Tin is an inert, silver coloured metal. Its common uses today are in the lining of food cans and for solder used on electronic circuit boards. Mixed with copper it makes bronze; with lead pewter.
'Tin streaming' (see below) was the early method used to obtain the black tin ore, "casserite". Archaeological work has evidence of this dating back to 100 AD in Cornwall. The earliest documents in Devon concerning tin date from 11th Century, so tin streaming was well underway by then.
On Dartmoor there are the remains of over five thousand prehistoric, stone, hut circles, evidence of Bronze Age occupation. At least two prehistoric mortars have been found on Dartmoor but they might have been used for food production not tin. Two theories about prehistoric tin extraction:
A. As Dartmoor was very rich in tin ore the Bronze Age people must have known of it.
B. Because there is no evidence of prehistoric tin smelting it wasn't practised.
However, very few prehistoric remains survive due to the acidity of peat.
'Tin streaming' (see below) was the early method used to obtain the black tin ore, "casserite". Archaeological work has evidence of this dating back to 100 AD in Cornwall. The earliest documents in Devon concerning tin date from 11th Century, so tin streaming was well underway by then.
On Dartmoor there are the remains of over five thousand prehistoric, stone, hut circles, evidence of Bronze Age occupation. At least two prehistoric mortars have been found on Dartmoor but they might have been used for food production not tin. Two theories about prehistoric tin extraction:
A. As Dartmoor was very rich in tin ore the Bronze Age people must have known of it.
B. Because there is no evidence of prehistoric tin smelting it wasn't practised.
However, very few prehistoric remains survive due to the acidity of peat.
Sources:
When granite tors eroded the tin ore collected on valley floors. It would have been like a heavy, black 'sand' and lay underneath lighter gravel. In the early period to get the tin ore, men heaped up the granite stones into long mounds then diverted the Dartmoor streams to gently wash away the light gravel, exposing the black 'tin stone'. This process is called 'tin streaming'. The 'tin stone' was taken away to a furnace where the smelting was done and ingots of tin were produced.
It is thought that the tinners' hut were for seasonal, week day accommodation as the areas rich in tin ore were in remote places on Dartmoor, miles from the tinners' homes.
Fact: there was a 'Mediaeval Warm Period' from 1100 AD to 1400 AD.
(click links below)
- Tinners Huts
- Tinner Related Structures
- Tinners Caches
- Distribution Patterns
- Other Dartmoor Huts
- Extra stuff