Lead ore has been mined and refined in Scotland for centuries. Lead was typically found as the ore galena. It was used as roofing material for high-status buildings, to make the pipework of the fountain at Linlithgow Palace, to glaze windows, and in the manufacture of alloys such as pewter and latten. Lead was a valuable commodity, with rights reserved to the crown, and was exported abroad. Centres included Leadhills in South Lanarkshire and nearby, Wanlockhead in Dumfries and Galloway; Beinn Chùirn near Tyndrum; Strontian; Minnigaff near Newton Stewart; Woodhead at Carsphairn; and Islay.[2] Abandoned workings include buddle pits which were used to separate heavy lead ores. Significant and notable industrial heritage includes the Wanlockhead beam engine.[3]
- ^ Mulreesh Lead Mines, HES Canmore
- ^ T. C. Smout, 'Leadmining in Scotland, 1650–1850', Peter L Payne, Studies in Scottish Business History (London, 1967), pp. 103–135: Charlotte Bassett, 'Lead-Mining and the Lead Industry in Scotland, 1680-1780', Journal of Scottish Historical Studies, 39.2 (2019), pp. 116-145 doi:10.3366/jshs.2019.0273
- ^ Historic Environment Scotland, Wanlockhead Beam Engine, HES