C A T The Newsletter of the Cumbria Amenity Trust Mining History Society John Brown, barrowing spoil from Kernal Level, Coniston No. 87 May 2007 Cumbria Amenity Trust Mining History Society Newsletter No 87, May 2007. Contents: Membership Page 2 News Editorial Page 2 Menbership Page 2 Obituary , Dr Ian Goodall Page 2 Newland Furnace Page 2 Library & Archive Page 3 CATMHS Journal Number Seven Page 3 Coniston Trail Guide Project Page 3 Mines Forum meeting, 2nd March 07 Page 4 Paddy End Survey Page 7 Purchase of GPS Survey equipment Page 7 OAN survey training Page 7 News from NAMHO Page 8 Mandall’s Office Page 11 Meets Greenside, 25th March Page 12 Kernal Level, Coniston Page 13 Small Artefact Competition Page 16 Middlecleugh second diary report Page 17 Articles Old photographs of Coniston copper mines Page 19 Old Man Days Page 20 The Gold Mines of Thames Page 22 Minutes CAT minutes, Page 37 Mystery picture – A response Inside back cover Society Officers and Committee Members Back cover Editorial These plans have been used by I’ve been complaining about the lack ourselves and our contractors as the of reporting of CAT meets and field starting point for all of the drawings activities, so I was delighted to receive required for our work since that date. twenty pages of reports for the last newsletter, which gave me problems Ian was well known and respected for fitting it all in! Well done everyone, his work on many historical Lake keep it up please. District buildings including Sizergh Castle, near Kendal. Membership We would like to welcome some new Ian valued the work we are attempting members: at Newland and whenever I met him was always eager to hear of our David Young, from Barnard Castle, Co progress and add his encouragement. Durham. David is a member of He will be greatly missed. Durham Dales mining Society and says John Helme. that he is good at digging in bad ground. Might be useful at Coniston then! He is a brewery contractor. News Hmm. Newland Furnace The AGM of the Newland Furnace Anthony Holland and Wendy Brown, Trust was held on 22nd February at the from Barrow in Furness. Anthony is a Hare & Hounds, Levens, followed by a purchasing manager and is interested committee meeting. in underground photography. He says that he can locate and procure The Chairman reported on progress equipment at good rates, including the leading up to what is hoped will be the hire of industrial equipment. last major piece of work, the capping of the furnace stack. Its completion Ian Davies, from Eccles, in should ensure its longevity. English Manchester. Ian is an ex history Heritage have approved the plan and teacher and has some practical have agreed to provide some funding industrial archaeology experience. for the work. Scaffolding has been erected inside the stack and casting of Obituary the smaller imitation fire bricks Dr Ian Goodall required to complete the furnace It was with regret and surprise that I chimney stack has begun. CAT has read in a report of the LDNPA Autumn offered to assist with the work if Conference that Ian Goodall had died. required. He led the team from the “Royal Following a survey by Oxford Commission on the Historical Archaeology North, the stack will be Monuments of England” who spent built up approximately three feet about two weeks compiling the survey higher and then capped with a of the Newland Furnace complex in membrane and slate paving. A linear 1997. This report, published by drain would lead by pipe-work into the English Heritage in 2001, drew blowing chamber and thence to a soak- together the known history and away in the wheel pit. Oxford produced excellent scale drawings and Archaeology North are to be asked to plans of the site and its buildings. carry out a photographic survey. 2 CATMS Library As you will know, we recently moved the CATMHS Library and Archive to the Ruskin Museum at Coniston. Don Borthwick agreed to become our Librarian and Archivist, and was duly elected at the AGM. Since then Don and Sheila have made several visits in order to update the catalogue and reference new material. Don has found a way of updating the old electronic cardfile index to make it useable with current computer software. As with most archives we have over the years acquired material that people no longer want but don’t want to throw away. Consequently there is material that is not really relevant to our interests and some duplication. Don intends to rationalize the collection, and perhaps hold a sale! CATMHS Journal No 6 Following my request for articles for We are thinking of applying for grant Journal Six of the Mine Explorer, I aid to help with the