1862, is mentioned. Entries for ‘Corbet Davey’ continued in the mineral statistics for some years, but there is no evidence of further activity and the site presumably became derelict. The Corbet Dovey land was part of the Ynysmaengwyn Estate which had been held in trust, but it was decided in 1873 to progressively sell it off. One 7-acre lot of land, including

- 13 - Newsletter 65 Welsh Mines Society Autumn 2011 the mine site, was sold in 1879 to Captain John Lewis, retired master mariner and shipowner and, soon afterwards, a substantial villa was built upon the land. This was named Balkan Hill. Since this name post-dates the mining activity, it makes it clear that there never was a Balkan Hill Mine, only the Corbet Dovey Mine on land later known as Balkan Hill. The auction catalogues and conveyance contain a bonus for the researcher as they not only have a small plan of the land, but also tell us, ‘There are buildings comprising Offices and Smithy, also two shafts formerly used in connection with the Copper workings, on this Lot.’ By combining data from one of these (Meirionnydd RO Z/DAB/276, 1879) with data from other sources, I have produced a drawing that is as comprehensive as possible. Corbet Dovey is in the centre. The two shafts scale off as 22 yards apart. The building to the south was probably the crusher and that to the east the offices etc. As for the mineral content and extent of the mine, all I can offer is some green-stained stones in the wall bordering the road, a hand specimen from near the level (now filled in) some distance further to the east which contains chalcopyrite, iron oxides and a little malachite and, further east still on the same hillside, a patch of azurite. Taken together, these indicate copper deposits, but very far from plentiful ones. There are other levels and a few shafts in the immediate area, but the history of these remains obscure. Most are lead workings or ‘slate’ levels and there is one level that seems to have been driven specifically to capture a small spring of water. The position of a copper symbol on the Old Series maps coincides with the position of the filled-in level just mentioned at SN 617 962 and this may be the copper mine advertised in 1829 as opened by a good horse level to the depth of 20 fathoms (there is no mention of a level on the Corbet Dovey site). One thing I think we can be sure of is that when William Waller was in Aberdyfi he never suspected that he was only a few hundred yards away from a copper mine. If he had, what a fuss he would have made!

13. Geology and Mine Exploration David James The motivation for mine exploration can lie anywhere between recreation and research. At one extreme is the fun and challenge of opening new routes and at the other is the slog work of making surveys and collecting data that help us to understand more of the way mines were worked and of the reasons contributing to their success or failure. An understanding of the geology is one essential component of this understanding. At this latter extreme a simple question arises, why should geologically ‘amateur’ mine explorers collect geological data at all when the country is already covered by detailed geological maps made by professionals, i.e. academic and institutional geologists. Two reasons stand out: first, geology on maps is essentially only a 2D representation; perhaps 2-and-a-bit D in very rugged terrain; second, professionals, like the rest of us, are not immune from er- ror. A true 3D picture of the subsurface is seldom fully attained by anybody but clearly the average inclination of a lode measured throughout a vertical depth of, say, 200 m in mine

- 14 - Newsletter 65 Welsh Mines Society Autumn 2011 workings is more representative (and useful) than an estimate based on a surface outcrop of 2 m height (if one is lucky), particularly in glaciated country where bedrock may be disturbed. I know of many cases where the surface-based geology on ‘official’ maps is at variance with Victorian mine plans and there is no doubt that the latter are correct. There is also a question of scale; ‘official’ published maps are commonly at 1:50,000 scale whereas mine plans, i.e. what the mine historian needs, are commonly at 1:500 scale. One can add other reasons: some professionals are these days not always allowed to venture underground on HSE grounds; and again, subsurface accessibility is under constant threat and ‘amateur’ data today may be better than waiting for ‘professional’ data sometime in an uncertain future. What I wish to argue below is that with very little ‘training’ the average mine explorer can collect geological data of real value for research purposes. The reasons for this opinion are: (a) Many explorers have developed a good sense of observation, if only for safety reasons. They watch for signs that roof rock may be unstable or that they may be walking on a false floor. Noticing that the appearance of rock is changing is the first step in asking ‘how/ why?’ and in deciding what may be worth measuring. (b) There are probably many more explorers than underground geologists. I have been fortunate to see mine workings that most geologists could not thanks to companionship (and SRT instruction) from experienced explorers but ultimately there will be places where young explorers can reach but which old geologists cannot. In these cases any data, provided it is sound, is better than none. (c) Many explorers are already familiar with, or make, simple compass/tape surveys so scope for ‘added value’ by recording geological data is already there. If you have a compass suitable for such survey the only additional piece of equipment needed is a device for measuring inclinations (a clinometer). (d) Much data of real value geologically is actually rather simple to record. Rock strata, and mineral lodes, are not homogeneous; they contain internal fabrics relat- ing either to compositional differences during their formation (e.g. sedimentary bedding) or to fracturing during later deformation (e.g. joints, faults). Surprisingly many of these fabrics are essentially planar like tiles of variable thickness and their orientation is thus simple to measure by recording their strike and dip. Strike is the orientation of the trace of a dipping surface (e.g. a lode or sedimentary bedding) where it intersects the horizontal, the maximum value of the dip is hence perpendicular to the strike. Strike and outcrop trace on a map thus coincide only if topography is flat or dip is vertical. Assuming that some explorers fancy trying their hand at some basic geology, what advice can I give as to what observations of rock fabric to record and how to record them? If possible try to do a trip with an experienced geologist and watch and ask questions. Most mine explorers know the difference between a cross-cut and a drift but try to pin down exactly what the observational basis for such belief might be – lack of mineralisation alone is not decisive, many lodes locally pinch out into barren ‘joints’. There is seldom need to record everything; learn to sample selectively focussing on regions where the rock type/fabric is clearly changing rapidly. Changes in rock type may be capable of being correlated with similar changes seen at surface, helping to build a 3D picture. Changes in lode fabric, e.g. ‘jogs’ in azimuth, may similarly be correlatable between levels and are often prime controls

- 15 - Newsletter 65 Welsh Mines Society Autumn 2011 on the attitude of ore ‘shoots’. At first keep it simple. Focus on the distinction between country rock and lode. Where features of either look unusually interesting or their interpretation would benefit from discussion with other explorers it is time to consider making some form of record. If so, I would recommend: • photographs, better than nothing. • photographs with a scale/orientation and in both close-up and more contextual view, better still. • photographs as before but accompanied by notes (written at the time, not from memo- ry), rather good. • photographs as before but the notes additionally including a precise location (on a plan or in terms of distance and bearing from a known feature and spatial orientation data for the rock fabric photographed (and reference to any samples taken), top marks! Your records, as with any data, are ultimately useless if kept private. I believe most if not all of the geological data that we can collect as mine explorers should be in the public domain without copyright restriction as an aid to future research. I have no expertise in data storage and dissemination but it seems to me that web-based facilities such as that pioneered by AditNow (see Newsletter 58 item 31) for mine photography may contribute towards this goal and I have written this article in the hope of starting debate on these issues. Two obvious areas of interest might be: • sharing of surveys containing geological data • a forum for discussion of problems encountered in the identification of geological features (an idea put to me by Roy Fellows).

[The above article was originally posted on the AditNow website www.aditnow.co.uk 2nd April 2011, and is reproduced here with the author’s permission. – Ed.]

14. Goginan in the Francis Years Roger Bird George Hall’s article on Goginan in the last Newsletter (NL 64 item 16) is very welcome, but the reports in Mining Journal did not start until after Matthew Francis had left Goginan leav- ing a void to be filled from other sources. The following information was unearthed during the research into Francis’s ‘Roman’ levels and will complement George’s data. In his 1868 letter, Matthew Francis details his discovery of Goginan and tells how he went on to obtain a tack note and clear the deep adit. In this account, Mr. Evans of Ponter- wyd has no other role than a shooting partner, but this does not tally with the version given by Absalom Francis (Junior) in his History of the Cardiganshire Mines, p. 50, ‘It was then in the hands of a Mr. Evans, who kept the Ponterwyd Hotel, and who held a tack note of it. He sold it to Captain Francis for £30 …’. As Matthew Francis was then fully employed at the Lisburne Mines it may be that Mr. Evans was persuaded to act as the front man for an evalu- ation of the mine’s prospects. That seems to tie in with a letter from Absalom Francis (Sen- ior) to Matthew Francis dated 1st July 1836 (NLW Druid Inn 8), in which Absalom refers

- 16 - Newsletter 65 Welsh Mines Society Autumn 2011 to loans of £27 already made to Mr. Evans ‘for his attention to our interests in Gogynnan’. It was presumably during this period that the following anonymous report was received, ‘The previous adventurer [I suspect it may have been Job Sheldon] repeatedly assured them that it was in vain to expect anything there, for that after many years’ experience he was so satisfied that no more ore remained in the Lode, that he would undertake to carry on his back to Aberystwyth all that they would ever extract’ (Mem. Geol. Survey, 2, pt. 2, pp. 671–2). This, combined with whatever work Mr. Evans did, seems to have made Matthew Francis realise that the only prospects lay in exploring the ground to the east of the old workings, something that needed greater financial backing than Francis could muster, hence the approach to John Taylor to form a joint company. The letter mentioned above from Absalom Francis (Senior) also says, ‘I have this day recd. a letter from Mr. John Taylor … saying that he had received Mr. Hughes’s letter offering us a Lease for 21 years of Gogynnan at 1/10th royalty and stating his Opinion that we had better begin at once, I will therefore thank you to set 4 or 6 men to clear the adit, I think you had better send James Davey over there, who will work with the men … in this way you can call to see him occasionally, which will be enough for the present. Should there be any shaft on the Lode which you think proper to clear up at the same time you may set it to clear.’ The next part of the story is detailed in the reports to shareholders of John Taylor & Sons. Whilst preparing his Geological Survey Memoir, Dr. O.T. Jones was given access to these and made comprehensive notes albeit in slightly abbreviated form (NLW O T Jones MS 37). A slow start would be expected and the report for July 1839 says that the first year and a half were spent in clearing and repairing the deep adit level and some (unspecified) old workings above it. The adit was then driven a few fathoms further and the crucial discovery made of good orey ground. By the report date, an old shaft at the western end had been cleared, connected to the adit and a whim erected on it. The sinking of both Taylor’s and Gilbertson’s shafts had started. There is no mention of Francis’s Shaft, but as a pre-existing old shaft it would have been vital for ventilation and, if not already clear, was presumably cleared during the initial operations under Absalom’s mandate. The report to shareholders for 28 May 1840 is important in terms of Francis’s ‘Roman’ level and I quote it as written down by O.T. Jones: ‘Adit level extended 20 fm. & is now 45 fm E of Taylor’s Shaft & 80 fm E of point where orey ground was first cut: yield 2–3 t. p. f. of ore: lode rather hard but fine & strong. Lode has been in places 14’ – 15’ & ore mixed through it. 13 fms above adit is a level called Roman level, having been driven in former times & cut entirely with chisels (as we are told was the practice of the Romans). This has been continued driving to 12 fm E of Taylors: yielded 2t. p. f. but now unproductive. ‘26 fm above adit another level commenced is driven 4 f E of Taylors: been poor for some fms. & will now yield 5t. p. f. ‘Taylors Shaft risen from adit to 2 fms above 26 fm level: good ore found thr’ whole dist. Remains 10 fms to cut shaft through to part sunk from surface. Shaft 50 fms E of Taylors, called Gilbertson’s Shaft now 13 fm. in a promising lode with some ore. ‘Taylor’s Shaft sunk a few fms below adit, also winze further west; both in good orey ground.’ In June 1841 the adit level had reached 85 fathoms east of ‘where Gilbertsons will reach

