UK Grid Reference: SX432630
Latitude: 50°26'42"N
Longitude: 4°12'31"W
There appears to be considerable doubt whether a mine existed at this location. Whilst Dines (1956) locates the above mine here, this is flatly contradicted by Hamilton Jenkin (1981) who considered Dines to be in error.
Dines appears to base his assumption on an undated mine plan titled Park Valley Silver Lead Mine that he believed referred to a mine here. The plan shows 2 lodes about 3 fathoms apart underlying at 12 degrees and crossed by a flat lode between 30 and 40 fathoms below surface being worked from 2 shafts. He notes a recorded output from 1855-7 of 410 tons of 77% lead ore and 665 oz silver and speculates that this mine lies on the Bere Peninsula eastern cross-course in common with South Tamar, Furzehill, Buttspill etc.
But Dines also notes that the available plan is not oriented to north. On a map it sits equidistant between the western and eastern cross-courses. Given the nature of the lodes described above by Dines, and that none of the other mines on the Bere Peninsula record a flat lode, it seems that this would be an independent and unrecorded lode system.
Hamilton Jenkin 1981) considers Dines suggestion that the mine lay on the west bank of the Tamar near Cargreen (see Dines page 685) to be incorrect, and that Dines failed to notice that Park Valley Mine was an alternative name for the Wheal Maria that both he and HJ correctly locates in Spreyton (see Dines page 754).
Whist hardly conclusive evidence, there is nothing on the ground to suggest that a mine occurred here. Additionally, the Ordnance Survey mapping shows both a "Park" and "Park Copse" near where HJ places Park Valley Mine (Wh Maria), but shows nothing of a similar name at Dines' location. Taking all this into account, and given the nature of the lodes described above, i.e. a flat lode unique to the area, this seems to add further weight to Hamilton Jenkin's view that this location is wrong.
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References
Dines, H.G. (1956): The metalliferous mining region of south-west England. HMSO Publications (London)
Hamilton Jenkin, A.K. (1981): The Mines of Devon : North & East of Dartmoor, Devon Library Services : Exeter
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