printing costs, and have been promised about 12 articles, a meeting was held with the LDNPA which means that the project is viable archaeologists to discuss the best way and will go ahead. There is still room to do so. for additional contributions, so if there is something that you have been John Hodgson pointed out at the start meaning to write about for years but that any discussions would be not quite got round to, then please let coloured by the prospective LDNPA me know, and do it now. project for the whole of their area involving big funding. CATMHS Coniston Trail Guide Project would be invited to be partners, but he In 1989 Peter Fleming produced a trail was reluctant to do anything on our leaflet for the Coniston Coppermines behalf that might affect his own Valley. Alastair Cameron added two application. more on Coniston and Tilberthwaite slate and Sam Murphy wrote a leaflet Funding might be attracted if there was on the Greenside area. The Coniston a free element to the leaflet sells about 500 copies each publications. Publishing on the web year, but the leaflets are now a bit might meet this requirement whilst at dated and need modernising. We the same time allowing us to sell decided to start by revising the layout printed versions. The finished product of the Coppermines version, and Mike would be on A3, and it is felt that Mitchell has spent a considerable people seeing it on the web would amount of time re-drawing the trail prefer to buy a printed copy rather than map. His latest draft is shown here. download and print out their own. 3 Mines Forum meeting, 2nd March 07 display in the museum which might need to be protected. The meeting was hosted by CAT at the Ruskin Museum in Coniston. Present Roundup: were: CATMHS. Eleanor Kingston, LDNPA Sheila Barker reported that the Jamie Lund, National Trust conservation work at Middlecleugh Penny Webb, National Trust Mine at Nenthead was nearly finished; Mike Mitchell, COMRU two more work days would be Alastair Cameron, Coniston Local required. It was hoped that work on History Group Kernal Level at Coniston would begin Donald Angus, MOLES soon. CATMHS were required to give Sheila Barker, CATMHS a month’s notice before starting work. Peter Fleming, CATMHS The issue of where to dispose of spoil Ian Matheson, CATMHS had not yet been resolved. She reported that the CAT archive had been Matters arising from the last relocated to the Ruskin Museum, and meeting: that the Society were considering the Moles had made a proposal to open purchase of GPS surveying and and clear the Carrock mine adit of silt. mapping instruments. Peter Fleming pointed out that he had Ian Matheson reported that the results proposed this to John Hodgson in of the Geo-physical survey carried out 2004, and produced letters to that at Coniston lat August should be effect, but nothing had yet been done. available soon. The student involved Alastair Cameron suggested that if we had presented a paper on the project in prepared a work plan then it might help London, and was required to complete to get things started. Eleanor Kingston his dissertation in March. agreed, and asked for an outline plan to CAT are considering purchasing a GPS submit to English Heritage and to survey instrument for above ground Dalemain Estates, who are the owners. surveying. CATMHS are still awaiting news of MOLES the decision regarding their application Work at Yewthwaite mine was on- to English Heritage for listing of going. The dig had been taken in at the Mandel’s Office, at Coniston. top without regard for drainage so that water had to be pumped out. There Nothing has been done regarding were two siphons in use. Silverband mine, which has recently been abandoned. It was reported that Coniston Local History Group contractors were erecting safety Alastair Cameron reported on progress fencing, but the main building had not by the Oral History Group. A list had been secured. been compiled of the people to be interviewed, and these were put into Donald Angus reported that MOLES one of three priority groups according had had a good look around Florence to age. Groups A and B have been Mine a few weeks ago. He asked if completed; group C, the under 65’s is pumping had stopped, but no one knew ongoing. the answer. Sheila Barker added that CATMHS owned some artefacts on Work to survey the Coniston Old Man slate workings is going well. They are 4 using three GPS instruments and Alderley Edge. The NT are working downloading the information into with Derbyshire Caving Club to Excel to provide a graph. They are combat erosion and carry out rescue currently surveying Spion Kop (CAT archaeology.