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Viewing swaag.org website implies consent to set cookies on your computer. Full details Swaledale and Arkengarthdale Archaeology Group
Registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation Number 1155775
SWAAG Honorary President:
Tim Laurie F,S,A,

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 *****SWAAG_ID***** 934
 Date Entered 20/07/2016
 Updated on 03/08/2016
 Recorded by Alan and Judith Mills
 Category Mining Related
 Record Type Mining
 SWAAG Site Name 
 Site Type 
 Site Name 
 Site Description 
 Site Access Public Access Land
 Record Date 16/07/2016
 Location Apedale
 Civil Parish Redmire
 Brit. National Grid SE 012 950
 Altitude 
 Geology Yoredale series
 Record Name Lead mining in Apedale - an introduction
 Record Description The geology of and mining in Apedale are described to a greater and lesser extent in a small number of sources principally Dunham & Wilson(1), Raistrick(2,3)and Spensley(4). This record is a brief introduction to what may be observed on a short walk in this interesting and picturesque valley.

There are the remains of two smelt mills in Apedale, their locations clearly visible on the 1st edition OS map; one at what is now called Dents Houses SE 0304 9423, the other, referred to as 'Old Smelting Mill (Lead)', at SE 0200 9400. One or more seems to have been working from the mid-18th C to the mid 19th C.

Once past Dents Houses a line of shallow shafts follow the Apedale Head vein to the North of the track. Further up the track at SE 01865 94567 are the sizeable remains left by the Apedale Mining Company which sank Apedale Shaft there in 1868. Below the track to the South is a partially buried waterwheel pit, indicating the site of a crushing mill, with the remains of four bouse teams nearby.

The most interesting sites are further up the dale near Jingle Pot Gill. Below the track to the South at SE 01237 94795 is the portal of Jingle Pot Level, aka Apedale Head Level, and above to the North at SE 01293 94862 is an impressive opencast cut through the Main Limestone, with a similar cut to the West at SE 01133 94909.

Well above the track and above Jingle Pot Gill are the remains of early medieval mining.Richard Smith has dated one of the bale smelting sites at SE 01179 95006 to the 10th / early 11th century ie pre-Conquest . Nearby shallow shafts and shallow opencast trenches might well be the source of galena smelted there.

Selected sources
(1) Geology of the Northern Pennine Orefield Vol 2 Stainmore to Craven; K.C. Dunham and A.A. Wilson; British Geological Survey; 1985
(2) The lead industry of Wensleydale & Swaledale, Vol 1 The Mines; Arthur Raistrick; Moorland Publishing; 1975
(3) The lead industry of Wensleydale & Swaledale, Vol 2 The Smelting Mills; Arthur Raistrick; Moorland Publishing; 1975
(4) Mines & Miners of Wensleydale; I.M. Spensley; 2014
(5) Radiocarbon dating of early lead smelting sites; Richard Smith; British Mining no. 80; 2006
 Dimensions 
 Geographical area 
 Species 
 Scientific Name 
 Common / Notable Species 
 Tree and / or Stem Girth 
 Tree: Position / Form / Status 
 Tree Site ID 0
 Associated Site SWAAG ID 0
 Additional Notes 
 Image 1 ID 6779         Click image to enlarge
 Image 1 Description Wheel pit at Apedale Shaft
 Image 2 ID 6780         Click image to enlarge
 Image 2 Description Bouse teams at Apedale Shaft
 Image 3 ID 6781         Click image to enlarge
 Image 3 Description Portal of Jingle Pot Level
 Image 4 ID 6782         Click image to enlarge
 Image 4 Description Early medieval bale
 Image 5 ID 6783         Click image to enlarge
 Image 5 Description Slag at the early medieval bale site
 Image 6 ID 6784         Click image to enlarge
 Image 6 Description Potential early medieval workings
 Image 7 ID 6785         Click image to enlarge
 Image 7 Description Opencast cut through the Main Limestone
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