Hi all, hoping someone might be able to help me...as part of the literature review for my PhD thesis (slowly taking shape) I need to include some really classic Industrial Archaeology material-does anyone here know any really good examples? Doesnt need to be mining or quarrying, could be any industry (though the latter two would be best), ideally papers/articles rather than dedicated books so can review fairly quickly. Nothing really obscure-I need to be able to find it and read it!

Likewise (bit of a long shot) if anyone knows of any studies/projects utilsing GIS (Geographical Information Systems) in historical research I'd be really grateful to hear more. Ideally in a mining/quarrying context, but any example would be great

Thanks, I'll be much appreciative-I'll try n buy any helpers a drink once I'm a Dr! :smartass:

J

---

Without knowing the specific doctoral topic you are pursuing, it is difficult to link your request with the resources. General industrial archaeology sources - and especially papers - sound a little broad for the purpose. Has your reading to date thrown up any other bibliographies that would lead you to appropriate sources?

Alec

---

If you are looking for "classic" IA material you could do a lot worse than hunt out the various volumes published by David & Charles in the 60s & 70s - arguably the hey day of IA in the UK. Volumes which spring to mind include Booker on the Tamar Valley and Baxter on Plateways /waggonways /early railways. Bear in mind that they are very much of their time.

Off the top of my head Buchannen (?) did a general IA volume around this period.

JIC Boyd is good for narrow gauge - pioneer work

Mining - Hamilton Jenkin's "Cornish Miner" is without doubt a classic - dated but still a good read. Staying with mining anything by Authur Raistrick might be considered "classic"

If you are looking for really early pioneering IA check out R Hansford Worth's article on "Early Western Railroads" late nineteenth century IA

If you are looking for a modern classic Jones on Hafod Las is worth searching out.

I would qualify my recommendations in that whilst they might be considered "classics" their quality is variable.

Mine related classics include
British Mining by Robert Humt
A textbook of ore & stone mining by C Le Neve Foster
Metalliferous minerals & mining by D.C.Davies
and not to forget the Mining Journal

Hi J,

You may want to find the following which are fairly general but give a good background, more a mix of industrial heritage and archeaology, but useful none the less as general readers...

Industrial Archaeology: An Historical Survey by Arthur Raistrick (in fact he's written quite a bit on several related subjects)

Industrial Archaeology: Principles and Practice by Peter Neaverson and Marilyn Palmer (quite practical and uses Bassett stamps as a case study)

I'd also suggest:

BP Book of Industrial Archaeology by Neil Cossons (its a bit general but it does set quite a good datum for the state of the nations industrial heritage circa late 1970's)

I found these quite useful when studying for my MA.

With regard to GIS it may be worth getting a letter of introduction from the university your studying with and approaching the library at CSM http://www.exeter.ac.uk/cornwall/academic_departments/csm/  (if that not where your already studying!), I'd be suprised if they didn't have something. Likewise I think there may be some useful material at the University of Bradford, it wil be from a more archeaological point of view...

Our library here at the museum may also have some material relatng to GIS, don't quote me on it though as I generally deal with the machinery and equipment side rather than library material, apart from mine plans and engineering drawings which I tend to deal with too...

Darran

Only problem with Boyd's narrow gauge railway books is they have so many errors in!!

Probably the biggest GIS mining archaeology related projectthat comes to mind would be as part of the bid for the Cornish Mining world Heritage Site bid.
www.cornish-mining.org.uk

Only problem with Boyd's narrow gauge railway books is they have so many errors in!!

I agree; however the original post was asking for "classics" and whilst Boyd certainly made errors his works are the classic works on the subject. It is very easy to criticise Boyd; however he was a pioneer in his field and was recording information when very few people were even aware of the rich variety of industrial narrow gauge.

I also cited Booker on the Tamar Valley which is without doubt a classic and well regarded in some quarters but looked at from the perspective of a modern mining historian it is full of holes, gaps and ommisions.

The point I am trying to make is that just because something can be regarded as a classic does not mean that it is perfect or indeed, in some cases, adequate (I have a friend who thinks the Austen Maxi is a classic).

The paper by Messrs Cessey,Picken & Hicks on the silver Rig.Pibble and Woodhead metal mines,Galloway Scotland.

bulletin of Peak District Mines Historical Society Vol 15 No 6 winter 2004 p 49-62 shows the standard that can be achieved.

the late bob Cloughs book on the lead smelting mills of the Yorkshire dales is also first class. It was published in 1962 by the author Robert T. Clough and printed by Jowett and Sowry of Leeds :flowers:

Said paper is available online from the PDMHS website: http://www.pdmhs.com/PDFs/ScannedBulletinArticles/Bulletin%2015-6%20-%20The%20Silver%20Rig,%20Pibble%20and%20Woodhead%20Mines,%20Galloway,%20Scotland.pdf 

---

Hi all

Thanks for the suggestions and especially the link AR, that's *exactly* the kind of material I was after! Any more papers that like that would be great 🙂

Basically the context is that it's oriented around on-site investigation/scrutiny of archaeological remains, which I can justify as not applicable as a research discipline for my study of chalk mining in Reading- as the mines required little or no surface infrastructure and all the sites have been subsequently cleared and built on anyway... Well thats just summed that up nicely-if only the 90,000 words could be so easy! ::)

J

---

OK, for things in a similar vein there's the report on the How Grove excavations : http://www.pdmhs.com/PDFs/ScannedBulletinArticles/Bulletin%2015-2%20-%20How%20Grove%20Excavation%20Report.pdf  or this one looking at early gold mining around Leadhills http://www.pdmhs.com/PDFs/ScannedBulletinArticles/Bulletin%2015-4&5%20-%20Streaming%20and%20Hushing%20for%20Scottish%20Gold%20-%20The%20Archaeology%20of%20Early%20Gold%20Working.pdf , or for some tin-mining archaeology, http://www.pdmhs.com/PDFs/ScannedBulletinArticles/Bulletin%2013-2%20-%20The%20Early%20South-Western%20Tin%20Industry%20-%20An%20A.pdf 
This is just a quick cull off the PDMHS website, between Mining History and British Mining there'll be plenty more....

---

with regards GIS, it might be worth speaking to the archaological mapping team at the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales. They have a lot of experience of using GIS for heritage purposes.