Stannary: Difference between revisions

Content deleted Content added

Inline

Revision as of 22:54, 6 February 2024

A stannary was an administrative division established under stannary law in the English counties of Cornwall and Devon to manage the collection of tin coinage, which was the duty payable on the metal tin smelted from the ore cassiterite mined in the region. In Cornwall, the duty was passed to the Duchy of Cornwall; in Devon to the Crown.

With the abolition of tin coinage in 1838 (following extensive petitioning by the Cornish tin industry for simplification of the taxation rules), the principal purpose of the stannaries ceased. In Cornwall, however, they retained certain historic rights to appoint stannators to the Cornish Stannary Parliament.^{[citation needed]}

Etymology

The word ‘stannary’ is derived from the Middle English stannarie, through Medieval Latin stannaria (‘tin mine’), ultimately from Late Latin stannum (‘tin’) (cf. the symbol for the chemical element Sn). The native Cornish word is sten and tin-workings stenegi.

In Cornwall

There were four Cornish stannaries (from west to east):

Penwith and Kerrier: Most of the hundreds of Penwith and Kerrier (including the granite outcrops of Land's End and Carnmenellis)
Tywarnhaile: St Agnes and the Carn Brea area
Blackmore: the Hensbarrow granite upland, now better known as the St Austell moors or the china clay country
Foweymore: the historic name for Bodmin Moor

The geographical jurisdiction of each Cornish stannary was more clearly demarcated from that of the others than was the case in Devon, as each represented a separate tin-bearing area, even though the boundaries were not precisely laid down. The relative productivity of the stannaries varied greatly and was in no way related to their size.^[1]

Before sale could occur, tin had to be brought to a stannary town to be coined in buildings known as coinage halls.The towns at which tin coinage was carried out in Cornwall varied over time. The Cornish coinage towns included at various times: Penzance, Truro, Helston, St Austell, Bodmin (probably), Liskeard and Lostwithiel. Penryn twice attempted to acquire coinage town status, supported by Falmouth, but failed on both occasions due to strong opposition from the established coinage towns.^{[citation needed]}

In Devon

Devon's stannaries are usually referred to by the names of stannary towns which were the locations where white tin was assessed, coined, and sold. They were also the location for some of the institutions associated with the operation of the stannary.

King Edward I's 1305 Stannary Charter established Tavistock, Ashburton and Chagford as Devon's stannary towns, with a monopoly on all tin mining in Devon, a right to representation in the Stannary Parliament and a right to the jurisdiction of the Stannary Courts. Plympton became the fourth Devon stannary town in 1328 after a powerful lobby persuaded the Sheriff of Devon that it was nearer the sea and therefore had better access for merchants.^[2]

The Devon stannary towns are all on the fringes of Dartmoor, which is the granite upland which bore the tin. No definition of the boundaries of the Devon stannaries is known, if indeed one ever existed.

Surviving records

Survival of stannary records has been rather patchy. The Cornwall Record Office has records from the Vicewarden's Court of the Stannaries of Devon and Cornwall, mostly from the mid nineteenth century onwards, which is rather late in the overall history of the stannary organisations. Earlier survivals in the CRO include the Tin Abstract Books from the Truro Tin office for 1703–10 and 1833–35. These books record the quantities of tin coined in the various coinage towns of Devon and Cornwall, the purchase of tin by the crown and the shipment of this tin by sea to London.

Many stannary-related papers including registration of tin bounds, records of tin production and papers relating to disputes are to be found in the records of families with tin mining interests, although these are frequently intermingled with records on other matters so location of specific information is difficult.

The National Archives hold most of the records of central government, which includes records on stannary matters including manorial rolls for part of the reign of Charles 1. The House of Lords Record Office also contains relevant material, primarily relating to the special position of the stannary organisations (and tinners) with respect to the law.

References

^ Hatcher, John (1970) Rural Economy and Society in the Duchy of Cornwall 1300–1500. Cambridge University Press ISBN 0-521-08550-0.
^ Gill, Crispin, ed. (1970). Dartmoor, A New Study. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. p. 117. ISBN 0-7153-5041-2.

[1] Hatcher, John (1970) Rural Economy and Society in the Duchy of Cornwall 1300–1500. Cambridge University Press ISBN 0-521-08550-0.

[gill-2] Gill, Crispin, ed. (1970). Dartmoor, A New Study. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. p. 117. ISBN 0-7153-5041-2.

