Llanymynech Hill lies five miles south-west of Oswestry and the summit
is just over the Welsh border in Powys. The most obvious feature today is the
disused quarry face but the hill was once extensively mined for copper, lead
and zinc. Most of the hill is now part of a golf course but some mine entrances
and spoil heaps have escaped being "landscaped". One of the entrances
is called "The Ogof" [Welsh for cave] and this could be one of the
earliest sites of mining in the county.
There were two forts on the hill dating from the Bronze Age and
excavations have revealed that copper smelting took place here. Copper is one
of the main components of bronze and it would have been visible on the hill as
a green stain in the rock. It thus seems very likely that copper was mined
here, initially in surface pits and later in small underground passages.
5It has already been proved elsewhere in
After the Romans left, the next period of activity was in the 12th
century. Most people have heard how King Richard I went to the Crusades and was
captured in 1193 on his return. Hubert Walter, the Bishop of Salisbury, had
accompanied Richard and returned to
Later mining took place on the hill for lead and zinc but this must be
one of the earliest mine sites in
Other than the miners themselves, a number of people have visited the
mine workings over the last 200 years. The following is a summary of these
visits and their impression of the workings themselves, any references they
made to finds are covered elsewhere in this publication. It is apparent how the
differing attitudes lead to varying descriptions.
The first recorded visit was by a Gwallter Mechain in 1795, "... In
some places the whole face of the rock is covered with calcareous incrustations
part of which is in the process of being converted into a substance similar to
'lac lunae' or mineral agaric. Petrified shells of various genera are found
here".
The next was by J.Dovaston during the early 19th century, "... The
entrance for 15 yards is high, but afterwards a person must stoop very low, and
sometimes even crawl. It contains many sinuosities, sometimes but a yard, and
generally about three yards wide; having many turnings and passages connected
with each other; so that a ball of thread, or chalk is necessary for the
facility of a return. None of the paths go more than 200 yards from the place
of entry ... It is now seldom explored farther than the mouth, which is of
considerable extent, dark and dismal; the entrance is overhung by the stump and
branches of a Wych Elm, and great fragments have in many places fallen from the
roof ... The passages are cut through the rock, which is of red limestone ...
everywhere appear :-
'.........the inner vaults of the rude cavern,
Green with copper tinge, where pendant glisten,
Curled stalactites, like frozen snakes,
Where leathery crust and vegetable film,
Hoar with their fungus fringe the dripping roof'
... The water that drops in some parts of this cave, is of a petrifying
quality, and forms stalactites, resembling very long icicles, which on being
touch, ring with a brilliant sound; and drops of water hanging on the point of
each, catch the light of the candle, and give the surrounding space a
glittering illumination extremely beautiful, and in a variety of colours".
All traces of the Wych-Elm which formerly overhung the entrance have now
vanished. His statement about great fragments fallen from the roof is open to a
certain amount of question. While this is not impossible, there being a number
of boulders in both Mandible and the Shaft Chamber which may have fallen, the
survey generally has produced few signs of roof collapse and the ceiling
appears to be in excellent condition. His dimensions are slightly exaggerated
but, if one considers that these were more likely to be paces and not yards,
they are probably reasonably accurate. His suggestion about the ball of thread
or chalk seems unnecessary today, as it would be difficult to lose oneself in
the Ogof. It must be remembered, however, that his sole illumination was that
of a flickering candle which, in the event of it being extinguished, would
necessitate him having to feel his way out along the thread. Modern day battery
lamps make light of this problem.
It is a great improvement on 'passages that go for miles', which was the
belief of the time. The poetry is very apt, particularly with regard to the
Entrance Chamber, where there is a quantity of fungus in a variety of colours
and tiny copper-stained stalactites. One wonders whether he took this from some
other work to suit his purpose or whether he made it up himself with special
reference to the Ogof.
