Tin mines

The Cornish have mined tin for at least 2,500 years from the time of the Bronze Age. In modern times, the technology developed by the Cornish was at the forefront of the industrial revolution. They were expert in designing and building steam pumps capable of pumping air in and water out of deep shaft mines, as well as lifting ore and powering the machinery needed to crush stone and extract the valuable minerals.

The Cornwall and Devon mines were the main suppliers of tin, copper and arsenic to the UK through well into the 20thC. The last mine closed in 1990. The northern coast of Penwith is promoted as the Tin Coast and is a listed World Heritage site. The landscape is dotted, scarred and shaped by centuries of industrial mining.

The most remarkable vestiges are the pump houses of the old mines, known as Wheals from the Cornish for mine. For the most part, they are situated above the rugged cliffs facing the full force of the North Atlantic ocean.

My ancestors lived as tin mining families in the landscape around St Just in Penwith where the matching, hatching, and dispatching were recorded in Parish records.