MINING SITES IN WALES 303 



may probably assign Trecastell to post-Roman times, and as it is known to 

 have been vigorously exploited in the early seventeenth century, perforated 

 and rilled hammers seem to have continued in use until that date. This 

 conclusion is borne out by the late date of the roughly rilled hammers from 

 Alderley Edge. 



The objects from Cwm Ystwyth have been sent to the National Museum 

 of Wales. Those from the Montgomeryshire mines have been deposited 

 at Welshpool and a full report of these excavations -will be published in the 

 Montgomery Collections of the Powysland Club. The hammers from near 

 Llandudno have been sent to Cardiff, save for one specimen which has been 

 left in the Llandudno Museum ; those from Parys have been sent to Bangor 

 Museum. 



The following rough ore-analyses have been carried out at Belfast : 



(a) Chalcopyrite, Nantyreira : Cu 28-71 per cent., Fe 30-0 per cent., 

 Sb o- 36 per cent., Pb i -16 per cent., sulphur present, no Ag, Bi, Zn, Ni, Co. 



(b) Chalcopyrite in quartz, from the ancient tip, Nantyrarian : Cu 13-14 

 per cent., Fe 14-83 per cent., Zn 18-78 percent.. Pb 0-6 per cent., Sbo-04 

 per cent., Ni considerable traces, as traces, no Co, Ag, Bi. 



(c) Chalcopyrite in quartz veins, Nantyricket, from the next tip to the 

 ancient working at Lloches y Ladron, on the eastward continuation of the 

 vein : Cu 20-89 per cent., Fe 24-31 per cent., Pb 0-51 per cent., sulphur 

 present, Ag traces, as considerable traces, Sb, Bi, Zn, Ni, Co none. 



(d) Impregnations of chalcopyrite and galena from the tips, Daren Fawr : 

 Cu a little, Pbo-8 per cent., Fe4-26 percent., Ni, Co, Zn, Sb, Ag, Bi none. 



(e) Hard, heavy slag from Bryn Gefeiliau near Llanfihangel-Pennant 

 (Caernarvon), received from Mr. Hemp ; the slag is fairly well fused and 

 looks very ferruginous, resembling bloomery slag: Fe 37-35 per cent., 

 Zn 14-51 per cent., no Cu, Pb. It is difficult to decide whether this slag is 

 derived from zinc-smelting or from iron-working with an ore which hap- 

 pened to contain much zinc ; the temperature of bloomery slag would 

 hardly be sufficient to volatilise zinc. It is hoped later to excavate the site. 



(/) Black compact hillside slag, Mvv^n-Bwll, apparently derived from a 

 now denuded heap ; the piece had been rolled and was rather flaky : 

 Pb 9-74 percent., Zn 10-21 per cent., Fe 11 -51 per cent., no Bi, Cu. The 

 position of the slag should date it to a period when zinc was very little sought, 

 so it is probably derived from lead-working. 



(g) Slag from a riverside site just east of Penrhyn-coch village, received 

 from Mr. Jenan Williams through Mr. E. E. Evans. Not far off is an old 

 ieat. The site is near the sixteenth-century mine of Bryn Llwyd, and the 

 situation suggests that it belongs to the early days of the revived mining 

 industry. The specimens received were fused furnace-lining, made of 

 impure gritty clay, showing a little lead on analysis ; also fused stone. 

 Pieces thought to be nietallic slag have been found previously, some of which 

 occluded a little lead ore. 



