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Summary

Wheal Betsy Mine, in use by 1740, but may date earlier than this. Silver lead and copper mine. Re-opened in 1806 and worked at several times before finally closing in 1877. The core are contains the 1860s engine house, (preserved by the National Trust), wheel-pit, well-preserved washing floor, with buddles and in situ dressing waste tips. Without the core area is an extensive multi-period mining landscape. The North part contains a network of rakes, leats and hushes. The South part contains early washing floors on both sides of the stream, with cobbled floors and at least one rectangular buddle. This site is included in the local list of Nationally Important Dartmoor sites.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1003191: Wheal Betsy pumping house
• SHINE: Wheal Betsy Mine, Mary Tavy. Remains of mid-18th century or earlier mine

Other References/Statuses

• Dartmoor Non-designated Heritage Asset: y
• National Monuments Record: SX58SW42
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 440756
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX58SW/6
• Old SAM County Ref: 787(PART)

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• LEAD MINE (Constructed, XVIII to Edwardian - 1740 AD (Between) to 1906 AD (Post))
• SILVER MINE (Constructed, XVIII to Edwardian - 1740 AD (Between) to 1906 AD (Post))
• COPPER MINE (XIX - 1806 AD (Between) to 1877 AD (Between))

Full description

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, SX58SW42 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV253760.

Lysons, D. + Lysons, S., 1822, Magna Britannica (Monograph). SDV323771.

de la Beche, H. T., 1839, Report on the Geology of Cornwall, Devon and West Somerset (Monograph). SDV337075.

Watson, J. Y., 1843, A compendium of British Mining (Monograph). SDV253743.

Henwood, W. J., 1843, Metalliferous Deposits (Monograph). SDV337406.

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

Area of the mine depicted on the First Edition Ordnance Survey map. Map object based on this Source.

Crossing, W., 1901, A Hundred Years on Dartmoor (Monograph). SDV253763.

Collins, J. H., 1912, Observations on the West of England Mining Region (Monograph). SDV323594.

Crossing, W., 1912 (1965), Crossing's Guide to Dartmoor, 56, 156, 58 (Monograph). SDV320981.

Unknown, 1921, Special Report on Mineral Resources, 21 (Report - Scientific). SDV253744.

Special report mineral resources; lead. Other details: Geological Survey Memoir 337 Tavistock.

H. M. Stationary Office, 1929, Abandoned Mines (Monograph). SDV215700.

Royal Air Force, 1947, RAF/CPE/UK/1995, 4385 (Aerial Photograph). SDV224714.

Ramsden, J. V., 1952, Notes on the Mines of Devonshire, 90 (Article in Serial). SDV60737.

Barton, D. B., 1964, The Mines and Mineral Railways of East Cornwall and West Devon, 84-92 (Monograph). SDV240068.

Booker, F., 1967, Industrial Archaeology of the Tamar Valley, 129-130 (Monograph). SDV240774.

Harris, H., 1968, Industrial Archaeology of Dartmoor, 36, 65-6, 208 (Monograph). SDV149229.

The remains of Wheal Betsy; one of the most successful mines in the Mary Tavy area are the most spectacular, comprising the shell of the old engine house with its stack (the last surviving on Dartmoor), surrounded by the old workings, spoil tips, dry channels, tracks and a number of shafts on the hillside and along the valley of the Cholwell Brook.
It is unknown precisely when Wheal Betsy was first worked but it was reopened in 1806 for lead and copper and also produced arsenic and silver. It continued in use until 1877 and was known at varying times as Prince Arthur Mine and as North Wheal Friendship.

Department of Environment, 1970, Wheal Betsy (Schedule Document). SDV253746.

Wheal Betsy engine house built in 1868. The mine closed in 1877.

Minchinton, W. E., 1976, Industrial Archaeology in Devon, 25 (Monograph). SDV7016.

The old Wheal Betsy mine was reopened for a time in 1806 and again in 1863 when it was renamed the Prince Arthur Consols. It produced lead, silver and zinc. Between 1845 and 1875 the output was 540 tons of lead and over 2,000 ounces of silver. Five water wheels were used to provide power for pumping, milling etc. The mine was abandoned in the late 1870's. Its engine house is now owned by the National Trust.

National Trust, 1984, Wheal Betsy (Report - Survey). SDV253747.

In 1967 the engine house and stack were repaired by the national trust.

Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England, 1985, Aerial Photograph Project (Dartmoor) - Dartmoor Pre-NMP (Cartographic). SDV319854.

Mining area, mainly along length of Cholwell Brook, visible on aerial photographs. Heavily disturbed ground and spoil heaps. Shafts marked on Ordnance Survey maps. The disturbed ground stretches from SX51048147 to SX50948068. To the south of this, a mixture of scrub, coppice and non-coniferous trees probably covers a continuation of the area along the Cholwell Brook.

1985, Untitled Source (Photograph). SDV253748.

