Manchester Memoirs, Vol. Ixv. (1921), No. 13 17 



thus it would be expected that the megalith-builders settled 

 there, and especially in those parts that were rich in minerals. 

 On the map the regions that are metalliferous are distin- 

 guished from those that are not usually so. I have not found 

 it possible to trace any attempt to work out the distribution of 

 ancient mining centres in Wales. Much research has been 

 lavished upon the megaliths, but the mines have been almost 

 entirely neglected, except for a stray monograph such as that 

 of the Hon. Owen Stanley upon Holyhead (18). So I have 

 adopted the device of marking in the metalliferous formations 

 and known mining sites that are recorded in the Memoir 

 issued annually by the Geological Survey .* The triangular 

 spots represent mining sites, whether ancient or modern. In 

 the Ordovician region I have not attempted to mark all that 

 are known, but have put them in chiefly with reference to the 

 situation of megaliths. On the other hand I have marked all 

 the sites that I could find in the non-metalliferous region. 

 The indication of a mining site does at least tell us of the 

 presence of lead or copper in the neighbourhood, and that is 

 enough for our present purpose. It is quite certain that much 

 information of this kind remains to be collected in Wales. 

 For example, at Clynnog, there are three dolmens, but I have 

 never seen any mention of mines, ancient or modern. Yet I 

 know personally of one within a mile of a dolmen, and am 

 told locally that there are old copper mines just on the other 

 side of the village, within a mile or so of the other dolmens. 



A cursory examination of the map shows that the great 

 majority of the dolmens and stone circles marked on it are in 

 close proximity to mining sites, mostly lead, but some of them 

 copper and gold. This is particularly noticeable in Carnarvon, 

 where there are old mining sites, particularly near Snowdon. 

 The dolmens are distributed thicked there than in any other 

 part of the country. It will be noticed that the vale of 

 Conway is particularly full of dolmens. There are also mines 

 there, and this would account for them. But there is another 

 possible reason. The Conway is famous for its pearls, both 

 the fresh-water and the salt-water pearl-bearing mussel being 

 there. So it may be that the presence of pearls attracted 

 the dolmen-builders there just as it did the Romans. This 

 explanation would also serve to explain the presence of 

 dolmens round Criccieth and Portmadoc, for in both these 



* (12). Some cases are derived from the Memoirs dealing with the various 

 sheets of the Geological Survey Maps. 