In 1877, John Fewtrell made the first attempt at an accurate survey
"... At a short distance from the entrance is found the first chamber, the
roof of which is supported by means of a pillar. ... Two passages lead out of
this chamber, in one is found a large pool of water so as to be impassible, the
other is comparatively dry. This passage I proceeded along and found that there
was a strong draught of air, showing that it would ultimately open into one of
the vertical shafts. This passage leads to the largest chamber from which five
passages branch, one of the largest is about the size of a man's body and
nearly round ... The water which percolated through the limestone is in many
places highly petrifying and forms many beautiful stalactites possessing a
clear metallic sound when struck. The colour of these is generally a greenish
tinge owing to the copper solution being carried through by the water. A
beautiful effect is produced when the chambers are lit up".
The pillar is really to one side of the Entrance Passage but, in view of
his poor lighting, this statement is understandable. He notes the water filled
entrance to the Great Circle and proceeded along the Dovaston Series into Five
Ways Chamber, which he describes as the largest chamber. He was obviously not aware
of the existence of the Shaft Chamber, which must therefore have been cut off
at the time of his visit. It would seem that the Dovaston Series was the only
passage open at this time. Again, we have the mystery of the many beautiful
stalactites, which are certainly not to be seen in this part of the Ogof today.
These were probably destroyed by the first parties of the hordes of modern
explorers.
A further visit was made in 1896 by the Reverend Elias Jones, "...
The entrance to the mine is about 350 yards from the south side of the hill and
about 150 yards from a cottage. The level is approached through an artificial
cavern 12 ft high and of oblong shape 18' by 15'. The entrance is partly
blocked up with stone to keep sheep from wandering in. The level is slightly
above the floor and measures about 2' by 5'. A careful exploration of the mine
and a survey of the whole hill might be made with good results if undertaken by
competent persons."
Although the Entrance Chamber of the Ogof measures 12 feet in height,
his measurement of the remaining dimensions was somewhat short, as the chamber
actually measures 34ft long by 24ft wide at its widest point. The surveyors did
not find the floor of the level to be slightly above the floor of the chamber,
almost the reverse in fact, possibly due to later disturbances of the rubble
floor. The level dimensions given are about right. It took 70 years for his
final statement to be realised and, in many cases, this survey must have been
undertaken 70 years too late as much has disappeared in the meantime. However
we have tried our best to wrest the secrets from the Ogof as no doubt he would
have wished.
We now leap ahead to 1941, when there was a visit by P.Cleator and some
other cavers, "... We marched boldly in.. I, poor fool, led the way. The
first 30 odd yards are easy going. Thereafter, one crawls on a bed of the
sharpest stones it has ever been my misfortune to encounter. And thereafter,
one continues to crawl for evermore. The whole damned cave is a series of such
crawls. What happened was this: We crawled and cursed for maybe 20 yards...and
found ourselves in a chamber from which three or four passages led off; all
proved duds but one, along which we crawled and cursed for maybe 20 yards...
and found ourselves in a chamber from which three or four passages led off,...
and this sort of thing happened at least six times. Always we got to some
damned chamber with several passages, and always one of those passages led to
another chamber. But we got to the end at last...a choked passage. Very likely
it could be opened up? And most probably it leads to a chamber from which three
or four passages led off?
We reached the end just an hour after entering, and out in half the
time, as we were able to avoid all the dud passages. Then, on the left of the
entrance going out, we noticed an uninviting hole which Fryd insisted upon
poking his nose into. he reached a fair sized cavity, and insisted upon our
joining him, as several passages led off. With many groans we did so.... and
all the passages promptly petered out. After a rest, we entered the main cave
again. About 25 yards in, on the left just past a rock pillar reaching from
floor to ceiling, we'd noticed a side passage, and had promised ourselves a
look at it. It began with a crawl, and after a few yards abruptly dropped 6ft
... into the inevitable chamber from which led three or four passages. Two of
the passages proved in reality to be one. Fryd entered at one end, did a
semi-circular tour through the rock, and emerged at the other, and great was
the cursing thereat. The other passages also led nowhere. But in the floor was
yet another drop which led to a chamber from which three or four passages led
off."
