since there seem not to be any official ones with pictures.
Put Killhope into a search engine to get details of how to find it.
The most Impressive feature is
this enormous Water Wheel.
Driven from a diverted stream
up in the hills
The most Impressive feature is
this enormous Water Wheel.
Driven from a diverted stream
up in the hills
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Boys began work aged 9 or 10 and were
taken on for a seven year apprenticeship on the dressing floor. They then
became masterman washers, smelters or perhaps joined a partnership of miners.
Miners were contracted to an agreed price for each fathom driven or for
each bing of ore. This depended on the current price of lead which was
good in times of war.
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A miners life was hard. Mines were often far from settlements and miners
ore-dressers and boys had to stay at the mine lodging house. Despite sleeping
three to a bed (and sharing it with three on the other shift) there was
little protection from the cold damp Pennine weather and rheumatism and
pneumonia added to the physical hazards of mining: explosions, flooding
and roof falls. Lead poisoning also took its toll so that life expectancy
was 47 in 1840, 15 years less than the national average.
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Nevertheless the Mining Companies had a paternal
concern for their employees, in fact the miners whole life was ruled by
his company. It provided for the education of his children, subsidised
his food and medicine, supported his Chapel and Benefit Society and encouraged
teetotal Christian non-conformity in his village.
Women were not employed in mines after the
18th century |