- 17 - Newsletter 65 Welsh Mines Society Autumn 2011 it’, the Roman level 13 fathoms above adit was 42 fathoms east of Taylor’s and the 26 fathom was 20 fathoms east of Taylor’s. Taylor’s itself had been completed to adit level. Francis’s Shaft (first mention of the name) ‘cut open & old dump below cleared out. Old wkgs prob. extended abt 10–12 fms below at this point.’ The old workings referred to here appear to be those below the deep adit as the shaft had been sunk to about 10 fathoms below that level by earlier workers. Gilbertson’s Shaft was still incomplete and not looking very hopeful, ‘lode not productive at this point; but shaft necessary for ventilation’. In April 1842, ‘Lode is on the average more than 12’ wide & the ore is mixed all through it, so that it is found necessary to break & bring to the surface 15–20 tons of stuff to produce 1 ton of clean ore. Inclined plane completed from surface to adit level, length of plane 45 fms: whole cut in solid rock. Ores now brought up the plane by power [horse first then waterwheel].’ Later in the same report, ‘Inclined plane in course of sinking under adit to communicate with a 20 fm level which will be driven through the whole of the orey ground.’ The Roman level by this time had reached 4 fathoms east of Gilbertson’s, the 26 had found poor ground on the north part of the lode and had switched to the south part. A level had been driven at 10 fathoms above the 26 eastwards from Taylor’s and another level had been started east from Taylor’s 7 fathoms above the last. Francis’s strategy throughout this period is clear, a grid of three shafts and three levels opening up the eastern ground above adit followed by stoping of those areas deemed to be worth working. This produced substantial yields of 43⅓ tons in 1836–8 inclusive, 314⅓t in 1839, 1418¼ tons in 1840, 1529 tons in 1841 and 2307 tons in 1842, a total, allowing for Francis’s dismissal in mid-1842, of about 4,500 tons of concentrate. Whatever Francis did to precipitate his dismissal, these figures give no clue and subsequent production actually declined slowly as George’s figures show. With Francis’s departure in 1842, the new management made changes including the re- numbering of the levels from surface at Taylor’s instead of from the deep adit. The highest level at 43 fathoms above adit became the 10; the 36 above became the 16; the 26 above, because it was little more than that from the top as well as above the deep adit, remained as the 26; the 13 above (Roman level) became the 40 and the adit became the 60. By adding each pair of old and new numbers, we can gauge the depth of the deep adit as 53, 52, 52 and 53 fathoms which makes one wonder why they called it the 60 instead of a more realistic 53 fathom level. The inclined plane is an interesting feature of the mine. As reported above, it initially went down to the deep adit thereby by-passing the old shaft and horse whim, but it was quickly extended, reaching the 70 fathom level (10 below adit) in 1843 (after Francis’s dismissal). On the Smyth section of 1846 date, but based on 1844 working plans, it is shown as down to the 100 fathom level and on the Paull plan of 1874 (Ceredigion Archives) it has reached the 120 fathom level. A late report on the mine has the deep adit passing above the incline so it would seem to have been driven below the footwall. Its eventual length, measured from the Paull plan, was 175 fathoms and that raises questions about how it operated. It had one ascending and one descending tram originally which is very effective when working between two fixed points, but operating between the surface and seven underground levels must surely have created problems. The incline also emerged lower down the hillside than

- 18 - Newsletter 65 Welsh Mines Society Autumn 2011 the upper crusher, something that is less than desirable, and I cannot help feeling that using Francis’s as a drawing shaft discharging via the 26 fathom level would have been cheaper and more effective than the incline. There is one other feature that strikes me as odd, the dog-leg course of Taylor’s Shaft. Instead of going down vertically (when viewed on the mine section) it is inclined along the course of the lode so that it is 11 fathoms east of its surface position by the time it reaches the deep adit, but then descends vertically down to the sump. No explanation is offered for this in the reports.

15. Future Prospects for Cardiganshire and Elsewhere Simon J.S. Hughes In 1988, the UK Journal of Mines & Minerals (No. 5) published my article ‘The Decline of Mining in Mid Wales and Prospects of Revival’, which provided a summary of the situation at that time. Little has changed since then except that we now have very few mines of any sort operating in the UK and most planning authorities have a presumption against this type of industry. However, the price of mineral ores has increased dramatically and preserves the expectation that, one day, these deposits will again bring some prosperity to one of the most impoverished areas in the UK. Citing the poor standards set by the Victorians is quite usual when making current decisions but one only has to look at huge ventures like the Navan lead and zinc mine in Ireland to see the effect on the local economy without adverse effects on the environment. However, ore prices are not the whole story as there is an ever increasing demand for so called ‘provenanced metals’. Look what has happened to Dolgellau gold in recent years. Cardiganshire silver is just as scarce, nearly as valuable and could probably support a small drift mine in the Darren, or Goginan area. At the current (November 2010) LME price of $27.14 (£16.82) per ounce the extraction is hardly worth performing but consider that four chunky rings can be fabricated from an ounce of silver and that genuine Dolgellau gold rings are currently selling at over £1,000 apiece. Rings are available for considerably less but usually contain 10% or less pure Welsh metal. Even cheaper specimens used to contain as little as 1% Welsh gold on the ornamentation. As no appreciable amount of metal has been mined for many years, I suspect that this situation remains unchanged. The greatest part of the problem is that refined gold from Africa is indistinguishable from refined gold from South America, Australia, Russia or Canada. The current record high of $1,403 (£870) per troy ounce, for ‘world gold’ is apparently a bargain and there is a feeling that gold could rise to $2,500 over the next four to five years. Note the recent growth in the number of pawnbrokers advertising for trade on TV. There is also some speculation that silver could rise from $27 to $250 per ounce in the near future which would undoubtedly make some Welsh mines an attractive commercial target. Traditionally, silver jewellery sells at 1/5th of the price of gold jewellery and seven gramme solid silver rings at about £200 seems to be about right at the present time. Allowing 100% mark up for fabrication and marketing still leaves us with a figure of £400 per troy ounce

- 19 - Newsletter 65 Welsh Mines Society Autumn 2011 and with some ores containing 40 ounces per ton, the economics become interesting. This would be no bigger than a test mine, worked for a month every summer, and the few tons of ore could be taken for solvent treatment in a laboratory or small factory on an industrial estate. The metallurgical test work has been undertaken and is most encouraging. Planning and environmental constraints become manageable. Ore in sight suggests that this is feasible but reserves would have to be established before any serious capital could be applied. When we had smelters operating in the UK there were demands made upon small mines to supply large batches of concentrate, with financial penalties for concentrates containing antimony, bismuth, cadmium and a number of other elements. There were also immense difficulties in retrieving the silver from the concentrate. The mechanical separation of minerals by flotation or by jigs and tables creates huge environmental problems whilst wet treatment on an industrial estate appears to be a viable option with the tailings being mixed with cement, cast into blocks and disposed of in a landfill site. Wet separation does not require the ore to be reduced and sized prior to treatment thus saving a considerable amount of power. Old fashioned hand spalling appears to be an economically viable alternative in such a small operation. This is only achievable with a small mine servicing the jewellery trade. Even the development rock has a value and can be sold; all that is needed is consent for the portal to a small adit. During the solvent extraction of silver, a number of other useful by products are precipitated, mostly litharge and copper oxide, which could be used in the jewellery or glass making business. It also appears that the cobaltiferous ores of Cardiganshire are amenable to similar treatment and yield a ‘smalt’ type of pigment that is also highly valued for the manufacture of blue glass. Whilst solvent extraction is an expensive method of treating bulk ore it is particularly amenable to small batches and dismisses with the need to send concentrates away to be smelted. Apart from the silver, the copper and lead also have a value to the jewellery trade, glass making or paperweights, all of which enable prices way in excess of those quoted by the LME. Problems have been found to exist in the wet treatment of argentiferous zinc blende and the performance of mixed ores has not been studied. There would also be scope for de- silvering copper ores by a wet method but insufficient samples have been found to perform a representative analysis. Reserves of argentiferous copper are significantly lower than argentiferous lead and zinc. Desktop studies suggest that lead ore containing as little as 6 or 7 ounces per ton (200 ppm.) could be advantageously worked by this wet method. With regard specifically to mid-Wales, the greater part of the ore raised was derived from narrow hydrothermal veins hosted by Silurian and Ordovician sediments. Exception- ally, the grits appear to be hospitable to the formation of flats, particularly where the lode veers sharply and changes from being accommodated by the strike of the host strata to being orientated along the cleavage plane or joints, such as occurs at Van and Cwmystwyth. This is also admirably demonstrated in drifts at Cwmerfyn and Brynyrarian. The rapid deviation also appears to have precipitated flats at East Darren but the phenomenon has been little studied within these workings. It would also appear that these jogs in the lodes tend to produce open fractures, some of which appear to host pipes of ore such as occur at Esgair Hir, Esgair Mwyn and Nant Iago. They have a greater vertical extent than horizontal. At others,

- 20 - Newsletter 65 Welsh Mines Society Autumn 2011 e.g. East & South Darren, the workable shoot appears to have a greater strike length than height and takes the form of a sheet, or ribs, of mineral laid through the lode. Whilst O.T. Jones performed a remarkable job in the time allocated, there are various points which are inadequately considered. At Esgair Hir, the lode cuts across the axis of an anticline and pro- duces a series of short ore shoots. These appear to be pipes which formed in tension cracks, formed at the time of uplift and folding, and later enlarged by circulating fluids. After their formation, it appears that about 2,000 metres of the upper strata was removed by glaciation. Around 1850, when prices were high, detached lumps of ore (shoad stones, tumblers or float- ers) were discovered around Talybont and Tregaron which were broken up and carried away to be milled. It would seem probable that partly eroded mineral shoots would precipitate a trail of debris in the direction of glaciation but this was not apparent in the north of the county. Little is wasted in mid-Wales and it seems likely that they were harvested at an early date. Within these sediments, there are disruptive strata such as the Cwmere (Gwestyn) For- mation and the Sedwickii shales. The full reason for their disruptive nature appears to be a mixture of mechanical and chemical influences – too soft or too pyritic, probably a bit of both. The strata lying below the Drosgol Formation was never penetrated whilst these mines were at work and it is quite possible that there are further disruptive elements, at depth, though it can only be hypothesised upon as they have never been encountered during mineral extraction. There are numerous blind shoots which are shown to have a poor representation at the surface. The south lodes at both Van and East Darren illustrate this phenomenon. At the Van mine, the richest in the district, the main lode was ill-defined and unproductive at the surface. The upper tip of the Penmor shoot at Esgair Mwyn was only discovered, just below the deep adit, in the late nineteenth century and was said to still be in good workable ore on the 165 fathom level. Cwmsymlog had been virtually abandoned when Captain Reed decided to further investigate a string of galena in a winze sunk a little below the deep adit. After sinking a few fathoms, a new ore shoot was found which was to sustain the East Darren mine for half a century. There are undoubtedly numerous such shoots, scattered across the district, which have never been discovered. Geochemical analyses of the soils and sediments indicated widespread pollution and the old practice of building roads from contaminated mine waste has caused widespread problems. At some mines there was an extensive plume of pollution to the west of the dumps; much of this was caused by the dry March easterlies and substantial agricultural damage was done by these winds at Cwmsymlog and Glogfawr in the late 1970s. Initially, stream sediments were simply sieved, bagged and sent to the lab but in later years they were also panned and examined under a microscope. Ore samples which were dollied to dust, and then panned, bore a close value to the portions which were sent away to the assay office. Induced polarisation (IP) surveying was only successful in a couple of instances, notably East Glogfawr, where an ore shoot had developed beneath a veneer of inhospitable or disruptive strata. This method is particularly sensitive with high conductivity ores, e.g. those of lead and copper, whereas sphalerite (zinc blende) is so non-conductive that it is effectively an electrical insulator. The fluxgate magnetometer survey of the Dylife–Camdwr lode showed that this tech-

