Monument record MDR5007 - Charcoal furnace (site of), Nether Moor, Wingerworth
Type and Period (4)
- DAM (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
- BLAST FURNACE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
- IRON WORKING SITE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
- SMELT MILL (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
Protected Status/Designation
- None recorded
Full Description
Early in the 17th century, a blast furnace was put up at Wingerworth. It was still using charcoal in 1788. (1)
Wingerworth Furnace is listed under places where Farey had observed 'the Slag and remains of old Bloomeries and Charcoal Furnaces'. 'At Wingerworth, one of these Charcoal Furnaces continued in some use, blown by means of a Water-wheel, until the year 1784, this work, or others in the site of it, having been used more than 180 years.. '. (2)
The site of this furnace was not established in field investigation. Its probable site is indicated by the place-names Furnacehill Wood and Smithy Pond - at SK 3766 and SK 3866. A perambulation of their area failed to reveal any significant traces. (3)
According to Farey, a charcoal furnace at Wingerworth which closed in 1784 had been in existence for more than 180 years. Because of the loss of most of the muniments of the ground landlords, the Hunlokes of Wingerworth Hall, it is difficult to confirm that the site was amongst the earliest furnaces in the region, although deeds abstracted in the 18th century show that a bloomery was the first property the family acquired in the parish in 1547. The deeds do not mention a furnace but it seems reasonable that the Hunlokes should have experimented at an early date with the new technology, added to which Farey was normally well informed in matters to do with the iron industry. The furnace was still in use, together with a forge lower down Tricket Brook (SMR 15310) in the 1650s, when it was mentioned in an Exchequer suit, and from 1681 a series of leases has come to light, covering the last century of its history [see source for a list of tenants, which included several Birmingham ironmongers]. The charcoal furnace is marked on an estate map of 1758 and remains unbuilt-on; indeterminate earthworks survive at the site of the dam and furnace-hill (SK 382661). (5)
The site is marked 'Furnace' on a map of 1758 and is also shown on a better-surveyed map of 1819, while the close next to it is named Damm Close in a terrier dated 1779. In 1971 the site of the furnace dam was still clearly visible as an earthwork. (6)
In the course of an archaeological assessment in 1998 the earthwork remains of a substantial pond approximately 45m square were found. Banks on the north-west and north-east still stand 1m to 2m high. At its eastern end there are also the remains of a dam and behind this runs an embanked watercourse which flows eastwards into Tricket Brook. The pond site is still waterlogged. The site is shown with an accompanying furnace on a map of 1758 and its place-name is retained as Dam Close and Furnace Hillock on the Wingerworth Tithe Map of 1843. Aerial photographs showed the earlier presence of bell-pits in nearby fields and these could have been the source of the ironstone used in the furnace. (7)
Sources/Archives (7)
- <1> SDR15405 Article in serial: Jenkins, R. 1933-34. 'Historical notes on some Derbyshire industries', Transactions of the Newcomen Society. pp 163-177. pp. 164-5.
- <2> SDR6682 Bibliographic reference: Farey, J. 1811. A General View of the Agriculture and Minerals of Derbyshire, Vol. 1. pp. 395-6.
- <3> SDR6518 Personal Observation: F1 WW 28-APR-60.
- <4> SDR11188 Index: NDAT. 2068. 2068.
- <5> SDR13533 Bibliographic reference: Riden, P. 1985. A Gazetteer of Charcoal Blast Furnace Sites in Great Britain in use since 1660.
- <6> SDR19681 Unpublished document: Edwards, D. 2005. Wingerworth waterpower sites - notes on several SMR entries.
- <7> SDR19921 Unpublished document: Allen, C & Brown, J (TPAU). 1998. An Archaeological Assessment of the Proposed Hady to Linacre Link Main, Derbyshire. HER Doc. No. 388, pp 32-33, Location 15.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred SK 379 663 (100m by 116m) (Approximate) |
|---|---|
| Civil Parish | WINGERWORTH, NORTH EAST DERBYSHIRE, DERBYSHIRE |
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Events/Activities (2)
- EDR2305
- EDR1445
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External Links (0)
Record last edited
Mar 14 2020 9:17PM