Mines

Mining in the British Isles began in the Neolithic period, approximately 6,000 years ago, when flint was mined at Grimes Graves in Norfolk and the South Downs. A hard stone was quarried to make polished hand axes in Neolithic times around Great Langdale and Scafell. An increasing number of Bronze Age copper mines have now been recognised, with radiocarbon dates of between 3300 and 3020 years ago for bone tools and charcoal from a mine at Great Orme. Larger numbers of stone hammers, or mauls, have been recovered from such sites. Tin was also being worked in Cornwall and traded over long distances.

For convenience, mining in the British Isles has been divided into the following sections:

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