- 21 - Newsletter 65 Welsh Mines Society Autumn 2011 nique was not appropriate in this area. It was largely precipitated by the discovery of mag- netic pyrhotite amongst the waste from the deeper parts of the Dylife mine. No gravimetric methods have been tried until recent years. This has long been demonstrated to be of considerable value in Ireland, where there is a greater mining industry than in Wales, and therefore a greater budget for mineral exploration. Insufficient diamond drilling has been undertaken considering the extent of the orefield. East Glogfawr was particularly successful and warranted further sampling to delineate the strike length and height to produce an inferred tonnage and grade. The Frongoch hole failed to cut the lode. Holes drilled at Cwmrheidol in the early 1970s showed that the lode continued at depth but that pyrite dominated. The extent of high values of cobalt ($39,300 / tonne), nickel ($24,350 / tonne), germa- nium ($1250 / kg), gallium ($1500 / g), indium ($550 / kg) and thallium ($1200 / kg) in mid- Wales has not received sufficient attention considering the high value of these metals. The US dollar currently (November 2010) stands at $1.61.26 = £1.00 (E&MJ). Very few of the mines penetrated 1,000 feet below the surface before abandonment and technology has improved to such a degree since then that it would seem to be a reasonable assumption, considering prevailing conditions, that it is not difficult to work to between 2,000 and 3,000 feet below the surface should grades permit. O.T. Jones passes comments on the bottom levels at Bwlchglas passing into a great mass of blende which was so wide that it would have needed a different method of mining and milling.* Bwlchglas eventually installed a ‘mineral separation’ flotation circuit within their mill to deal with this different ore but the war and depression were heavy odds against any sort of success. Between the two parts of the lode in Level Newydd is a five metre width of blende cemented breccia but its extent appears to be very limited. The Gogerddan adit, immediately east of Caegynon, cut a similar structure and had blocked out some ground before the portal caved in and another war started. I have seen a report on Bronfloyd which insisted that in the bottom of the mine one of the lodes took on a different nature – it became very wide with the ore being spangled throughout. As I cannot find this report the description amounts to no more than hearsay. Jones only states that the mine may have some further prospects at depth.† Cavernous stopes at Castell are hosted in the basal Frongoch mudstones on the footwall, and Cwmere shales in the hanging wall; they show that a considerable amount of ore was raised from a shallow depth. Contemporary reports state that in the bottom level, the 27, this huge lode pinched down from 15–20 feet of lead and zinc ores to an inch of clay once it en- tered the Cwmere/Gwestyn shales on both walls. The magnitude of the fault suggests that it is a basement feature and originates from beneath the sedimentary rocks, probably below the underlying Cambrian lavas, tuffs and black shales, and it is also probable that the ore grades improve beneath the Cwmere shales. The Nantycreiau lode appears to branch off the Castell fault at about 2,000 metres below the surface at which point there is a basal unconformity in

* O.T. Jones, 1922. Lead and Zinc. The Mining District of North Cardiganshire and West Mont- gomeryshire, Memoirs of the Geological Survey, Special Report of the Mineral Resources of Great Britain, 20, p. 58. † ibid., pp. 32 et seq. - 22 - Newsletter 65 Welsh Mines Society Autumn 2011 the Ordovician sediments. A diamond drill hole sunk to about 150 metres at Castell would intersect the top of a fresh prospective zone, where there is a scenario similar to that at the surface with mudstones lying against shales. One to 650 metres would place the end of the hole in the Drosgol Formation – a horizon which may be more highly mineralised than that exposed at the surface and is not too deep to work providing that grades supported this. Contemporary cut-off grades are difficult to establish with any degree of precision, but it appears that in the nineteenth century this lay around 10% Pb with little consideration given to the zinc content. However, do not interpret this as there being a sub-grade auriole surrounding these rich shoots. Ore shoots tend to pinch out as rapidly as they develop and stopes tended to be abandoned where the shoot ceased rather than the grade gradually dimin- ishing; the lode simply nips down to a centimetre of clay. The nipping of such a shoot was wonderfully illustrated when the stopes at Llywernog were cleared and a yard of ore was found to give way to an inch of clay within a foot or two along strike. This would appear to indicate whether the fracture was under tension or compression and also indicates the degree of movement along that plane. Similarly, a change of strata can result in the nipping of the lode at depth as demonstrated at Castell. At Cwmbrwyno and South Darren, the lode can be seen to refract as it passes through different strata. This is unlikely to be confined to the two examples cited. At Glogfawr the lode dips to the north above the shallow adit, whilst below the adit it curves and dips to the south, particularly from the Davey shaft to the east end of the mine. The footwall thus becomes the hanging wall at depth. Elsewhere, notably at Cerrig yr Wyn and Level Newydd, the shoots of rich ore appear to have become too lean to work and were abandoned in considerable width of hard white sugar spar, or breccia, sprinkled through with sub-economic flecks of sulphides. The cost of dressing, and the recovery rates, appear to have been a significant factor in abandoning these shoots. At Cwmystwyth, many of the above phenomena occur in relatively close proximity to each other. The current values of metallic lead and zinc are at an all time high, close to equity, at $2,575 (£1,599) and $2,513 (£1,560) per metric tonne with the US dollar currently standing at $1.61.26 to the £ sterling. In 1988 lead stood at £370 and zinc at £480 per imperial ton. Whilst the BGS 1:50,000 maps are a reasonable portrayal of the general situation, they cannot be enlarged and utilised with any great accuracy. Any area of interest must be re- mapped at an appropriate scale by a competent structural geologist. Elsewhere, I continue to be surprised that no one has revived the precipitation pits at Parys Mountain as a convenient source of copper to incorporate within Welsh gold. It is now many years since the process was deployed using scrap iron and it appears that no research has been undertaken regarding the amenability of ion exchange resins to such work.

16. John Evans, Minera Miner Christopher Williams In 1819 there was a small colliery called Pentrefron or Pentrefram in the township of Minera, in the old parish of Wrexham, Denbighshire, to the north of the modern town of Coedpoeth. The mine was worked by a horse whim (and later by an old ship’s capstan), and the shaft was

- 23 - Newsletter 65 Welsh Mines Society Autumn 2011 about 120 yards deep. On 27 September 1819 the workings flooded suddenly, and three of the twenty-three miners were trapped. Two were drowned, and a third, John Evans, was believed lost as well. Three coffins were brought to the pit-head, and the bodies of the first two men were taken to their homes for burial. John Evans’s wife, Elizabeth or Betsan, became increasingly agitated, and begged the rescuers to find his body so that he could be buried too. His coffin was got ready, with his name and age (26) in- scribed on it. The rescuers dug through a series of falls, and on the thirteenth day found a coat beneath one of them. Shortly afterwards the two rescuers heard shouts, and found John Evans sitting in a little shelter that he had dug for himself in the roof, where he had been for thirteen days without food, drink or light. They helped him to the foot of the shaft, and a doctor was sum- moned from Wrexham and sent down to see to him. He was brought slowly to surface, and an eye-witness described the scene. ‘Every eye was centred on the pit head … his face was drawn and ashen and there was a wild, fierce look in his eyes. The first words he uttered were, “Ble mae Betsan bach?” (“Where is my little Betsan?”). He looked very weak and walked very haltingly to the cart which was to take him home. A large crowd followed him all the way and the coffin and shroud were left behind.’ The eye-witness continued: ‘Last Tuesday, I went to see him. He looked very poorly, having just got out of bed. In a little while, in reply to my queries, he said that he saw the inrushing water when it was about ten yards away, and that he had run into an old stable. When the water began to rise in the stable, he climbed through a narrow wind hole and onto a higher ledge. The water soon reached the ledge and he had to climb still higher. He could go no further so he fashioned a little cabin well above the water. For the first three days he was very hungry. After that he did not seem to want food. Whenever he felt thirsty he would hold his mouth to catch the occasional drop of water that fell from the roof. On the morning

- 24 - Newsletter 65 Welsh Mines Society Autumn 2011 of his rescue he thought that he could have lasted another week without food, but when he thought of his wife and children he had periods of deep distress and despondency. During these periods he heard faint strains of music from afar which kept his hopes of rescue alive. Whenever he wanted water, a light from somewhere would shine on the drops of water falling from the roof. He was sure that the Lord would not leave him there to die.’ Thomas Evans of Coedpoeth recounted the story in Goleuad Gwynedd, a Welsh-language newspaper (‘The Illuminator of Gwynedd’) published in Chester, in November 1819, and an English translation was published in Robert Edwards’s Coedpoeth as it Was (1991). This is quoted at greater length than here on the BBC north-east Wales website (accessible via Google). One of John Evans’s descendants in New Zealand commented on this site that he took his coffin home with him and used it as a cupboard. George Lerry’s Collieries of Denbighshire (Second ed. 1968) mentions that his daughter, well-known as a nurse in the district, stated that people knelt in prayer at the roadside as her father was carried home from the pit. Not surprisingly, he never wanted to work underground again, and the miners collected money and bought him a pony and trap, which he and his wife used to take people to Wrexham market. He survived until his death in 1865, aged 73. The accompanying portrait is by a well-known Chester artist, A.R. Burt. Published as a print for sale, it shows John Evans wearing what I imagine are his pit clothes – a skullcap rather like the one worn later by lead miners underneath their glazed helmet, and a simple long jerkin with sleeves gathered at the wrists. On his feet are light, low shoes similar to modern trainers. How accurate this is I do not know. (Print reproduced by courtesy of the Flintshire Record Office, PR/C/38.)

