Received the following email from a lady seeking information whilst researching family history.

Can anybody provide anything?

I stumbled across your website whilst looking for some information on the hamlet of Polangrain, Wendron, Cornwall (which I believe no longer exists). Your website references Polangrain mixed mine, Wendron and Polangrain tin stream. Is there anything you can tell me about them or the surrounding area. I came across Polangrain whilst researching some family history and the mine could be a key finding for me.

If there's anything you could tell me about it, I'd be thrilled!

Thanks very much for your time.

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Wheal Ruby & Garlidna were worked together along with an outlier to the south east known as Polangrean, Polgrain or Polangrain,( I would think the former spelling is the more correct).
Records of these mines go back to 1758
In 1835 the group were known as The Wendon Royal Mining Co', for no other reason than the mines lay on Duchy land.
By 1865 the group were known as Garlidna United.
They were equipped with a 65" pumping engine which not only pumped the water but also the pockets of the share holders.
There was also a 24" winding engine which also drove the stamps, the mines at this time employed 53 people
According to Spargo the mines closed in 1867 because of the inability of the share holders to pay their dues
There could however be another reason ( Geof would be far more qualified than I to explain this )The ore from this area was contaminated with specular iron known as glist.
My records show that in 1880 Garlidna & Polangrain sold 20 tons of tin, but this may have been a result of cleaning up the floors.
The mines were at work again in 1912-16 but with little more success than before and according to my Grandfathers angry notes were salted

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Hi all.

I was the 'lady' who asked about Polangrain (I'm not called a lady very often :lol: ).

Thanks very much spitfire, that's really interesting. I don't yet know if any of my family worked there, but I have several relatives who were tin miners. I'm mostly looking into Polangrain now because of a part of my family that has been very hard to track down. The unknown father of my great grandmother may have worked in this area, as her mother lived in Polangrain hamlet at the time, I think.

The family history notwithstanding, I am a Cornish girl through and through (from Helston) and any of our tin mining heritage is exciting to learn about. Learning about the little known smaller mines is pretty fascinating as they would have been right in amongst where lots of my family are from and where I grew up.

Thanks again. I aim to sitck around now I've stumbled across you. I think I could learn a lot from this forum!

Hi
I live at Higher Garlidna Farmwhich backs onto
Pollangrean
I'll ask around and see if anything comes up.
Redruth reference library is very good,
and helston museum may be able to help.
Info is very scarce on this small area as it lay on the edges of several wealthy mine setts
I have two trial shafts in my top field (backfilled)
Regards
Robert