Minera Lead Mines

Background History

People have mined for metals at Minera since at least the Middle Ages (the English name Minera comes from the mediaeval Latin for mine or ore). The first written reference to mining at Minera dates from 1296 when miners from Minera were sent to Devon by Edward I to work his silver mines. Edward I was as usual short of money so needed silver to mint coins. Mining at Minera was often problematic: Black Death stopped work as there was a labour shortage, Owain Glyndwr scared off the English mineowners at the start of the 15th Century while in Henry VIII's time, Sir Charles Brandon tried to blame his workers when his mining venture at Minera failed.

Initially the miners were all Welsh but in the 18th Century English miners started to work at Minera. They had to ask for an English preacher on alternate Sundays as they could not understand the local preachers.

In the 1780s John Wilkinson's steam pumping engines made expansion of mining at Minera possible but flooding always remained a big problem. Lead mining reached its peak at Minera in 1863-4 when 6822 tons of Lead ore and 1179 tons of Zinc ore were mined. Profits were just under £70,000 for that year - an extremely tidy sum. Yet by 1890s the price for lead ore had collapsed, in 1910 the pumping machinery was sold and the mine closed in 1914.

During 1990-2 the site was excavated and the remains of the lead processing works restored or stabilised. These are just the bare facts from the history of the lead mines. To learn about what life was like there for the people who worked there on the surface or down below, you need to visit the site.

Link to Minera Lead Mines Online