17. ‌Lead Mine Near Caernarvon Dave Linton Roger Flindall of Derbyshire brought the above-titled watercolour to my attention via the AditNow website. Attributed to George Barrett (snr.), and 40.7 x 58 cm in size, it appeared in a sale catalogue (with an expected price of £600–£800) last March. The picture did not sell at auction and was later sold at a considerably lower price. It is reproduced on the following page courtesy of the current owner. The picture immediately raises the questions as to whether it depicts an actual location and when was it painted. Barrett senior (1730–1784) was an Irish landscape artist best known for his depictions of the British countryside, particularly of wild and mountainous natural landscapes, during the mid- to late eighteenth century. He was a founding member of the London Royal Academy. Colin Armfield comments that the engine house seems large and looks as if it may have been for a ‘new’ Boulton & Watt engine. Watt took out his second patent in 1775 and B&W engines were spreading through Wales (including installations at Minera and Penrhyn Du) when Barrett senior was active. However, Colin asks which Caernarfonshire lead mine could have afforded a new Boulton & Watt engine c. 1780. Barrett senior died in 1784, which might give a latest date to the picture. However, the style of the painting is different from examples of other paintings by Barrett senior avail-

- 25 - Newsletter 65 Welsh Mines Society Autumn 2011

Lead Mine near Caernarvon, attributed to George Barrett (snr.) courtesy Pete Challis able on the web. The style is also markedly different from that of eighteenth-century non- academically trained topographic artists who depicted industrial subjects, such as Ingleby or Pamplin. It may be that the attribution is incorrect and another artist was responsible – possibly Barrett’s son George Barrett junior (1767–1842). Barrett junior specialised in romantic com- positions of a Claudian type (isn’t Wikipedia wonderful) showing romantic sunrises and sunsets without reference to locality. This is supported by comments from Dafydd Gwyn and Gwynfor Pierce Jones that the style is early Victorian, possibly influenced by Salvator Rosa and Claude. The prominence of the horse-drawn cart in the foreground standing in the stream makes me wonder whether it is a reference to Constable’s The Hay Wain of 1821. If this is the case that would date the painting firmly in the nineteenth century. Since writing the above, an opinion has been obtained from Bonhams. Their expert doubts the watercolour has anything to do with George Barret snr. though it ‘could’ be by his son, who ‘is best known for idealised rather romantic landscapes, often with imaginary classical buildings. He did paint some more topographical views’; though the expert is un- familiar with these. The painting is described as ‘a pretty straight forward watercolour of about 1800–1830 (more likely 1820–30) by a British painter, probably an amateur, travel- ling through Wales. It more closely resembles the work of Francis Nicholson, who was a very prolific painter and teacher in the early nineteenth century. It is possible the painting could be a bit later, but it is unlikely to be after 1850.’ He also says that he cannot see much

- 26 - Newsletter 65 Welsh Mines Society Autumn 2011 similarity between the painting and the work of either Barrett, ‘except for the handling of the sky, which has a similar colouring to the watercolours of Barret jnr.’ The mention of Nicholson (1753–1844) is interesting, particularly when the picture is compared with Nicholson’s Nant mill, North Wales c. 1807. (The scene depicted in that picture has some resemblance to Nant Gwynant.) As to location (if it is an actual location) – the strongest suggestion (from Robin Griffiths) is that it might be Cyffty, with Moel Siabod in the background. A photograph of Cyffty engine house (NL 57 item 72) does show some similarities, particularly with regard to shape of the hill in the background. However, Bennett & Vernon give a date of 1876 for that engine house, which would seem to rule it out. Another suggestion is that it is Llandudno copper mine (cf. Filicia Simpson’s 1853 depiction of the Sims engine house at Tynyfron [reproduced in David Bick’s The Old Copper Mines of Snowdonia]), though it is hard to reconcile it with the actual landscape and it is not obvious why it should be titled as a lead mine. One has to be aware that the eighteenth- and nineteenth-century landscape painters tended to incorporate elements from any number of scenes in their paintings to achieve what they considered a ‘picturesque’ result, so it’s not necessarily a specific location at all. From a mining point of view the picture contains a number of questionable features that are more visible in the high quality colour image available to me than the reproduction here. These are: • What appears to be a line of Brammock rods runs off to the left of the picture from the engine house. (Close examination of the image suggests that the rods were sketched in before the rock outcrop on the left of the picture was painted.) The rods are also visible on the right of the engine house (where they terminate) and there is no obvious drive to them (though there could have been an angle bob driven off the pump rod, out of sight beyond the engine house). Also, there appears to be a gap in the rods between the engine house and the chimney. • There is a not-very-substantial jib or beam, with a line suggesting something hanging vertically from it, projecting from the upper window on the visible side of the engine house. • In front of the engine house is a building that appears to slope down into the ground. Whilst a boiler house might be expected in this position, possibly in the form of a lean- to structure on the engine house, the shape of the roof looks wrong for this. • The chimney is as wide as the engine house at its base. • The shears on the shaft side of the engine house are unusually tall and seem to be offset from where one might expect the shaft to be situated on the centre line of the engine house. • There is a bridge with two figures on it that leads from the presumed shaft to the more distant of the two buildings on the right of the picture. Whilst this could be a barrow- run leading to a crushing house, it looks particularly flimsy and bereft of intermediate support. In addition the bridge floor where the two figures stand starts from part way up the embankment from the shaft head rather than level with the top of the embankment. • The nearer of the two buildings on the right of the picture has a water wheel mounted on it with an inclined launder leading to the wheel from near the ridge of the building;

- 27 - Newsletter 65 Welsh Mines Society Autumn 2011 however, it is difficult to see how water might have been taken to the launder. • Alongside the horse-drawn cart in the centre of the picture is a figure wearing a hat and long gown or coat with a hood, similar to north African dress. The figure stands in front of what is possibly a donkey with a halter and appears to be gesticulating with his right arm to the figure on the cart. Would such dress have been seen in north Wales in the eighteenth or nineteenth century? Considering the above points, and the fact that the main point of interest is the horse- drawn cart in the stream rather than the engine house and other mine buildings, I think this must be an artistic composition created from elements taken from elsewhere (possibly individual items recorded in an artist’s sketchbook) rather than a realistic representation of a specific location. This suggests that the artist was working for himself (albeit to create a saleable picture) rather than working to the commission of a mine owner to produce a pictor- ial record of his mine. However, despite these cavils it is, in my opinion at least, an attractive and charming picture of a subject that is generally under-represented in landscape painting. I would point out of course that I’m no art historian and I fully expect my analysis to be dissected and picked over in the Correspondence section of future Newsletters. Finally, I’m pleased to say that the painting is now in the possession of a WMS member.

News

18. Cwm Ciprwth Copper Mine Reports (with photographs) have been received that the replacement flatrods that were installed at Cwm Ciprwth mine when some of the headworks were restored in the 1970s(?) have broken. (The restoration was carried out and funded by the Snowdonia National Park Authority under the direction of Peter Crew.) The rods had been sagging for some time and the breaks appear to be due to natural deterioration rather than vandalism. (It is possible that the replacement rods lasted longer than the originals were in use for.) Graham Levins (on behalf of WMPT) has contacted the SNPA’s Archaeologist who stated that the site is a scheduled monument and that Cadw have been advised of the situation.

19. Cwmystwyth The Crown Estate have recently completed a programme of safety and consolidation work on the surface buildings in Cwmystwyth. Neville Place has had a dangerous chimney removed and some consolidation, the old barracks has had work done that prevents debris spilling out onto the road, and Cwrt and the buildings adjacent to the mill site have also received attention. All the buildings have been fenced off and a certain amount of consolidation work carried out; this has even gone as far as replacement of lintels in some cases. Roy Fellows

20. Penrhyn Slate Quarry In August employees at Penrhyn Quarry in Bethesda voted for strike action in response to a 12 month pay freeze by site owners Welsh Slate. However, following further negotiations and a second ballot an agreement has been reached for the period until the end of 2012. BBC News website 25th August and 2nd September 2011 - 28 - Newsletter 65 Welsh Mines Society Autumn 2011

Broken flatrod at Cwm Ciprwth Helen Wilkinson

21. Dinorwig Slate Quarry Part of the roof of the A1 incline drumhouse has collapsed. Consequently, the pedestrian route up the incline has been closed. The path closure sign suggests the Zig-Zag track or the Vivian Trail as alternatives. The rake of inclines and the drum houses are a scheduled monument. Dave Linton

22. Cwmorthin Slate Quarry An underground trip in the quarry in August of this year found that the worrying-looking block (first reported as unsafe in May 2009) above the stair- way in Old Vein chamber 8 east had come down. There was debris on the steps underneath where the block was and further material left on the wall which will eventually fall. Also, and possibly related to this event, a couple of large blocks have come off the wall at the bottom of the stairs. (There did not seem to be significant damage to the steps themselves.) Sig- nificant fresh falls were also noted in a couple of other places in the quarry. It is not known if these falls all occurred at the same time or what might have initiated them.

23. Snowdonia Mines Conservation & Access Group The Snowdonia Mines Conserva- tion & Access Group (SMCAG) has been set up to manage sustainable access to a selection of mines within the Gwydyr Forest and surrounding area for use by Education, Recreation and Commercial groups. Information from Gethin Thomas

24. Parys Mountain Mine Anglesey Mining say that after a rise in metal prices and the success of a project at its other mine in Canada they are now investing in a new review of

- 29 - Newsletter 65 Welsh Mines Society Autumn 2011 their Parys Mountain site and potential drill locations. Anglesey Mining announced a sale of the site to Western Metals Ltd of Australia in 2008 (subject to a feasibility review), but no actual agreement was reached (see NL 59 item 21). The review is stated to include reapprais- al of the previously proposed White Rock mine which would target near surface resources as a first stage development option, which would lead to the subsequent development of the deeper lying resources. Daily Post 23rd August 2011

25. Clogau Gold Mine The Jersey-based company Gold Mines of Wales Ltd has announced that it has an exploration licence and plans to re-open Clogau gold mine. According to the Cambrian News 18th August 2011, Clogau Gold of Wales Ltd stated that there was a legal dispute between them and Gold Mines of Wales. However, in a further news item the following week, the landowner Gethin Williams is reported as saying that the dispute is between him and Midas Exploration Ltd, who were his previous tenants at the mine. A hearing is expected to be before the end of the year but neither party would give details of the case. Gold Mines of Wales say that ‘in the next few weeks’ they will begin employing local people with the number rising to about 15 ‘within the year’ and also say that they will be installing hydro electric plant. The paper also reported that Clogau Gold were investigating the possibility of restarting mining themselves. Cambrian News 18th and 25th August 2011

[Clogau Gold Mine featured briefly in the BBC Countryfile programme on BBC 1 on 9th Oc- tober 2011 when presenter Ellie Harrison was taken in Ty’n y Cornel adit by Ed McDermott of Gold Mines of Wales and Gethin Williams. Unfortunately the lighting was poor and little of the mine could be seen. – Ed.]

