A HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND 



assumption of immemorial usage. In 1356 

 Edward III. caused an inquiry to be made by 

 a jury at Penrith for the purpose of rinding 

 out the immunities which justly belonged to 

 the miners. The verdict was to the effect 

 that they dwelt together in shiels (in shells suit) 

 and enjoyed the liberty of choosing from 

 among themselves one coroner and one bailiff 

 called a ' kynges sergeant ' ; the coroner had 

 cognizance of all pleas of felonies and tres- 

 passes, debts and other matters, arising among 

 themselves ; the king's bailiff made executions 

 among them respecting themselves and their 

 servants. When the miners were dispersed, 

 one or two in a place, the liberties ceased to 

 be exercised by those separated from the rest, 

 but while they dwelt together and followed 

 their mining occupations it was customary for 

 them and their predecessors to exercise these 

 privileges from time immemorial, rendering to 

 the king ten marks at the Exchequer of Car- 

 lisle.' * The claims of the miners to traditional 

 liberties were not always accepted without 

 challenge. In 1292 they were summoned to 

 answer the king by what warrant they claimed 

 that the justices itinerant in Cumberland 

 should come to Arneshowe in Alston to hold 

 pleas of the Crown 2 touching the mine there 

 without the licence of the king and his pro- 

 genitors. The miners pleaded that from the 

 time that the justices began to itinerate in 

 these parts they and all the miners that pre- 

 ceded them always used such liberty without 

 interruption, but at the same time petitioned 

 that the matter should be inquired into by the 

 country. It would appear from the record 

 that the claim was not sustained as the miners 

 had totally lost the liberty to hold pleas of the 

 Crown. 



The Stapletons, while they were lords of 

 the manor in the fifteenth century, were 

 lessees of the mine and seem to have been 

 actively interested in mining. In 1414 



1 Inq. p. m. 30 Edw. III. (znd Nos.), No. 70. 

 The verdict of the jury was afterwards confirmed by 

 letters patent (Pat. 30 Edw. III. pt. 3, m. 23). In 

 the same year the king forbad the bailiff of Tyne- 

 dale on any account to cause the miners to appear 

 beyond the county of Cumberland to answer for 

 the payment of any contribution charged upon 

 them for their mines in prejudice of their ancient 

 rent of ten marks (Close 30 Edw. III. m. 1 6). 



2 Plac. de S>uo. Warr. (Rec. Com.), p. 117. 

 Pleas were held at Alston on 16 January, 1278-9, 

 before Hugh de Multon and Robert de Wardewyk 

 sent there by John de Vaux and the other justices 

 itinerant at Carlisle. The causes heard were 

 wholly concerned with the conduct of the miners 

 and the working of the mines (Cal. of Doc. 

 Scot. [Scot. Rec. Pub.], ii. 40). 



William de Stapleton complained that from 

 time beyond memory he and his predecessors, 

 lords of the manor of Alston, had been pay- 

 ing an annual rent of ten marks for the mine, 

 notwithstanding that the said mine for the 

 past fifty years and more had been profitless, 

 to their manifest expense and impoverishment. 

 Several concessions were made to the lessees 

 at this period for the development of the in- 

 dustry, 3 but it is evident that the product of 

 the mine was inconsiderable and of little value 

 to the Crown. When new arrangements 

 were made by Edward IV. for the working of 

 royal mines in the north, the mine at Alston 

 More called ' the Fletcheroos,' now called 

 4 the Fletchers,' a little over a mile to the 

 north-east of Garrigill, was demised in 1475 

 with the mines of Keswick in Cumberland, 

 Richmond in Yorkshire and Blanchland in 

 Northumberland, to Richard, duke of Glouces- 

 ter, and others for fifteen years. 4 From this 

 date the rise of mining companies comes into 

 full view, with the consequent extension of 

 the mining industries throughout Cumberland. 

 The mineral resources of the Alston district 

 have contributed largely to the wealth of the 

 northern counties. 



The iron mines rank among the earliest in- 

 dustries, and their working appears to have 

 been confined at first to the great barony of 

 Coupland in the south-western portion of the 

 county. It is not necessary to inquire which 

 of the local mines may claim the precedence 

 in order of time, for soon after the Norman 

 settlement, as soon as we touch on charter 

 evidence, liberty to work iron mines and the 

 grant of forges or of wood for the making 

 of charcoal for furnaces were subjects of fre- 

 quent concession by the lords of that barony 

 to the neighbouring religious houses. The 

 mines about the town of Egremont, justly 

 famous as an industrial centre, have been con- 

 tinuously worked since the early years of the 

 twelfth century. William son of Duncan, 

 who succeeded to the fief of William Mes- 

 chin, granted to the monks of St. Bees an 

 iron mine (minant ferrt) in his land at ' Chir- 

 naby,' sometimes called ' Achirnaby,' near 

 Egremont, to make iron (ad ferrum faciendum) 

 for ever. 5 The mining of iron ore (mynera 

 ad ferrum] was carried on at ' Thyrneby ' by 



a Pat. 2 Hen. V. pt. 2, m. 13. It may be 

 mentioned that Pat. 4 Hen. V. m. 8 recites by 

 Inspeximus several instruments previously referred 

 to about the liberties of the miners, the greater 

 part of which has been printed by Hodgson (Hist. 

 ofNorthumb. vol. iii. pt. 2, pp. 52-3). 



4 Pat. 15 Edw. IV. pt. i, mm. 15, 22. 



5 Reg. of St. Bees, Harl. MS. 434, i. 39 ; viii. 8. 



340 



