DB Specific Record

Scroll down the record

***SWAAG_ID***	635
Date Entered	03/11/2012
Updated on	03/11/2012
Recorded by	Tim Laurie
Category	Mining Related
Record Type	Northern Britain
Site Access	Public Access Land
Record Date	01/11/2012
Location	Upper Teesdale, Cronkley Fell, Tarn Rigg
Civil Parish	Forest and Frith
Brit. National Grid	NY 85370 28813
Altitude	427m
Geology	Glacial lateral moraine or protallus rampart. At edge of terace above small tarns below Cronkley Crags.
Record Name	Iron bloomeries on Cronkley Pasture and on Birk Rigg
Record Description	This record describes four iron bloomery sites , three on Cronkley Pasture and one on Birk Rig. These bloomeries are representative of the very large number of these sites scattered across the landscapes of Upper Teesdale south of the Tees and notably those on Holwick Fell dated by their relationship to early medieval settlements(which they generally overlie) to an intense episode of iron smelting during the 12th/13C AD (Gledhill, 2003). Reference: Dr Tom Gledhill, 2003. 'The Charcoal Iron Industry of Upper Teesdale'.In: Past Times in Teesdale. Third Series. pp15-27. Teesdale Record Society and The Bowes Museum.
Additional Notes	These bloomery sites were encountered during a single walk across this area and do not in any way represent a survey. There will be other bloomery sites in this area which are not recorded here. In contrast to the very numerous bloomery sites in Upper Teesdale, bloomery sites are very rare in Swaledale, I have seen just two bloomery sites in Swaledale and those are located close to Throstle Gill Beck directly below the settlement of early medieval character at Dicky Edge.
Image 1 ID	3595 Click image to enlarge
Image 1 Description	Iron bloomery site on Tarn Rigg below Cronkley Scars. At NY85370 28813, 427m
Image 2 ID	3596 Click image to enlarge
Image 2 Description	Iron bloomery site on Tarn Rigg below Cronkley Scars. At NY85370 28813, 427m
Image 3 ID	3597 Click image to enlarge
Image 3 Description	Iron bloomery site on Tarn Rigg below Cronkley Scars. At NY85370 28813, 427m
Image 4 ID	3598 Click image to enlarge
Image 4 Description	Iron bloomery site on Tarn Rigg below Cronkley Scars. At NY85370 28813, 427m
Image 5 ID	3599 Click image to enlarge
Image 5 Description	Slag from iron bloomery site on Tarn Rigg below Cronkley Scars. At NY85370 28813, 427m
Image 6 ID	3600 Click image to enlarge
Image 6 Description	Tarn at Tarn Dub, view west
Image 7 ID	3601 Click image to enlarge
Image 7 Description	Tarn at Tarn Dub, view east.
Image 8 ID	3602 Click image to enlarge
Image 8 Description	Iron bloomery site on Tarn Rigg below Cronkley Scars. At NY85332 28783, 420m
Image 9 ID	3603 Click image to enlarge
Image 9 Description	Iron bloomery site on Tarn Rigg below Cronkley Scars. At NY85332 28783, 420m
Image 10 ID	3604 Click image to enlarge
Image 10 Description	Slag from iron bloomery site on Tarn Rigg below Cronkley Scars. At NY85332 28783, 420m
Image 11 ID	3605 Click image to enlarge
Image 11 Description	Iron bloomery site on Birk Rig
Image 12 ID	3606 Click image to enlarge
Image 12 Description	Iron bloomery site on Birk Rig. White Force in LH distance and to the RH distance, the 'New' Moor Dike constructed by French Napoleonic Prisoners of War (Inf, Mr Roger Redfearn).
Image 13 ID	3607 Click image to enlarge
Image 13 Description	Two iron bloomery site mounds on Cronkley Pasture, the second smaller bloomery is below that in the foreground near the ruined wall which was the Old Moor Dike.
Image 14 ID	3608 Click image to enlarge
Image 14 Description	Slag from last site