Pendarves and St. Aubyn Consols

[SW 62510 37735] 2 miles E. by N. of Gwinear. 1-in. geol. 352; 6-in. Corn. 62 S.E., 69 N.E. Includes Crack Crowder [SW 62185 37715], Wheal Duffield (or West Bosprowal or Weeth) [SW 625 377] and East Rosewarne (or Bosprowal or Brook) (A.M. R 30 C) [SW 631 378]. Country: killas traversed by elvan dykes.

The three mines adjoin one another. The position of Crack Crowder, on the west, is indicated by a line of old dumps and surface disturbances 600 yds. long from 300 yds. N.E. of Carnhell farm (6-in. Corn. 69 N.E.) to just south of Weeth farm (6-in. Corn. 62 S.E.); there are no records.

Wheal Duffield commences south of Weeth farm and extends 400 yds. E. by N. to just north-east of Bosprowal farm; it worked two lodes a few fathoms apart coursing E. 10° N. from Duffield Shaft, 130 yds. E. of Weeth farm and Redbarrow Shaft, 150 yds. E. of Duffield. The only underground working of this mine that has been recorded is an adit 100 fms. N. from the eastern end of Adit Level 60 fms. E. of Redbarrow Shaft to an old shaft 220 yds. N. by E. of Bosprowal farm; this is shown on the East Rosewarne plan.

East Rosewarne workings extend 600 yds. E. of Bosprowal farm. This section is traversed by two elvan dykes, 100 yds. apart and trending E. 40° N., the outcrop of the more northerly passing 30 yds. S.E. of Bosprowal farm. The elvans are crossed by two chief lodes, North and Engine, 10 fms. apart on the west and 23 fms. on the east, the former trending E. 10° N., vertical to the 6-fm. Level, underlying 20° S. to the 33-fm. and 8° N. below and the latter trending E. 5° N. and underlying 15° S.; a few other lodes have been tried.

According to the plan, North lode was worked from King's Shaft, 130 yds. E.N.E. of Bosprowal farm, vertical to adit (10 fms.) on Engine Lode and then inclined to meet North Lode at the 22-fm. Level whence it follows that lode to the 65-fm. Level, and Hallett's Shaft, 170 yds. N.E. by E. of King's, following the changing underlie to the 75-fm. Level; there are also shafts at 115 yds. and 366 yds. respectively E. by N. of Hallett's, but the extent of workings from them is not known. The plan and longitudinal section show no Adit Level; the 6-fm. is in two parts, one extending 43 fms. E. from King's Shaft and the other 13 fms. E. from Hallett's; the 12-fm. is driven 64 fms. E. from King's Shaft only, and the 22-fm. and 32-fm. levels open up the lode for about 50 fms. E. and 45 fms. W. of Hallett's Shaft. The only continuous drives between the two shafts are the 43-fm. and 53-fm. which extend from King's Shaft to 40 fms. E. of Hallett's, a distance of 120 fms. The 65-fm. Level is in two parts, one 30 fms. E. from King's Shaft and the other 15 fms. E. and 30 fms. W. of Hallett's Shaft and the 75-fm. is driven 16 fms. E. and 28 fms. W. of Hallett's Shaft. The stope pattern suggests an ore shoot pitching about 30° W. with a horizontal measurement of about 70 fms. which is stoped between the 12-fm. and 75-fm. levels, its western or upper margin passing Hallett's Shaft at the 6-fm. Level and King's at the 43-fm.; there is also a stope between the 6-fm. and 12-fm. levels extending 40 fms. E. from King's Shaft; nearly 50 per cent of the blocked-out ground has been removed. The lode passes through the southern elvan dyke, the trace of which in the plane of the lode, is about 30 ft. wide, dips 30° W., and passes more or less centrally down the main ore shoot; it crosses Hallett's Shaft between 1 fm. above and 4 fms. below the 43-fm. Level. The plans are dated 1863 and are probably not up-to-date for records of output are known up to 1873; moreover, it has been stated that this elvan crosses King's Shaft between the 80-fm. and 90-fm. levels, or 25 fms. deeper than the depth given to the shaft on the plans.

Engine Lode was worked from King's Shaft, which is close to this lode, to the 22-fm. Level; Matthew's or Middle Shaft, 83 yds. E. by N. of King's, on the underlie to the 33-fm. Level; Engine Shaft, 52 yds. E. by N. of Matthew's, on the underlie to the 55-fm. Level; Hanley's Shaft, 140 yds. E. by N. of Engine, vertical to the 22-fm. Level, and James', Wheal Brook and Sarah's adit shafts, respectively 50 yds., 98 yds. and 160 yds. E. of Hanley's. Adit Level extends from 40 fms. W. of King's Shaft to beyond Sarah's, a distance of about 260 fms.; the 12-fm. and 22-fm. levels join King's and Hanley's shafts; the 33-fm. Level extends 6 fms. E. and 40 fms. W. of Engine Shaft and the 43-fm. and 53-fm. levels are short. There is some stoping above Adit Level between King's and Engine shafts, a more or less continuous run between adit and the 12-fm. from 6 fms. W. of King Shaft, 60 fms. E. of Engine Shaft and some small scattered stopes on the 22-fm. and 32-fm. levels; about 40 per cent of the blocked-out ground between King's and Hanley's shafts has been removed. The trace of the southern elvan dyke, of similar dimensions and apparent dip to that on North Lode, crosses Engine Shaft about the 32-fm. Level.

A crosscut 30 fms. N. at the 53-fm. Level from Engine Shaft meets North Lode and another 38 fms. S. from the 43-fm. Level, 8 fms. W. of Hallett's Shaft on North Lode intersects Engine Lode at 26 fms. and meets another lode called South Lode; this has not been developed here but has a short drive from a crosscut 8 fms. S. from Engine Lode at the 12-fm. Level just east of Hanley's Shaft. A prospecting crosscut 47 fms. S. by E. from King's Shaft at Adit Level meets the southern elvan and another 72 fms. S. from Adit Level at James' Shaft proves no further lodes. There is a separate working consisting of an adit drive 65 fms. long with five air shafts, on a lode coursing E. 24° N.; the westernmost air shaft is 278 yds. N.N.E. of King's Shaft. No details concerning this lode are known; it may be the westerly extension of the lode in West Dolcoath Mine that was worked from Barripper Shaft (200 yds. E.N.E. of Barripper post office).

The only records of output for this group of mines are:—Wheal Duffield: 1815–24 and 1831–41, 7,805 tons of copper ore. Pendarves and St. Aubyn Consols: 1854, 125 tons of 8.25 per cent copper ore and 1856, tinstuff worth £128. East Rosewarne: 1857–73, 8,239 tons of 8.5 per cent copper ore; 1859–60, 1866 and 1870, tinstuff worth £77 and 1873, 26 tons of black tin. In 1858 and 1859 the mine produced 4 tons of arsenical silver ore.

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Triumph

[SW 62515 38125] One mile W.S.W. of Barriper and includes the former Wheal Dobna, worked prior to 1780. In the 1830–37 working it was drained by a northern branch of the Duffield adit. Dobna Lode was said to be 2.5 ft. wide and carrying chalcopyrite. In 1855 it was included in West Dolcoath Copper and Silver mines which worked west of the Barriper stream. This mine should not be confused with West Dolcoath which worked east of the stream. (Beer, K.E. Addenda and corrigenda. 1988)

Extracts from

The metalliferous mining region of south-west England

By H G Dines, ARSM, AMICE with petrographical notes by J Phemister, MA, DSc and addenda and corrigenda by K E Beer, BSc

https://webapps.bgs.ac.uk/Memoirs/docs/B01793.html