It is rather difficult from his account to decide where they went on
their first entry but presumably they must have gone in during a dry spell and
traversed the Great Circle right back to Mandible Chamber, then returned
without knowing that they were within a few feet on the Entrance. He does tend
to exaggerate the number of chambers which had three or four passages leading
off, it is not quite as bad as that, but it certainly can be confusing on a
first visit. They certainly visited Mandible Chamber on their way out and would
probably have kicked themselves had they known that they were only a few feet
from what they presumed was the final reaches of the system! Their final visit
was obviously to the Dovaston Series and the S.C.M.C. were apparently were not
the first to discover the ox-bow in Five Ways Chamber, although this has now
been connected through to the Shaft Chamber. Certainly the continuous flat out
crawling and kneeling on the sharp stones in the Ogof passages is very tiring
and theirs was a fair trip. In all he gave a fair summing up of the discomforts
and difficulties which were encountered during the exploration and survey of
the Ogof 20 years later.
A similarly lighthearted but more informative account which poses a
number of questions was given by A. Johnson in 1948, "... The walls of the
chamber are covered with a green transparent jelly which sticks to your clothes
like glue and makes a hell of a mess. The place stinks of sheep so they may be
the cause. There are several very small holes high up in the walls but there is
an obvious way through a rectangular hole about 3ft high at the far end of the
chamber. This leads to a second chamber with two or three tunnels leading off.
I have explored up one of them but as I only had a baby torch I did not go very
far, but to my surprise I found myself at the bottom of an aven about 3ft by
2ft, leading up to the surface. Search on the surface revealed a wired off area
containing a natural shaft which by its' position should be the right one ...
The other cave on the hill is about one third of a mile north of the first
under some hawthorn bushes and just inside the entrance is a stream which
disappears down what appears to be a very promising tunnel. According to the
locals there is always water there but no-one has explored it. At the base of
the cliffs at the southern tip of the hill is a cave entrance which has been
blocked some ten feet in as the sheep use it as a shelter. In all these caves
there is only a little formation that I have seen and is mostly white with
slight brownish streaks. Also on the same hill are two open lead mine shafts
about 80ft deep. They are circular about 4ft in diameter and the walls are
built up with dry stonework. There are a lot of small depressions filled with
loose stone which may be covered in mine shafts as they have the same
appearance as the open ones.'
This is an interesting account of a visit, which took place only 12
years before the S.C.M.C. commenced its detailed exploration of the Ogof and
surrounding district, but it does pose a number of questions. He, like some
later writers, was obviously convinced that the Ogof was a natural cave, which
of course is not the case. The green transparent jelly had diminished somewhat
by the time the survey took place and it no longer stinks of sheep. The most
surprising statement is his discovery of an aven measuring about 2ft by 3ft
leading up to the surface, which he apparently found not far from the entrance,
together with his wired off area containing a natural shaft. Certainly nothing
remotely resembling this description was found during the survey. The only
possibility is that he must have gained access to the Shaft Chamber, although
we are fairly certain that it must have been blocked at that time. If a typing
error has occurred and his dimensions should read 30ft by 20ft, these are very
rough dimensions of the Shaft Chamber. Even then, the 4ft square shaft looks
anything but natural. A final possibility is that, with his poor light, he did
find that the entrance to the Chamber was not completely blocked and that
peering under the aperture he might have observed a hole of the dimensions
given, with daylight visible above. If he went no further, he may not have
gathered the fact that he was only on the floor of a large chamber and that the
daylight was coming from a mined shaft that he could not see.
His story of the cave under some hawthorn bushes with a stream
disappearing into it is a complete mystery. Although it would be unwise to say
that we have seen everything on the hill, we have spent a great deal of time
searching for this type of feature without success. However, the cave at the
base of the cliffs at the southern tip of the hill has been examined and found
to extend for about 50ft. Whether it is a very early level or a natural cave it
is nearly impossible to say. By the time the survey was undertaken, the golf
club had filled in nearly all the old shafts and leveled out the features which
must have been visible then.
