London Lead Company
Encyclopedia
The London Lead Company was an 18th and 19th century British lead mining company. It was incorporated by royal charter. Strictly, it was The Company for Smelting Down Lead with Pitcoal.
s) of Talbot Clerke, the son of Sir Clement Clerke
near Bristol. This apparently did not prove a success, and the company returned the works in 1695 to Talbot Clerke (by then Sir Talbot).
Another group of entrepreneurs, of whom Dr Edward Wright was a leading member, obtained leases in Cumberland
in 1693. This, known as Estourt's Copper or Mines Royal Copper was floated as an unincorporated company in 1693. This company, many of whose members were Quakers, is not to be confused with the Society of Mines Royal
, which was by then largely moribund. It acquired lead mines in Flintshire
from Lethicullier's Copper Company (another unincorporated venture) in 1695. This proved more successful. In 1704, the owners acquired the charter of the defunct The Company for Smelting Down Lead with Pitcoal, and transferred their business to it. The following year, this also took over the Ryton Company, which had reverberatory furnaces at Ryton on Tyne
and lead mines on Alston Moor
.P. W. King, 'Sir Clement Clerke and the adoption of coal in metallurgy' Trans. Newcomen Soc. 73(1) (2001-2), 38-9; A. Raistrick, 'London Lead Company 1692-1705' Ibid. 24 (1943-4); J. N. Rhodes, 'The London Lead Company in North Wales, 1692-1792' (unpublished Ph. D. thesis, Leicester University 1972).
operations in 1753 when it took a lease on a mine at Newbiggin
in Teesdale. This gradually expanded to a further 18 miles and a smelting mill at Eggleston
.
In 1815 the company moved its headquarters to Middleton-in-Teesdale
where it built Middleton House, the impressive headquarters of the company.
The Company had Quaker origins and tried to provide for its workers who suffered appalling conditions underground and working with the ore.
In Middleton they built company houses (Newtown). A contemporary writer described the part of Middleton built by the Company: 'Masterman Place or as it is sometimes called, New-Middleton, was erected in 1833 by the London Lead Company from the chaste and appropriate design of Mr. Bonomi, and under the direction of Robert Stagg. It consists of several uniform rows of neat and convenient cottages, situated in a spacious garden, a portion of which was appropriated to each dwelling. The increasing population of Middleton had considerably enhanced the rents of dwelling houses there, and it was to diminish this burden that the Company built Masterman Place, in which, as vacancies occur, they place their most deserving workmen, thus combining general utility with the reward of personal merit. The first occupiers took possession of their new abodes in May 1824, accompanied by bands of music, etc’. Temperance was required by the company in their new houses.
By 1890 the company was starting to suffer from competition, both from other materials and imports. From 1895 onwards the Company slowly scaled down its whole mining enterprise, partly due to the age of the main members of the board, or court, but mainly due to the rapidly shrinking lead market at the time. The Company finally wound up in 1905 - selling the mines to the Vieille Montagne Company who worked them for zinc up until the second world war.
Many details about Lead Mining in the NE of England are available from Killhope
Mining Museum in Weardale
.
Origins
The company was chartered in 1692 to investors who intended to acquire the lead-smelting works (reverberatory furnaceReverberatory furnace
A reverberatory furnace is a metallurgical or process furnace that isolates the material being processed from contact with the fuel, but not from contact with combustion gases...
s) of Talbot Clerke, the son of Sir Clement Clerke
Clement Clerke
Sir Clement Clerke, 1st Baronet was an important English entrepreneur, whose greatest achievement was the application of the reverberatory furnace to smelting lead and copper, and to remelting pig iron for foundry purposes.-Background:Clement Clerke was the third son of George Clerke of...
near Bristol. This apparently did not prove a success, and the company returned the works in 1695 to Talbot Clerke (by then Sir Talbot).
Another group of entrepreneurs, of whom Dr Edward Wright was a leading member, obtained leases in Cumberland
Cumberland
Cumberland is a historic county of North West England, on the border with Scotland, from the 12th century until 1974. It formed an administrative county from 1889 to 1974 and now forms part of Cumbria....
in 1693. This, known as Estourt's Copper or Mines Royal Copper was floated as an unincorporated company in 1693. This company, many of whose members were Quakers, is not to be confused with the Society of Mines Royal
Society of Mines Royal
The Society of Mines Royal was one of two mining monopoly companies incorporated by royal charter in 1568, the other being the Company of Mineral and Battery Works.-History:...
