Penrhyn Du Mines
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52°48′28″N 4°29′33″W / 52.807639°N 4.492378°W
The Penrhyn Dû Mines are a collection of mines situated near Llanengan on the Llŷn Peninsula. It encompasses the Penrhyn, Assheton, Western and Tan-y-Bwlch mines.[1][2] The whole region can be called Penrhyn Du which literally means "black headland".
Tan-y-Bwlch Mine was probably the richest of the mines with a recorded output of 8,722 long tons (8,862 tonnes) of lead ore, 450 long tons (460 tonnes) of zinc ore and 4,652 long tons (4,727 tonnes) of copper ore between 1873 and 1886.[1]
History
There is a possibility that Roman miners were the first to mine the Penrhyn Dû headland[3] After any Roman mining the mines were rarely worked until the reign of Elizabeth I[3] where the need for lead was high. In 1637 Thomas Bushel was asked by Charles I[2] to inspect and report on the prospects for Welsh mining. In his report of that year Bushel states:
"...that at Pottherly [sic] there is a vein which has never been wrought though known about these twenty years..."[2]
The main period of working was in the 19th century but by the turn of the 20th century the mining operations had mostly ceased.[1] The last recorded output was in 1930 at just 5 tons.
Location
The Penrhyn Dû mines are located within Gwynedd in north-west Wales. There are south of the village of Abersoch[4]and east to the village of Llanenganon
Recent history
After the mines closed modern developments have covered up many of the workings.[2] Some evidence of the Cornish miners has been left, the most prominent of which is the house Cornish Row made up of the old cottages of the Cornish miners.[4]