South Wheal Frances Copper Mine (United Kingdom)

South Wheal Francis.
South Wheal Francis was the largest of the four setts that eventually amalgamated under the umbrella of Basset Mines Ltd. It was essentially a north/south operation and Spargo commented in 1865 (22) that it ought to be divided into two so that the southern part may be thoroughly developed. That didn’t happen and the southern section remained under developed compared to the north so the concentration here will be on the latter,

The sett was situated between Treskillard and Carnkie and mined the same very productive copper – tin lodes that were also mined by the adjacent mines Wheal Basset and West Wheal Basset. Not surprisingly its history follows a similar path to those two and it ended up being ranked eleventh in the Camborne – Redruth district for the production of copper ore and twelfth for black tin. (Morrison 1983: 23). However this may give a slightly distorted view because for a short period of time, the three mines mentioned here, plus East Wheal Basset, played a dominant role in copper production. A quick look at copper ores sold at Cornwall Ticketing during the quarter ending June 1860 is quite illuminating. (West Briton 17/7/1860 p.7). The total production of copper ore of the mines mentioned above was 4172 tons, significantly greater than any other mine except Devon Great Consuls with 4912 tons.
During the speculative boom of the early 1820s some work was done on the sett but little came of it and it wasn’t until the mine was reopened in 1834 that serious investment took place. The new adventurers were granted a lease on the Grillis and Filtrick lands to the south of the sett in 1843 and by 1845 serious development had taken place. (Palmer & Neaverson 1987: 10). The following year an engine was bought costing over £1,000 and erected on Marriot’s shaft ( E.C. Marriot was Lady Basset’s agent) that significantly increased the pumping capacity of the mine. By now the output of copper ore was steady between 2,200 and 2,800 tons so the output was fairly rosy entering the 1850s decade. This scenario has a familiar ring to it.
In 1854 a new lode was developed which was declared to be a new epoch in the history of the mine. (Morrison 1983: 249). And the following year it was estimated that ore reserves in the north lode were worth £180,000 whilst the south of the sett remained undeveloped. The following year saw the construction of one of the finest skip winding plants in all of Cornwall. It was erected on a site, now lost, 450 feet from Marriot’s shaft and 600 feet from Pascoe’s. As the distances from the shafts are known it can only have been situated at two sites so an educated guess could perhaps be made here. (Morrison 1983: 250). It was one of the first applications of wire rope for winding in Cornwall and from 1861 men as well as materials were raised from Pascoe’s shaft, four to a skip.
Copper ore production peaked in 1858 at 6,256 tons and thereafter the, now familiar steady decline took place and apart from a brief flurry between 1866-9 had virtually petered out by 1873. Spargo reports in 1865 (22) that depth under adit was 154 fathoms. Pumping-engine, 75 inch. A 36 inch engine is idle and for sale. Winding-engine, 24 inch. Winding and crushing engine, 22 inch. Four water-stamping mills (44 heads). At the time there were 100 men, 20 females and 30 boys employed.. The profit to date has been £190,000. He also comments on the boundary question which was currently before the House of Lords. (see below).
As the production of copper dwindled there was no immediate compensation by an increase in black tin which did not become significant until the late 1870s and even then South Francis did not show a profit as a tin mine. Morrison comments (251), “it is sad to relate, South Francis, after fifteen years as one of the brighter lights of the Cornish mining scene, spent the rest of its days as a deep, hot, wet mine, unproductive and inefficient, which fate it shared with Wheal basset and West Wheal Basset”.
