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CHRONOLOGY

Time bar for mining at Alderley Edge

Click on the time bar or scroll down the table of dates.

Bronze Age Roman period 1693-1799 Mid 1700s 1800-1820 Main 19th century mining period Post-mining period Recent period Bronze Age Roman period 18th century 19th century Modern mining period Post-mining period
EARLY BRONZE AGE MINING
c. 1900 BCDating of charcoal found in smelting pit at Engine Vein.picture
1750 + or - 50 BCAge (by carbon dating) of wooden shovel found at Brynlow and of smelting site at Engine Vein.picture
ROMAN MINING
c. 75 BCCarbon dating of timber in Roman shaft at Engine Veinpicture
300-320 ADAge of coins found at Engine Vein in Roman hoardpicture
1598Reference to "myne holes" in parish boundary walk. 
17th-18th CENTURY MINING
(1688/92)(Repeal of Mines Royal Act) 
1693Mr Legh of Ridge 
1696Mr Crosse and others. Dispute with Mr Leghpicture
1700 -1710Area may have been mined by Mr Abbadine 
1736Father and son of London company drove level from Dickens Wood to Engine Shaft 
1736London company worked for only one year. 
CHARLES ROE ERA
1758-1768Charles Roe and Macclesfield Copper Company 
1770sMr Whitfield and Mr Heaton prospecting 
1780sMr Patten from Warrington. Wizard Restaurant built, known at the time as "Miners Arms" 
1791Mines were working for copper and lead, possibly by Roe & Co 
1791Mr Ratcliffe reports on mining to Sir John Stanley 
COBALT MINING
1804Exploration by James Ashton 
1805Lease (1/1/1805) to Ashton and others for 14 years (Alderley Mine Company) 
1806Cobalt recognised at Alderley 
1807Steam powered crusher in Windmill Wood 
1807Offer of £1000 pa for the cobalt. 
1808Agreement to sell cobalt to a Yorkshire pottery 
1809Experiments with cobalt ore in Wallasey 
1810Date marked on roof by WS on 20th Augustpicture
1810 -1811Alderley Mining Company dissolved 
1812Seacombe works processing cobalt. Demand from Irish linen bleachers. 
MID 19th CENTURY MINING
1857Area investigated by James Michell 
1858Lease taken out (12/4/58), opencast mining at West Mine 
1859Alderley Edge Mining Company Limited incorporated (13/8/59) 
1861Visit by British Association 
1862Michell killed by fall in mine in November 
1863West Mine crossing "Great Slide" 
1864Possible opening of Wood Mine 
1865Visit by Japanese and Stanley family 
1865-66Hough Level Drivenpicture
1866"GL" marked initials in Brynlow 
1869Richer ore being worked 
1870Substantial drop in output 
(1872Metalliferous Mines Regulation Act 1872) 
1873Drop in quality of ore 
1874Working in Field area, Boyd Dawkins visit, wooden shovel found 
1877Boiler explosion and mine closed 
1878Sale of effects and Company wound up (24/5/1878) 
EARLY 20th CENTURY MINING
1909Rumours of reopening 
1911-1912Alderley Mining Company Ltd operating (Mr Richardson) 
1914-1915Allan Gibb (300 tons of ore, 35 tons of precipitate) 
1916-1917Only one Caretaker at mines 
1918-1919Alderley Copper Company Ltd operating 
1926Sale of effects - END OF MININGpicture
HISTORY 1926 to 1969
1929Loss of two men in West Mine 
1933Popular area for juveniles, death of Evans 
1940Plan to make air-raid shelter in West Mine 
1951Cavers visit the mines. Article in British Spelaeological Association Journal 
1955Talk of restarting mining at West Mine 
1957"Teddy Boys" becoming major problem. 
1957Engine Vein side entrance blocked 
1957Wood Mine Quarry filled in. 
1960+Wood Mine shafts filled. Wood Mine entrance filled. 
1964Wood Mine adit entrance blasted in 
HISTORY 1969 TO PRESENT
1969Wood Mine reopened by DCC 
1970First visits by the public 
1975West Mine reopened 
1980Hough Level explored from Stump Shaft 
1981Engine Vein capped 
1982Brynlow Mine reopened 
1985Square Shaft cleared 
1986Hough Level reopened at Dickens Wood 
1988Bear Pit cleared, Temple Shaft cleared 
1990Wood Mine Adit reopened properly 
1992Hough Level cleared to Engine Vein 
1994Wooden shovel dated 
1995Roman coin hoard found 
1997Pot Shaft dug archaeologically during AELP 
1999Saddlebole dug archaeologically 
2000Extensions in Engine Vein. DCC website set up 
2001Part of the Edge scheduled as an ancient monument 
2003Educational website published by AELPHER 
2005Archaeological book published.  AELP wrapped up with talks and walks. 
2012Revised edition of The Alderley Edge Mines published. 
2016The Story of Alderley - Living with the Edge published by AELP and Manchester University Press 
2018Reeking Mine extended 
2021Cobalt Mine extension (Lockdown Shaft) foundpicture

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