Series of photographs of Wheal Betsy engine house, including one of the National Trust memorial plaque. Other details: 656/15-20.

Cranstone, D., 1991, HBMC Assessment of the Lead Industry (Report - non-specific). SDV344159.

(Site visited during 1990) Important 19th century mine with earlier origins. Core area, at SX510813, contains the engine house, a ruined wheelpit, well-preserved washing floor and buddles, in-situ dressing waste, spoil heap and earthwork remains of leats and rakes. The mine area, SX508803 - SX512816, is an extensive multi-period mining landscape of the late 18th to 19th century. Features in the northern part include the earthworks of spoilheaps, leats, rakes and possibly hushes. The southern part contains early washing floors on both sides of the stream, with cobbled floors and at least one rectangular buddle. Also recorded are bellpits and dressing waste tips. Almost entirely on open moorland.

Cranstone, D., 1991, The Lead Industry, Site 2A, 2B (Report - non-specific). SDV90317.

Extensive multi-period mining landscape. North part contains network of leats, rakes ?hushes. South part contains early washing floors on both sides of stream, with cobbled floors and at least one buddle.
Unique survival of extensive lead mining landscape within Devon and Cornwall region, including only known surviving 18th early-19th washing floors; many interesting features. Almost entirely open moorland.
Important 19th century mine, earlier origins. Core area contains 1860s engine house, wheelpit, and well-preserved washing floor with buddles and in situ dressing waste tips.
Important survival of 19th century mine, with good washing floor. Forms core of extensive multi-period and -type mining landscape. Strongly recommended for protection.

Pye, A. + Westcott, K., 1992, Archaeological survey of the pumping engine-house at Wheal Betsy, Mary Tavy, 1-9, figs (Report - Survey). SDV253761.

Detailed history given for the mine, which saw near-continuous activity 1804-1877, but was only prosperous during 1830s and 1860s. This was largely due to drainage problems which required considerable investment in pumping machinery at a time of fluctuations in the lead market. Report also includes building survey for the engine-house and boiiler house.

Richardson, P. H. G., 1992, The Mines of Dartmoor and the Tamar Valley after 1913, 50-52 (Article in Serial). SDV323598.

Wheal Betsy is a very old mine, already in existence by the mid-18th century. It boasts one of finest surviving examples of an engine house in Devon. Although the mine wasn't worked in the post-1913 period, during 1912-1918, a water-driven air-compressing plant built to serve Wheal Jewell. Machinery powered by leat from Tavy Cleave that also supplied Wheal Jewell and went on, via the Cholwell Brook, to supply Wheal Friendship. Other details: Figure 7.

Gerrard, S., 2004, List of Sites Remaining to be Considered for Designation on Dartmoor (Un-published). SDV345444.

This site was considered for designation as a Scheduled Ancient Monument during the Monument Protection Programme. The programme ended before the entire list of sites was successfully scheduled so this is included on a local list of Nationally Important Sites.

Hamilton Jenkin, Dr. A. K., 2005, Mines of Devon, 87-9 (Monograph). SDV282410.

Wheal Betsy mine was reputedly started in 1740, although may have started earlier than this date. The principle lode runs north-south and was developed for three quarters of a mile, yielding lead, zinc and silver.
After a period of idleness, the mine was restarted in 1806 and from 1816 (or perhaps earlier) was worked in conjunction with Wheal Friendship. The mine was worked successfully for many years, although during the late 1820s, the price of lead fell significantly and the mine worked at a loss during this period. The price of lead recovered by the mid 1830s and in 1837 the connection with Wheal Friendship was ended, Wheal Betsy being formed as a separate company.
In 1863, a new company was formed in Glasgow under the name of Prince Arthur Consuls, and a large amount of investment into the mine took place, although the outlay far exceeded the mine's returns during the following years.
In 1869 the mine was sold to another company, when it reverted to being called Wheal Betsy and working continued at a reduced scale until 1877 when mining here ended.

Ordnance Survey, 2011, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV346129.

Map object based on this Source.

Waterhouse, R., 2017, The Tavistock Canal. Its History and Archaeology, 220, figs 6.76-77 (Monograph). SDV361789.

Wheal Betsy
Ancient silver-lead mine worked a north-south lode in the upper reaches of the Cholwell Valley north of Mary Tavy. It was taken on by the Wheal Friendship adventurers from the 1820s. A leat from Tavy Cleave drove at least seven water engines for pumping, winding and crushing. The mine's drainage adit was extended a mile to the south inn the 1830s to join the Wheal Friendship drainage system, but later proved an expensive folly when working of the latter became too expensive, dealing with the constant inflow of water from Betsy. Steam engines were erected on both mines later in the century to deal with the problem. Fig 6.76 shows principal surface features in 1831 and fig 6.77 a section dates to the same year.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8453 - Survey of the Pumping engine house, Wheal Betsy (Ref: 92.08)
• EDV8865 - Watching brief on high voltage cable replacement, Mary Tavy

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