Welsh gold
Encyclopedia
Welsh gold
is highly prized because of its origin and scarcity, and occurs naturally in two distinct areas of Wales
. One area is in North Wales
in a band stretching from Barmouth
, past Dolgellau
and up towards Snowdonia
. This was mined at several mines, the largest of which were the Gwynfynydd Gold Mine, near Ganllwyd
, and the Clogau Gold Mine near Bontddu
. In South Wales
, it is found in a small area in the valley of the River Cothi
at Dolaucothi
where it is known to have been mined by the Romans
. Jewellery such as torc
s were worn by early Welsh princes but it is not possible to confirm that this was Welsh gold since there were strong trade links between Wales and Ireland
at the time and Ireland was a major producer of gold artefacts. Irish gold is especially well known from the Irish Bronze Age
as jewellery, torcs, amulets, rings, bracelets and so on. It was presumably collected by panning
from alluvial placers in river beds or near old rivers.
near Pumsaint
in Carmarthenshire
, which was initiated by the Romans in or about 74 AD, and closed in 1938 and was donated to the National Trust
in 1941. A hoard of gold objects was found near the village of Pumsaint
close to the mines in the 18th century and is now in the British Museum
.
However, Dolaucothi is best known for its exploitation on a large scale
during the Roman
period, from about 75 AD on to 300 AD at least. Hydraulic mining
methods preceded opencast and then deep mining at the site. The many opencast workings were produced by hushing
and fire-setting
during the Roman period in Roman Wales. The workings were initially under military control with a small Roman fort under the present village of Pumsaint and the workings have yielded large amounts of late Roman pottery (77 AD to 300 AD plus) from the reservoir
known as "Melin-y-milwyr" or soldiers mill.
The Dolaucothi mine is open to the public under the aegis of the National Trust
and visitors can explore the many surface features at the site, as well as be escorted on a tour of the extensive underground workings.
The Gwynfynydd
Gold Mine in Dolgellau closed in January 1999. In January 2007, the BBC
and other news organisations reported that the final traces of "economically extractable" gold had been removed from the mines and surrounding spoil. Even the local road surface had been filtered for traces, marking the end of the current mining operation. Gwynfynydd was discovered in 1860. It was active until 1998 and has produced 45,000+ troy ounces of Welsh gold since 1884.The Queen was presented with a kilogram ingot
of Welsh gold on her 60th birthday (April 1986) from this mine. In the 1990s the mine was open to the public and provided guided tours which included the opportunity to pan for gold. The mine closed because Health and Safety issues and because of changing pollution control legislation which would have made the owners liable for the quality of the mine discharge into the River Mawddach had the mine remained open.
Another gold mine lies nearby, the Clogau
mine. After producing copper and a little lead for quite a number of years, the mine developed into gold production in the 1862 gold rush
and continued as a major operator until 1911 during which time 165,031 tons of gold ore were mined resulting in 78,507 troy ounces (2,442 kg) of gold. It worked the St David's lode of Clogau mountain alongside the co-owned Vigra Mine. Since 1911, the mine has been re-opened several times for smaller scale operations. It last closed in 1998.
s of ore that yield up to 30 troy ounce
s per long ton
(920 g/Mg). In comparison, South African gold ore yields just a quarter of a troy ounce for every tonne
mined (8 g/Mg). However the South African gold fields are vastly more extensive. Welsh gold, when extracted, often has a reddish tint due to admixture with copper
. During refining, the gold is purified to the more common yellow color. Once Welsh gold is purified, it is indistinguishable from other gold by the normal physical and chemical tests and can only be distinguished by its isotopic
composition.
and her mother
, Princess Margaret
, Prince Charles
, Diana, Princess of Wales
and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall all wear or wore wedding ring
s fashioned from Welsh gold, as did Kate Middleton for her marriage to Prince William. The Queen was presented with a kilogram ingot of Welsh gold on her 60th birthday (April 1986) from the Gwynfynydd gold mine.
Due to its rarity, Welsh gold is very much more expensive to buy on the high street
and is often mixed with other gold bullion.
