The Scots Mining Company, or Scotch Mines Company,Peter L. Payne (Ed.) (2013) ''Studies in Scottish Business History'
page 119-134
Routledge. Retrieved February 2015 was formed shortly after the

Jacobite rising of 1715 The Jacobite rising of 1715 ( gd, Bliadhna Sheumais ; or 'the Fifteen') was the attempt by James Edward Stuart (the Old Pretender) to regain the thrones of England, Ireland and Scotland for the exiled Stuarts The House of Stuart, ori ...

by Sir John Erskine with the intention of better developing the mineral resources of Scotland.John Nichols (1853) ''The Gentleman's Magazine'', Volume 193
''A Trip to the Gold Regions if Scotland''
p589-597, Publisher R. Newton. Retrieved February 2015 Primary investors were largely garnered from

expatriate An expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person who resides outside their native country. In common usage, the term often refers to educated professionals, skilled workers, or artists taking positions outside their home country, either ...

Scots living in London.

History

Following its incorporation by

royal charter A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, bu ...

in 1729, the Scots Mining Company procured leases for mines at

Leadhills Leadhills, originally settled for the accommodation of miners, is a village in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, WSW of Elvanfoot. The population in 1901 was 835. It was originally known as Waterhead. It is the second highest village in Scotland, ...

and elsewhere. The company was near bankrupt when, in 1734, the mathematician James Stirling was appointed manager.Colin Russell (2014) ''Who Made the Scottish Enlightenment?'
page 391
Xlibris Corporation, Retrieved February 2015 The systems of mining, social organisation and living conditions of the workers that Stirling introduced at Leadhills were revolutionary for their time, including reducing the underground day to six hours, introducing health insurance and hiring a surgeon to directly improve the lot of the men. In addition, he concentrated on better housing, education and the founding of the Leadhill Miners Reading Society in 1741. Many of these characteristic features of the company's

paternalism Paternalism is action that limits a person's or group's liberty or autonomy and is intended to promote their own good. Paternalism can also imply that the behavior is against or regardless of the will of a person, or also that the behavior expres ...

were copied by other large mines. By 1830, the company was the largest and most successful concern working the lead mines at Leadhills.Northern Mine Research Society (1993
''Controversy and Contraction. The Water Dispute at the Leadhills Mines''
British Mining No.48, NMRS. Following a protracted court case regarding water rights with the rival Leadhills Mining Company the Scots Mining Company was wound up in 1861.

Operations

Leadhills

The area between

and

Wanlockhead Wanlockhead is a village in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, nestling in the Lowther Hills and south of Leadhills at the head of the Mennock Pass, which forms part of the Southern Uplands. It is Scotland's highest village, at an elevation of ar ...

was the richest lead mining district in Scotland.A. Fullarton (Pub) (1856) ''The Topographical, Statistical, and Historical Gazetteer of Scotland'' (Volume2: I-Z
page 233
Retrieved February 2015 The Leadhills concession was obtained from the Earl of Hopetoun on whose land a significant deposits of lead and silver had been mined since 1513, and a limited gold mining operation had begun in 1517. At the height of the trade in 1810, more than 1,400 tons of lead were being produced annually, by a workforce of 200 men.

Tyndrum

Lead was discovered on the Breadalbane estates in 1741.Roger Smith & Bob Aitken (2013) ''The West Highland Way: The Official Guide'
page 90
Birlinn. Retrieved February 2015 Mines were operated by three companies prior to the Scots Mining Company acquiring the lease in 1768. The company began working the mines in a more systematic manner, including the establishment of a smelter locally.

Cambridge County Geographies Cambridge County Geographies is a book series published by Cambridge University Press. Volumes *Aberdeenshire by Mackie, Alexander *Argyllshire and Buteshire by MacNair, Peter (wikisource) *Ayrshire by Foster, John *Banffshire by Barclay, W. *Bedf ...

, ''Perthshire'
page 86
CUP Archive. Retrieved February 2015 The Scots Mining Company pulled out in 1791, though operations continued intermittently until 1858 when the mines were reacquired by the

Marquess of Breadalbane A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman wi ...

, who worked them until his death in 1862.

References

{{Reflist, 2 1729 establishments in Scotland Mining in Scotland Defunct companies of Scotland British companies established in 1729