Author: David Bick  

Three centuries ago, the silver-lead mines of mid-Wales were highly prized and, after a rich discovery, the Company of Mine Adventurers was launched in a fanfare of publicity to work them. In 1704, to aid the promotion, William Waller, the manager, compiled his Description of the Mines in Cardiganshire, with a series of maps and plans of the mines and smelting works. They were the first of their kind ever published and have long been regarded by historians and industrial archaeologists as prime source material. To mark the tercentenary, the present volume contains a complete facsimile reprint of the original, which is now extremely scarce. Also included are explanations of the maps and text, enhanced with background material and correlation with present-day remains.

David Bick has spent a lifetime researching and exploring the sites and his series The Old Metal Mines of Mid-Wales will form a useful companion. In his inimitable and very readable style, he has delved into numerous archives to illuminate not only the Description but also the men behind the best known and most notorious mining promotion of the times. Errors of fact perpetrated by early historians are also brought to light.

This is an important work and will add much to our knowledge and understanding of early mining operations in Cardiganshire.