Tin mining in Britain took place from prehistoric times,
during
Bronze Age Britain, until the 20th century. Mention of tin mining in Britain was made by many Classical writers.
Tin is necessary to
smelt bronze, an alloy that played a vital cultural role during the
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...
. As South-West Britain was one of the few parts of
Anglian stage
The Anglian Stage is the name used in the British Isles for a middle Pleistocene glaciation. It precedes the Hoxnian Stage and follows the Cromerian Stage in the British Isles. The Anglian Stage is correlated to Marine Isotope Stage 12 (MIS 12) ...
England to escape glaciation, tin ore was readily available on the surface. Originally it is likely that
cassiterite alluvial deposits in the gravels of streams were exploited but later underground working took place. Shallow cuttings were then used to extract ore. In the 19th century advances in mining engineering enabled the exploitation of much deeper mines. In a few cases these mines even extended both to multiple levels and workings below the seabed.
Metal Makes the World Go Round
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See also
*Tin sources and trade in ancient times
Tin is an essential metal in the creation of tin- bronzes, and its acquisition was an important part of ancient cultures from the Bronze Age onward. Its use began in the Middle East and the Balkans around 3000 BC. Tin is a relatively rare element ...
* Dartmoor tin-mining
*Mining in Cornwall and Devon
Mining in Cornwall and Devon, in the South West England, southwest of England, began in the early Bronze Age, around 2150 BC. Tin, and later copper, were the most commonly extracted metals. Some tin mining continued long after the mining of o ...
References
External links
The history of the Count House of Ding Dong Mine
one of the oldest tin mines in Cornwall, where Richard Trevithick carried out his first experiments with high pressure steam.
{{Europe topic, Tin mining in
Tin mining
Mining in the United Kingdom