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
is highly prized because of its origin and scarcity, and occurs naturally in two distinct areas of Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. One area is in North Wales
North Wales
North Wales is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales. It is bordered to the south by the counties of Ceredigion and Powys in Mid Wales and to the east by the counties of Shropshire in the West Midlands and Cheshire in North West England...
in a band stretching from Barmouth
Barmouth
Barmouth ; Y Bermo ) is a town in the county of Gwynedd, north-western Wales, lying on the estuary of the River Mawddach and Cardigan Bay.The town is served by Barmouth railway station.- History :...
, past Dolgellau
Dolgellau
Dolgellau is a market town in Gwynedd, north-west Wales, lying on the River Wnion, a tributary of the River Mawddach. It was the county town of the former county of Merionethshire .-History and economy:...
and up towards Snowdonia
Snowdonia
Snowdonia is a region in north Wales and a national park of in area. It was the first to be designated of the three National Parks in Wales, in 1951.-Name and extent:...
. This was mined at several mines, the largest of which were the Gwynfynydd Gold Mine, near Ganllwyd
Ganllwyd
Ganllwyd is small village in southern Gwynedd, Wales through which the A470 passes. It lies in the Snowdonia National Park to the north of Dolgellau....
, and the Clogau Gold Mine near Bontddu
Bontddu
Bontddu, Dolgellau, Gwynedd, Wales is a small settlement east of Barmouth.Local tourism information describes a popular walk in the area of Bontddu:- External links :**...
. In South Wales
South Wales
South Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. The most densely populated region in the south-west of the United Kingdom, it is home to around 2.1 million people and includes the capital city of...
, it is found in a small area in the valley of the River Cothi
River Cothi
The River Cothi is the largest tributary of the River Tywi in south Wales. It is noted for its trout and sea trout fishing and for its beautiful scenery.-Dolaucothi:...
at Dolaucothi
Dolaucothi Gold Mines
The Dolaucothi Gold Mines , also known as the Ogofau Gold Mine, are Roman surface and deep mines located in the valley of the River Cothi, near Pumsaint, Carmarthenshire, Wales...
where it is known to have been mined by the Romans
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
. Jewellery such as torc
Torc
A torc, also spelled torq or torque, is a large, usually rigid, neck ring typically made from strands of metal twisted together. The great majority are open-ended at the front, although many seem designed for near-permanent wear and would have been difficult to remove. Smaller torcs worn around...
s were worn by early Welsh princes but it is not possible to confirm that this was Welsh gold since there were strong trade links between Wales and Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
at the time and Ireland was a major producer of gold artefacts. Irish gold is especially well known from the Irish Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
as jewellery, torcs, amulets, rings, bracelets and so on. It was presumably collected by panning
Placer mining
Placer mining is the mining of alluvial deposits for minerals. This may be done by open-pit or by various surface excavating equipment or tunneling equipment....
from alluvial placers in river beds or near old rivers.
Dolaucothi
The earliest known Welsh gold mine was the Dolaucothi Gold MinesDolaucothi Gold Mines
The Dolaucothi Gold Mines , also known as the Ogofau Gold Mine, are Roman surface and deep mines located in the valley of the River Cothi, near Pumsaint, Carmarthenshire, Wales...
near Pumsaint
Pumsaint
Pumsaint is a village in Carmarthenshire, Wales situated half way between Llanwrda and Lampeter on the A482 in the valley of the River Cothi. It forms part of the extensive estate of Dolaucothi which is owned by the National Trust....
in Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire is a unitary authority in the south west of Wales and one of thirteen historic counties. It is the 3rd largest in Wales. Its three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford...
, which was initiated by the Romans in or about 74 AD, and closed in 1938 and was donated to the National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
in 1941. A hoard of gold objects was found near the village of Pumsaint
Pumsaint
Pumsaint is a village in Carmarthenshire, Wales situated half way between Llanwrda and Lampeter on the A482 in the valley of the River Cothi. It forms part of the extensive estate of Dolaucothi which is owned by the National Trust....
close to the mines in the 18th century and is now in the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
.
