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Summary

Lignite Works depicted on the late 19th century historic map, although may date to an earlier period. A mine for working Lignite; a brown to black coal-like deposit. Not shown on subsequent historic maps.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• MINE (XIX to XX - 1880 AD to 1906 AD (Between))

Full description

Ordnance Survey, 1880-1899, First Edition Ordnance 25 inch map (Cartographic). SDV336179.

'Lignite Works' depicted on the late 19th century historic map but is not shown on the early 20th century edition. Mine for working Lignite; a brown to black coal-like deposit. A lignite shaft, engine house, smithy and a small group of unlabelled buildings are shown on the map.
A further Lignite works is depicted at SX81067722 and 'Old Lignite Pit' is depicted at SX81287700 (outside the National Park boundary). The pit is the location of the existing Blue Waters Pond.

Rolt, L. T. C., 1974, The Potters' Field. A History of the South Devon Ball Clay Industry, 87-88 (Monograph). SDV296655.

Lignite, also known as ‘Bovey Coal’ was mined in a number of locations in the Bovey Basin, although none of these attempts was particularly successful. Lignite is a brown coloured substance somewhere between coal and wood, which retains some of the characteristics of wood as it has not become completely petrified. As a fuel it is inferior to coal but is widely used in Eastern Europe, where the quality is comparable to coal.
Local lignite was used for lime-burning in the 17th century and attempts were made in 1926 and the 1940s to utilise it as a fuel source during national shortages. These were largely unsuccessful.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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