Spargo mentions the boundary question and there is no doubt that this legendary dispute was one of the dominant features of the 1860s. Without going into a blow by blow account of the dispute the essential details were these. South Francis miners drove a crosscut on the 80fm level and cut a lode lying directly beneath and parallel to the boundary with West Basset. Between Treskillard and the road coming down from Four Lanes at the turn off to Carnkie. At the same time Miners of West Basset were driving south at the 40fm level which was within their boundary. (Morrison 1983: 252). You can see the problem. If a boundary is taken as line driven down vertically from a given point, who owns the mineral rights on a sloping lode? Anyway it got ever more complicated and legend has it has it that the ground in question lay under John Vincent’s house and this ground was an elongated triangle with it’s base being the width of the cottage. In any case the dispute dragged on, it lasted from 1853 until the final appeal by West Basset was dismissed in 1869 with costs. The first action in 1858 was won by West Basset and they were awarded £10, 000 damages. A subsequent action by South Francis reversed the decision and all the following lawsuits maintained that position until the aforementioned final appeal.
It is worthwhile putting this dispute into a rather larger context. Between 1750 and the time under discussion boundary disputes, or mineral right ownership (read money) were quite common. William Jenkin, (he was Steward of lanhydrock at the time), mentions them in his letters to George Hunt. (Jenkin 1951: 19, 55). In the first letter he complains that Thomas Kevill (then Steward of the Basset family) goes about intimidating witnesses and “who acts as an Imperious Nabob within the district”. In his second letter which concerned what was known as the ‘dispute of the Lanes’ he went slightly further. “I could never yet learn by what right or grant that family (the Bassets) presumed to attack their neighbors’ property. They must in the judgment of every candid unprejudiced man be considered as trespassers and troublesome disturbers of the peace of the neighborhood in which they reside”. It’s distinctly possible of course that his opinion was slightly biased but it is certainly true to say that landowners of the county were frequently at war with one another in attempting to establish their claims with the Bassets often leading the charge.
Work continued to concentrate on Pascoe’s and Marriot’s shafts and in April 1876, driving from Pascoe’s, at the 185fm level they encountered the Great flat Lode which naturally had an immediate effect on black tin production which increased from 23 tons in 1876 to 879 tons in 1879. But major problems still beset the mine. Wheal Basset decided to abandon the western side of their set adjoining South Francis which immediately raised the problem of water ingress if the pumping engine stopped so South Francis was forced into an agreement to buy the pumping engine on Richards’s shaft and share the cost of running it.
Despite the fact that operations were still not profitable, mainly due to the price of tin, shaft sinking continued . Pascoe’s was now below the 246fm level and Marriot’s below the 200 and the Great Flat Lode was cut by the latter in 1886. But drainage problems continued and the winder at Pascoe’s was used to raise water in skips but didn’t provide the answer and flooding of the mine remained a serious problem with water entering from both the West Francis and West Basset sets. (Palmer & Neaverson 1987: 13). The financial position was now becoming acute and as has already been noted above it was decided to amalgamate with West basset and a new company, South Francis United, was formed in February 1892.
It faired little better. All stamping and dressing operation were transferred to the former West Basset stamps and shaft sinking at Pascoe’s and Daubuz shafts. But losses continued to mount up, not helped by a serious fire at Marriot’s shaft which severely damaged the pumping engine and house with serious effects on production. The house was later rebuilt by Basset Mines Ltd. This state of affairs couldn’t continue and on the 9th. January 1896 a merger was agreed with Wheal Basset to operate as a limited liability company called Basset Mines ltd.
From 1844-91 South Francis produced 67,823 tons of copper ore and 6,907 tons of black tin. The figures for South Francis United, 1892-5, were 43 tons and 2,809. (Morrison 1983: 268)

References
Morrison, T.A. Cornwall’s Central Mines; The Southern District 1810-1895, Alison Hodge, Penzance, 1983.

Palmer, M. & Neaverson, P., The Basset Mines: Their History & Industrial Archaeology, Northern Mine Research Society, 1987.

Spargo, T., The Mines of Cornwall; Statistics and Observations, 1865. Republished Barton, D.B., Truro, 1960.

See also: BASSET MINES; BASSET TRAMWAY; MARRIOTT'S SHAFT.

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