256 Mr. J, Phillips on Ancient Metallurgy and Mining 



the surface in Britain as to suggest a law for preventing more 

 than a limited production — a Brigantian law of vend. The 

 Romans employed lead in pipes (fistulae) and sheets, which 

 were soldered with alloys, as already mentioned. This lead 

 was previously refined, and its silver removed ; the silver in- 

 deed being often the object of the enterprise. How earnestly 

 silver was sought — how well the mining operations were carried 

 on by the ' old men ' — appears from the notice of the Cartha- 

 ginian mines in Spain, the pits and levels driven by Hannibal 

 being mentioned as in wonderful preservation by Pliny. The 

 same may be said of at least one set of mining works of Ro- 

 man date, in the extreme parts of South Wales, viz. the Go- 

 gofau near Lampeter, where gold was extracted with much 

 labour from broken and pounded quartz, of which enormous 

 mounds remain. The adit still exists, and was lately entered 

 by Sir H. T. De la Beche, who found in it a specimen of 

 native gold. In the vicinity, tradition indicates a Roman 

 settlement ; and a massive chain of gold and other remains 

 were found, and are now possessed by the family of Johnes of 

 Abercothi *. 



The districts in Britain, where lead veins coming to the 

 surface in abundance might justify the praises of Pliny, are, 

 in the south, Mendip; in the west, Flintshire, &c. ; in the 

 north, Derbyshire, Yorkshire and Cumberland, that is to say, 

 the Brigantian territory ; and it is to this last district that the 

 descriptions apply most correctly. Lead cast in Roman 

 moulds, pigs, in fact, of the age of Hadrian and other empe- 

 rors, have been found in Flintshire, Derbyshire, Yorkshire, 

 and some other counties. But few ancient mining instruments 

 have ever been found in the lead-bearing districts of Britain f ; 

 and I am strongly of opinion that much of the lead ore was 

 collected from the surface by aid of water, artificially directed. 

 The process, in fact, is described by Pliny in terms so exactly 

 applicable to the modern ' hushes ' of Svvaledale, that no doubt 

 can remain of this custom, which is now esteemed rude and 

 semi-barbarous, being of Roman or earlier date in Britain. 



As thus from Roman or earlier times our lead-mining de- 

 rives its * hush,' its levels, and shafts, implements for washing, 

 and other processes of the workmen, and the forms, weights, 

 and marks of its melted metal, we may easily admit a similar 

 origin for the melting processes. Lead mostly occurs in the 

 sulphuret, which offers no particular difficulty in the fire. By 

 cautious roasting, its excess of sulphur may be removed, and 



* See Sir R. I. Miirchison's remarks on Gogofau (Sil. Syst. p. 367,368). 

 t Sir R. I. Murchison mentions Roman mining utensils at Shelve in 

 Shropshire (Sil. Syst., p. 279). 



