244 Mineral Trades 



The introduction of coal as fuel and of iron-pans instead of lead was 

 contemporaneous with the breaking of this monopoly.^ In 1725 

 deep-boring was found to yield a hea\aer brine and in greater abun- 

 dance. This resulted in cheaper cost of production and consequent 

 lower price. By 1769 the product amounted to 480,000 bushels. 

 From very early times the salt was carried by pack-horses by the 

 "Salt Ways;" after 1771 a canal into the Droitwich stimulated the 

 trade." The salters or owners of phates appear to have done their 

 own marketing. 



The greatest center of salt production was in Durham and Northum- 

 berland. It dates from the thirteenth century. Cowpen was the 

 chief salt town; Hart, Ross, Sunderland, and Gretham, also, were 

 prominent. The trade finally settled in South Shields. The church 

 had control of the trade in the early part of the sixteenth century. 

 About 1600 there were produced about 7,650 weys of salt; and there 

 were engaged about 430 panmen. Coal was used as fuel; it was 

 brought by keelmen, cadgers and wainmen. The owner of the pans 

 also supplied the panman with coal and kept keels for this purpose. 

 The panman delivered forty weys of salt to the owner for this provision. 

 The manors at the mouth of the Wear and Tyne appointed official 

 "measurers" to supervise the measuring of salt. There was much 

 complaint against the interference of these measurers and their office 

 was maintained with difficulty; the southern buyers were constant 

 complainants against the short measurements of the salters. The 

 smaller salters disposed of their salt "usually to the cuntry and in the 

 markets thereaboutes by small quantities as they (could) win it; 

 . . . their markets (were) within the land at Durham, Newcastle, 

 AInewick, Barwick, Morepath, Hexham and such places."^ Besides 

 these markets, the larger salters shipped salt to the coast towns to the 

 south. The large lumps of salt were sent to Colchester and were used 

 there as a basis of crystallizing more salt.^ Charles I chartered a 

 monopolistic salt company, headed by the Shields salt-pan owners, 

 in 1630, but it failed in 1639.^ The failure was due in part to a rival 

 scheme headed by the London Fishmongers. After the Restoration 

 the product of the Durham salt pans increased very fast. The pan- 

 owners perfected no intricate sales system. They either dispatched 



' Camden, Brit., 362; Nash, I, 300. 



2 V. C. H., Worces., II, 250, 262. 



3 V. C. H., Durham, II, 296. 

 '' Brereton, Notes. 



*V. C. H., Durham, II, 297. 