[1]

[2]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Short description|Pre-1838 tin coinage jurisdiction in Cornwall and Devon, England}}
-The word '''stannary''' is historically applied to:
+{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
-*A [[tin]] [[mining|mine]], especially in [[Mining in Cornwall and Devon|Cornwall or Devon]], [[South West England]]
+{{more citations needed|date=November 2020}}
-*A region containing tin works (mines and refineries, assay offices, etc.)
-*A chartered entity comprising such a region, its works, and its workers
-*The town constituting the administrative centre of such a region (a "stannary town")
-*Any of the courts or parliaments established to maintain the rights of such a charter (see [[Stannary Courts and Parliaments]]—often in the plural)
-*The [[Lord Warden of the Stannaries]].
-The principal role of a stannary town was the collection of [[tin coinage]], the proceeds of which were passed to the [[Duchy of Cornwall]] or the Crown.  With the abolition of tin coinage in 1838 (following extensive petitioning by the [[Cornwall|Cornish]] tin industry for simplification of the taxation rules), the principal purpose for coinage town status ceased. However coinage towns still retained certain historic rights to appoint stannators to Cornwall's [[Stannary Parliament]].
+A '''stannary''' was an administrative division established under [[stannary law]] in the English counties of [[Cornwall]] and [[Devon]] to manage the collection of [[tin coinage]], which was the duty payable on the metal [[tin]] smelted from the ore [[cassiterite]] [[Mining in Cornwall and Devon|mined in the region]]. In Cornwall, the duty was passed to the [[Duchy of Cornwall]]; in Devon to [[the Crown]].
+With the abolition of tin coinage in 1838 (following extensive petitioning by the [[Cornwall|Cornish]] tin industry for simplification of the taxation rules), the principal purpose of the stannaries ceased. In Cornwall, however, they retained certain historic rights to appoint stannators to the [[Cornish Stannary Parliament]].{{citation needed|date=November 2020}}
 ==Etymology==
-The [[English language|English]] word ‘stannary’ is derived from the [[Middle English]] ''stannarie'', through [[Medieval Latin]] ''stannaria'' (‘tin mine’), ultimately from [[Late Latin]] ''stannum'' (‘[[tin]]’) ([[cf.]] the symbol for the chemical element '''[[tin|Sn]]'''). The native [[Cornish language|Cornish]] word is ''sten'' and tin-workings ''stenegi''.
+The word ‘stannary’ is derived from the [[Middle English]] ''stannarie'', through [[Medieval Latin]] ''stannaria'' (‘tin mine’), ultimately from [[Late Latin]] ''stannum'' (‘[[tin]]’) ([[cf.]] the symbol for the chemical element Sn). The native [[Cornish language|Cornish]] word is ''sten'' and tin-workings ''stenegi''.
-==Devon stannaries==
+==In Cornwall==
+There were four Cornish stannaries (from west to east):
-Devon stannaries are usually referred to by the names of stannary towns. These towns were the locations where refined tin (or [[white tin]]) was assessed, [[tin coinage|coined]], and sold. They were also the location for some of the institutions associated with the operation of the stannary.
-King [[Edward I of England|Edward I]]'s 1305 Stannary Charter established [[Tavistock, Devon|Tavistock]], [[Ashburton, England|Ashburton]] and [[Chagford]] as Devon's stannary towns, with a [[monopoly]] on all tin mining in Devon, a right to representation in the Stannary Parliament and a right to the [[jurisdiction]] of the Stannary Courts. [[Plympton]] became the fourth Devon stannary town in 1328 after a powerful lobby persuaded the [[High Sheriff of Devon|Sheriff of Devon]] that it was nearer the sea and therefore had better access for merchants.<ref name=gill>{{cite book
-  | last =Gill
-  | first =Crispin (editor)
-  | title =Dartmoor, A New Study
-  | publisher =David & Charles
-  | date =1970
-  | location =Newton Abbot
-  | isbn =0-7153-5041-2
-  | page =117}}</ref>
-The Devon stannary towns are all on the fringes of [[Dartmoor]], which is the granite upland which bore the tin. No definition of the boundaries of the Devon stannaries is known, if indeed one ever existed.
-==Cornish stannaries==
-The four Cornish stannaries were (from west to east):
 *Penwith and Kerrier: Most of the [[Hundreds of Cornwall|hundreds]] of Penwith and Kerrier (including the granite outcrops of Land's End and [[Carnmenellis]])
@@ Line 35: / Line 18: @@
 *Foweymore: the historic name for [[Bodmin Moor]]
-The geographical jurisdiction of each Cornish stannary was more clearly demarcated that of the others than was the case in Devon, as each represented a separate tin-bearing area, but the boundaries were not precisely laid down. The relative productivity of the stannaries varied greatly and was in no way related to their size.<ref>Hatcher, John (1970) ''Rural Economy and Society in the Duchy of Cornwall 1300–1500''. Cambridge University Press {{ISBN|0-521-08550-0}}.</ref>
