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Summary

Site of North Hooe Silver and Lead Mine worked intermittently from the 13th until the 19th century and depicted on the First and Second Edition Ordnance Survey maps of between the 1880's-90's and between 1904-07. Structures and earthworks are visible in this location on aerial photographs of 1951 and visualisations derived from lidar data captured in 2013 and 2019 and have been transcribed as part of the Tamar Valley NMP and Tamar/Lidar projects.

Location

Protected Status

• SHINE: Earthworks and features associated with North Hooe Silver and Lead Mine

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX46NW/525

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• MINE (Early Medieval to XXI - 1066 AD to 2009 AD)

Full description

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

'North Hooe Mine (Silver & Lead, Disused)' marked on 1880s-1890s 25 inch Ordnance Survey map. Two chimneys and a quay on the Tamar are also marked. Map object partly based on this source.

Ordnance Survey, 1907, 111SW (Cartographic). SDV240062.

Devon County Council, 1970, Devon County Council, Mines and Quarries (Tips) Act 1969, Register of Disused Tips, Vol. 1 (Report - Survey). SDV356723.

Minerals worked, silver and lead.

Waster materal tipped.

Well covered at time of survey.

Movement could deposit material in river.

Two location maps included; 1:10560 and 1:2500

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1977, SX46NW12 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV343016.

North Hooe, silver and lead mine, one of the Bere Alston mines, was worked from circa 1290 intermittently down to the late 19th century. An Ordinance of 1298 shown that they were mined at the King's expense. Mudge's map, that is the 1809 1 inch Ordnance Survey map, has symbols marking a mine.

Cherry, B. + Pevsner, N., 1989, The Buildings of England: Devon (Monograph). SDV325629.

Mayer, P., 1990, Calstock and Bere Alston Silver/Lead Mines in the 14th Century, 79-95 (Article in Serial). SDV343017.

Richardson, P. H. G., 1992, The Mines of Dartmoor and the Tamar Valley after 1913, 138 (Article in Serial). SDV323598.

Nance, R. W. + Nance, R. D., 1996, A Survey of Engine Houses on the Mines of South Devon, 16-17 (Article in Serial). SDV241746.

The site of North Hooe mine lies alongside the River Tamar on a remote stretch of the south bank between Hooe and Lockridge Farm. It achieved peak silver-lead production in the 1840s when it was re-worked with South hooe mine under the direction of Percival Norton Johnson, of Johnson Matthew & Co. It was also briefly and unsuccessfully reopened in 1906. The walls of two buildings can still be seen, those of a large pumping engine house and a smaller building adjacent to the south-west.

Swete, J. (ed. Gray T. + Rowe, M.), 1997, Travels in Georgian Devon. The Illustrated Journals of the Reverend John Swete. Vol. 1 (Monograph). SDV341166.

Dyer, M. J. + Manning, P. T., 1998, Objective 5B: Lower Tamar Valley Recreation and Land Management Iinitiative: Cultural Heritage Appraisal, 50 (Report - non-specific). SDV319814.

Shown on 1889 Ordnance Survey map with two chimneys and a quay. This is probably the quay called 'Hue Passage', described by Swete in 1793 as 'where coals for the smelting house are landed'.

Buck, C., 1998, Preliminary Assessment of Industrial Sites of Archaeological Importance in the Tamar Valley, 57 (Report - Assessment). SDV336795.

Site visit. 11/3/1998. Both North and South Hooe worked the southern half of the western north-south silver/lead lode. The lode was worked at the surface from the late 13th until the late 15th century. It was purchased, with South Hooe, by the Tamar Silver Lead Company in 1835. It reached peak production in 1846. The engine pumped water to South Hooe mine for the dressing floors. The machinery was sold in 1855 but the workings were re-investigated in 1886 and 1906, both unsuccessfully. The main extant features are the pumping engine house with the neaby count house/smithy. The main shaft appears to have been capped with concrete and used as a source of water (with the balance bob box visible). The chimney and boiler house have gone but the reservoir site is visible. East of the engine house is the dressing floor area and spoil dump. Between North and South Hooe there is evidence of a tram road and a small quay.

Environment Agency, 2000-2019, LiDAR DTM data (1m resolution) EA: Tamar Aerial Survey project area, LIDAR Environment Agency LAST RETURN 19-APR-2019 (Cartographic). SDV363954.

Earthworks of sub-oval, curvilinear and irregularly shaped pits, banks and a possible terrace are visible.

Henry, A., 2001, Silver and Salvation: A Late Fifteenth Century Confessors Itinerary Throughout the Parish of Bere Ferrers, Devon, 78 (Article in Serial). SDV216264.

This could be the 'Wittesham Doune' Silver Mine recorded in 1452.

Cornwall Archaeological Unit, 2001-2002, Tamar Valley National Mapping Programme Transcriptions and Database Records, RAF/540/483/3299&3300 1951 (Interpretation). SDV346287.

A post-medieval silver and lead mine is visible as a series of structures and as earthwork spoil heaps on aerial photographs of 1951. Map object partly based on this source.

Claughton, P. F., 2003, Silver Mining in England and Wales, 1066-1500 (Post-Graduate Thesis). SDV81879.

NERC, 2013, LiDAR DTM data (1m resolution) Tellus: Tamar Aerial Survey project area, LIDAR Tellus LAST RETURN 01-JUL-2013 to 31-AUG-2013 (Cartographic). SDV363955.

Earthworks of sub-oval, curvilinear and irregularly shaped pits, banks and a possible terrace are visible.