26. Mynydd Nodol Manganese Mine The Atlanterra Project have been surveying this mine on Mynydd Nodol, Arenig, Bala. The survey is to amplify work carried out by the Up- lands Survey and will produce a detailed plan of the workings and associated infrastructure. RCAHMW Heritage of Wales News blog

[Dave Linton has already been contacted by RCAHMW, and hopes to get out with them on some of their survey visits. – Ed.]

27. Merllyn West Lead Mine The converted former engine house at Merllyn West Mine at Lloc is for sale at an asking price of £389,500. Agents are Kavendish Ikin Residential at Mold. AditNow

28. Halkyn Mountain Shaft Collapse A 12 m diameter hole has opened up on land next to Ysgol Rhes-y-Cae in Flintshire. A similar hole appeared in the same location in 2010 and was capped. BBC News website 14th September 2011

29. Llyn Geirionydd Rescue A 54-year-old man was rescued uninjured by Ogwen Moun- tain Rescue Organisation after falling into water when he went into workings near Llyn Geirionydd. The BBC reports that a passer-by heard his woman companion shouting for

- 30 - Newsletter 65 Welsh Mines Society Autumn 2011 help and dialled 999. [From the description in the news item it seems possible that the working was one of the levels of Bryn Cenhadon in the gorge below Llyn Geirionydd where there is a drop of a couple of metres or so into water just beyond where daylight from the portal illuminates the floor. – Ed.] BBC News website 9th August 2011

30. Animal Rescues North Wales Cave Rescue Organisation have carried out two animal rescues over the summer: a dog that fell approximately 80 feet in Lloyd’s spar mine, Hendre, was rescued unharmed, and a lamb that had fallen down a steep slope into a 30 foot deep quarry pit at Minllyn slate quarry, Dinas Mawddwy, was also rescued unharmed. There was also a call out for a sheep in a ‘shaft’ at Nant manganese mine near Rhiw on the Lleyn Peninsula, but no animal was found when the team arrived (the nature of the location suggests it had made its own way out) and the incident was classified as a ‘false alarm with good intent’. Dave Linton

31. Dorothea Quarry Recreational divers at Dorothea Quarry are concerned that sacks found underwater may contain fertiliser or other chemicals and be potentially dangerous to divers and the general environment. Daily Post 4th May 2011

32. Hafod Quarry Mersey Waste Holdings Associates Ltd, who operated the quarry as a landfill site, have lost their legal action (see NL 57 item 29) against Wrexham council. Ha- fod Quarry near Wrexham was designated as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) in 2004 following the discovery of great crested newts on the site. Also, environmental campaigners Hafod Environmental Group are going to the High Court in an attempt to overturn a change in planning consent which allows waste disposal tipping at the quarry for a further 35 years. In 2005 the site was acquired by MWHA and in 2006 Wrexham council banned extraction of minerals from the SAC and an adjacent area. In 2007 MWHA sued Wrexham council for £5.5m because of the ban. The site has been operated since 2008 by Cory Environmental. BBC News website 21st July and 23rd August 2011

33. NAMHO 2011 The 2011 NAMHO Conference organised by Shropshire Caving & Mining Club at the Preston Montford Field Centre near Shrewsbury appeared to be very successful. Speakers included WMS members George Hall, Ivor Brown, Rob Vernon, Simon Hughes, Peter Claughton, Roy Fellows and Dave Linton. Dave Linton

34. Gleision Colliery An investigation is to be held into the deaths of four miners following flooding at Gleision Colliery near Pontardawe. It will initially be led by South Wales Police before it is handed over to the Health and Safety Executive . BBC News website 17th September 2011

35. Gwersyllt and Westminster Colliery Documents A collection of documents from this colliery, which closed in 1925, have been found by the granddaughter of Ben Kay, who was the colliery’s last owner. The collection includes legal papers dating from 1790, wed- ding certificates and pictures of Kay and his staff. The documents are currently being held by

- 31 - Newsletter 65 Welsh Mines Society Autumn 2011 North Wales Miners Association Trust on long-term loan and it is hoped they will be passed to the National Library of Wales. BBC News website 16th May 2011

36. Bersham Colliery Tip (NL 63 item 37) Bersham Glenside Ltd hope to start moving waste from the Bersham Colliery tip in August 2011. The company has submitted proposals for a mixed use development and hopes for planning approval by March 2012. BBC News website 2nd May 2011

37. Abernant Colliery A formal planning application is expected from Waste Recycling Group Ltd in October for an anaerobic digestion and 2.3 MW power generation facility at the former Abernant Colliery site at Pwllfawatkin, north of Pontardawe. It would process about 52,000 tonnes of food waste per annum to produce methane, which would be used to generate electricity, and liquid fertiliser. BBC News website 11th September 2011

38. Wrexham Mines Rescue Centre (NL 64 item 41) Wrexham motor dealer Neville Dickens has pleaded guilty to the unauthorised demolition of the listed building on Maes- gwyn Road and has been fined £2,000 with £1,700 costs for partially demolishing the mines rescue centre without permission. Two men he employed to carry out the work, Alan New- combe, also from Gresford, and Ray Haynes, from Pentrebychan, were fined £300 plus £200 costs and £150 plus £100 costs respectively. The court was told that Dickens had now started work on a project to restore the centre and had engaged a leading architect. BBC News website 28th April 2011

39. National Coal Museum, Big Pit, Blaenafon The reassembly has been completed of the fan engine made by the Waddle Patent Fan & Engineering Co of Llanelli, c. 1880. The engine was originally installed at Nixon’s Navigation Colliery North Pit, Mountain Ash. Until it is possible to display it in a suitable structure at Big Pit, it will be stored at NMW Collections Centre, Nantgarw. Robert Protheroe Jones

40. Bolton Hill Quarry FH Gilman & Co, who employ 75 workers at Bolton Hill Quarry in Pembrokeshire where they produce aggregates, ready mixed concrete and asphalt, have gone into administration. Trading will continue until a buyer is found. BBC News website 2nd June 2011

41. Award for Ratgoed Sara Eade has won first prize in the non-fiction category of the David St John Self-Publishing Book Awards for her book Ratgoed – A Study in Slate. [Re- viewed in NL 63 items 48 and 49. – Ed.] Cambrian News 19th May 2011

42. Quarry Danger Campaign The Mineral Products Association have launched a campaign, aimed particularly at young people, to highlight the dangers of trespassing in quarries in Wales. The association also criticises ‘irresponsible’ adults ‘who enter quarries whilst walking, dog walking or out of general curiosity’ and who may not appreciate that they are not simply putting themselves at risk. BBC News website 3rd June 2011 - 32 - Newsletter 65 Welsh Mines Society Autumn 2011 Reviews and Publications

43. The Mineralization of England and Wales Pages 198 to 381 comprise the fifth chap- ter, on Wales, written by R.E. Bevins and John Mason with 57 sub-sections on a variety of types of classic mineralization and individual mines from across Wales. The highly productive Parys Mountain, Halkyn, Coed y Brenin, Dolaucothi, Nantymwyn, Cwmystwyth and numerous other smaller ventures are given several pages which pull together recent references and are frequently accompanied by a geological map and a site photograph. The minerals considered within the volume are iron, manganese, copper, gold; lead, zinc, quartz, arsenic, barium of the Borderlands; lead, zinc, fluorite of Halkyn; copper, dolomite, millerite in the ironstone of South Wales; and lead, zinc, copper, barium in South Wales. The text is clear and sharp and the format used throughout the book is well ordered, particularly the bold heading at the top of the pages which cites the area on the left page and mine name on the right page. The result is that wherever the book happens to fall open, one is immediately aware of the subject under consideration. Expanding to the other side of Offa’s Dyke, there are other chapters on the Lake District, the Northern Pennines, the South Pennines including Derbyshire, Shropshire, Leicester, and Cheshire, the Mendips, South West England. In all, there are nearly 50 pages of references in addition to both a general and mineralogical index presented in a well bound edition. I was intrigued to read the description of the ‘snotites’ which are so prolific in, amongst others, the Cae Coch sulphur mine. On a recent TV programme, Professor Brian Cox examined these in a Mexican cave where the atmosphere was incapable of supporting mammalian life on account of the high levels of H2S. They are largely due to the microbial eco-system of Thiobacillus ferro-oxidans and Leptospirillium ferro-oxidans which require little nutri- tion apart from CO2, the oxidisation of sulphur compounds and a dark, acid, environment in order to thrive. Cox thought that these organisms might exist on other planets. This is a very scholarly review of mineral occurrences in England and Wales – long overdue. It has very little mining history and lots of graduate level geology. I spent a week absolutely engrossed in this book but it is most certainly not a bed-time read. The Mineralization of England and Wales by R.E. Bevins, B. Young, J.S. Mason, D.A.C. Manning and R.F. Symes et al., published by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (Geological Conservation Review), 2010, ISBN 978 1 86107 566 6, A4, 598 pages, many hundred monochrome photographs, plans and sections – far too many to count for this review, £70, 2.5 Kilogrammes – p&p £ 7.50 Simon S.J. Hughes

44. Welsh Mines Preservation Trust Newsletter Summer 2011 After a slight hiatus in production a new edition of the WMPT Newslettter has been published – with assistance from and in a new format designed by Robert Ireland. The edition contains reports on work at Dylife, where work and finds at Martha wheelpit are documented; Cwmbyr, where wooden remains discovered include the bottom half of a waterwheel still in the wheelpit, two buddles, and launders below the site of the jigger; and reports on excavations in 2009 and 2010 at Bronfloyd. The reports are copiously illustrated by photographs taken during the excavations and, in the case of Bronfloyd, a plan showing

- 33 - Newsletter 65 Welsh Mines Society Autumn 2011 the areas of current excavation. Other items include an obituary on Steve Oliver, an announcement that Jenny Gowing has been awarded Honorary Life Membership of the Trust in recognition of the commitment she has shown to the Trust, and information about future WMPT activities in 2011. Welsh Mines Preservation Trust Newsletter No. 31, Summer 2011, 35 pp. (The CD version of the Newsletter is accompanied by high resolution versions of most of the photographs in the reports.) Dave Linton

45. Metal Mines Strategy for Wales Newsletter Summer 2011 This issue contains information on the current work of the Enviroment Agency Wales in this area with reports on Cwm Rheidol, Frongoch, Abbey Consols, Nant y Mwyn, Parys Mountain and Dylife mines and the Conwy and Mawddach Catchment. www.enviroment-agency.gov.uk

46. ‘Turbidite pathways, pore-fluid pressures and productivity in the Central Wales Orefield’ Abstract: Lodes in the Central Wales Orefield are mineralized oblique-slip normal faults that postdate the regional joints. They developed shortly after the (Acadian) deformation of the Welsh Basin in the late Early Devonian and many were reactivated with further mineralization in the early Carboniferous. Although orefield extent is clearly centred on the structural culmination around the Plynlimon Dome the major areas of lead–zinc production are strongly off-centred. These areas lie on the depositional pathways of three hori- zons of late Ordovician–early Silurian massive turbidite sandstones. It is argued that these basin-floor sand bodies are preferential sites of lode nucleation and that their distribution controls the size and abundance of the lodes and hence their chances to link laterally and at depth. This in turn controls their ability to capture and transmit mineralizing fluids and thus their chances of hosting large ore deposits. The prime cause of high fluid pressure gradients during the first phase of mineralization was rapid uplift of ‘tight’ rock with dehydration fluids from Acadian metamorphism. Second phase fluids probably originated as seawater and were driven by convective overturn at essentially hydrostatic pressures. The stratigraphic control of lode productivity has implications for mineral exploration in such terrains. ‘Turbidite pathways, pore-fluid pressures and productivity in the Central Wales Orefield’, David M.D. James, Journal of the Geological Society v. 168 (2011), pp. 1107–1120 David James

