![Micaceous_hematite](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/69/Micaceous_hematite.jpg)
Kelly Mine is a disused
metalliferous mine situated on the eastern flank of
Dartmoor
Dartmoor is an upland area in southern Devon, England. The moorland and surrounding land has been protected by National Park status since 1951. Dartmoor National Park covers .
The granite which forms the uplands dates from the Carboniferous ...
near the village of
Lustleigh
Lustleigh is a small village and civil parish nestled in the Wrey Valley, inside the Dartmoor National Park in Devon, England. It is between the towns of Bovey Tracey and Moretonhampstead.
The village is focused around the parish church of St ...
in
Devon
Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...
, England. It was intermittently operational from the 1790s until 1951. It is one of some ten mines and two or three trials within the triangle formed by the towns of
Bovey Tracey
Bovey Tracey () is a small town and civil parish in Devon, England, on the edge of Dartmoor, its proximity to which gives rise to the "slogan" used on the town's boundary signs, "The Gateway to the Moor". It is often known locally as "Bovey". It ...
and
Moretonhampstead
Moretonhampstead (anciently ''Moreton Hampstead'') is a market town, parish and ancient manor in Devon, situated on the north-eastern edge of Dartmoor, within the Dartmoor National Park. The parish now includes the hamlet of Doccombe (), and i ...
and the village of
Hennock
Hennock is a village and civil parish about 3 miles west north west of Chudleigh, in the Teignbridge district, in the county of Devon, England. In 2011 the parish had a population of 1747. The parish touches Bovey Tracey, Kingsteignton, Christow ...
, which worked deposits of micaceous
haematite
Hematite (), also spelled as haematite, is a common iron oxide compound with the formula, Fe2O3 and is widely found in rocks and soils. Hematite crystals belong to the rhombohedral lattice system which is designated the alpha polymorph of . ...
, known as "shiny ore". Since 1984 the mine has been the subject of a volunteer restoration project.
Micaceous haematite
Micaceous
haematite
Hematite (), also spelled as haematite, is a common iron oxide compound with the formula, Fe2O3 and is widely found in rocks and soils. Hematite crystals belong to the rhombohedral lattice system which is designated the alpha polymorph of . ...
, known as "shiny ore", is a flaky form of
iron(III) oxide
Iron(III) oxide or ferric oxide is the inorganic compound with the formula Fe2O3. It is one of the three main oxides of iron, the other two being iron(II) oxide (FeO), which is rare; and iron(II,III) oxide (Fe3O4), which also occurs naturally ...
, Fe
2O
3. The ore has no value for the production of iron, but among other uses it was found to make very effective
corrosion-resistant
Corrosion is a natural process that converts a refined metal into a more chemically stable oxide. It is the gradual deterioration of materials (usually a metal) by chemical or electrochemical reaction with their environment. Corrosion engine ...
paint. Fuelled by the increased demand for protection of the new steel structures of the industrial age, some Devon micaceous haematite mines survived well into the twentieth century. The paint is still widely produced from ore mined in other countries.
There was also use of the material as a 'writing sand' for blotting ink, marketed from Kelly Mine as "Devonshire Sand".
At Lustleigh, there are three parallel lodes running approximately East-West, with lodes reaching up to in width.
[
]
Activity
Analysis of waste deposits at the mine indicate that there may have been iron mining on the site for over 1,000 years.
A mining lease dated to the 1790s forms the first record of mining on this site, and some work may have continued until the early 1870s.
The mine appears on a register of iron mines working in 1877, under the control of "The Kelly Iron Company" with WH Hooking as the manager.
The mine reopened in 1879 and from then until 1891 it produced 324 tons of haematite—a relatively small amount. From 1892 the mine was closed until 1900 when it restarted under the Scottish Silvoid Company who ran it until 1917 when it was taken over by Ferrubron, who were also running the nearby Great Rock Mine. Ferrubron ran the mine until mining ceased on the site in 1946. For a year or two from 1950 the company working Pepperdon Mine opened a level
Level or levels may refer to:
Engineering
*Level (instrument), a device used to measure true horizontal or relative heights
*Spirit level, an instrument designed to indicate whether a surface is horizontal or vertical
*Canal pound or level
*Regr ...
to extract ore near to Kelly Mine, and the washing plant at Kelly was used for the initial treatment of this ore.
The mine never employed a large number of people; in the fifty years to 1938 it had an average of six workers, and rarely more than ten.
Preservation and restoration
Kelly Mine, although a relatively small mine, is of significance today as an industrial heritage
Industrial heritage refers to the physical remains of the history of technology and industry, such as manufacturing and mining sites, as well as power and transportation infrastructure. Another definition expands this scope so that the term a ...
site. When the mine finally closed in 1951, the company then running the operation was in debt to the land owner for rent and for royalties on the ore extracted. In lieu of payment the company left the machinery on the site, where it remained substantially untouched for over thirty years.
In 1984 the owner agreed to lease the site to a group of mining enthusiasts, now known as the Kelly Mine Preservation Society (KMPS). The society is restoring and preserving the mine for future generations and has refurbished the mine and restored the machinery and processing plant to working order.
Work incidents
On 8 June 1910, mine worker George William Druett, aged 28 and leader of the local Rechabite
The Rechabites () are a biblical clan, the descendants of Rechab through Jehonadab.
Biblical sources
The Rechabites belonged to the Kenites, who accompanied the Israelites into the Holy Land and dwelt among them. The main body of the Kenites dwel ...
chapter, was killed in an accident at Kelly Mine. He was killed when a wire rope snapped, caused a cage filled with 5 cwt (equivalent to ) of ore to fall 30 fathom
A fathom is a unit of length in the imperial and the U.S. customary systems equal to , used especially for measuring the depth of water. The fathom is neither an International Standard (SI) unit, nor an internationally-accepted non-SI unit. Hi ...
s (equivalent to ) to fall onto Druett, killing him instantly, and causing him to be in "a horribly mutilated condition".
An inquest
An inquest is a judicial inquiry in common law jurisdictions, particularly one held to determine the cause of a person's death. Conducted by a judge, jury, or government official, an inquest may or may not require an autopsy carried out by a coro ...
into the death was held in Lustleigh. The jury heard from mine foreman that the rope was not subject to any periodic inspection, and that there were no rules laid down by the Inspector for Mines to follow. It was also noted that there were no rules in the mine about workers being underneath cages being lifted up the vertical shafts. The jury returned a verdict of "accidental death", although made recommendations that the government should be asked to enforce rules already in place in coal mines at mines like Kelly. The Scottish Silvoid Company, owners of the mine at the time, agreed to revised safety procedures, including a fence, and having workers stand clear of cages being lifted up the shaft. There was also a recommendation that the rope works should undertake future work on the cables.
Three years after the death of Druett, John Johns died after a short illness, reported at the time as pneumonia, but later thought to have been caused by silicosis
Silicosis is a form of occupational lung disease caused by inhalation of crystalline silica dust. It is marked by inflammation and scarring in the form of nodular lesions in the upper lobes of the lungs. It is a type of pneumoconiosis. Silicos ...
.
References
{{Reflist
External links
Kelly Mine
– Kelly Mine Preservation Society
Iron mines in England
Mines in Devon
Museums in Devon
Mining museums in England
Industrial archaeological sites in Devon
Bovey Tracey