Tin Mining in Cornwall 1900 to 1950
‘Mine company says South Crofty could be up and running by 2027’, proclaimed the West Briton in May 2024, echoing the ups and downs of early 20th century Cornish tin mining chronicled in Roger Burt’s new synthesis. Burt is less optimistic of tin’s future in Cornwall, but he writes as an historian, not a journalist. This well-written and engaging account of the tin industry over a turbulent half century is based on Burt’s deep knowledge of heroic quantities of published and unpublished information, with contributions from Michael Gill and Norikazu Kudo.
While the geology of Cornish mining is amply covered elsewhere, Burt’s focus is on the business side of Cornish tin mining, particularly the businessmen: the managers, investors, and mineral owners (the absence of women is notable). Cornwall’s previous central place in the global history of hard-rock mining and technological developments, such as in steam, haunted early 20th century tin mining. Earlier success in the 18th to early 19th century with copper left an unfortunate legacy of output-, not profit-, based royalties to mineral owners. An antiquated ‘cost-book’ business model persisted, as did resistance to technological changes, including electricity and rotary drilling. Government support was often sought but too rarely available, and much of Cornwall’s world-class workforce and expertise had emigrated to Australia, South Africa, and the Americas before the end of the 19th century.
The existence of substantial reserves of tin was not, and is not, in doubt; exploiting them profitably is another matter. Burt’s book is a salutary reminder that favourable geology is no guarantee of business success. South Crofty is one of only three tin mines to have had a significant history in the period covered here and was the last to cease production in 1998. Present activity is centred on wolfram and lithium; no doubt their history will be similarly prone to booms and busts.
The book – appropriately published by the Trevithick Society – is excellent value, it is nicely produced on good quality paper, allowing high resolution reproduction of the 35 monochrome historical photographs. A minor quibble is the lack of any map to locate the numerous mines discussed; a short glossary of local mining terminology would also be helpful to the non-specialist. But none of these drawbacks should put off the reader interested to know more about the business background to the more visible legacy of Cornwall’s iconic industrial archaeology.
Reviewed by David Smith
DETAILS
BY: Roger Burt (2023). The Trevithick Society. 325 pp. (pbk)
ISBN: 9781838424534
PRICE: £25 www.trevithicksociety.info/book
