Samuel Tippet was ten years old and worked at the dressing floors of Trethellan Mine near Lanner. His work for the previous fortnight had been 'washing up', cleaning the stones in wooden troughs prior to their dressing. Before, he was at the slimes but gave that up 'because the slimes was knacked’. After this brief … Continue reading Interviewing young mine surface workers in 1841
Tag: mining
The Levant mine disaster
A hundred years ago today the man engine collapsed at Levant mine, Pendeen, near St Just. This was the second worse mine disaster in Cornwall’s history. Thirty-one miners lost their lives and many others were badly injured. The man engine was a device that conveyed miners to and from the surface, allowing them to avoid … Continue reading The Levant mine disaster
A miner on the move
In 1862 a Parliamentary enquiry into the condition of metal miners interviewed several miners in Cornwall. Their life histories provide a fascinating insight into their moves from mine to mine. They indicate that miners moved frequently. One of the most extreme examples was an anonymous miner at St Cleer. Aged 36 in 1862, he had … Continue reading A miner on the move
Cornish studies resources 