Hegarty, C., Houghton, E., Knight, S. and Sims, R., 2020-2021, Tamar/Lidar; A Single Source Approach to Landscape Survey and Socially Distanced Community Archaeology Area 1 (AI&M project) (Interpretation). SDV363945.

Earthworks of sub-oval, curvilinear and irregularly shaped pits, banks and a possible terrace are visible on visualisations derived from lidar data captured in 2013 and 2019. The visible earthworks occupy an area of circa 0.87 hectares of steep north-east facing slope along the River Tamar foreshore. The visible earthworks comprise two possible extractive pits, 11 metres and 17 metres long, numerous banks of spoil heaps, between 10-70 metres long, and a possible area of terracing or landscaping, 160 metres long.
The earthworks correspond with features labelled as ‘North Hooe Mine (Silver & Lead, disused)’ on the late 19th century First Edition Ordnance Survey map.
Several of the transcribed earthworks from this survey correspond with child records of this mine, including spoil heap MDV75727 and engine house MDV75725. These have not been individually amended but are included within the monument polygon for this record. The attribute data for the transcriptions of these features has likewise been appended to this record.
Earthworks of structures and banks have been transcribed from aerial photographs taken in 1951 during the Tamar Valley NMP project. The banked feature at SX42676614 has been re-transcribed as part of this survey from lidar data which has provided additional clarity and detail as well as improved spatial accuracy, but which was unavailable to the previous survey.

Sources / Further Reading

SDV216264	Article in Serial: Henry, A.. 2001. Silver and Salvation: A Late Fifteenth Century Confessors Itinerary Throughout the Parish of Bere Ferrers, Devon. Transactions of the Devonshire Association. 133. Photocopy + Digital. 78.
SDV240062	Cartographic: Ordnance Survey. 1907. 111SW. Second Edition Ordnance Survey 6 inch Map. Map (Paper).
SDV241746	Article in Serial: Nance, R. W. + Nance, R. D.. 1996. A Survey of Engine Houses on the Mines of South Devon. Mining History: Bulletin PDMHS. The Archaeology of Mining and Metallurgy in South-West Britain. 13, Number 2. A4 Paperback. 16-17.
SDV319814	Report - non-specific: Dyer, M. J. + Manning, P. T.. 1998. Objective 5B: Lower Tamar Valley Recreation and Land Management Iinitiative: Cultural Heritage Appraisal. Exeter Archaeology Report. 98.60. A4 Stapled + Digital. 50.
SDV323598	Article in Serial: Richardson, P. H. G.. 1992. The Mines of Dartmoor and the Tamar Valley after 1913. British Mining. 44. A5 Paperback. 138.
SDV325629	Monograph: Cherry, B. + Pevsner, N.. 1989. The Buildings of England: Devon. The Buildings of England: Devon. Hardback Volume.
SDV336179	Cartographic: Ordnance Survey. 1880-1899. First Edition Ordnance 25 inch map. First Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map. Map (Digital).
SDV336795	Report - Assessment: Buck, C.. 1998. Preliminary Assessment of Industrial Sites of Archaeological Importance in the Tamar Valley. Cornwall Archaeological Unit Report. A4 Stapled + Digital. 57.
	Linked documents:1
SDV341166	Monograph: Swete, J. (ed. Gray T. + Rowe, M.). 1997. Travels in Georgian Devon. The Illustrated Journals of the Reverend John Swete. Vol. 1. Travels in Georgian Devon. The Illustrated Journals of the Reverend John Sw. 1. Hardback Volume.
SDV343016	Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card: Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division. 1977. SX46NW12. OSAD Card. Card Index + Digital.
SDV343017	Article in Serial: Mayer, P.. 1990. Calstock and Bere Alston Silver/Lead Mines in the 14th Century. Cornish Archaeology. 29. Paperback Volume. 79-95.
SDV346287	Interpretation: Cornwall Archaeological Unit. 2001-2002. Tamar Valley National Mapping Programme Transcriptions and Database Records. National Mapping Programme. Map (Digital). RAF/540/483/3299&3300 1951.
SDV356723	Report - Survey: Devon County Council. 1970. Devon County Council, Mines and Quarries (Tips) Act 1969, Register of Disused Tips, Vol. 1. Devon County Council. Mixed Archive Material.
SDV363945	Interpretation: Hegarty, C., Houghton, E., Knight, S. and Sims, R.. 2020-2021. Tamar/Lidar; A Single Source Approach to Landscape Survey and Socially Distanced Community Archaeology Area 1 (AI&M project). Historic England Research Report. Digital.
SDV363954	Cartographic: Environment Agency. 2000-2019. LiDAR DTM data (1m resolution) EA: Tamar Aerial Survey project area. Environment Agency LiDAR data. Digital. LIDAR Environment Agency LAST RETURN 19-APR-2019.
SDV363955	Cartographic: NERC. 2013. LiDAR DTM data (1m resolution) Tellus: Tamar Aerial Survey project area. Digital. LIDAR Tellus LAST RETURN 01-JUL-2013 to 31-AUG-2013.
SDV81879	Post-Graduate Thesis: Claughton, P. F.. 2003. Silver Mining in England and Wales, 1066-1500. University of Exeter Thesis. A4 Comb Bound + Digital.

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV6911 - Tamar Valley National Mapping Programme
• EDV8345 - Tamar/Lidar; A Single Source Approach to Landscape Survey and Socially Distanced Community Archaeology Area 1 (AI&M) (Ref: ACD2380)

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