47. Dolyhir Quarry The UK Journal of Mines and Minerals no. 32, published in April 2011, is dedicated to a detailed account of the mineralisation of Dolyhir Quarry, near King- ton in East Powys. This is essentially the result of more than 15 years of careful fieldwork undertaken by staff at the National Museum, Cardiff, and mineralogists visiting through organised Russell Society field trips. The quarry works mid-Silurian limestones sitting un- conformably on late Neoproterozoic sedimentary rocks with affinities to the Longmyndian Group of Shropshire. Intermittent vein-type mineralisation has been intermittently exposed over the years and, unlike anything in the nearby orefields, is notably arsenic-rich: the richest vein, exposed in the mid-1990s, consisted of a rib up to 0.3 m thick composed mostly of intergrown galena, tennantite (Cu-As-Zn-Ag sulphide) and chalcopyrite. The gangue

- 34 - Newsletter 65 Welsh Mines Society Autumn 2011 includes calcite and a wide range of barium minerals. Further occurrences of rare Cu-Ag- As bearing minerals are documented in the paper, including unusual disseminations of the bright red arsenic sulphide realgar in mudstone. The primary mineralisation was found to be extensively oxidised with a wide range of secondary carbonates, arsenates etc. That such locally rich metalliferous mineralisation occurs in this area is of historical interest given the context of rumours of mining in the immediate area e.g. at Hanter Hill, as documented by George Hall in his Metal Mines of Southern Wales. Although the richest occurrence exposed in the quarry only amounted to a few tonnes, such showings would certainly have attracted attention in previous centuries. John Mason

48. Within These Hills: A Study of Corris Uchaf, Braichgoch Quarry the Upper Corris Tramway and the Social Life of a Merionethshire Village A follow up to Sara Eade’s book on Ratgoed, this publication describes the quarries, significant local buildings, the Upper Corris railway, the men that worked underground, and the social lives of the people. There are plans of Braich Goch, Gaewern and other quarries and reproductions of colour drawings from Ken Kirkam’s sketchbook showing miners and working methods. The book is illustrated throughout with colour photos of surface and underground scenes from the author’s personal collection supplemented by photographs by Jon Knowles. There are original black and white photographs of men, machinery and the railways. Within These Hills: A Study of Corris Uchaf, Braichgoch Quarry the Upper Corris Tram- way and the Social Life of a Merionethshire Village, Sara Eade, SB, A4, 208pp, Price £25.00 + P&P Mike Moore

49. ‘Anglesite from the type locality’ WMS members may be interested to know that an article on the history of the mineral anglesite from Parys Mountain (the type locality) has just been published in Mineralogical Record. WMS members, Steve Plant, Tom Cotterell and Roy Starkey have spent the past two years researching material for the article and undertaking fieldwork. The early history of anglesite from the type locality is intriguing. Snippets of information occur in many late eighteenth-century texts in a variety of languages, but commonly with only vague prov- enance. As a consequence, the few detailed modern accounts of the history of anglesite from Anglesey Anglesite crystals showing spiculae. From Mona Mine. all contain errors. In order Photo: David Green

- 35 - Newsletter 65 Welsh Mines Society Autumn 2011 to decipher exactly how and when these errors occurred, many of the original references have been traced and consulted. A number of new sources of information have also come to light, suggesting that the presence of lead sulphate crystals was known about on Anglesey far earlier than previously documented, although at the time their chemistry was unknown.

Anglesite (PbSO4) is the best known of all supergene minerals found at Parys Mountain, and the one which has drawn generations of collectors to the mine in search of a specimen. Although it has been reported from both the Parys and Mona mines, the type locality appears to have been the Mona mine. Specimens from Parys Mountain are distinctive and arguably unique, with typical examples displaying small, well-formed crystals (usually 1–2 mm, but exceptionally to more than 1cm), studded throughout a porous goethite matrix. Crystals are not normally gemmy (although exceptions exist) and range from colourless through white, yellow and orange. The article is illustrated with colour photos of the site, artefacts and historical specimens of anglesite. Plant, S.P., Cotterell, T.F. and Starkey, R.E. (2011) ‘Anglesite from the type locality – Parys Mountain, Anglesey, Wales’, Mineralogical Record 25 (4), pp. 345–384. Copies can be obtained via the Mineralogical Record website http://www.minrec.org/contents.asp, price $15. Roy Starkey

50. NERC/IGS Mineral Reconnaissance Programme Reports The complete series (145 reports and 16 data releases) of Mineral Reconnaissance Programme (MRP) reports covering metalliferous minerals is available from the BGS website. Summaries of the MRP reports with links to downloads (pdf format) can be found at http://www.bgs.ac.uk/ mineralsuk/exploration/potential/mrp.html

51. Mines and Quarries of North Wales A new facility has been added to the on-line version of Jeremy Wilkinson’s Gazetteer and Bibliography of the Mines and Quarries of North Wales (www.hendrecoed.org.uk/Wilkinson) which allows the results of searches to be shown directly on a map if required. Although the facility to display the location of an individual mine on a map has always been available, the enhancement allows all sites returned by a search to be shown as markers on a map. The map can be panned and zoomed and includes OS 1:50,000 mapping. Clicking on a marker will bring up summary details of the location with links to the detailed gazetteer and bibliography entry. The illustration (opposite) shows all iron mines in Caernarfonshire displayed on the map with the information box showing the name, grid reference and product for Llandegai mine. As well as the facility to display locations on a map, it is now also possible to display just summary information (name, product, parish, county and grid reference). This is particularly useful when a search returns a large number of results. Each summary entry is linked to the full gazetteer and bibliography entry. (This is now the default display mode.) In a change to the user interface, it is now no longer necessary to use a ‘Search’ button to instigate a search. The gazetteer will update the search results immediately any search field is altered, thereby increasing responsiveness and ease of use. In addition, a number of technical changes have been made to improve the way the site responds to changes in window

- 36 - Newsletter 65 Welsh Mines Society Autumn 2011 and font size when viewing the page at larger character sizes. A further enhancement is that it is now possible to specify a location using a full postcode. (Previously, the gazetteer only recognised the first part of postcodes.) Other minor enhance- ments have been made to refine the company search facility – for instance it is now possible to specify that only limited companies with Board of Trade records should be displayed. With regard to the gazetteer data a number of coal mines in north-east Wales have been added from information supplied by Ken Smith. At present only the mine names and, where available, locations have been added; it is intended to add other locations and references as time permits. Some non-extractive sites such as iron works and lead smelters have also been added. Currently the gazetteer contains entries for more than 5,200 mines, quarries and pits and the bibliography has over 34,000 references and notes. Summary details are available

- 37 - Newsletter 65 Welsh Mines Society Autumn 2011 for 831 limited companies and more than 3,500 other companies and individuals are named. The gazetteer can be found at http://www.hendrecoed.org.uk/Wilkinson

52. De Winton of Caernarvon This book, mentioned in NL 64 item 47, is now available. From the publicity information it looks interesting. However, I suspect its price, £58, will put it out of the reach of many would-be purchasers (I think I’ll wait until a copy appears in Gwynedd Libraries). De Winton of Caernarvon, Alfred Fisher, David Fisher & Dr. Gwynfor Pierce-Jones, £58 (inc. p&p) available from Narrow Gauge and Industrial, Cambrian Forge, Garndolbenmaen, Gwynedd, LL51 9RX Dave Linton (above two items)

53. Guardian item on Industrial Heritage Journalist Simon Jenkins writes in The Guard- ian about failures to protect industrial heritage. He specifically mentions the demolition of the surface features at Bryn Eglwys slate quarry by the Forestry Commission and the work of Michael Brown at Dylife. The complete article can be found at http://www.guardian.co.uk/ commentisfree/2011/sep/01/britain-industrial-heritage-dylife-wales?INTCMP=SRCH Simon Harris

54. Coal Mining Publications from NMW (1) Ceri Thompson, Glo/Coal: The Forgot- ten Coalfield?, Cardiff, 2011. 64 pp – an oral history of post-war employees from the North Wales coalfield. (2) G. Salway and C. Thompson, The Pithead Baths Story, Cardiff, 2010. 48 pp – the story of pithead baths in the Welsh coalfields.

Correspondence

55. Thanks Following my accident on the Summer 2011 Field Meet I would like to thank all the people who attended to me and who instigated and assisted in my evacuation. Since then I have received many get well cards and encouraging messages from WMS members; thank you to all of you. Fortunately I am expected to make a full recovery and I am working towards it. Pam Cope

56. Bronfloyd Mine – Bushell’s Adit? Alas, to my shame for not realizing this earlier, though it seems quite obvious now: the suggestion by David Bick that Thomas Bushell’s adit at Bronfloyd came out down by the Afon Silo at SN 662 836 (Bick, The Old Metal Mines of Mid-Wales Pt. 3, 1976, and Bick & Davies, Lewis Morris and the Cardiganshire Mines, 1994), would appear to be an impossibility. When Lewis Morris took possession of the mine in the 1750s it was mostly being worked above adit level, the lowest level of this being the one shown on Morris’s plan of the mine in his ‘Account of the Lead and Silver Mines in Cwmmwd y Perveth’ and depicted as a long trench (adit-cutting) with a level opening at its southern end (described by Morris as the ‘Level’s Mouth’), the underground course of which is fairly accurately shown. The adit entrance and trench cutting can be seen at approx. SN 659 833 where this emerges close to

