Wheal Eliza Mine was an unsuccessful copper and iron mine on the

River Barle The River Barle runs from the Chains on northern Exmoor, in Somerset, England to join the River Exe at Exebridge, Devon. The river and the Barle Valley are both designated as biological Sites of Special Scientific Interest. On the Chains above ...

near Simonsbath on

Exmoor Exmoor is loosely defined as an area of hilly open moorland in west Somerset and north Devon in South West England. It is named after the River Exe, the source of which is situated in the centre of the area, two miles north-west of Simonsbath ...

in the English county of

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

. The first mining activity on the site may be from 1552. The mine was originally called Wheal Maria, then changed to Wheal Eliza. It was one of the projects undertaken by the Knight family after they bought large parts of Exmoor in the early 19th century.

Frederick Knight (MP) Colonel Sir Frederick Winn Knight (9 May 1812 – 3 May 1897) was an English Conservative politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1841 to 1885. Origins Frederick Knight was the eldest son of John Knight II (d.1850) of Lea Castle, W ...

took over from his father in trying to exploit the mineral assets of the land. Several

adit An adit (from Latin ''aditus'', entrance) is an entrance to an underground mine which is horizontal or nearly horizontal, by which the mine can be entered, drained of water, ventilated, and minerals extracted at the lowest convenient level. Adit ...

s were driven into the rock and a shaft dug. It was a copper mine from 1845–54, although no copper was extracted, despite samples showing 60% metallic ore. It was then examined by

Henry Schneider Henry William Schneider (12 May 1817 – 11 November 1887) was a British industrialist, and politician, who played a leading role in the development of the new town of Barrow-in-Furness. Biography Henry Schneider was the son of John Henry Powe ...

, of Schneider Hannay & Co which became the

Barrow Hematite Steel Company The Barrow Hematite Steel Company Limited was a major iron and steel producer based in Barrow-in-Furness, Lancashire (now Cumbria), England, between 1859 and 1963. At the turn of the 20th century and the Technological Revolution it operate ...

, during 1856-57 for iron although none was found. The mine was soon abandoned and allowed to flood. In 1858 the area became notorious for the murder of a seven-year-old girl, Anna Burgess. On the death of her mother she moved with her father, William Burgess, into lodgings in Simonsbath. His older children went into domestic service. Burgess was supported by The Reverend W. H. Thornton (1830-1916) who was the first vicar of Exmoor. The parson raised money to support Burgess, but this was spent on alcohol. In June 1858 he left his lodgings with his daughter, telling the landlady that he was taking her to live with her grandmother in

Porlock Weir Porlock Weir is a harbour settlement approximately west of the inland village of Porlock, Somerset, England. "Porlock" comes from the Old English ''port'' '' loca'', meaning an enclosure near a harbour. Porlock Weir refers to the salmon stakes ...

. Some burnt clothes were found which had belonged to Anna and the Rev Thornton investigated in Porlock Weir finding that the girl had not been taken there. Thornton instigated a search and rode to

Curry Rivel Curry Rivel is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated west of Somerton and east of Taunton in the South Somerset district. The parish has a population of 2,148. The parish includes the hamlet of Burton Pynsent. History The ...

to fetch the nearest police officer. The searchers had found a recently dug grave, however it did not contain the girl's body. Burgess had escaped by boat to Swansea but was found and brought back to Somerset, where he was imprisoned in

Dulverton Dulverton is a small town and civil parish in west Somerset, England, near the border with Devon. The town had a population of 1,408 at the 2011 Census. The parish includes the hamlets of Battleton and Ashwick which is located approximately ...

. He said nothing about the whereabouts of his daughter and searches of the local moors continued for two months. A witness then said he had seen Burgess near the Wheal Eliza Mine. Local magistrates ordered the mine to be drained which took several months and cost £350. Once the water had been pumped away a bag was found containing the child's body. Burgess was found guilty of murder and before being hanged admitted that he had killed her so that he could spend the 2s 6d a week intended for her welfare on drink. He was taken to the gaol in

Taunton Taunton () is the county town of Somerset, England, with a 2011 population of 69,570. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century monastic foundation, Taunton Castle, which later became a priory. The Normans built a castle owned by the ...

and hanged on 4 January 1859. Little remains of the original buildings but the pit for the waterwheel and parts of the shaft head with a rising main and pump rod are still at the site. There are also platforms and the footings of several buildings.

References

{{reflist Exmoor Mines in Somerset