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  • 21 Aug, 2019

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Botallack Mine
The Botallack Mine (Cornish: Bostalek) is a former mine in Botallack in the west of Cornwall, UK. Since 2006 it has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site – Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape. The mine is within the Aire Point to Carrick Du Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and the South West Coast Path passes along the cliff.

Location

The village of Botallack is on the B3306 road, in a former tin and copper mining area between the town of St Just in Penwith and the village of Pendeen.

History

Botallack was a submarine mine with tunnels extending under the sea, in places for half a mile. Over its recorded lifetime the mine produced around 14,500 tonnes of tin, 20,000 tonnes of copper, and 1,500 tonnes of arsenic. An estimated 1.5 million tonnes of waste would have been dug up with the minerals. It is unclear how far back mining activity goes in this location. Early records date from the 1500s. Some archaeological evidence points to mining here in the Roman era or even as far back as the Bronze Age.

Henry Boynes was captain of the mine in the early 18th-century and opened a ″deep adit level,″ which was driven to the Corpus Christi lode in the higher mine. The first steam-engine was put to work at Carnyorth Moor (later part of the Botallack sett) in either 1795 or about 1810, depending on the source. In the first half of the 19th-century, the average price of Botallack tin was £64 4s a ton. The abolition of tin duty of 4s per 120 lbs to the Duke of Cornwall in 1838 helped to keep the mine operating despite a decline in the price of tin to £45 per ton. In the 1860s a new diagonal shaft was dug. A visit by the Prince and Princess of Wales in 1865, when they descended the shaft, created a mini-boom in tourism, causing the mine operators to charge visitors a guinea per person.

An increasing supply of tin – initially from Malaysia, Banka Island, and Sumatra, and in the 1870s onwards from Australia – along with a fall in demand for tinplate in the American market, caused the price of tin to fall, causing many Cornish mines to close. The managers decided in January 1883 to stop the Botallack and Crowns engines, because the number of men employed below ground was not sufficient to meet the costs of keeping the engines going. On 2 October 1883 the recently renewed setts, which extended over 2 miles (3.2 km) – comprising Wheal Cock, the Crowns, Carnyorth and Higher Mine – were put up for auction as a ″going concern.″ It included four pumping and three winding engines, two steam stamps, plus other appliances. At the auction it was stated that the mine ″... only needs from £20,000 to £25,000 to be put in good working order, ...″ There were no bids for the mine.

The following shafts were working in 1884,

  • Botallack engine-shaft, 220 fathoms (1,320 ft; 400 m) deep and worked with a 30 inches (760 mm) cylinder
  • Crowns engine-shaft, 130 fathoms (780 ft; 240 m) deep and worked with a 36 inches (910 mm) cylinder
  • Wheal Cock engine-shaft, 160 fathoms (960 ft; 290 m) deep and worked with a 30 inches (760 mm) cylinder
  • Carnyorth engine-shaft, 130 fathoms (780 ft; 240 m) deep and worked with a 30 inches (760 mm) cylinder
  • Wheal Cock skip-shaft, 170 fathoms (1,020 ft; 310 m) deep
  • Botallack skip-shaft, 205 fathoms (1,230 ft; 375 m) deep
  • Carnyorth skip-shaft, 124 fathoms (744 ft; 227 m) deep
  • Wheal Hazzard skip-shaft, 100 fathoms (600 ft; 180 m) deep
  • Chy Cornish skip-shaft, 100 fathoms (600 ft; 180 m) deep
  • Pearce's skip-shaft, 130 fathoms (780 ft; 240 m) deep
  • Bullion skip-shaft, 185 fathoms (1,110 ft; 338 m) deep
  • Durloe skip-shaft, 70 fathoms (420 ft; 130 m) deep
  • Rodd's skip-shaft, 60 fathoms (360 ft; 110 m) deep
  • Boscawen diagonal-shaft, about 500 fathoms (3,000 ft; 910 m) long, perpendicular depth 240 fathoms (1,440 ft; 440 m) and 300 fathoms (1,800 ft; 550 m) under the sea
  • Approximately 10 other shafts varying in depth from a few fathoms to 50 fathoms (300 ft; 91 m) deep.

Other engines,

  • Botallack stamping-engine, 30 inches (760 mm) cylinder
  • Carnyorth stamping-engine, 24 inches (610 mm) cylinder
  • Carn whim, 27 inches (690 mm) cylinder
  • Davy's whim (Botallack), 26.5 inches (670 mm) cylinder
  • Carnyorth, 22 inches (560 mm) cylinder
  • saw-mill, 14 inches (360 mm) cylinder
  • air-compressor, 14 inches (360 mm) cylinder.

