An example of one of the many long forgotten 'Bals' of Wendron; "Whele an Peden" [1695] or "Pidden Ball" [1784] is scant in written record. Before the advent of the custom of the Cost Book company, the majority of the stanniferous region of Wendron was "bounded" for streaming or lode mining. Earlier still, the Tinner class of Cornishmen "spalled" "moorstone" as villeins of the land.
These three progressive iterations of mining history are present in the cartographic record for Wheal Pidden.
The lord of the soil was until the great manorial sales of the 1920s, the Robarte Family of Lanhydrock House (at that time Viscount Cliften, under which their records can be consulted at the Cornwall Records Office), however being within the conventionary manor of Helston in Kerrier, the Duchy held divided interests in lordship of minerals.
To this tune, the first depiction of the mine - as is the case with many others within Robarte ownership countywide - can be found in the Lanhydrock Estate Atlas; chorographed by Joel Gascoyne, dated 1695. The original folios - vellum - are still proudly held by the house, a short distance South of Bodmin, however facsimile copies of the volumes are available as microfiche in through the County Archives (1). No loose change will buy you the recently published reproduction of the atlas in full by Cornwall Editions Ltd, however this is by far the most satisfying and convenient means of consulting the cartographic records of late 17th century Cornwall (2).
A document titled "Plan of Tin Bounds Belonging to Lord De Dunstanville in the parish of Wendron" - discovered recently in a private archive (chucked in a damp cardboard box in a shed) - depicts dozens of previously never located early tin bounds (3). Dating from the late 18th to early 19th century this represents a transition phase from feudal exploitation of mineral to adventure-capital driven exploitation.
While this plan does not show lands beyond the Basset's ownerships (exclusively N/NW of Porkellis), a Mortgage of the two Gundry bothers' adventures in tin bounds (the medieval term would be "Farm Tin") exists which details seemingly tessellating tin bounds from Trenear, to Medlyn, to Manhay, to Pollengrean and everything in between. Half a dozen "Pidden" bounds are described in this document dated 30 Jul 1784 (4). A plan has not survived if one was ever drawn, however examples such as the aforementioned De Dunstanville's Bounds map can fill in these fascinating holes in the past (pun intented).
Finally, the last depiction of mining in the vicinity of "Wheal Pidden Lane" is shown in 1870 as part of the classic E.H. & W. Symons map of the Lovell & Helston Mining District (5); however clearly based on a survey much prior to this as by the time of the 1877 OS all evidence of mining recorded by Symons here had been obliterated (6). Indeed, even on this mapping the original works of "Whele an Peden" north of the road (rather than south) had been in turn obliterated and forgotten; mining in the tenement of Boderluggan south of the farmstead being lost to the annals of history.
Symons does not record bounds, but larger mining concerns: cost book (or similar) companies. This in many respects concludes the evolution of mining in the county towards its apogee in the mid-late 19th century; moving away from feudal management, to private adventure and finally public company. The rich but limited scope of the lodes in the Bal at Wheal Pidden no longer addressed the demand for vast, low grade reserves necessary for modern mining business and were forgotten. In the short lived "rollercoaster" tin booms (and crashes) of the early 20th century this area of hard, rising ground was overshadowed in favour of the streaming prospects of the Porkellis Moors - possibly the most famous streaming ground in all of Europe. Prospecting work has continued here, largely by overseas interests (7), until the 1970s and lodeback borehole data has been published by the BGS from the 1940s (8).
New information is always been turned up for these seemingly inconsequential concerns in the annals of Cornish mining. Wheal Pidden ("Whele an Pedn" "Works by the Head/Headland", Beacon Hill? (9)) is one such example of how obscure references have to date been overlooked by works published to date.
Data courtesy of Ben Sum, Helston (08/05/2018)
NB: [CRO] = Cornwall Records Office, Truro (Soon to be Kressen Kernow, Redruth)
[PA] = Archive/Collection in private posession
References:
(1) [CRO] FS/2/32/2/29 Boskenwyn Mannor, Wendron, Lanhydrock Estate Atlas, 1695
(2) Holden, P et al., 2010 "The Lanhydrock Atlas", Cornwall Editions, Fowey
(3) [PA] Plan, "Tin Bounds Belonging to Lord De Dunstanville in the parish of Wendron" (possibly authored by William Doige, dating c1730s)
(4) [CRO] AD1807/2 Mortgage and assignment, Grylls to Gundry Brothers, Helston and Wendron 30 Jul 1784
(5) Brenton, E H & W, 1870 "Map of the Lovell & Helston Mining District", Redruth & Truro
(6) OS 1879 25"
(7) [PA] Prospecting plan, c1970s, "Porkellis Moor Area: Plan showing local mine setts, etc"; Jenkin, A K H, 1978, "Wendron Tin"
(8) Borehole Data, Porkellis Moors, British Geological Survey, c1940s (available as digital scans through online portal)
(9) Bannister, J, 1871, "Glossary of Cornish Names", London, Edinburgh, Williams & Nargate