The Mines of Gwennap - Boscawen Mine

OS Explorer Map 104: Grid reference SW732452

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Actually in Kenwyn parish but classed as being in the Gwennap Mining District, the sett of Boscawen Mine lies threequarters of a mile northeast of Scorrier and just to the south of the village of Blackwater. Its nearest neighbours are Wheal Busy, East Downs Mine and a little further afield, Hallenbeagle Mine. Its sett lies cut through by the Penzance to Paddington railway line and is immediately south of the A30 trunk road. Boscawen Mine produced copper, tin, zinc and arsenical pyrite (mispickel). The mine is known to have worked prior to 1791, when it was included with North Wheal Busy in a sett known as 'Wheal Truro'.

There are no records of the layout of the lodes at Boscawen Mine but there were numerous shafts on the sett. These were: Old Shaft, Hunter's (or Trestrail's) Shaft, Kitelee's Shaft, Engine Shaft, King's North Shaft, John's (Turner's) Shaft, Caunter Shaft and Carter's Shaft. The mine is thought to have worked with a neighbouring concern called Wheal Andrew and the pair are reported as having produced 5,091 tons of 5.5% copper ore between 1831 and 1845. Between 1863 and 1866, Boscawen Mine produced 2,136 tons of copper ore as well as 33 tons of zinc ore and 33 tons of mispickel in 1864.

Thomas Spargo writes about Boscawen Mine in his 1865 book entitled 'The Mines of Cornwall and Devon: Statistics and Observations'. He states: '... in Kenwyn, Cornwall, in 6,000. shares. Secretary, Mr. Edward King, London. Chief Accountant, Mr Isaac Thomas, Tuckingmill. Manager, Captain Richard Giles, St. Agnes. Landowner: Viscount Falmouth. Dues, 1-24th. Depth of adit, 50 fathoms. Depth under adit, 80 fathoms. Pumping-engine, 70-inch. Winding and capstan engine, 22-inch. 92 men, 15 females, and 19 boys employed. Rocks, clay-slate, and elvans. Copper Ore Sold in 1864 - 1,239 tons 3 cwt. 2 qrs sold for £5,912 11s.
This mine was a part of Great Wheal Busy until four years ago. About 20 years since it was worked under the name of Hallenbeagle, and yielded a profit'.

For more information on production dates and so on please see Roger Burt's excellent book Cornish Mines: Metalliferous and Associated Minerals, 1845-1913 (Mineral Statistics of the United Kingdom, 1845-1913).

For those of you with possibly a little more time to explore, once you've done 'the tourist bit', why not explore Cornwall's industrial heritage through its Tin and Copper Mines or learn more from my Cornish Bookstore