Early lead smelting sites in the Swaledale area of Yorkshire
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Abstract
Many bale smelting sites have been located in the Swaledale area. Their locations were influenced by several factors, principally a position within a few kilometres of lead mines, with ready access to the valley floor and sufficiently elevated to catch the prevailing winds. The site topography was very varied: many bales were at the head of a scar, preferably with an open aspect, but sloping ground was commonly used. The ideal was a ridge or a rounded hill projecting from a fellside, allowing operation under a wide range of wind directions. An additional geological factor was a position with a refractory silicious base rock underfoot. Sandstones were imported where necessary. In some areas there are many more bale sites than elsewhere and possible reasons for this are discussed. Most bale sites had no associated pits or structures and little slag, indicating batch smelting of small quantities of pure galena. Possibly larger quantities were smelted in shallow pits with a forward opening, set on a slope at the head of a brow. A few sites had charcoal dumps and slags which indicate higher temperatures were attained, and the technical implications of this are considered.
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