- 38 - Newsletter 65 Welsh Mines Society Autumn 2011 the 150 m AOD contour. In effect, this level must then have been the deep adit for the mine, the level being approx. 10 m below the next highest (and now-collapsed) adit seen within a hollow located just beneath the present gate to the farm track that crosses the top of the field. This same farm track was the route referred to by Morris as the ‘High Road to Aberystwyth’. In the eighteenth century most of the workings seem to have been located above, or else just below, this road. Not surprisingly, some of the earliest seventeenth-century workings are probably those to be found just either side of the ‘Great Trench in Search of the Vein’, the N–S depression for which can still just be made out on the plateau above when the shadows show up in the evening sun. Another early working may be the now partly rubbish-filled opencast working which lies a short distance to the west of, and just above the track. This hollow is probably a collapse, given the presence of several small workings in its side. Here one of the hand-picked levels is only 0.6–0.7 m high and 0.5 m wide, and has a narrow pointed roof. This adit was first pointed out to me by Roy Fellows this April. Roy informed me that he had explored it, and also that it was a narrow hand-cut level. In June I waded along the same route shown in Morris’s drawing, south then south-west for 65 paces, to arrive at a small worked chamber on the course of the NE–SW ‘Great Clay Vein or Feeder’, then another 5 to 6 paces beyond to meet a parallel drivage on the course of ‘The Great Rider’ vein. The continuation of this adit, shown on Morris’s plan as first turning south-east, then eventually due south, was blocked on the other side of this passage. It would seem that in the nineteenth century this same NE–SW level on the vein had been widened by blasting and driven west, and also a short distance to the east along the line of the earlier passage, in this case passing the south side of the shallow windlass shaft shown on Morris’s plan. Beyond this point over 5 m of the original pick-cut wheelbarrow level (cross-section: 1.8 m high, .5 m wide at top and bottom, and .8 m wide at waist height) appears to have survived, apparently heading in the direction of the large collapsed hollow at surface, with its way seemingly blocked. In some ways the profile of this level (on stylistic ground) appears to be earlier than the adit, though in this case appearances may be deceptive. Along most of its length the adit was around 1.8 m high, and about .85 m wide at waist level (.5 m wide at head height). The most likely explanation for this is that The lowest Bronfloyd adit referred to by Lewis Morris in the the bottom has been widened eighteenth century – the bottom half of this passage appears to to take either rails or a hand- have been widened later (50 cm rule for scale)

- 39 - Newsletter 65 Welsh Mines Society Autumn 2011 pushed wagon. However, not a single shot-hole was visible anywhere in the passage. For all of its length this seems to have been cut by hand. Needless to say, it is still quite possible that the original cutting of this adit dates to Bushell (1640s), but that it was later widened in the 1750s. The sinuous course of this adit whilst in barren ground is not completely atypical of the type of seventeenth-century drivage we see elsewhere in Cardiganshire. However, there is still the period of the Company of Mine Adventurers to account for. Those workings that I have seen of that date have mostly been driven with gunpowder. Robert Protheroe Jones might like to comment? Simon Timberlake

57. Forty Years of Prospecting in Cardiganshire (NL 64 item 15) I would like to add a few comments to Simon Hughes’s most interesting article on prospecting in Cardiganshire … I was surprised that, when writing about Cambrian Explorations, Simon did not mention the flamboyant character that was behind it. Armand Beaudoin was a French Canadian pros- pector with a long career in dubious ventures such as Java Gold culminating in his death in 2005 which revealed a huge Mongolian gold mining fraud. His role in the Bre-X scandal was minor but open to several interpretations. With a taste for large colourful ties and the gift of the gab, Armand walked into Galloway & Morgans, the university bookshop in Aber- ystwyth, to buy a map and walked out with £600 of Reuben Morgan’s cash in his pocket on the vague promise of sending Cambrian share certificates later: Reuben never got them, but if he had, they would have been worthless. Some of the radioactive waste that Simon mentions at the old Hafod smelting works in Swansea had recently been used as ballast in concrete floor slabs for new factories. Bob Montgomery died early in 1972, after Cambrian Explorations had closed their Welsh field office in February 1971. Bob was Exploration Manager for Cambrian Explorations in respect of their Welsh operations. When Bob’s Ph.D. thesis was initially rejected, two of Cambrian’s field crew did a statistical analysis of Mid Wales lithologies which assisted its subsequent acceptance. Although Simon says there was ‘some hope’ of a joint venture between Noranda and Cambrian Explorations there was never any real prospect of this – Noranda would not have touched Cambrian with a bargepole, but in 1971 they briefly considered whether any of Cambrian’s incomplete projects were worth taking over. Simon is correct in remembering that it was Noranda Kerr that was involved in mineral exploration in Wales. Noranda Kerr was a joint venture between Noranda Mines and Kerr Addison Mines. Kerr Addison was itself 41% directly owned by Noranda (with a further 3% indirectly owned). Paul Dungate, whom Simon mentions, was Chief Geologist of Cambrian Explorations until February 1971. Subsequently he became Chief Geologist (Wales) for Noranda Kerr in May 1971 and transferred to Noranda Exploration (UK) the following year. He had also worked in Australia, South Africa and Zambia. After Cambrian had put a great deal of effort into EM surveying, doubts arose about the value of this technique when looking for non-ferrous metal veins in Mid Wales. Orientation tests in late 1970 near Bronfloyd mine suggested that whatever was being detected by EM surveys, it was not ore bearing veins, and the technique was abandoned by the company. Simon mentions that ‘… the office was moved to Bryncir, near Porthmadog, in 1972’.

- 40 - Newsletter 65 Welsh Mines Society Autumn 2011 This appears to be a reference to the North Wales field office of Noranda Kerr, subsequently utilised by Noranda Exploration (UK) Ltd. In 1970, Noranda Kerr rented an outbuilding of the Saracen’s Head Hotel in Beddgelert (for equipment storage, not as an office) but on the 1st August 1971 moved to a bungalow next door to Bryncir Woollen Mill in Golan, near Garndolbenmaen. No drilling was done at Drws y Coed by Noranda, they only surveyed at surface. Noran- da did do some drilling on a porphyry copper prospect a few miles away. Kappa Exploration was supposed to have drilled their prospect at Drws y Coed. Although Simon states that Bill Richards was South African, he came from Warrington in Lancashire. He now lives in South Africa. Although he was intelligent, very experienced and highly capable, Bill lacked paper qualifications apart from a few GCE O levels. How- ever, he was one of a small handful of people in the UK who could tinker with the complex electronics of IP receivers. The original arrangement was that Cambrian’s Scintrex IP equipment (which was used six days a week but cost more to rent than the wages of the field crew) was sublet on Sundays to John Phillips who was said to be carrying out surveying on behalf of Andex. Bill accompanied the equipment and several of Cambrian’s field crew also helped out on odd occasions, payment to Bill and the others being made directly, not through Cambrian. The surveys were done at Frongoch and other places on the old Lisburne Estates – Cambrian had no exploration rights nearby so there was no conflict of interest. Some of the money for the work at Frongoch was supposed to have been provided by Cominco. The outcome of Bill’s work with John Phillips on the general practice of IP and EM surveys was subsequently published.* An attraction of the Geology Department at UCW for Bill was a young student called Jill Stephens who was doing a doctorate in micropaleontology: they subsequently married in 1973. Simon refers to the assertion that Cwmsymlog dumps were reworked; perhaps that assertion arose from confusion with the use of tailings material at this time as road grit. The tailings at the west end of the mine had been surveyed by Cambrian Explorations and judged to be a potentially valuable source of lead and silver if processing facilities were set up as a result of exploitation of new discoveries in the area. The tailings could not at that time be economically reworked unless the capital cost of plant was borne by a new mine. When used as road grit, the lead content of the tailings caused vegetation death on road verges. With regard to robbing of dumps: in 1971 when Norwest-Holst were building the large Ty’n y fron estate at Penparcau, Aberystwyth, all the hardcore for foundations and roads came from mine dumps. The assemblages were so distinctive that the foreman scaffolder on the site could tell each lorry driver which mine their load had come from and, in the case of Cwmerfyn material, which side of the road it had been collected from.

* W.J. Phillips and W.E. Richards (1972), ‘The variation of transient voltage decay curves across a mineralised zone’, in Geology in the Service of Man, Gregynog, University of Wales Colloquium; W.J. Phillips and W.E. Richards (1974), ‘A comparison of transient voltage decay curves obtained with different electrode arrays and configurations over a mineralized zone’,Geophysical Prospect- ing, 22, 1, March, pp. 22–53; and W.J. Phillips and W.E. Richards (1975), ‘Study of the effectiveness of the VLF method for the location of narrow mineralised fault zones’, Geoexploration, 13, 1–4, pp. 215–226. - 41 - Newsletter 65 Welsh Mines Society Autumn 2011 Finally, the paper by W.J. Hughes on the future of non-ferrous mining that Simon refers to was given to the 1958 IMM Symposium, not 1995. Ian Wallace

58. Forty Years of Prospecting in Cardiganshire (NL 64 item 15) It was interesting to read the report by Simon; the last time we saw him was in 1993. We also apologise for not having explained clearly the ownership of the underground Van Mines. It was not our wish to hide our unfortunate ownership of these. Earlier on we had hoped that our ownership was untrue but now accept it unless someone can prove that they have better title. Meanwhile we accept that we own from Edwards shaft through both Seaham shafts then to Central Vein shaft and onto Tempest shaft. The use of the name Tempest is interesting. Tempest was part of the surname of the 7th Marquess of Londonderry and descends from Frances Anne Vane-Tempest, owner of the Durham coal fields and second wife to Baron Stewart. Baron Stewart was awarded the title Earl Vane with concession title Viscount Seaham for the first male born of Frances Anne. When Earl Vane’s half brother died without heir, Earl Vane became 3rd Marquess of Lon- donderry. When he died, his son by his first wife became the th4 Marquess of Londonderry but when he also died (1872) without heir, the title (5th) went to the son of Frances Anne who had married Mary Cornelia, daughter of Sir John Edwards MP, Baronet of Garth, who owned the lands, surface and below, in the district Y Fan. The 6th Marquess was the son of the 5th Marquess and Mary Cornelia. The 6th Marquess married Theresa, daughter of the Earl of Shrewsbury, and their first son (1878) became the 7th Marquess, died 1949. The 7th Mar- quess, as Air Minister, ordered production of Hurricanes and a trial set of Spitfires in 1935, which thwarted the air attack on Britain in WWII. The ownership by Brynlludw came about by the sale (‘forced’, from my recollection of remarks on the radio about 1950 by his sister) to Colonel Ruck by the Executors for the de- ceased 7th Marquess of Londonderry of Seaham cottage (which the Colonel rented at £6-50 per annum) but also burdened by empty underground workings of the Van Mines. Ordnance Survey maps do not reveal the underground mining area. After protest, OS wrote that features not seen on aerial photography are now not put on maps! We have asked for protection of the underground system and related surfaces under Local Development Planning procedure. We get 20 to 50 members of the public each year to Brynlludw and give free admittance subject to permission and under rules of conduct set for conservation and visitor safety. In April 2011, we closed the admission to members of the public because of surface cracking over a land repair by the county council using Euro funds in 1993. Norman and Rita Roberts

59. A Footnote on the Goginan Three-Foot Level The debate on this has now been closed pending new evidence, but there is one aspect, not previously discussed, that I would like to briefly flag up. After reviewing all available sources, I concluded that Matthew Francis’s ‘Roman drift’ ran from Francis’s Shaft eastwards along the lode for a distance of 20 or so fathoms and had, most probably, been driven by William Waller’s miners. Even though Waller’s levels are

- 42 - Newsletter 65 Welsh Mines Society Autumn 2011 likely to have been slimmer than those of Francis’s time, I cannot see them driving a general level only 3 feet by 18 inches so how can this anomaly be explained? What we know about Bushell’s workings to the west is that they have become so crushed as to be no longer accessible. Waller’s workings were on the same vein, of course, and he tells us that he was driving along the soft lode. What then are the chances of his level, driven only 60-odd years after Bushell, escaping the same fate? I would say they are low and suspect that what Francis saw was a level originally of ‘normal’ size that was in the process of being slowly and inexorably squashed, but see no way of verifying this. Roger Bird

[Whilst Roger’s letter above does not present new evidence, it does offer a new hypothesis. Accordingly I have published it and I will accept further correspondence specifically relevant to this contribution in the next issue of the Newsletter. – Ed.]