, which was by then largely moribund. It acquired lead mines in Flintshire
Flintshire
Flintshire is a county in north-east Wales. It borders Denbighshire, Wrexham and the English county of Cheshire. It is named after the historic county of Flintshire, which had notably different borders...
from Lethicullier's Copper Company (another unincorporated venture) in 1695. This proved more successful. In 1704, the owners acquired the charter of the defunct The Company for Smelting Down Lead with Pitcoal, and transferred their business to it. The following year, this also took over the Ryton Company, which had reverberatory furnaces at Ryton on Tyne
Ryton, Tyne and Wear
Ryton is a semi-rural small town near the western border of Tyne and Wear, England. Once an independent town in County Durham it became incorporated into the metropolitan county of Tyne and Wear and the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead in 1974. It has a population of 15,742.- Location :Ryton lies...
and lead mines on Alston Moor
Alston Moor
Alston Moor is an area of moorland and civil parish in Cumbria, England, based around the small town of Alston. The parish had a population of 2,156 at the 2001 census. As well as the town of Alston, the parish includes the villages of Garrigill and Nenthead, along with the hamlets of Nenthall,...
.P. W. King, 'Sir Clement Clerke and the adoption of coal in metallurgy' Trans. Newcomen Soc. 73(1) (2001-2), 38-9; A. Raistrick, 'London Lead Company 1692-1705' Ibid. 24 (1943-4); J. N. Rhodes, 'The London Lead Company in North Wales, 1692-1792' (unpublished Ph. D. thesis, Leicester University 1972).
Teesdale
The London Lead Company started its TeesdaleTeesdale
Teesdale is a dale, or valley, of the east side of the Pennines in England. Large parts of Teesdale fall within the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty - the second largest AONB in England and Wales. The River Tees rises below Cross Fell, the highest hill in the Pennines, and its...
operations in 1753 when it took a lease on a mine at Newbiggin
Newbiggin, Teesdale
Newbiggin is a village in County Durham, in England. It is situated on the north side of Teesdale, opposite Holwick. There was an influx of Derbyshire lead miners into the area in the late 18th century, and they may have brought the name from Biggin....
in Teesdale. This gradually expanded to a further 18 miles and a smelting mill at Eggleston
Eggleston
Eggleston is a village in County Durham, in England. It is situated in Teesdale, a few miles north-west of Barnard Castle.-History:The village is first mentioned in tax records of 1196. The remains of ridge and furrow from the medieval period can still be seen. Many of the cottages date from the...
.
In 1815 the company moved its headquarters to Middleton-in-Teesdale
Middleton-in-Teesdale
Middleton-in-Teesdale is a small market town in County Durham, in England. It is situated on the north side of Teesdale between Eggleston and Newbiggin, a few miles to the north west of Barnard Castle...
where it built Middleton House, the impressive headquarters of the company.
The Company had Quaker origins and tried to provide for its workers who suffered appalling conditions underground and working with the ore.
In Middleton they built company houses (Newtown). A contemporary writer described the part of Middleton built by the Company: 'Masterman Place or as it is sometimes called, New-Middleton, was erected in 1833 by the London Lead Company from the chaste and appropriate design of Mr. Bonomi, and under the direction of Robert Stagg. It consists of several uniform rows of neat and convenient cottages, situated in a spacious garden, a portion of which was appropriated to each dwelling. The increasing population of Middleton had considerably enhanced the rents of dwelling houses there, and it was to diminish this burden that the Company built Masterman Place, in which, as vacancies occur, they place their most deserving workmen, thus combining general utility with the reward of personal merit. The first occupiers took possession of their new abodes in May 1824, accompanied by bands of music, etc’. Temperance was required by the company in their new houses.
By 1890 the company was starting to suffer from competition, both from other materials and imports. From 1895 onwards the Company slowly scaled down its whole mining enterprise, partly due to the age of the main members of the board, or court, but mainly due to the rapidly shrinking lead market at the time. The Company finally wound up in 1905 - selling the mines to the Vieille Montagne Company who worked them for zinc up until the second world war.
Many details about Lead Mining in the NE of England are available from Killhope
Killhope
Killhope is a small settlement at the very highest end of Weardale in County Durham, England.It is home of the North of England Lead Mining Museum which is based at the old Park Head Mine....
Mining Museum in Weardale
Weardale
Weardale is a dale, or valley, of the east side of the Pennines in County Durham, in England. Large parts of Weardale fall within the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty - the second largest AONB in England and Wales. The upper valley is surrounded by high fells and heather grouse...
.