The old lead mines at St Hilary are an enigma –
no one knows how old they are or who made them but they have long since been
abandoned. Wild and overgrown, the mine shafts are represented within the
landscape by a series of low to medium sized mounds of earth, the spoil left
over from excavations. These wart – like protrusions on the skin of the earth, with
a number out in the open field but with more hidden in the nearby wood look
innocent enough, but hidden inside the spoil heaps are vertical shafts, some of
which are an estimated 80 foot deep.
The mines were explored during the early 1950s
by the intrepid W.C. Ford with members of the South Wales Caving Club and the
British Nylon Spinners Caving Club. Their descent into the abandoned mines (by
ladder) produced 2 maps of the tunnels and shafts. Conditions were not always
congenial as some of the shafts were tight and accessible only by crawling. A
large area was explored by the South Wales Caving Club but the exploration was
not exhaustive as some areas of the mines were too dangerous or were blocked,
preventing further exploration. The subterranean tunnels form a network of
various levels and tunnel heights. The mine tunnels were described as ‘being
full of tight squeezes and low-cut passages’, not ideal for someone of the
author’s (of this article) height of 6.2ft.
View of
three mine shafts as represented by low mounds of turf
W.T. Ford records there being 18 shafts within
the area. The ‘Dog Shaft’ was one of these, named so due to a
number of dog skeletons found within the vicinity. It is likely the hapless
animals fell down a shaft elsewhere but, by following their nose arrived at a
place where the air was perhaps purer. They lay where they died, curiously W.T.
Ford observed the remains were all laying on their left sides.
The survey by the South Wales Caving Club
estimates the depth of one of the shafts, the Bell Shaft, named so because of
the bell like formation of the lower section of this shaft, at being 70 feet
with other shafts, such as the ‘Dog Shaft’ being of a similar depth. Some of
the mine shafts are noted on an OS survey of 1877 with the ‘Bell Mine’, being a
prominent feature. This suggests there had been some exploration of the mine
prior to 1877 as well as prior to the 1950s
Local rumour has it that the mines originate from the Roman period but the South Wales Caving Club expedition found no archaeological material. The only material noted was ‘modern’ (for the time) rubbish which ranged from old baths to car parts, meaning the mines could be from any period. It is possible that the mines at St Hilary could date to the Roman period. It is well known that the Romans exploited the landscape of South Wales for its mineral wealth and this included lead. The Draethei Mine in Monmouthshire, discovered in 1965, is a lead mine dating to the Roman period, although the mines here were worked both before and after the Roman period of mineral exploitation of this particular area. The presence of Roman coins, artefacts and pottery from within the Draethei mines are conclusive proof, unfortunately there is presently no such data from within the mines at St Hilary.
View of
mine shaft with aperture located adjacent to tree
The mines are also within close proximity to
the Roman town of Cowbridge. Cowbridge is thought by many to be the site of the
fort of Bovium which during the later Roman period developed into a linear
settlement astride the Roman road Iter XII, parts of which comprise the modern
A48. This road stretched from Cardiff to
Carmarthen with its primary purpose being to facilitate the movement of
soldiers and supplies.
If it was the case that the mines at St Hilary
are of Roman origin, then it would have been highly likely that it was the poor
local Silures who were forced to work in dangerous conditions for the Romans as
slave miners.
According to D. Gorden Tucker, there was a
resurgence of lead mining activity in Glamorgan during the mid-nineteenth
century and with the absence of any dating material from within the mines, it
is possible they date from this period. That being said, lead mining from the
mid-nineteenth century resurgence could have involved the re-working of existing
mines.
For the time being though, until more evidence
comes to light, the origins of the lead mines at St Hilary will remain a
mystery.
The mines are dangerous with some of the shafts
still being open. The writers of this article had permission from the landowner
before even getting close to them. The mine shafts are located on private land
and are not accessible to the general public.
The report written by W.T. Ford and published
by the South Wales Caving Club makes interesting
reading and is available online:
https://www.swcc.org.uk/aboutswcc/newslett/archive/No_24.pdf
©Jonathan and Mark Lambert 2021
The right of Jonathan and Mark Lambert
to be identified as Authors of this work has been asserted in accordance with
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