Burntshieldhaugh Mine. Extensive area of lead mining stretching down to Devil's Water. Hush with spoil and dressing waste alongside associated shafts, coes and kiln-like structure. Good hush dam at top. At base of hill is foundation of crushing mill with dam and circular ?crushing circle. To north of this is an area of associated earthworks with sough tail and small buildings. No post-18th century disturbance, with excellent preservation.
Detailed contour survey required, recommend for scheduling. (1)
Hush and lead ore works, 750m north east of Burntshield Haugh. Scheduled on 27th April 1998 as part of monument number 28576.
The monument includes the remains of a prehistoric settlement field system, a later Romano-British settlement (see NY95SW 35) and a lead mining complex including a hush and a lead ore works, situated on the western edge of Burntshieldhaugh Fell, overlooking the valley of Devil's Water to the south.
During the 18th century, the prehistoric settlements and field system were cut by a leadmining hush. The hush, which measures a maximum of 550m long, varies in width from 15m to 30m. It is of variable depth but measures a maximum of 10m deep. At the upper, southern end of the hush there are the remains of an old shaft mine. It is conical in shape and measures up to 10m wide at the top of the cone and 3m wide at the bottom. The shaft is surrounded by a ring of spoil, spread to 5m, and it is clearly earlier than the hush as it is cut by it. The remains of further shafts, also cut by the hush, are visible to the north. The shafts represent the earliest evidence of lead mining at the monument.
Towards its northern end, the hush is flanked on both sides by areas of dressing waste and mining spoil. Both have been sorted into piles of different size. Also flanking the hush are the footings of several associated small buildings which serve as mine offices. The best preserved of these is visible as a small, rectangular, dry stone building measuring 7m by 5.5m. The collapsed remains of a limekiln are also visible as a corbelled vault on the eastern edge of the hush, now infilled (see NY95SW 6).
At the upper southern end of the hush there is a well preserved hush dam. The dam is constructed of stone and earth and retains a pond to its rear. A stone lined leat issues from the dam, which was originally blocked by a sluice gate. The leat, which is 2m wide and 150m long, is flanked by linear banks measuring 2m wide and carried the water from the dam pond into the mouth of the hush. The oreworks are situated at the base of the hush. A dam with a stone lined leat issuing from the base of the hush carries water into the foundations of a crushing mill containing remains of what is considered to be a crushing circle. A rectangular wheel pit nearby provided the power for the ore processing. Immediately north of the crushing mill, on low lying land adjacent to the river, there are the remains of at least three settling tanks, visible as shallow, rectangular depressions which are slightly terraced into the slope. Beyond the ore works are a variety of low earthworks representing drainage features, including a sough tail and roadways, associated with the foundations of several small buildings all associated with the ore works.
The 18th century industrial complex retains a wide and varies range of features, most of which remains intact and have not been modified by later activity. (2)
NY 92645386. Ruin on the north east side of hush, 850m north of Burntshield Haugh farmhouse. The footings of a building 3m square, with traces of other walls nearby. Perhaps associated with the dressing floor. Built of roughly squared stone. Probably 18th century. (3)