The group of friends calling themselves 'The Shropshire Mining Club'
first visited the Ogof in 1960. They were somewhat more fortunate than Messrs
Cleator and Clay and succeeded in finding the entrance without much trouble.
The party found their way though to the Terminal Chamber via the Dovaston
Series. Here could be seen numerous indecipherable chalked names and dates of
earlier explorers. During the second visit in 1961, exploration of the Ogof was
restricted to the area of Mandible Chamber. The adit leading to the Winze
Series was thoroughly explored but not the upper workings.
The following month, the party climbed the slope above the entrance and
found the entrance to the Pit Series. They only entered Badger Chamber, so
named because it was evidently the abode of some animal whose bedding was
strewn about. The animal, presumably a badger, apparently had a passion for
golf balls, of which three were found. Luckily the owner of this dark domain
was out. This was presumably the pit mentioned by Miss Chitty in 1927. During a
discussion with an elderly local man in the Cross Guns Inn that morning, the
party had learnt of a shaft which dropped into the Ogof itself. This square
shaft was found by a small bush, some yards to the east of the pit, and was
descended by ladder. The finding of an Ordnance Survey map and a packet of
Woodbines proved that the shaft had been descended previously.
Following the official foundation of the Shropshire Mining Club in 1961,
the first visit of the new founder members was to Llanymynech Hill. It was
agreed to begin a survey of the Ogof, which was realised as being an important
and necessary undertaking. During subsequent visits, a number of bones and
artefacts were discovered. In 1962, the Hereford Caving Club succeeded in
entering the Pit Series and this was soon surveyed by the S.C.M.C. In 1963, the
club managed to gain access to the upper workings of the Winze Series and in
1965 discovered the second set of Pit Series workings.
In 1965, the greatest discovery so far made in the Ogof came to light. A
party of school children with a master had been conducting an exploration of
the Ogof. A number of them had passed through the connection between Five Ways
and the Shaft Chamber when one of them, helping himself out by clutching at a
projecting rock conveniently protruding from a stack of calcited rubble, pulled
the rock away. From behind it fell a quantity of silver coins which were
eventually passed to the National Museum of Wales.
Between 1960-66, at least 17 visits were made in order to complete the
survey, no less than 75 hours being spent doing the actual underground work.
Dark, cave-like openings have always fascinated people and they are
often associated with legends of the more fanciful kind. Writers in the 18-19th
centuries seemed to be particularly susceptible to such tales and it is likely
that many of these were devised in the local inns rather than being based on
genuine beliefs. True to form, the Ogof at Llanymynech has it's fair share of
legends and these have been described below for the reader's entertainment.
In 1694, Llwyd visited the area and recorded "... I have observed
in several mountainous places, small brooks issue violently out of ye ground;
and always judged them subterraneous currents, having seen such at Wokie Hole
and Ogof Llanymynech and some other caves".
That he should remember the Ogof in this way seems strange, as there is
no other reference to water issuing violently out of the mouth of the Ogof. At
present, there is no sign of there ever having been a stream running out. In
any case, as can be seen from the survey, the water would have had to run
uphill to appear at the Ogof entrance! It is possible that the Mandible Chamber
entrance was fully open at that time and, being lower than the main entrance,
might have allowed the accumulated ground water (which can still be found in
parts of the Ogof) to escape in times of heavy rainfall. Even so, the
description 'violently' and the comparison with Wookey Hole would still seem
inept. One other possibility is that he was not referring to the Ogof itself
but rather to the hill, around the sides of which are a few small springs which
probably flow with strength in wet weather.
In 1795, Mechain mentions "... the 'Ogov' or cave about which the
neighbouring peasantry abound with fairey legends". This is perhaps based
on a genuine local belief, since lead miners throughout the country were always
somewhat superstitious and believed in mythical creatures called 'Knockers'.
