A HISTORY OF DURHAM 



it is probable that the mines of Evenwood with 

 those of Raly, Caldherst, Hertkeld, Hethers- 

 clough, otherwise Tow Law, and Wollewes, were 

 leased to Sir Ralf de Eure, since in 1424 Bishop 

 Langley granted to Master William de Eure a 

 renewal "* of the lease ' of his mines of coals and 

 of iron under the said coals, which mines his 

 ancestor Ralf de Eure (whom God assoil) held at 

 the time of his death ' for the term of nine years 

 at the annual rent of ^Ti 12 13X. ^.d. As to this 

 lease it may be noted that in 1432 a writ '^ was 

 issued for the recovery of _^356 <)s. ^d. rents due 

 from Sir William Eure. The large rental was 

 doubtless due to the increasing value of coal.^^ 



It was from the mines ^^ leased to Sir Ralf 

 Eure at Raly, Hertkeld, and Morepytt, that 

 ironstone was procured for the forge at Byrke- 

 knott (Bedburn Forge?), worked in 1408 on 

 behalf of Bishop Langley. It is also possible 

 that the slag or 'cinders' of earlier smelters" 

 was in request in the Palatinate, as in the 

 Forest of Dean, even as early as the fifteenth 

 century. 



An indenture'* made in 1438 between the 

 bishop of Durham and Robert Kirkhous, ' Iryn- 

 brenner,' affords still more information as to 

 mining and smelting within the Palatinate. The 

 lessee was to get ' stooneoeure ' at Kahogh or 

 near by if it may be found, and ' cinders ' or slag 

 at Ambrosegarth. 



But if it hap that the forsaid Robert may not get in 

 the places aforsayd sufficient stooneoere for a smythie 

 then it shal be leeful to the same Robert to gete at 

 his cost irynoeur in the westsyd of Rookop and in 

 the northsyd of Stanhop Park in the ground of the 

 said bishop except Mardencrag sufficient for the 

 brennyng and colyng of the sayd wode paying there- 

 for to the sayd bishop alleweye for thre doseynes of 

 oere two stone of the same iryne that is made of the 

 same oeur. And of the same oer the said Robert 

 shal latte noon othir man have part without leave of 

 the said bishop. 



The wood granted by the bishop for the manu- 

 facture of charcoal for the forge was also paid 



'» Dur. Curs. No. 38, m. 20 a'. 



" Ibid. No. 37, m. 6d. 



'° These leases were on more than one occasion 

 renewed. The important renewal of 1458 already 

 considered shows that these mines were especially 

 valuable as coal-mines. 



" ' Et in liii duodenis petrae minerae ferri de 

 Radulpho de Eure milite pro ferro inde faciendo, 

 duodena ad in. ex conventione secum facta per com- 

 putatorem emptis cv'is.' For further details see the 

 ' Iron-master's Roll ' printed by Lapsley, Engi. Hist. 

 Ret: xiv, 518. 



" ' Et in stipendio Radulphi Sclater cum plaustro 

 suo, per xij dies ad viija'. cariantis sindres a dicto 

 campo de Hopyland usque dictum forgeum pro ferro 

 novo ibidem cum eisdem temperando, ex conventione 

 per computatorem cum eodem facta, viijV.'; Engl. Hist. 

 Rev. ut supra. 



" Dur. Curs. 37, m. 3 d. 



for in kind ; ' 20 stone of such iryne as the same 

 [Robert] shall doo brenne theer ' for ten dozen 

 of ' coles.' 



It is evident from the accounts of 1408 and 

 the mention of the ' Watergate ' in the lease 

 under consideration that water-power was by this 

 time being applied to the bellows, though not 

 exclusively so, at least on the earlier occasion. 

 Probably when there was an insufficiency of water 

 or any defect in the mechanical connexions 

 resort was had to the older foot-blast. As we 

 have already seen in the smelting of lead the 

 same partnership might use either a wheel or a 

 foot-blast as occasion served. 



It is difficult to determine certainly, owing to 

 the fragmentary character of the evidence which 

 still remains to us, whether the output of iron in 

 Durham was increasing or declining during the 

 fifteenth century. On the one hand it is incon- 

 testable that, owing to the application of water- 

 power and other mechanical improvements, each 

 forge at work turned out more metal ; on the 

 other hand the store of easily-reached ore was 

 probably diminishing, forges were almost certainly 

 not so profitable, while Spanish iron was exten- 

 sively imported and regarded as superior to that 

 produced in Weardale. 



The account '^ of the bishop's chief forester 

 about 1440 is not inconsistent with this view of 

 the matter. 



Concerning the farm of the iron-forge {forget ferri) 

 of Redgate in Hamsterleward which was wont to 

 return j^6 1 3/. \d. nothing here because no forge 

 exists there. Nor concerning the farm of the iron 

 mine of Weardale which was wont to return 26/. %d. 

 annually, because Lord Latymer ought to make return 

 in respect thereto on account of a certain agreement 

 as to it made between him and the lord (bishop). 

 Nor of the forge within the park of Bedburn because 

 it is worked by {occufatur) William Blirthorn on a lease 

 from the seneschal. Therefore the seneschal should 

 make return in respect thereto. 



In the account '' of the chief forester (Sir 

 George Lumley) for 1486-7 there is no specific 

 mention of the Weardale iron-mines belonging 

 to the bishop. It is possible, however, that they 

 were included under the head of the coal-mines, 

 which were at this time accounted for by the 

 receiver-general. But as to the forge there is 

 this significant note : ' Nor indeed of the farm 

 of the forge there (in Weardale) because it is not 

 worked [occupatur) but remains in the lord's 

 hands.' 



About the time this account was presented, 

 however, we meet with a mention of the Wear- 

 dale iron-mines in a lease'* granted by Bishop 

 Sherwood on 21 May, 1488, to Thomas Ferror 

 of Brythburne, of his iron-mine in Weardale, 



'* Eccl. Com. Mins. Accts. 190030. For the first 

 and second years of Bishop Neville. 



" Ibid. 19003 I. 



'* Dur. Curs. 56, m. 4. 



354 



