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| HER Number: | MDV63077 |
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| Name: | Devon Smelting Company Works |
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Summary
Tin smelting house near Tavistock iron foundry in the early 19th century, in the former Lower Foundry buildings.
Location
| Grid Reference: | SX 484 746 |
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| Map Sheet: | SX47SE |
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| Admin Area | Devon |
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| Civil Parish | Tavistock |
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| District | West Devon |
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| Ecclesiastical Parish | TAVISTOCK |
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Protected Status: none recorded
Other References/Statuses
- Old DCC SMR Ref: SX47SE/338/3
Monument Type(s) and Dates
- SMELTING HOUSE (Early, XIX - 1801 AD to 1900 AD)
Full description
Barton, D. B., 1967, A History of Tin Mining and Smelting in Cornwall, 49, 62 (Monograph). SDV350373.
Greeves, T. A. P., 1996, Tin Smelting in Devon in the 18th & 19th Centuries, 87-88 (Article in Serial). SDV240078.
The most important of the Tavistock tin smelting houses was operated by Devon Smelting Company (also known as Gill & Co) from 1815-1837. In 1891 it was described as being 'near the iron foundry'. An 1815 sale notice for the Tavistock Iron Works included 'on the outside is a smelting house for tin, which, with a small plot of ground behind the foundry, and the use of water for driving their stamps, is let for 19 years unexpired, at a rent of £21 per annum'. The site of this smelting house seems to have been close to the north bank of the River Tavy, a short distance east of Vigo Bridge. In the 1820s and 1830s at least 7,487 blocks of tin were smelted here, although some may have been Cornish tin and some smelted at Calstock.
Exeter Archaeology, 1997, Archaeological Assessment of the Development of the Dockrell Yachts Site, Parkwood Road, Tavistock, 3-4 (Report - Assessment). SDV344557.
Figure 5 shows the approximate position of the old foundry building.
Freeman, M., 2005, The Tavistock Foundries, Part 1. (Pamphlet). SDV344999.
In October 1815, when the Tavistock Iron Works was offered for auction, the Lower Foundry building was let out for smelting tin.
Sources / Further Reading
| SDV240078 | Article in Serial: Greeves, T. A. P.. 1996. Tin Smelting in Devon in the 18th & 19th Centuries. Mining History: Bulletin PDMHS. The Archaeology of Mining and Metallurgy in South-West Britain. 13, Number 2. A4 Paperback. 87-88. |
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| SDV344557 | Report - Assessment: Exeter Archaeology. 1997. Archaeological Assessment of the Development of the Dockrell Yachts Site, Parkwood Road, Tavistock. Exeter Archaeology Report. 97.39. A4 Stapled + Digital. 3-4. [Mapped feature: #97207 ] |
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| SDV344999 | Pamphlet: Freeman, M.. 2005. The Tavistock Foundries, Part 1.. A4 Folded. |
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| SDV350373 | Monograph: Barton, D. B.. 1967. A History of Tin Mining and Smelting in Cornwall. A History of Tin Mining and Smelting in Cornwall. Unknown. 49, 62. |
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Associated Monuments
| MDV61918 | Related to: Lower Foundry, Tavistock (Monument) |
Associated Finds: none recorded
Associated Events
- EDV4674 - Archaeological Assessment of the Development of the Dockrell Yachts Site, Parkwood Road Tavistock
| Date Last Edited: | Oct 18 2012 3:15PM |
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