03/05/2026
Not about Derbyshire, but I thought this might be appreciated by members of the Society.
It is quite a long story, so expect follow ups shortly!
The research and creation of this story about the famous purser of the Levant mine was completed a number of years ago and published in installments in the NMRS Newsletter a good while ago now.
I thought that it may be of interest here as it shows "Dick White" in a completely different light to that most people know of him.
This tale will be added to to give the full story over the next few days.
I am also taking the chance to edit the story a little and add new information I have now found.
I am also adding a plan and section to give a better idea of the whereabouts and size of the mine.
PURSER WHITE IN HARD TIMES
1866 – 1876
The Story of Richard White, Spearne Consols and the Stannary Liquidator
Before telling the tale of Spearne Consols, Richard White and his troubles while managing this mine, it might be useful to readers to know a little about this mine its earlier history and its locality in Cornwall.
Spearne Consols was a quite small mine as judged by usual standards of Cornwall, it is situated inland from the great Levant Mine at Trewellard in the Parish of St. Just in Penwith.
The main lode, the Spearne Lode has been worked upon for just over half a mile from the village of Trewellard itself, down to approximately the area of the Higher Bal engine house of Levant Mine, this lode is situated to the south of and almost parallel to Levant Road (over the road from the Higher Bal engine house). This same lode continues at least to the coast, with this section being worked separately during this period as Spearne Moor Mine. At the time Richard White took ownership, Spearne Consols had itself been worked to 152 fathoms below adit (The adit being 26 fathoms below the surface at the then centre of the mine). So here we have a mine small by Cornish standards but still quite extensive, being 1068 feet deep (from surface) and worked on several lodes for over half a mile. It had two steam engines working on separate shafts, a whim engine of either 20 or 18-inch diameter cylinder, this engine winding from a shaft known as Guide Shaft (and at various other times as Flat Rod Shaft or Skip Shaft), this had been sunk on the underlie of Guide Lode to adit, from there it followed the underlie of the Spearne Lode to the bottom of the mine. (This shaft for winding should not be confused with the later Guide Shaft of Higher Bal, which was at this time known as Cliff Shaft).
The main engine shaft on which 26-inch cylinder Cornish pumping engine stood was sunk wholly on Spearne lode to the bottom of engine shaft, this according to sections did not reach the bottom of the mine, I presume that flat rods led either by surface or along a level to Guide Shaft to provide pumping to the sump of the mine. Both were Cornish Beam engines, the whim being rotative and the pumping engine having the pump rods connected directly to the end of the beam.
The mine had other shafts some of which were serviced by horse whims, the crushing of the tin ore extracted from the mine was carried out by Cornish Stamps connected to water wheels.
The first reference to the working of this mine that I have discovered, states that it was in work from 1793-1795 as Spearn Mine, otherwise known as Ye Spearn (Spearn being Cornish for a Thorntree).
It will be noticed that at this time there was no e at the end of the name, why this alteration to the name was made is not explained anywhere, perhaps adding the e gave the name a more upmarket look, to attract shareholders..
Wheal Spearn was again at work between 1811 and 1825, when there are records of it producing copper ore in 1822 (the mine was later it was to become almost totally a tin producer).
It was again put up for sale by private contract in October 1825, when it was said to have several tin and copper lodes, with pumping at this time being provided by a 19 inch beam engine and stamping by a 20ft waterwheel. All winding at this time appears to have been done by horse whim. No buyer found at this first attempt to sell it, and it was again put up for sale both in November and December of that year.
A more accurate description of the equipment was given in these later adverts, with the pumping engine being quoted as having an 18 ½ inch cylinder and the waterwheel size being given as 22ft x 1ft. The mine also had 4 horse whims for winding, the pump columns, ladders and tools are also mentioned. It had produced 184 tons of copper ore during this working, but no mention is made of hows much tin, although this must have been produced as the mine had stamps for crushing this ore. It is assumed that the tin ore at this time was sold by private contract, whereas copper ore was for sale the ticketings, thus recorded.
A buyer was obviously found in December as the mine working resumed in 1826 when sales of copper ore resumed, these were again recorded at the ticketings, black tin still not being recorded as it was still sold by private contract.
43 tons of copper were sold between 1826 and 1828, with a further 25 tons recorded sold in 1833. It appears that the mine was again abandoned sometime shortly after this, the West Briton reporting in 1836 that the Spearn (which had stopped) was again at work and that a 24-inch steam pumping engine was being erected. The mine finally changed its name to Spearne Consols in 1839, which is ather strange as it was only a small mine (Consols usually signified an amalgamation of mines. However around this time it was worked together with Carnyorth Mine so this may have been the reason for this. They were later in this period again worked as two separate mines, with more or less the same shareholders.
The purser in this venture was Richard Pearce, who had purchased the mine at around this time and was largest shareholder in it (he was also at one time Mayor of Penzance, so a person of some standing in the area). The mine cost him £825-13s-0d in 1839 and was at the time worked to a depth of 86 fathoms below adit. It was again run on the cost book system divided this time into 1024 shares, calls of £1280 being made up until March 1842 after which dividends began to be distributed. The 20/18 inch whim, accounts of which size it really was vary, its house which is the only scant remains left of this mine now to be seen, was erected in about 1841. The cost of this engine its house, along with other equipment Bought at this time could have accounted for much of the calls made in this period of working. The mine was now being developed rapidly and had reached a depth 116 fathoms below adit by May 1849 and was nearly 170 fathoms total depth (including adit) by March 1851 (why the method of recording the depth was changed I have no idea).
By 1856 it had two steam engines of 26 inch and the 20/18 inch cylinder whim (henceforward I will refer this an 18 inch whim as I think this is more likely).
The cylinder of the pumping engine had either been replaced or a new engine supplied to replace the 24 inch cylinder engine previously spoken of (some records even state that the engine in use at this time had a 30 inch cylinder).
It was in this period of working that Lords were asked forego their dues, with the mine struggling to costs, this they refused to do, but instead reduced them from 1/24 to 1/48 of the tin ore produced. No mention is made of copper, it must be assumed that copper ore was no longer being produced.
Things obviously went from bad to worse over the next few years, for although the mine was 152 fathoms deep below adit, it was idle below the 90-fathom level by 1864. The mine eventually closed in 1866, after suffering a loss of £2000 in the 2 years ending in June 1866, the fate of the mine was not helped by the loss of the Purser and largest shareholder, Richard Pearce in 1865, he having passed away that year.
An attempt was made to rescue the mine over the next few months, with a new purser being instated, however, it was eventually resolved to put the mine up for sale yet again. The falling off in depth of the value of the main lode over the last 5 years of working and the current low price of tin was probably the greatest factor in the closure and also the reason for the earlier abandonment in depth.
THIS IS WHERE PURSER RICHARD WHITE ENTERS THE STORY!
More will be added as soon as I have time to edit this long and complex tale.
