Gwinear Mining District - Rosewarne & Herland United

OS Explorer Map 103: Grid reference SW561362

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Rosewarne was known from the early eighteenth century. Records date from 1717, with early working quite intermittent. The mine continued to be expanded until about 1762, with a 70-inch Newcomen pumping engine installed in 1726. During the great copper slump of the 1780's, the mine struggled, reopening in the 1790's. At the start of the nineteenth century, Rosewarne was producing about 2000 tons of copper ore annually. After a further closure the mine opened between 1815 and 1816 and once again in 1824. This venture was a major disaster with investors losing almost £75,000. Plant and equipment was sold up in 1838, although the mine dumps were worked until 1843.

In 1854, Rosewarne was amalgamated with nearby Herland Mine to form Rosewarne and Herland United. The combined mines worked until 1874.

Records of output are: 32980 tons of copper ore, 172 tons of tin ore, 110 of zinc ore, 12 tons of arsenopyrite and 156 tons of silver ore.

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) or what is widely regarded as the mining enthusiasts bible by H G Dines - The Metalliferous Mining Region of South-West England: Vols I & II (Economic Memoirs).

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