![]() ![]() ![]() There is no evidence that Blue John was ever mined at Odin although the adjacent Treak Cliff Cavern regularly mines the rock in areas not open to visitors. There are several small pipe caverns contained within the mine the most prominent of these is Odin Cave (called Gank Hole by the miners) which was formed by groundwater opening out a void between limestone boulders. The 1769 plans of the mine show that there were several branch veins leading from the main lead workings. The vein is exposed on the surface in a small limestone outcrop at the entrance to the mine and then continues underground just south of due west in the limestone under the Edale shales of Mam Tor. Later the miners followed the vein of lead underground. In the early days the mining was open cast, forming a gorge in the hillside with the water diverted by a leat to the north to keep the workings dry. In its heyday, the mine was a complex system of levels and shafts that extended for approximately 1500 metres into the Edale shales beneath the nearby Mam Tor. Lead and sulphate combined to form the lead ore galena. The veins of lead in the Castleton area formed 280 million years ago when a fault in the local Carboniferous limestone allowed mineralising fluids to flow into fissures in the rock, pushed up by great pressure from beneath the Earth's surface. Lead production at the mine stopped in 1869, although some working took place in 19 when considerable amounts of fluorspar and barite were excavated from the Mam Engine Shaft. There was a gap in production between 18 and the Bagshawe family withdrew their interests from the mine in September 1856, handing over ownership to Robert How Ashton of Losehill Hall. The spoil contained fluorspar, calcite, and barite which was extracted in later years when their value became known. The mine produced extensive spoil and this was used by the Manchester and Sheffield Turnpike company in 1802 when constructing a new road between the two places. It was driven up from Hollowford Brook at Trickett Bridge in Castleton to the workings. In April 1706 a rich vein of lead was struck: 41 men and eight women were working at the site and the mine reached 500 metres into the hillside beneath Mam Tor.ĭrainage problems in the mine meant that a proposal to build a low-level sough was put forward in 1772 but this was not completed for many years, probably not until the 1840s. The mine was worked continuously throughout the 18th century with annual ore extraction varying between 100 and 800 tonnes per annum. The Bagshawe family retained their interests at Odin until the 1850s. In the early 18th century Richard Bagshawe, later to become High Sheriff of Derbyshire, had a considerable stake in the mine. The mine is not mentioned again in documents until 1663. They mined the ore galena extensively during their time in Britain, so it is possible that Odin Mine does have Roman origins. The Romans had great need for lead, especially for the plumbing systems in their dwellings. In the early days before explosives, the rock was weakened by fire setting: this involved heating the rock overnight by leaving fires lit and then cooling the rock with water the next morning causing the rock to shatter. #WHERE IS MAM TOR TRIAL#The first mention of the mine in official records was in 1280 when a poacher John of Bellhag was put on trial for hunting at Bactor Wood in Castleton and at the entrance to Odin Mine. This is backed up by evidence that prior to the 19th century the mine was commonly called Oden in mining records, which is more in common with the traditional Danish spelling. The use of the name “Odin” is often cited as evidence that the mine was named by the Danes after their chief god. However, there is no historical evidence to back this up. Ford states "It was probably worked in Roman times, again in the Dark Ages and in Norman times". ![]() The origins of Odin Mine are unclear many Peak District guidebooks and sources say that the mine was first worked by the Romans and subsequently by the Saxons and the Danes. ![]()
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