Mines around St Just, Cornwall |
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Census returns show the parish population of St Just increased from 2,779 in 1801 to 9,290 in 1861, with the greatest growth occurring between 1831 and 1841, when mine workers made up one third of the local population.The boom was short-lived, and the decline set in during the 1860's when most of the area's copper mines had closed and by 1900 the population had halved with miners and their families emigrating to get work.
The characteristic lodes in the St Just area strike more or less at right angles to the coast. They increase in richness as they run out under the sea, and become rapidly less productive inland. The mining district is therefore more or less confined to the coastal fringe. To the east, the lodes became less rich, and there although there were mines virually along the coast through Morvah and Zennor parishes towards St. Ives, they were much smaller and less profitable. Inland, mining only took place at Leswidden, a little to the east of St. Just and at Ding Dong, on the high moors to the east.
The relative remoteness of the area has meant that much of the mining archeology has been preserved. Many of the most significant mining sites here have been acquired by The National Trust . While Geevor was bought by the Cornwall County Council in 1991 following the closure of the mine, which preserved the existing machinery there.
Name of Mine | Principal Shafts | Chief Produce | Notable Minerals |
Balleswidden Mine | TIN | Bismuth | |
Boscorlas Mine (Roscorla's Mine) | |||
Borlase Consols (Wheal Barges) | Boscean | TIN | |
Boscaswell United | Trease, Treweeks | TIN & COPPER | |
Boscean Mine (Lower Boscean Mine) | |||
East Boscean Mine | |||
Bosigran Consolidated | TIN | ||
East Bosorne | |||
Bosorne & Ballowal United | TIN | ||
Boswedden & Wheal Castle | TIN | Beryl | |
Bosworlas Mine | |||
Bosworthen | |||
Botallack Mines (including Carnyorth and Wheal Cock ) | Crowns Engine, Boscawen Diagonal, Narrow, Allen's, Nineveh, Wheal Hazard and Wheal Cock Engine shafts | TIN & COPPER |
Bismuth, Silver, Garnet & Opal |
Caer Bran Mine | |||
Cape Cornwall Mine |
TIN | Garnet | |
Carn Galver | TIN | ||
Carnyorth Mine | |||
Croft an Vor Mine | |||
Crowns Mine | |||
Geevor Mine | Wheal Carne, Wethered, Victory, Wheal Mexico & Pig shafts | TIN & COPPER | |
Goldings Mine | |||
Hobboys Mine | |||
Kelynack Mine | |||
Kendijack | |||
Letcha | |||
Levant Mine | Shafts from North to South - Goldsworthy's, Zawn Brinny, Phillip's, Angwin's, Batten's, Skip & Engine, Boscregan, Daubuz's (Man Engine), Trezise's, Higher Bal (Guide) and Unity | TIN & COPPER | Bismuth & Silver |
East Levant Mine | |||
Higher Levant Mine | |||
North Levant | |||
Little Bounds | |||
Morvah Hill Mine (Garden Mine) | |||
Parknoweth Mine | |||
Pendeen Consols | COPPER & TIN | ||
Praze | |||
Riblows | |||
St Just Amalgamated Mines (incl. Wheal Penzance) | |||
St Just Consols (South Levant Mine) | |||
St. Just United | Bailey's | TIN | |
Spearne Moor | TIN & COPPER | Arsenic | |
Spearne Consols | TIN | ||
Great Trevegean Mine | |||
Wheal August | |||
Wheal Aview (Wheal Avu) | |||
Wheal Bal | |||
Wheal Bellan | TIN | Amethyst | |
Wheal Boys | |||
Wheal Bull | |||
Wheal Call (Wheal Coal) | |||
Wheal Castle | |||
Wheal Cock | |||
Wheal Cunning | |||
Wheal Diamond | Rock Crystal | ||
Wheal Drea | |||
Wheal Edward | |||
Wheal Grouse | |||
Wheal Hearle | COPPER & TIN | ||
Wheal Hermon (Wheal St Just) | |||
Wheal Oak | |||
Wheal Owles & Wheal Edward | Cargodna, Wheal Edward Incline & Engine shaft | TIN & COPPER | |
Wheal Powle | |||
Wheal Stennack | Jasper | ||
Wheal Unity | |||
Wheal Zandras | |||
Wherry Mine | TIN |
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