Lead mining in Llanferres Denbigh 1800's

[Ian999]

Purely as an aside, during my misspent youth I spent a lot of time exploring the old lead mines around Maeshafn. Later I wrote an article for the Ninnau, the North American newspaper for Welsh ex-pats. Here is a section of that article:

"....The sign shown on the top of the page shows a Miners Arms at Maeshafn. This is in Denbighsire near the border with Flintshire in the far North East of the country. It marks the center of a huge lead mining area which extends from the northern coast down to Caergwrle with Halkyn Mountain being its centerpoint. There is a Miners Arms for sale in Meliden if anyone is interested! Walking in the countryside around Maeshafn and Gwernymynydd can be quite tricky as there are dozens of open airshafts for the old lead mines.

Sometimes it is not appreciated how old these mining areas are. OK we know that Parys Mountain in Anglesey was mined for at least a thousand years before the Romans came, likewise the copper mines on the Great Orme in Llandudno, but the Maeshafn area was also mined before the Romans.

Several lead ingots from Roman times have been discovered stamped with a code and the name “Decangi”, which is the Roman term for the Celtic tribe that lived in the North East between the Clwyd and the Dee.
Lead was very important in those days. The Romans were really into bathing so they needed lead water pipes and lead lined baths so they could soak. Roman women used lead pigments for makeup. Lead acetate, being quite sweet, was added to wine in huge quantities. But, lead is quite poisonous with long term exposure and it is no wonder that the Emperors went mad.

As an aside and in spite of all the evidence, it is common to find these old lead mines dammed up near their entrances with iron waterpipes serving to supply drinking water to the local rural population. Much of this was financed by the Ruabon District Council within their area!   
..."

[tornado]

Ian , thank you so much for the "social history" background into the lead mines in my ancestors area. It is an engaging piece of writing. I can just about picture my miner in the Family working in such a mine . Hard toil but a great community spirit. I must visit the area sometime and ponder on it all. Thanks .

[purlin]

My thanks also for the link, 'Lead a backdrop to Mold'.

As a child together with my family we spent many happy hours exploring the Loggerheads area.  The Tea rooms, Boating lake, Amusement machines and of course climbing the rock faces and paddling in the Leete.

'One of the lasting legacies of all this investment was the construction in 1823 of a major watercourse channel, known as the Leete'.
 
I had never realised before the important connection between the Leete and the Lead Mining Industry