Wheal Carpenter, Fraddam, Gwinear, St Erth - Gwithian Area, Cornwall, England, UK

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A small mine which has a recorded history starting in 1792-1798. The next recorded working was from the early 1800's to 1818. And again from 1850 to 1855. The mine is known to have produced copper, tin and silver ores. But the only recorded output is 1230 tons of copper ore. The silver ore was in the form of capillary native silver. Engine (Red) lode (east-west) is intersected by a cross-course lode (north-south), this is where the silver may have come from. Silver mineralisation associated with the north-south cross-course faulting, is not unknown in Cornwall.

The site was largely destroyed about 20-30 years ago.

Copper Production

Copper Ore(tons) Metal(tons) Value(£) 1854 488.00 16.60 1444.40 1855 212.00 8.30 745.00

Data for period 1854-1855 from "Cornish Mines, University of Exeter (1987)"

Specimens of adamite in the Natural History Museum, London supposedly collected here 1953-55 by Arthur Kingsbury (1906-68) are now considered "implausable" and are probably from Lavrion, Greece. This is one of a number of likely or definitely falsified Kingsbury localities.

Mineral List

Adamite ? Anglesite Bayldonite Beudantite Carminite

Cassiterite Cornubite (TL) Cornwallite Linarite 'Liskeardite'

Malachite Mimetite Mixite Philipsburgite Plumbojarosite

Pseudomalachite Quartz Silver Sphalerite

19 entries listed. 18 valid minerals. 1 type locality (valid mineral).

References