A total of 265 workers were employed and the monthly wage was approximately £800 per month.

Men Boys Girls Total
Underground 140 20 0 160
Surface, dressing ore 18 20 17 55
Surface, other 45 2 3 50

The average monthly yield of the mine was about 19 tons of tin, 3 tons of copper and 4 tons of arsenic.

The mine closed in 1895 as a result of falling tin and copper prices.

The mining developments around Botallack form part of the St Just mining district's successful inclusion in the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape World Heritage Site, which was inscribed in July 2006.

Description

Arsenic labyrinth at Botallack

The engine houses in the Crowns section of Botallack Mine are set low down the cliffs north of Botallack. There are two engine houses and the remains of another pair on the cliff slopes above; the mine extends for about 400 metres out under the Atlantic ocean; the deepest shaft is 250 fathoms (about 500 metres) below sea level. The workings of Botallack Mine extend inland as far as the St Just to St Ives road, and at times included Wheal Cock further to the north-east.

The mine buildings on Botallack Cliffs are protected by the National Trust. There are two arsenic works opposite the Botallack Mine count house. At the top of the cliffs there is also the remains of one of the mine's arsenic-refining works.

The mineral Botallackite has its type locality here.

The mine is the setting for R.M. Ballantyne's Deep Down.

The 1970s BBC television series Poldark was filmed partly in Botallack, using Manor Farm as Nampara. More recently, filming for the new Poldark series also took place here.

Mineral Statistics

From Robert Hunt's Mineral Statistics of the United Kingdom.

Copper Production (1845-1895)
Year(s) Ore (Tons) Metal (Tons) Value (£)
1845 1,274.00 140.70 9,656.50
1846 513.00 58.80 3,338.10
1847 251.00 23.90 1,551.10
1848 75.00 7.00 370.80
1850 147.00 16.40 1,099.40
1851 212.00 21.90 1,457.70
1852 629.00 60.90 5,036.50
1853 1,001.00 93.40 9,248.40
1854 1,453.00 203.80 21,635.50
1855 973.00 133.80 14,311.20
1856 651.00 83.30 8,201.60
1857 985.00 110.10 11,427.00
1858 576.00 70.20 6,680.80
1859 330.00 42.00 4,038.50
1860 331.00 46.70 4,423.90
1861 509.00 51.80 4,642.90
1862 539.00 48.00 3,871.70
1863 541.00 48.90 3,783.00
1864 217.00 16.00 1,307.10
1865 369.00 40.30 3,244.70
1866 467.00 61.70 4,296.30
1867 434.00 50.80 3,586.30
1868 434.00 53.90 3,596.30
1869 83.00 9.10 584.80
1870 32.00 3.60 213.60
1872 56.00 10.20 740.30
1873 55.00 12.70 844.00
1874 161.00 26.10 1,942.50
1875 428.00 62.90 4,597.30
1876 430.00 53.20 3,686.10
1877 136.70 18.60 1,101.60
1878 158.10 19.40 963.10
1879 131.20 16.10 897.20
1880 129.00 14.30 847.00
1881 187.60 21.50 1,178.10
1882 32.00 3.10 238.00
1883 64.00 6.30 575.00
1884 18.00 .. 175.00
1885 7.00 .. 72.00
1886 9.00 .. 76.00
1887 10.00 .. 107.00
1888 15.00 .. 188.00
1889 43.00 .. 312.00
1891 9.00 .. 136.00
1894 12.00 .. 136.00
1895 18.00 .. 90.00
Tin Production (1853-1985)
Year(s) Black (Tons) Tin (Tons) Value (£)
1853 147.40 .. 8,656.80
1854 147.10 .. 10,842.10
1855 142.70 .. 9,590.20
1856 149.00 .. 13,285.50
1857 172.30 .. 14,254.60
1858 202.20 .. 12,861.60
1859 153.10 .. 12,308.30
1860 183.10 .. 15,302.90
1861 201.60 .. 15,233.60
1862 440.10 .. 30,645.20
1863 413.50 .. 28,967.60
1864 425.70 .. 28,857.20
1865 390.10 .. 22,107.40
1866 342.80 .. 17,620.90
1867 202.50 .. 10,632.50
1868 375.30 .. 21,381.70
1869 525.20 .. 38,268.60
1870 446.90 .. 33,760.50
1871 497.70 .. 39,552.00
1872 391.70 .. 34,224.10
1873 352.50 .. 27,392.20
1874 401.50 .. 22,717.40
1875 358.30 .. 18,556.20
1876 323.50 .. 14,318.00
1877 433.70 .. 17,577.50
1878 477.80 .. 16,882.00
1879 501.10 .. 20,355.50
1880 389.00 .. 20,557.00
1881 245.40 162.60 13,572.50
1882 210.00 147.00 12,659.00
1883 192.00 .. 10,226.00
1884 231.10 .. 10,389.00
1885 271.20 .. 12,886.00
1886 318.80 .. 17,960.00
1887 338.50 .. 21,586.00
1888 284.20 .. 18,259.00
1889 334.20 .. 17,757.00
1890 415.50 .. 22,476.00
1891 361.50 .. 18,882.00
1892 350.00 .. 18,468.00
1893 402.00 .. 19,164.00
1894 390.00 .. 15,424.00
1895 65.50 .. 2,070.00
1896 no-details .. ..
1899 36.00 .. 2,208.00
1900 29.00 .. 1,769.00
1901 62.00 .. 3,410.00
1902 53.00 .. 3,445.00
1903 48.40 .. 3,144.00
1904 54.00 .. 2,921.00
1905 50.60 .. 3,872.00
1906 49.50 .. 4,784.00
1908 44.70 .. 3,346.00
1909 135.40 .. 10,398.00
1910 86.90 .. 7,506.00
1911 95.50 .. 10,453.00
1912 121.50 .. 15,669.00
1913 156.40 .. 18,498.00
1914 37.10 .. 3,370.00
1914 no-details .. ..
1985 no-details .. ..
Arsenic Production (1875-1895)
Year(s) Ore (Tons) Value (£)
1875 16.20 71.60
1876 97.00 353.20
1877 135.40 472.80
1878 72.60 97.90
1879 114.90 378.00
1880 60.00 306.00
1881 69.30 264.00
1882 72.00 266.00
1883 69.00 254.00
1884 78.60 312.00
1885 41.80 167.00
1886 35.00 140.00
1887 35.00 155.00
1888 40.00 178.00
1889 95.00 382.00
1890 108.00 512.00
1891 79.00 390.00
1892 94.00 462.00
1893 95.00 486.00
1894 98.00 635.00
1895 20.00 100.00
Employment (1878-1913)
Year(s) Total Overground Underground
1878 409 158 251
1879 407 153 254
1880 312 110 202
1881 289 105 184
1882 297 97 200
1883 215 80 135
1884 196 66 130
1885 256 90 166
1886 279 97 182
1887 292 104 188
1888 315 126 189
1889 409 172 237
1890 405 168 237
1891 349 153 196
1892 369 156 213
1893 367 161 206
1894 249 116 133
1895 6 6 ..
1899 40 33 7
1900 46 38 8
1901 43 38 5
1902 40 35 5
1904 42 42 ..
1905 37 37 ..
1906 73 65 8
1907 200 125 75
1908 240 132 108
1909 242 133 109
1910 233 111 122
1911 276 101 175
1912 268 110 158
1913 275 94 181