These were said to live underground and, if treated with respect, led the
miners to good ore. Alternatively, those miners who were not respectful could
meet with a nasty end!
It is often the case that locals who have not ventured underground
greatly increase the size of workings in their imagination. They often take two
completely unrelated entrances and assume that they connect underground. This
seems to have led to a belief that the Ogof was a huge maze and Bingley wrote
in 1804 "... The windings of this cavern are very numerous and intricate.
Some years ago, two men of the parish endeavouring to explore it were so
bewildered by it's mazes that, when they were discovered by some miners who
were sent to search for them, they had thrown themselves on the ground in
despair of ever reaching light".
It was explored by Dovaston in the early 19th century and he relates
"... Superstition, ever prone to people in darkness with the progeny of
imagination, has assigned inhabitants here, such as Knockers, Goblins and
Ghosts; and the surrounding peasantry aver, with inflexible credulity that the
aerial harmonies of Fairies are frequently heard in the deep recesses. ...
Tradition says this labyrinth communicated by subterraneous paths with
A further legend was described in a periodical of 1878 "... A
writer in Brayley's 'Graphic and Historical Illustrator' signing himself
'Vyvyan', contributes four interesting chapters on the 'Popular Superstitions
and Customs of Wales'. In one of these he says, 'Many marvelous traditions are
afloat in the Principality regarding caves; one in North Wales is supposed to
extend for an endless distance under ground, and was invested with a character
of so fearful in nature, that it was reported that any person venturing within
five paces of it's mouth would infallibly be lost. In consequence, the
immediate vicinity remained untrodden by the foot of man for a long series of
years; and it was said that animals had also so great a dread of approaching it
that a fox with a full pack of hounds in full cry at it's brush, has been known
to turn short round with his hair bristling with terror, and run into the midst
of his canine enemies, rather than encounter the horrors of that wild and
yawning recess; and that the dogs shrunk away and could not be prevailed upon
to touch him in consequence of the infernal odour which he had imbibed from his
near vicinage to the powers of darkness. Several human beings were believed to
have been lost within it's 'ponderous and marble jaws', one of whom was an old
minstrel, who fell a victim to a rash bet on the subject. He danced towards the
cave, till he came within the limits of it's charmed circle, when he was
suddenly seized by an invisible power, and hurried away for ever from the gaze
of man'. Where is this cave?".
Another correspondent replied a few weeks later and claimed that the
site was that of the
The same journal published a further account in 1896 "... The Roman
Cavern in Llanymynech Hill, called Ogo, has been long noted, as the residence
of a class of the fairy tribe, of which the villagers relate many surprising
and mischievous tricks. They have listened at the mouth of the cave, and have
sometimes even heard them in conversation, but always in such low whispers, that
their words have never been distinguishable. The stream that runs through it is
celebrated as being the place in which they have been heard to wash their
clothes and do several other kinds of work".
The final written record of legends appears in 1896 and refers to Ned
Pugh "... Ned then asserted that he could walk from the Ogo to the Lion
Inn at Llanymynech. He was not believed, and then he made a wager that he would
on the following Sunday, play a tune, at the usual time that the choir sang,
that he should be heard by all the congregation in church. His boasting
challenge was taken up. On the following Sunday Ned went to the entrance of the
Ogo on the hill carrying with him his harp and he disappeared into the Ogo. As
the time came on for the choir to sing, everyone was intently listening for the
sound of the harp, and sure enough out of the earth proceeded it's sounds. The
people distinctly heard a tune, which the singers took up and when they had
finished the harpist too ceased. The poor man though never emerged out of the
Ogo. The tune in consequence was called 'Farewell Ned Pugh'.
1. Approx 1750 - entrance passages? Present location
2. Approx 1750 - entrance passages? Present location unknown.
a) entire human skeletons
b) culinary vessels
c) hatchet
d) Roman copper coins
e) bracelet of glass beads, found on the arm of one of the skeletons
f) battleaxe.