However, Dolaucothi is best known for its exploitation on a large scale
Mining in Roman Britain
Mining was one of the most prosperous activities in Roman Britain. Britain was rich in resources such as copper, gold, iron, lead, salt, silver, and tin, materials in high demand in the Roman Empire. The abundance of mineral resources in the British Isles was probably one of the reasons for the...
during the Roman
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
period, from about 75 AD on to 300 AD at least. Hydraulic mining
Hydraulic mining
Hydraulic mining, or hydraulicking, is a form of mining that uses high-pressure jets of water to dislodge rock material or move sediment. In the placer mining of gold or tin, the resulting water-sediment slurry is directed through sluice boxes to remove the gold.-Precursor - ground...
methods preceded opencast and then deep mining at the site. The many opencast workings were produced by hushing
Hushing
Hushing is an ancient and historic mining method using a flood or torrent of water to reveal mineral veins. The method was applied in several ways, both in prospecting for ores, and for their exploitation. Mineral veins are often hidden below soil and sub-soil, which must be stripped away to...
and fire-setting
Fire-setting
Fire-setting is a method of mining used since prehistoric times up to the Middle Ages. Fires were set against a rock face to heat the stone, which was then doused with water...
during the Roman period in Roman Wales. The workings were initially under military control with a small Roman fort under the present village of Pumsaint and the workings have yielded large amounts of late Roman pottery (77 AD to 300 AD plus) from the reservoir
Reservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
known as "Melin-y-milwyr" or soldiers mill.
The Dolaucothi mine is open to the public under the aegis of the National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
and visitors can explore the many surface features at the site, as well as be escorted on a tour of the extensive underground workings.
North Wales
Gwynfynydd
Gwynfynydd Gold Mine near Ganllwyd, Dolgellau, Gwynedd, Wales, was discovered in 1860. It was active until 1998 and has produced 45,000+ troy ounces of Welsh gold since 1884. The Queen was presented with a kilogram of Welsh gold on her 60th birthday from this mine...
Gold Mine in Dolgellau closed in January 1999. In January 2007, the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
and other news organisations reported that the final traces of "economically extractable" gold had been removed from the mines and surrounding spoil. Even the local road surface had been filtered for traces, marking the end of the current mining operation. Gwynfynydd was discovered in 1860. It was active until 1998 and has produced 45,000+ troy ounces of Welsh gold since 1884.The Queen was presented with a kilogram ingot
Ingot
An ingot is a material, usually metal, that is cast into a shape suitable for further processing. Non-metallic and semiconductor materials prepared in bulk form may also be referred to as ingots, particularly when cast by mold based methods.-Uses:...
of Welsh gold on her 60th birthday (April 1986) from this mine. In the 1990s the mine was open to the public and provided guided tours which included the opportunity to pan for gold. The mine closed because Health and Safety issues and because of changing pollution control legislation which would have made the owners liable for the quality of the mine discharge into the River Mawddach had the mine remained open.
Another gold mine lies nearby, the Clogau
Clogau
The Clogau Gold Mine was once the largest and richest mine of all the gold mines in the Dolgellau gold mining area...
mine. After producing copper and a little lead for quite a number of years, the mine developed into gold production in the 1862 gold rush
Gold rush
A gold rush is a period of feverish migration of workers to an area that has had a dramatic discovery of gold. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, Brazil, Canada, South Africa, and the United States, while smaller gold rushes took place elsewhere.In the 19th and early...
and continued as a major operator until 1911 during which time 165,031 tons of gold ore were mined resulting in 78,507 troy ounces (2,442 kg) of gold. It worked the St David's lode of Clogau mountain alongside the co-owned Vigra Mine. Since 1911, the mine has been re-opened several times for smaller scale operations. It last closed in 1998.
Occurrence
Welsh gold forms in veins or lodeLode
In geology, a lode is a deposit of metalliferous ore that fills or is embedded in a fissure in a rock formation or a vein of ore that is deposited or embedded between layers of rock....
s of ore that yield up to 30 troy ounce
Ounce
The ounce is a unit of mass with several definitions, the most commonly used of which are equal to approximately 28 grams. The ounce is used in a number of different systems, including various systems of mass that form part of the imperial and United States customary systems...
s per long ton
Long ton
Long ton is the name for the unit called the "ton" in the avoirdupois or Imperial system of measurements, as used in the United Kingdom and several other Commonwealth countries. It has been mostly replaced by the tonne, and in the United States by the short ton...
