The Liskeard Mining District in 1863

Brenton Symons’s 1863 map of the Liskeard Mining District explored

The kindle and paperback editions of ‘The Mining District of Liskeard in 1863′  is an adaption of  Brenton Symons’ fascinating geological map of the Liskeard Mining District; a map printed  at the peak of the district’s production, at a time when the mines around Caradon Hill dominated the Cornish Mining Industry.

Theses books contain much more than just images of the map. Each extract has a summary  of the mine’s operations in 1863,  along with a potted history of its sett. The result is a handy guide to mines of the Caradon, Menheniot and Liskeard  areas.

Buying the Books on Amazon

Click to buy the paperback on Amazon>
Click to buy the Kindle book on Amazon>

Adapting the Map

My objective was to transfer the previous CD-ROM edition of Symons’ map into a version that was easy to use whilst exploring the mine sites, whilst supplementing the paperback edition of Webb and Geach.

• Click to learn more about the Webb and Geach Publication>

On tablets,  the aim is achieved well, but  on the eink readers the lack of colour does not do the maps full justice. However, the text content of the book is of value on the traditional kindles.  If eink reader is your platform then It may be a good idea to try a sample first.

The paperback is in full colour, and the map extracts reproduce really well. Its size and format make it an excellent reference to take out and about when exploring the area.  It is also a great resource to have open alongside other publications when researching the mining history of Cornwall.

There are some elements of the CD-ROM that did not find an appropriate home in the new books,  these will be incorporated into posts on this blog. 

Index of Liskeard Mining District in  1863 Posts

The Map

• Brenton Symons’ map
• Brenton Symons’ map overlayed onto a modern map 

The Geology

• Victorian geological map of Liskeard versus the modern Map
• Where is the granite boundary in Caradon?
• Bodmin Moor Granite, was Brenton Symons Right?
• The Geology of the Caradon district described by Brenton Symons
• The Geology of Caradon Hill- Cross-courses
• The Geology of Caradon- The lodes

Some of the Mines

• Webb and Geach Explored-Wheal Venton
• Webb and Geach Explored-West Craddock Moor Mine
• A map of South Caradon Mine in 1863
• Phoenix United as shown on Brenton Symons’ 1863 Map