3. Approx 1750 - in a cave 'a distance from the Ogof'. Present location
unknown. Bones of a man, woman, dog and cat.
4. Approx 1775 - entrance passages? Present location unknown. Gold
bracelet around wrist of a skeleton.
5. Before 1810 - Found by J.Dovaston. Present location unknown. Roman
coins including an Antoninus & Faustina (149-156 AD).
6. Before 1822 - washed down hillside. Present location unknown. Finger
bone with ring on it.
8. 1849 - in a trench adjacent to Ogof. Present location unknown. Two
large human skeletons and battle axe of mixed metal but sharp at the edge.
9. Before 1855 - Present location unknown. Roman coins of Vespasian
(69-79 AD).
10. Before 1877 - entrance passages? Found by quarrymen. Present
location unknown. Several skeletons with very large hands.
11. 1877 - Agony Crawl? Found by J.Fewtrell. Present location unknown.
Large bones, apparently human.
12. Before 1879 - Present location unknown. Twenty Roman copper coins
dating from the early Emperors to a tolerably late period of Imperial sway in
13. Before 1937 - Present location unknown. Single bladed iron pick.
14. June 1962 - Mandible Chamber. Found by J.James & C.Lears.
Present location
a) piece of black burnished ware of Romano-British type
b) human lower jawbone, possibly young female
c) two whetstones similar to ones found in the forum at Viroconium.
15. August 1962 - Mandible Chamber. Found by T.Morris. Present location
16. February 1963 - Mandible Chamber. Found by C.Lears & R.Meeson.
Present location
17. February 1964 - Shaft Chamber. Found by C.Lears. Present location
18. April 1964 - Mandible Chamber. Found by P.Griffiths. Present
location
19. December 1964 - Burial Chamber. Found by various SCMC members.
Present location
a) 2nd century black burnished ware
b) incomplete human lower jawbone, possibly elderly person
c) quantity of human teeth
d) various human bones
e) Roman copper coins of Faustina (149-156 AD).
20. December 1964 - Burial Chamber. Found by I.Forrest. Present location
with finder. Bone pin 3.75 inches in length, 0.1 inch in diameter, carved at
both ends and coated with remains of blue glaze.
21. December 1964 - Burial Chamber. Found by I.Forrest, P.Payne &
P.Renney. Present location with finders.
a) piece of terracotta unglazed pottery
b) pottery fragments with black glaze
c) pieces of pipe stem and inscribed bole of clay pipe
d) bones of mammal, possibly dog
e) various human bones. (These were examined by Prof Harrison of
22. March 1965 - Burial Chamber. Found by I.Forrest, P.Payne &
P.Renney. Present location with finders.
a) various human bones
b) base and side of terra cotta pot
c) pieces of black glazed pottery
d) 1 oz fragment of black flint
e) piece of clay pipe.
23. November 1965 - Shaft Chamber. Found by Oswestry schoolboy. Present
location National Museum of Wales. 33 Roman silver coins.
- Antony [legionary] (30 BC)
- Vittelius (69-70 AD)
- Vespasian (69-79 AD)
- Titus (79-81 AD)
- Domitian (81-96 AD)
- Nerva (96-98 AD)
- Trajan (98-117 AD)
- Hadrian (117-138 AD)
- Antoninus Pius (138-161 AD)
- Faustina (149-156 AD)
- Marcus Aurelius (161-180 AD).
24. April 1966 - Mandible Chamber. Found by D.Evans. Present location
with finder. Head of human femur.
Recent Finds in Llanymynech Ogof (Pete Owen, SCMC Annual Journal No.5)
During the four months up to the end of September
1997, members of the Shrewsbury Underground Exploration Group have made several
finds in the Ogof's Mandible Chamber that could bring us a step nearer to
finally dating the mine.
