Charles Thomas (Mine Agent)
Encyclopedia
Charles Thomas was a mining agent and share dealer in Camborne
, Cornwall
, in the United Kingdom
. He was an advocate of deep mining.
Charles Thomas was employed at Dolcoath Mine
in Camborne
from the age of 12 and nine years later was made an underground agent. By 1832 the mine's previously rich deposits of copper ore were substantially worked-out and the mine was in danger of closing. Thomas believed that rich deposits of tin ore
would be found below the lowest levels of the mine, and tried to persuade the shareholders of this without success.
However in 1844, on the death of the manager, William Petherick, Thomas was appointed manager or "Captain" of the mine. Despite continued opposition from the shareholders, he persuaded a group of miners to work the lowest levels of the mine. These miners, known as "tributers", were paid solely on the basis of the ore they recovered, so the activity was undertaken at no threat to the shareholders. Good deposits of ore were quickly discovered and this helped Thomas raise the capital needed to deepen the mine further. In 1853 the first dividend was paid to the shareholders and Dolcoath went on to become the most productive tin mine in Cornwall.
Camborne
Camborne is a town and civil parish in west Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is at the western edge of a conurbation comprising Camborne, Pool and Redruth....
, Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. He was an advocate of deep mining.
Charles Thomas was employed at Dolcoath Mine
Dolcoath mine
Dolcoath mine was a copper and tin mine in Camborne, Cornwall, in the United Kingdom. Its name derives from the Cornish for 'Old Ground', and it was also affectionately known as The Queen of Cornish Mines. The site is north-west of Carn Brea. Dolcoath Road runs between the A3047 road and Chapel Hill...
in Camborne
Camborne
Camborne is a town and civil parish in west Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is at the western edge of a conurbation comprising Camborne, Pool and Redruth....
from the age of 12 and nine years later was made an underground agent. By 1832 the mine's previously rich deposits of copper ore were substantially worked-out and the mine was in danger of closing. Thomas believed that rich deposits of tin ore
Cassiterite
Cassiterite is a tin oxide mineral, SnO2. It is generally opaque, but it is translucent in thin crystals. Its luster and multiple crystal faces produce a desirable gem...
would be found below the lowest levels of the mine, and tried to persuade the shareholders of this without success.
However in 1844, on the death of the manager, William Petherick, Thomas was appointed manager or "Captain" of the mine. Despite continued opposition from the shareholders, he persuaded a group of miners to work the lowest levels of the mine. These miners, known as "tributers", were paid solely on the basis of the ore they recovered, so the activity was undertaken at no threat to the shareholders. Good deposits of ore were quickly discovered and this helped Thomas raise the capital needed to deepen the mine further. In 1853 the first dividend was paid to the shareholders and Dolcoath went on to become the most productive tin mine in Cornwall.
Publications
- Remarks on the geology of Cornwall and Devon: In connexion with the deposits of metallic ores, and on the bearings of the productive lodes, given in two lectures with Lithographic Illustration Together with Additional Remarks on the Same Subject ; Redruth, James Tregaskis (1859)
- Mining fields of the West: being a practical exposition of the principal mines and mining districts in Cornwall and Devon; Truro, D. Bradford Barton, 1967. ISBN 0003617182 (first published 1867)
- Investors' handbook : containing full and reliable information with regard to every description of investment ; London : Charles Thomas, 1877
- Tables Suited to a New Method of Ascertaining the Value of Tin Stuff ; Marazion : S.Bennett, 1836
- Tables For Ascertaining the Value of Tin Stuff ; Redruth : James Tregaskis, 1859