(920 g/Mg). In comparison, South African gold ore yields just a quarter of a troy ounce for every tonne
Tonne
The tonne, known as the metric ton in the US , often put pleonastically as "metric tonne" to avoid confusion with ton, is a metric system unit of mass equal to 1000 kilograms. The tonne is not an International System of Units unit, but is accepted for use with the SI...
mined (8 g/Mg). However the South African gold fields are vastly more extensive. Welsh gold, when extracted, often has a reddish tint due to admixture with copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
. During refining, the gold is purified to the more common yellow color. Once Welsh gold is purified, it is indistinguishable from other gold by the normal physical and chemical tests and can only be distinguished by its isotopic
Isotope
Isotopes are variants of atoms of a particular chemical element, which have differing numbers of neutrons. Atoms of a particular element by definition must contain the same number of protons but may have a distinct number of neutrons which differs from atom to atom, without changing the designation...
composition.
Patronage
Jewellery formed out of Welsh gold has been bought by members of the British royal family. Queen Elizabeth IIElizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
and her mother
Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon
Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon was the queen consort of King George VI from 1936 until her husband's death in 1952, after which she was known as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, to avoid confusion with her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II...
, Princess Margaret
Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon
Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon was the younger sister of Queen Elizabeth II and the younger daughter of King George VI....
, Prince Charles
Charles, Prince of Wales
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Scotland he is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay...
, Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, whom she married on 29 July 1981, and an international charity and fundraising figure, as well as a preeminent celebrity of the late 20th century...
and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall all wear or wore wedding ring
Wedding ring
A wedding ring or wedding band is a metal ring indicating the wearer is married. Depending on the local culture, it is worn on the base of the right or the left ring finger. The custom of wearing such a ring has spread widely beyond its origin in Europe...
s fashioned from Welsh gold, as did Kate Middleton for her marriage to Prince William. The Queen was presented with a kilogram ingot of Welsh gold on her 60th birthday (April 1986) from the Gwynfynydd gold mine.
Due to its rarity, Welsh gold is very much more expensive to buy on the high street
High Street
High Street, or the High Street, is a metonym for the generic name of the primary business street of towns or cities, especially in the United Kingdom. It is usually a focal point for shops and retailers in city centres, and is most often used in reference to retailing...
and is often mixed with other gold bullion.
See also
- Gwynfynydd Gold Mine
- Dolaucothi
- Clogau Gold Mine
- Gold miningGold miningGold mining is the removal of gold from the ground. There are several techniques and processes by which gold may be extracted from the earth.-History:...
- HushingHushingHushing is an ancient and historic mining method using a flood or torrent of water to reveal mineral veins. The method was applied in several ways, both in prospecting for ores, and for their exploitation. Mineral veins are often hidden below soil and sub-soil, which must be stripped away to...
- Hydraulic miningHydraulic miningHydraulic mining, or hydraulicking, is a form of mining that uses high-pressure jets of water to dislodge rock material or move sediment. In the placer mining of gold or tin, the resulting water-sediment slurry is directed through sluice boxes to remove the gold.-Precursor - ground...
- Mining in Roman BritainMining in Roman BritainMining was one of the most prosperous activities in Roman Britain. Britain was rich in resources such as copper, gold, iron, lead, salt, silver, and tin, materials in high demand in the Roman Empire. The abundance of mineral resources in the British Isles was probably one of the reasons for the...
External links
- Clogau gold mine site
- Photos of natural Welsh Gold from the Clogau mine
- Wales Underground: Gold
- Wales calling: Gold Mining in Wales
- National Trust: Dolaucothi Gold Mines
- The Geology of the Dolgellau Gold-Belt
- The Independent: The Last Gold Miner in Wales
- Aerial photographs of gold mines in Wales
- I. M. Platten and S. C. Dominy (2009) "Geological mapping in the evaluation of structurally controlled gold veins: A case study from the Dogellau gold belt, north Wales, United Kingdom", World Gold Conference 2009, South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, PDF file, accessed 14 November 2010.