Mining on Exmoor

MINING ON EXMOOR

Exmoor had been quarried and mined for centuries. Now and again a speculator, like Michael Wynston in 1550, was allowed to dig for minerals. The ‘Roman Lode’ working west of Simonsbath has been ascribed to him but may be earlier. The most notorious mine on Exmoor was Wheal Eliza near Simonsbath [see separate article] but there were many others in the later 19th century. In the 1850s Frederick Knight began his mineral line across Exmoor parish to Porlock but the iron ore was insufficient to meet the expense so the scheme was abandoned.

The success of the nearby Brendon Hill iron mines probably led to a revival of mining in the area but there were transport difficulties and thin lodes produced small quantities although often high quality. Devon and Somerset were significant producers of copper before 1900 but iron from both counties, although produced in quantity, was less than 1% of national production. Mining was expensive. Exploration costs were high and might not lead to workable ore. Shafts and adits had to be dug out and labour was scarce in Exmoor. It was therefore necessary to create housing for miners. The Dowlais Iron Company worked iron mines at Hangley Cleave and Cornham Ford, east of Simonsbath, in the 1850s. At Cornham Ford six cottages were built for miners with an office for the company but the mines closed and in 1871 all six cottages were uninhabited and later fell into ruin.

There were many mines operating on Exmoor in the mid 19th century and in the early years of the 20th. Some of the more important are listed below. Shafts and spoil heaps litter the moors and are not always marked on maps although most are recorded on the Somerset Heritage Environment Register from which most of the following notes are taken. Care should be taken when walking in the area.

Blue gate

Not far from the 19th-century Cornham Ford workings, new shafts were sunk in 1910 at Blue Gate and produced 1,700 tons of iron-rich ore, but closed 1914. In 1912 other adits were dug nearby in an attempt to follow the lode.

Deer Park

This mine comprises several shafts and adits. The first shaft was sunk in 1853 and between 1854 and 1857 produced 800 tons before being abandoned. There was some reworking in the early 20th century. The mine had engine and powder houses and a tramway on a raised causeway.

Hangley Cleave

This mine was operated between 1856 and 1857 by the Dowlais Iron Company but there were said to be older workings on the site. A long adit was driven but few reserves were found and after 1,200 tons had been raised the mine was abandoned. The site is well preserved although grassed over and the entrances have been blocked. Ther are fragments of the mine tramway.

Honeymead

This mine produced iron for the Plymouth Iron Company between 1857—8 but it was not profitable and had closed by 1859. The well-preserved stone-lined and arched adit shows that a great deal was expended on the mine. There is evidence for winding gear at the shaft and a building on the site. Some open-cast working was carried out nearby. The massive spoil heap stands near the stream, which flows out of the adit.

Roman Lode

This mine near Cornham Ford may be the site of the 16th-century trial mine. It was explored by Frederic Knight in 1854 as a result of which the Dowlais Iron Company started mining in 1855. The mine comprised four adits and several shafts. Total of 4 adits were dug as well as several shafts. A 20ft water wheel was erected at Cornham Bridge to remove water from mines. The operation was never profitable due to the high transportation costs and the small amounts of ore and the mines closed c 1860.

An attempt was made to rework the mine after 1908 with a tramway built to the road in 1912. It is probable that the 19th-century spoil heaps were reworked and waste used to fill old shafts and workings. A new shaft may have been dug at Burcombe where evidence for a track and tramway can still be seen. The mine was abandoned before the First World War.

Picked Stones

This is one of the mines identified by Frederick Knight in 1854 and exploited by Plymouth Iron Company between 1857-58. A shaft and adit were sunk near the Cow Castle hillfort and accommodation provided for miners. The cottages were converted from two cattle sheds and consisted of a living room and 2 bedrooms all on the ground floor. Reserves of ore were thin and mining was soon given up. By 1861 the miners had gone and their cottages had been abandoned. The mine reworked between 1911 and 1913 but with little success due to lack of efficient transport. A horse-drawn tramway was constructed to the lane where there was a depot.[1]

copyright

Mary SuiratPage 1 Exmoor Reference

[1] Somerset CC, Heritage Environment Register.