INDUSTRIES 



found occasionally on the Pipe Rolls during the 

 reigns of Henry III 4 and Edward I. 



During the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, 

 it is possible that the bishop kept lead mines in 

 his own hands; but at least as early as the four- 

 teenth century long leases of certain mines were 

 being granted. In 1379 Bishop Hatfield gave* 

 a fifty years' lease of the Weardale lead-mines 

 (mineram plumbi in alta foresta nostra de Wer- 

 dale) to Alice widow of Thomas Birtby, with 

 the exception of his mineral rights at ' Rykhope,' 

 Stanhope, and Newlandside, at a rent of one stone 

 in eight of the metal smelted from the ore. The 

 lessee was not only to have the timber necessary 

 for her mine shafts (pro puteis suit edificandis) from 

 the bishop's foresters, but also pasture (herbagium 

 in communa) for the horses of her carts. It was 

 also provided that if the mine lay unworked ('- 

 acupata) for a year and a day, unless this was the 

 result of war (per communem guerram), the lease 

 should terminate and the bishop be at liberty to 

 again re-enter and deal with the property at his 

 will. 



From an indenture * entered on the roll of Bishop 

 Skirlaw about 1391, we learn that 'tout le myne 

 de plumbe deinz le forest de Werdale ' had been 

 leased by the bishop's master forester, William de 

 Fulthorp, to Robert del Water, for a term of 

 twelve years at an annual rent of 4 fothers of lead 

 for the first six years, and for the next six years, 

 5 fothers. A moiety of the mine had been 

 granted again by the lessee to John de Appulton 

 and Thomas Gare of York, who agreed to pay 

 half the rent in lead reserved to the bishop and 

 to bear half the expense ' de quere et gagner le 

 profit de dit myne,' during the term aforesaid. 

 If either party to the second agreement desired to 

 sink a new shaft (fair ou gagner un novell pute 

 pour avoir ure de plumbe) and the other was 

 unwilling to share the expense, the party sinking 

 the shaft should be at liberty to take and work 

 the pit and enjoy the profit without interference 

 from the other. The mines referred to seem to 

 have lain at 'Grenefeld, Dawtrysheles, Foggy- 

 thawaytegrove and Blakeden.' 



Fuller details as to the practical working ot 

 the lead of the Palatinate during the fifteenth 

 century can only be gleaned from the very few 

 lead-mining accounts which have survived. For 

 the year 7 from Michaelmas 2O Bishop Langley 

 to the Michaelmas following (1426), Richard 

 Burton, the bishop's surveyor, reports that 25 

 loads " of lead ore, at a cost of 3;. 8d. a load, were 

 won by Robert de Asshton, Thomas Wodmouse, 



4 Pipe R. 13 Hen. Ill, m. I. Here the io6t. $J. 

 issuing from the mines may refer to the sale of iron. 

 The lead was accounted for, we are told, by a special 

 officer. Also see Pipe R. 24 Hen. III. 



4 Dur. Curs. No. 3 1, m. \^d. 



Ibid. No. 33, m. 5^. 



' Eccl. Com. Mins. Accts. 190012. 



1 Load = 60 stones. 



and William Natresse,* miners, at West Sedling, 

 and delivered well washed and cleaned (pure la- 

 va to et mundato), and 1 8 loads at 41. a load by John 

 Henrison at East Sedling, but that the mines at 

 Burnhope, Sedlingfeld, and ' Olawodclogh ' were 

 not worked during the year. Peter del Stobbes 

 was paid lot. lid. for 2^ loads 14 stones at 41. a 

 load, won at Hard rake. For 3 loads 25 stones 

 of ore got at Ireshope by the sons of Thomas 

 Wodmouse and William Natrasse and the brother 

 of William de Westwood, 12s. 6d. was paid, a 

 price which works out at 3?. Sd. a load. At 

 ' Blakden,' where the workings seem to have been 

 deeper, John Westwood and his fellows got fifty- 

 three loads in ' le Watirgate,' and were paid 41. 

 a load, and also fifty-two loads at ' le Stulheued,' 

 for which they drew only 31. 4</. a load. Finally 

 forty loads were got at Scotours by John Trotter 

 and his fellows, and they were paid at the rate of 

 4;. a load. All this, with nineteen loads pur- 

 chased from the rector of Stanhope, was carried 

 to ' les Bolehill ' at Wolsingham at the cost of 

 I id. a load, while another 3^ loads ' de stauro 

 dicti rectoris ' were carried to the same place at 

 half the rate, viz., $^d, a load. 



When the ore arrived at Wolsingham the lead 

 was extracted, but possibly not always by the 

 same method. This year payment was made to 

 Robert de Whelehouse, ' boler,' ' pro combustione 

 et factura ' of 8 fothers 10 1 66 stones of lead ' in 

 bolyng,' to John Denning, ' boler,' similarly for 

 I fother 112 stones of lead, to Peter Dickson, 

 ' boler,' similarly for 7 fothers 156 stones of lead, 

 and 5*. was paid by agreement for each fother 

 ' ultra prostracionem, amputacionem et caragium 

 ligni focalis nccessarii pro cremacione eiusdem ad 

 costagia domini.' The total amount paid on the 

 account of the lead got by ' holing * was 

 ^4 OS. zd. Besides this a payment of 471. was 

 made to Robert de Whelehouse ' pro combustione 

 liquacione et factura' of 3 fothers 174 stones of 

 lead ' in smeltyng ' with a wheel (cum rota), 

 which works out at 121. a fother 'ultra facturam 

 carbonum et cariagium eorundem.' Also 9 fo- 

 thers 158 stones of lead were produced by smelt- 

 ing with a wheel and a foot-blast (pedibus ho- 

 minum), at a cost of I CM. a fother, besides the cost 

 of carriage and coals and ' mercedem de les 

 blawers.' The said blowers were paid 31*. gd. 

 in all, as we shall see later. Finally John Den- 

 nyng was paid 9*. <)d. for smelting 177 stones of 

 lead with a wheel, which is at the rate of lOs. a 

 fother. 



This account of the extraction of the lead is 

 of great interest, as it seems to indicate that in 



' About 1429 John Natresse of Stanhope, miner, 

 entered into recognizance in the bishop's chancery at 

 Durham for the proper working of a new shaft ' upon 

 the forfcld of the leed myne of the Blakdene in Wer- 

 dale' ; Dur. Curs. No. 37, m. 2 d. 



10 Fother = 180 stones, and the stone = 14 Ib. troy 

 according to this account. 



349 



