[WED]Re: Elbao mines

[Stanley Castle]

Mary,

I have had a chat with a friend who used to live in both Hutton and
Elborough he has been involved most of his life in caving and is the
president of a local history and archaeology society. He says the mines were
chiefly Ocre mines.

The 19th century was the time of speculative ventures. People would set up a
venture and persuade others who had money to buy shares, When the project
was started (or not) they would say 'we are getting somewhere and you are
going to make lots of money but we need a bit more cash to get further into
the venture'. Apparently such a game was played by Cornish miners who would
start a mine and get wealthy people to finance the search for copper, gold,
silver or whatever.

Such things were supposed to have happened at Elborough and there were
whispers that there was gold. If your Mr Dyer was conned into taking shares
he was a sucker, most of the local people new better.

Apparently mines were made at Banwell, Hutton, Elborough, Loxton, Christon
and Bleadon.
The main useful product was Ocre but a Banwell mine produced Byrites (barium
sulphate) that was used in paper making. Ocre was produced at another
Banwell mine up until about 1947. Traces of copper were supposed to have
been found at Loxton but nothing came of it.

The ancestors of the friend who gave me this information happen to have been
Cornish miners.

How much of this story is fact and how much is folklore I can't say but I
thought you would be interested to read it.
Stanley Castle

From: wedmore-admin@lists.tutton.org
[mailto:wedmore-admin@lists.tutton.org]On Behalf Of Mary Jackes
Sent: 17 February 2003 06:28
To: wedmore@lists.tutton.org
Subject: Re: [WED]Re: Elbao mines


I'm afraid I know nothing more than the location of Elborough and Hutton,
that there were lots of Dyers in that area (just west of Banwell), and that
Elborough Mine was functioning in 1846 and 1847.  I could only guess at
what was mined there