Abstract
The period of Georgius Agricola’s life, falling more or less within the first half of the sixteenth century, corresponds to a remarkable expansion of the English tin industry.1 Of the two tinproducing counties of south-west England, Cornwall was the major producer, but it was Devon that witnessed the greatest relative increase in productivity, reaching its peak in 1521, followed by a gradual decline.2 In a nice coincidence, a Great Court of Devon tinners was held in 1494 to make laws to organise their distinctive and prosperous industry,3 and its anniversary is being celebrated this year by local communities. I have elsewhere outlined the key archaeological and historical features of the Devon tin industry, including some of the characteristic artefacts such as mortarstones and mouldstones.4 In this short paper I want to draw attention to recent archaeological work on tinworks and tin mills (where ore was processed and smelted) of the sixteenth century. The working conditions of the tinners themselves will not be covered.5
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© 1994 Birkhäuser Verlag
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Greeves, T. (1994). Tinworking in south-west England in the 16th century. In: Naumann, F. (eds) Georgius Agricola, 500 Jahre. Birkhäuser, Basel. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-0348-7159-4_36
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-0348-7159-4_36
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