A HISTORY OF CORNWALL 



The Delabole Slate Quarries are in the parish 

 of St. Teath. They are nearly three miles from 

 Camelford and about two miles from the sea, at 

 an elevation of over 500 feet above the sea 

 level. It is supposed that in the first instance 

 the slate was discovered in the bed of a small 

 water-course at the junction of two rivulets. 

 The land on the east belonged to one owner, 

 on the north to another, and on the west to 

 another. The quarrying was carried on for 

 many years only on the west side. In 1750 

 several men were at work, and during the 

 following fifty years the quarry became con- 

 siderably enlarged. At the end of this time 

 also operations had been begun on the north 

 side, which was worked on a lease by twelve 

 quarrymen, who employed others, and about 

 1844 operations were commenced on the east 

 side. In the earlier period men carried the slate 

 out of the quarry on their backs ; then donkeys 

 were employed, as many as forty at one time ; 

 later still horses were used, and these were 

 succeeded by a horse-whim. Previous to the 

 introduction of steam power the rock could be 

 worked only to a certain depth, and then as one 

 part was worked out it was filled in with rubble 

 from the new excavations. The first steam 

 engine, named the Speedwell, was erected in 

 1834 on the west property, and was principally 

 used for drawing rubble over a short incline. In 

 a few years other steam engines were erected on 

 the other properties. 



In 1841 a joint-stock company was formed 

 under the name of the Old Delabole Slate 

 Company, for the purpose of working the two 

 quarries on the east and west sides, and in 1 849 

 the quarry on the north side came into their 

 possession. At first the quarries were held on 

 lease, but after a few years the company pur- 

 chased the freehold of the quarries and a con- 

 siderable quantity of land, and the three quarries 

 were merged into one. In 1898 the company 

 disposed of their interest to a syndicate, and a 

 new company under the Limited Liability Act 

 was formed under the old name. 



The quarry is about 25 acres in extent, and 

 the rubble heaps or spoil banks occupy about 

 130 more; altogether there are 155 acres. In 

 the early days as the quarry deepened the 

 drainage became a difficulty. About 100 years 

 ago an adit was driven from the valley beneath 

 for nearly half a mile to the quarry, and this 

 carried off the water to the depth of about 

 200 feet, but when the depth increased a water 

 wheel was erected for pumping the water to 

 the adit, and several years ago two other larger 

 wheels were added, which are driven by water 

 from the surface, and are so arranged that the 

 water passes over each. When the surface 

 supply is not sufficient in summer to keep the 

 wheels going, steam is used for working the 

 pumps. After the introduction of modern 

 machinery the following method was adopted 



for hauling the top-rock and slate-rock to the 

 surface : Parapet-heads, or poppets as they are 

 locally called, were employed, which consisted 

 of strong wooden stays secured at one extremity 

 to the surface, and projecting 14 feet over the 

 edge of the quarry ; these were furnished at the 

 other extremity with a pulley, over which the 

 chain used for hauling was passed. One end 

 of this chain was wound round a cage or drum 

 near the engine-house, while the other, after 

 passing over the pulley, was left free so that 

 it could be taken to that part of the quarry from 

 which the rock was being extracted and attached 

 to the load. Afterwards, when the parapet- 

 heads were discarded, wire ropes were substituted 

 for chains, the ropes being found cheaper, 

 stronger, and more durable. In place of 

 parapet-heads inclines have now been con- 

 structed, and the rock and rubble are hauled in 

 wagons over them to the surface by means of 

 stationary engines at the top. 



The operations in the quarry are as follows : 

 Powder is usually used for blasting the ordinary 

 rock, but for hard and unproductive rock 

 dynamite is sometimes used, and the men who 

 do the blasting are called rock men. If the rock 

 is useless the payment is by the ton, if slate- 

 producing it is by the dozen for roofing slate 

 or by the foot for slabs. After being blasted 

 the rock, whether good or bad, is taken in 

 charge by men called fillers, who load the wagons 

 and send it over the inclines or the parapet- 

 heads, whence it is received by men called 

 landers, and then taken by locomotive engines, 

 the useless to the waste tip, and the good to the 

 deposit floors or to the manufacturing sheds. At 

 the sheds the men called splitters or cleavers 

 take charge of those blocks which are to be 

 converted into roofing slates. By means of a 

 mallet and flat chisel the blocks are split into 

 slabs 2 in. or 3 in. thick, and if too wide 

 to work to advantage they are placed on a 

 circular saw-table and sawn at right angles to 

 the cleavage, and then further subdivided into 

 the required thickness. Then the several pieces 

 are passed to the slate-dresser, who cuts them 

 into the largest sizes they will make. The 

 slates are then taken charge of by men called 

 pitchers, who sort them, placing each kind by 

 itself. The foreman takes the count, and the 

 men are paid according to his return. What- 

 ever damage is done before the count takes 

 place is at the loss of the men. 



A considerable quantity of slate is made into 

 what is called scantle, which is squared both sides 

 and at one end, and is irregular in length and 

 breadth. About 700 scantle slates are required 

 to do a square (i.e. 100 superficial feet) of roof- 

 ing. These are used principally in West Corn- 

 wall and Belgium. Many years ago a number 

 of churches in Devon and Cornwall were covered 

 with them. A large quantity of another kind is 

 made, called rags. They are like scantle, irregular 



520 





