The Mines listed in “Great Rock -Devon’s Last Metal Mine”

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Great Rock -Devon’s Last Metal Mine

Sydney Preston is 2nd man from the right wearing flat cap- Copyright Navsbooks.

This list of Dartmoor Mines comes from a book with which I have personnel connections.  Great Rock Mine was the Dartmoor mine at which my Grandfather, Sydney Preston worked all his life, from the age 13 to retirement.

The mines described in the book differed from all the others shown on the interactive bibliography map in the mineral that they extracted. For it was not tin, copper, arsenic or lead that they pulled from the ground, but a peculiar iron ore called micaceous hematite, otherwise called ‘Shiny ore’. Micaceous hematite resembles glitter, and was used as a pigment in anti-corrosion paint.

Click here for the interactive bibliography map of Dartmoor Mines>

The Book

This excellent book was written by Tony Brooks and published by  Cornish Hillside Publications in 2004.  The major part of the book describes Great Rock Mine, but it also contains descriptions of the other micaceous hematite mines located in the area on the east side of Dartmoor.

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The very poor mineral deposits now make it completely impossible to continue to operate the Company. It is with great regret that we have to give official notice of termination of employment to all employees….30 June 1969

The Mines

Mines of the Wray Valley

Hawkmoor page 155 SX799818  NLS

Kelly page 156 SX796818 NLS

Plumley page 157 SX804806 NLS

Shaptor page 157 SX806809 NLS

Wray page 158 SX771848 NLS

Moorwood page 158 SX776837 NLS

Slade  page 162 SX797816 NLS 

Mines around Great Rock

Bowden Hill page 163 SX822810 NLS

Shuttamoor page 164 SX823829 NLS

Sycamore page 167 SX825828 NLS

The Dartmoor Tin Industry- List of Mines

Navsbooks>Industrial Dartmoor>The Dartmoor Tin Industry

This is one of the smaller books I’ve pulled off my bookshelf to research this series of posts, and predictably has one of the smaller lists of mines. And yet, those mines listed are some of the most important on the moor. Their importance arises from their selection by the author to illustrate Dartmoor mining through visible remains.

Click here for the interactive bibliography map of Dartmoor Mines>

The Book

The Dartmoor Tin Industry

A Field Guide

By Phil Newman

Published in 1998 by  Chercombe Press.

This book tells the amazing story of tin extraction on Dartmoor through  the Industrial Archaeology of the moor. Each chapter includes examples of remains on the moor that can be visited to bring the topic to life.

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The Contents

• Historical background
• Extraction – Streamworks, Lode works
• Tin Mills – Blowing mills, stamping and crazing mills, Dressing floors
• Tinners’ Huts-Tinners caches
• The Later Period – underground mining, Dressing floors, Other above-ground features
• Glossary

The mines listed in this post are all referred to in the chapter covering ‘The Later Period’. Page 66

The Mines

Brimpts Mine SX 6655 7385 (centre) NLS

Bush Down SX6800 8180 NLS

East Hugh’s Mine SX5925 6995 NLS

Eylesbarrow Tin Mine SX5980 6910 NLS

Gobbett Mine SX6456 7282 NLS

Golden Dagger SX6830 8020 NLS

Hexworthy SX6605 7110 Lower dressing floor NLS

Hexworthy SX6566 7082 Upper dressing floor NLS

Hexworthy  SX6644 7190 Turbine house NLS

Huntingdon Mine  SX6658 6650 Pumping Wheelpit NLS

Keaglesborough  SX5737 7012 NLS

Plym Consols SX5860 6988 NLS

Ringleshuttes SX6753 6987 engine house NLS

Steeperton Tor Mine SX6140 8840 NLS

Vitifer and Birch Tor SX680 810 NLS

Wheal Betsy SX5102 8138 NLS

Wheal Caroline SX668 812 NLS

Wheal Cumpston SX6717 7235 NLS

Wheal Fortune SX5493 7540 NLS

Wheal Frederick SX5457 8540 NLS

Whiteworks SX613 710 NLS

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