+The geographical jurisdiction of each Cornish stannary was more clearly demarcated from that of the others than was the case in Devon, as each represented a separate tin-bearing area, even though the boundaries were not precisely laid down. The relative productivity of the stannaries varied greatly and was in no way related to their size.<ref>Hatcher, John (1970) ''Rural Economy and Society in the Duchy of Cornwall 1300–1500''. Cambridge University Press {{ISBN|0-521-08550-0}}.</ref>
-The towns at which [[tin coinage|coinage]] was carried out in Cornwall varied over time. The Cornish coinage towns included at various times: [[Penzance]], [[Truro]], [[Helston]], [[St Austell]], [[Bodmin]] (probably), [[Liskeard]] and [[Lostwithiel]]. Penryn twice attempted to acquire coinage town status, supported by Falmouth, but failed on both occasions due to strong opposition from the established coinage towns.
+Before sale could occur, tin had to be brought to a stannary town to be coined in buildings known as [[Helston coinage hall|coinage halls]].The towns at which tin coinage was carried out in Cornwall varied over time. The Cornish coinage towns included at various times: [[Penzance]], [[Truro]], [[Helston]], [[St Austell]], [[Bodmin]] (probably), [[Liskeard]] and [[Lostwithiel]]. Penryn twice attempted to acquire coinage town status, supported by Falmouth, but failed on both occasions due to strong opposition from the established coinage towns.{{citation needed|date=November 2020}}
+==In Devon==
+Devon's stannaries are usually referred to by the names of stannary towns which were the locations where [[white tin]] was assessed, [[tin coinage|coined]], and sold. They were also the location for some of the institutions associated with the operation of the stannary.
+King [[Edward I of England|Edward I]]'s 1305 Stannary Charter established [[Tavistock, Devon|Tavistock]], [[Ashburton, England|Ashburton]] and [[Chagford]] as Devon's stannary towns, with a [[monopoly]] on all [[tin mining]] in Devon, a right to representation in the Stannary Parliament and a right to the [[jurisdiction]] of the Stannary Courts. [[Plympton]] became the fourth Devon stannary town in 1328 after a powerful lobby persuaded the [[High Sheriff of Devon|Sheriff of Devon]] that it was nearer the sea and therefore had better access for merchants.<ref name=gill>{{cite book | editor-last =Gill | editor-first =Crispin | title =Dartmoor, A New Study | publisher =David & Charles | date =1970 | location =Newton Abbot | isbn =0-7153-5041-2 | page =[https://archive.org/details/dartmoornewstudy0000gill/page/117 117] | url-access =registration | url =https://archive.org/details/dartmoornewstudy0000gill/page/117 }}</ref>
+The Devon stannary towns are all on the fringes of [[Dartmoor]], which is the granite upland which bore the tin. No definition of the boundaries of the Devon stannaries is known, if indeed one ever existed.
-==Surviving records of stannary matters==
+==Surviving records==
 Survival of stannary records has been rather patchy. The [[Cornwall Record Office]] has records from the Vicewarden's Court of the Stannaries of Devon and Cornwall, mostly from the mid nineteenth century onwards, which is rather late in the overall history of the stannary organisations. Earlier survivals in the CRO include the Tin Abstract Books from the Truro Tin office for 1703–10 and 1833–35. These books record the quantities of tin coined in the various coinage towns of Devon and Cornwall, the purchase of tin by the crown and the shipment of this tin by sea to [[London]].
-Many stannary-related papers including registration of tin bounds, records of tin production and papers relating to disputes are to be found in the records of families with tin mining interests, although these are frequently intermingled with records on other matters so location of specific information is difficult.
+Many stannary-related papers including registration of tin bounds, records of tin production and papers relating to disputes are to be found in the records of families with [[tin mining]] interests, although these are frequently intermingled with records on other matters so location of specific information is difficult.
 The [[National Archives (UK)|National Archives]] hold most of the records of central government, which includes records on stannary matters including [[manorial roll]]s for part of the reign of Charles 1. The [[House of Lords]] Record Office also contains relevant material, primarily relating to the special position of the stannary organisations (and tinners) with respect to the law.
 ==See also==
+*[[Cornish Stannary Parliament]]
 *[[Dartmoor tin-mining]]
 *[[Lord Warden of the Stannaries]]
 *[[Revived Cornish Stannary Parliament]]
 *[[Royal charters applying to Cornwall]]
+*[[Stannary Convocation of Devon]]
 *[[Tin sources and trade in ancient times]]
+*[[Helston coinage hall|Helston Coinage Hall]]
 ==References==
 {{Reflist}}
-[[Category:History of Cornwall]]
+[[Category:Stannary law]]
-[[Category:History of Devon]]
-[[Category:History of mining in the United Kingdom]]
-[[Category:Mining in Cornwall]]
-[[Category:Mining law and governance]]
-[[Category:Tin mining]]