See also

References

  1. ^ OS Explorer 102 Land's End (Map). Southampton: Ordnance Survey. 2015. ISBN 978 0 319 24304 6.
  2. ^ "Botallack". National Trust. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
  3. ^ Boynes (alias Ouit) (15 November 1883). "The Industries of Penzance and its Neighbourhood. No XX. The MIning of St. Just. I – History of the District". The Cornishman. No. 279. p. 6.
  4. ^ "The Stoppage Of Part Of Botallack". The Cornishman. No. 236. 18 January 1883. p. 5.
  5. ^ "Sale by Auction. Botallack, Cornwall". The Cornishman. No. 269. 6 September 1883. p. 1.
  6. ^ "Botallack In The Market". The Cornishman. No. 273. 4 October 1883. p. 5.
  7. ^ Boynes (alias Ouit) (20 March 1884). "The Industries of Penzance and its Neighbourhood. No XX. The Mines of St Just. 5-Botallack Mine. (concluded)". The Cornishman. No. 297. p. 6.
  8. ^ "Seven Man Made Wonders". BBC. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
  9. ^ "Botallackite". mindat.org. Hudson Institute of Mineralogy. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
  10. ^ Ballantyne, R.M. (2007). Deep Down. San Antonio: The Vision Forum, Inc. p. 49. ISBN 9781934554104.
  11. ^ "Film & Television Locations in Cornwall". Cornwall Calling. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
  12. ^ Burt, Roger; Burnley, Ray; Gill, Michael; Neill, Alasdair (2014). Mining in Cornwall and Devon: Mines and Men. University of Exeter Press. ISBN 978-0-85989-889-8.
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