Browse Items (13 total)

A collection of historical photographs depicting life in Gunnerside and Swaledale

A collection of contemporary and historical photographs and images that illustrate the mines and miners and the legacy they had on the landscape of Swaledale.

Written version of the Heritage Open Day public talk from the 10th September 2016

A poignant poem by John Hardy that beautifully captures the spirit, hardships, life and times of the Swaledale miners

1771 national press coverage of the Beldi Hill dispute in Swaledale.

A personal account of what life was like as a lead miner by John Rutter, who was the last lead miner in Gunnerside

Extracts from John Parke's journal from 1769 - 1772 describing the events in Swaledale during the disputes and trials between Lord Pomfret and Thomas Smith. John Parkes and Company had leased mining ground from Thomas Smith and this ground was the…

Information on the smelting techniques used by the mining companies to convert the mined galena ore into the final lead bars ready for sale

The processes used to prepare the extracted ore ready for smelting. This process was called 'dressing' the ore.

Information on the various methods used to extract led ore from the ground

Profiles of two Swaledale mining families

Information on what life was like for a lead miner including living conditions, religion and leisure pursuits.

Originally given as the Keld Lecture on 12 September 2015