Along with many others, l have for a long time suspected that the Ogof
predates the Roman occupation period. Until June of this year stone tools, the
initial pointer to a possible Bronze Age working, have never been discovered in
the mine or, if they have, it has never become common knowledge. It should be
stated at this point that the Ogof is a scheduled site under the control of CADW.
Although it is an offence to dig in the mine, there is plenty of evidence to
suggest that digging has been going on quite recently. Not only is
archaeological evidence being destroyed but any finds made are disappearing
into private collections without being recorded. Having said this, without
illicit digs the first group of stone tools would not have been found.
On a visit to the Mandible Chamber in June along with Gareth Owen,
Patrick Owen and Russell Hill, we recovered four stone tools near to the floor
groove in the old entrance adit. They were subsequently removed for safe
keeping and were carefully cleaned, weighed and recorded. I have, for my own
records, given each stone a reference number. It is these numbers that will be
used here.
HS.l/1 : 0.8 kg. A small maul which has been modified to accommodate a
better grip during use. Being micaceous sandstone, modification by rubbing on a
hard surface would have been an easy task. One end shows classic bruising and
has cracked through use. A flake has been chipped off the opposing end.
HS.2/1 : 0.2 kg . The smallest of this first group of stones. It is a
round pebble with bruising to each end. Is this stone a possible indication
that children worked in the Ogof'?
HS.3/1 : 1.2 kg. A flat stone heavily chipped on both edges. The one end
shows signs of heavy usage as flakes of the stone have been knocked off.
HS.4/1 : 6.1 kg. The largest and most versatile stone yet found. This
stone is peardrop shaped and very similar to one on display at the Great Orme
Mine in Llandudno. It has been used for grinding, as is evident on the
underside. Bruising to the sides indicate its use as a hammer and it has been
suggested that it may, due to its shape and marks it exhibits, have been used
as a lap held anvil.
All the stones in group one were handed over to the Clwyd Powys
Archaeological Trust shortly after discovery.
In July three more stones were recovered from the Mandible Chamber. This
second group are far smaller in size to the first group and, with one exception
, rather difficult to suggest what they may have been used for.
HS.5/2 : 0.25 kg. A flat axe shaped stone which may have been used as a
whetstone.
HS.6/2 : 0.25 kg. An interesting stone as it has been suggested that it
shows signs that it could well have started out its working life as part of a
Neolithic hand axe. Once broken in the Ogof, this flake appears to have been
used as a scraper.
HS.7/2 : 0.27 kg. A small hand sized micaceous sandstone pebble ground
flat on one end. It may have been used for grinding however being so small this
would seem unlikely.
In early September the Mandible Chamber yielded three further stones.
They are unfortunately rather similar to group two in that, apart from HS. 8 /
3, it would be difficult to suggest their use.
HS.8/3 : 0.5 kg. A flat stone that fits into the hand so well it would
most certainly have been used as a maul. Straight groves on one face are
possible evidence that this stone was also used for sharpening some type of
pointed implement.
HS.9/3 : 0.21 kg. Although smaller than HS.7/2 it is somewhat similar in
shape. It would be hard to attribute specific use for this stone.
HS.10/3 : 3.25 kg. The second largest of the stones recovered from
Mandible chamber. Although a large piece has been broken off there are no
markings on this stone to give any clue to its use.
The discovery of these stones does not prove that the Ogof is a Bronze
Age mine but it is the closest connection with this period found there. It may
be of some significance that, although we have looked throughout the mine, the
only place where these stones have been found is in Mandible Chamber. Of the
ten stones we have recovered, six show clear evidence of having been utilised
by man. Any use that could have been made of the remaining four is not clear. I
must stress that all of the stones we have found were not buried, they were
just lying in the surface rubble.
There are no surface remains apart from some grassed over tips, a fenced
open shaft and an open adit entrance to the Ogof. To the north is an open 19th
century adit which leads to the bottom of earlier stope workings. South-west
are some smaller workings which are very difficult to find.