60. Blasting at Penmaenmawr When I was a student I spent two weeks in the summer of 1951 at the Penmaenmawr quarry in north Wales. The operating company in those days was the Penmaenmawr and Welsh Granite Co. Ltd., although I think a geologist would strictly classify the rock as something other than granite. There were two sections to the quarry, one producing aggregate, the other small one about half a mile away, dressed stone. In the latter, two men worked in the quarry, and three in the dressing sheds. In the small quarry, where I spent my second week, the two quarrymen would drill horizontal holes into the bottom of the rock face about eight feet deep. There were a number of completed holes around the place, and blasting was with black powder. Any freshly drilled hole would be left to cool down, and black powder would be inserted in a hole drilled a day or two earlier. Electric detonators were used, detonated by one of those old plunger activators one sees in old Western movies. Being their guest, they kindly let me be the one to plunge the plunger and set off the charge. The first time this happened, I was most disap- pointed to see, when we went back to the rock face, that there was the rock face as it had been before, with the hole still there at the bottom. Before next blasting time, gunpowder would be charged into another hole, I would be given the chance to plunge the plunger, and again I could see that, apparently, nothing had happened, although the men seemed satisfied. Puzzled, I asked the senior of the two if he could explain what was going on. He scratched his head and said ‘Do you know, I don’t think I could explain in English. I tell you what, I’ll tell Dai here in Welsh, and he can translate!’ The explanation was that the first, small, charge would open cracks in the rock at the back of the hole. They would then leave that hole for a few days to let the rock cool down. The next time they put the gunpowder in, some granules would enter the cracks, so they could double the size of the charge. So it went on, each time the charge being greater. Eventually, the charge was enough to ‘lift’ the boulder off the rock face. Gunpowder, unlike the gelignite used in the main quarry, did not shatter the rock, it just heaved it out. The quarry floor had a number of such boulders lying around. The rock, when in geological times past it had cooled from its original molten state, had cracked along planes of weakness. Now, when a boulder had been heaved out of the rock face, these two men would inspect it and, with a trained eye, spot a small sign as to where one to these planes of weakness were. They would drill in a small hole about six to eight

- 43 - Newsletter 65 Welsh Mines Society Autumn 2011 inches deep, and insert feathers and a wedge. In between drilling new holes, blasting others and so on, they would wander round the quarry with a sledge hammer, giving each wedge a mighty tap as they sauntered leisurely by. Eventually, one day, the boulder would part, on a plane as smooth as a billiard table. They knew where in the quarry there would be planes of weakness at a given distance apart. When I was there, for example, they had had an order for fifty tons of stone eight inches thick – someone wanted to build a garden wall. Another market was for stone liners for grinding mills in the Potteries. The men in the dressing sheds, given slabs of ‘granite’ about three inches thick, could dress it with their hammers into pieces about the size of a house-brick, except that it was four and a half inches across one face, but four and a quarter inches across the other, so when the stones were placed alongside each other, they grew into a cylindrical shape, suitable for lining a grinding mill for the ingredients of fine china pottery without risk of contamination with iron. Tony Brewis

[The above article was originally posted on the mining-history email list 10th June 2011, and is reproduced here (with minor edits) with the author’s permission. – Ed.]

61. Further Information about the Electrical Ore-Finding Company In my paper in The Lode of History about the early history of geophysical prospection in England and Wales I referred to surveys conducted by the Electrical Ore-Finding Company at Cwmystwyth Mine, Central Wales. The company was set up by Leo Daft and Alfred Williams (who was born in Oswestry in 1871). Recently I managed to track down relatives of Alfred Williams living in America, and they provided me with two photographs probably taken by Williams in 1902 when the Cwmystwyth survey was being conducted. One photograph is in a very poor condition and is quite faded and is a view looking down the gully towards the valley floor from Copa Hill. However, the second of these two photographs (opposite, top) shows the equipment set up at the side of one of the upper tramways (from King’s level?). In the paper I also referred to the last survey the Electrical Ore-Finding Company conducted in Britain in 1905 at Dolcoath Mine, Cornwall. I also include this splendid photograph (opposite, bottom). Circumstantial evidence would suggest that it is a J.C. Burrow photograph. It shows Alfred Williams on the left; Carn Brea in the background, with Chap- pel’s shaft engine house (Cooks Kitchen) in the mid-ground. The headgear on the right is on the Eastern or Valley Shaft at Dolcoath. Please contact me if you have any thoughts or observations about the two photographs. Rob Vernon ([email protected])

62. Llanfair Mine, Llanfair Clydogau Following an appeal for information on this mine in Newsletter 63, Item 62, help was duly given and the story of the mine formed part of a local history exhibition held at Llanfair over the August Bank Holiday weekend. The mine appears to have been discovered in the late 1750s and was first worked by Thomas Johnes of Croft Castle and Llanfair, the earliest known report being in a letter of 20th January 1758, when he says, ‘I am glad to hear that I have so much oar at Llanvayre.’ Unfortunately he could not sell the ore at what he thought was a fair price and subsequently

- 44 - Newsletter 65 Welsh Mines Society Autumn 2011

- 45 - Newsletter 65 Welsh Mines Society Autumn 2011 leased both Llanfair and Dolaucothi to Chauncey Townsend in 1763. The story thereafter is as related by George Hall in his book. Llanfair achieved fame by having 80 ounces of silver per ton of lead metal, but the ore body was not very large and most adventurers there seem to have struggled to make the mine pay. There are few visible remains and these are on private land with some access problems. Roger Bird

63. Cwmerfyn My friend Gerwyn Evans turned up this postcard photograph of Cwmerfyn mine whilst doing some local research. The photograph was taken a little before September 1909 and presents a scene of devastation compared with the one taken sometime before 1870 (possibly as early as 1865) preserved at the National Library and reproduced in The Old Metal Mines of Mid-Wales part 3, page 7. The waterwheel in the foreground was linked to the pumps by way of rods through the arched culvert into the Engine shaft, the remnants of the shear legs survive but the shaft is now lacking its substantial capstan so conspicuous in the earlier scene. To its right, the remains of the smithy stood until a land reclamation scheme was commenced in the 1990s. Note the lack of the pump rod which is clearly visible in the earlier photograph. In line with the pumping wheel and Engine shaft, but further up the hillside, a smaller waterwheel can be seen which drove the drawing engine, the head-stock of which seems a little more intact than at the Engine shaft. This shaft remains open but is now capped. Above and to the right the dumps from the open workings and Williams’s adit are clearly discernible, whilst to the left are the ruins of ore-chutes and the back walls of the largely wooden dressing sheds.

- 46 - Newsletter 65 Welsh Mines Society Autumn 2011 I have some poor photographs taken around 1900, when Captain Northey was trying to revive the mine, and it is quite obvious that the mine had been salvaged by this date. Simon J.S. Hughes

64. Wind Farm Proposals The Welsh Government have published a series of documents and maps under the general title Technical Advice Note (TAN) 8: Planning for Renewable Energy (2005). Since the publication of TAN 8 there have been some policy and legislative changes. Annex A of the Chief Planning Officers (CPOs) Publication of Planning Policy Wales Edition 4, February 2011 letter sets out these changes and should be read alongside TAN 8. Map 5 of these documents encompasses an extensive area of non-ferrous mines around Nant y Moch, Ceredigion, and maps 6 and 7 encompass extensive areas of coal mining in the western part of the south Wales coalfield. The construction of access roads and of turbine bases may impact upon mining remains. Whilst the usual planning channels ensure that the relevant archaeological trusts and other bodies are consulted, as so few metal mining sites and structures have benefited from statutory protection, there is merit in WMS members keeping abreast of possible developments that are local to them or which may occur in areas in which they have research interests, and for they and/or WMS to make appropriate representation at the public consultation stage of any concrete proposals. The documents and maps are available for download at http://wales.gov.uk/topics/planning/policy/tans/tan8/?lang=en Robert Protheroe Jones

Membership

65. Subscriptions for 2012 WMS membership with BCA overground insurance is £10 (includes Newsletter) WMS membership with BCA underground insurance is £21 (includes Newsletter) WMS membership where you are BCA insured via another club is £5 (you only have to pay the BCA insurance premium once) WMS Newsletter only subscription is £5

You must have a current BCA insurance to be a member and only BCA insured members may attend WMS field trip meetings. Where two members live at the same address (and receive only one newsletter) there is a £3 discount per year from the total fees payable. Your current subscription status is shown on the Newsletter envelope label. Example: Member 1 – Overground insurance £10 Member 2 – Underground insurance £21 less same address discount - £3 Total payable for 2012 £28

Cheques (payable to Welsh Mines Society) should be sent to David Roe, 20, Lutterburn

- 47 - Newsletter 65 Welsh Mines Society Autumn 2011 Street, Ugborough, Ivybridge, Devon PL21 0NG For details of the BCA insurance visit the BCA website british-caving.org.uk/?page=3

66. New Members The Society welcomes the following new (or rejoining) members: Eileen Bowen Springfields, Station Road, Llanymynech SY22 6ED Alex Foster Redbrook House, Lower Farm, Tibberton, Glos, GL19 3AQ Mike Worsfold Springfields, Station Road, Llanymynech SY22 6ED [email protected] 67. Directory Changes notified since the 2009 Directory are: Joe Brown The Brotherhood Church, New Road, Stapleton, Pontefract WF8 3DF 07946 535745 Bracken Gibson The Brotherhood Church, New Road, Stapleton, Pontefract WF8 3DF 07946 535745 Alan and Helen Holmes [email protected] Martin Long [email protected] Mike Munro [email protected]

Please let David Roe [email protected] (postal address above) know of any changes to your postal or email address, phone number or interests so that the Directory can be kept up to date.

Tailings

Acknowledgements Many thanks to all those who have provided me with contributions and feedback for the Newsletter. Items are credited to the contributor, unless written by me (Dave Linton) with the Editor’s hat on. Thanks are also due as usual to my partner Pam Cope, who has given me the benefit of her professional expertise on the typographical and copy editorial aspects of this issue, and to David Roe, who looks after distribution of the Newsletter.

Copy Date for the next Newsletter is 15th March 2012 (although earlier contributions make the Editor’s task considerably easier and increase the chance that he’ll be able to fit your material in) with publication due mid-April. Contributions should be sent by email to editor@ welshmines.org. When items include illustrations, these should be supplied as individual graphics files (ideally in TIFF format) rather than in the body of the contribution.

Opinions expressed in this publication are those of the contributors and do not necessarily reflect policy or the opinion of the Welsh Mines Society or its officers. Letters addressed to the Editor will be assumed to be for publication unless otherwise stated. It is the responsibility of contributors to ensure that all necessary permissions, particularly for the reproduction of illustrations, are obtained. Contributors retain copyright in items published and material in this Newsletter must not be reproduced without the contributor’s express permission.

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