Stannary
1619088
208618477
2008-04-27T22:04:50Z
Smalljim
100426
rm self-referential link
The word '''stannary''' is historically applied to:
*A [[tin]] [[mining|mine]], especially in [[Devon]] or [[Mining in Cornwall|Cornwall]]
*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).<hr/>
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]].
==Etymology of the word ''stannary''==
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 '''[[Sn]]''').
==Devon stannaries==
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
| pages =117
| isbn =0 7153 5041 2}}</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 - Land's End and the Lizard peninsulas
*Tywarnhaile - St Agnes & Carn Brea area
*Blackmore - the Hensbarrow granite upland, now better known as the china clay country
*Foweymore - the historic name for Bodmin Moor
The geographical jurisdiction of each Cornish stannary was more clearly demarcated from each other than was the case in Devon as each represented a separate tin-bearing area, but again, the boundaries were not precisely laid down.
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) 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.
==Surviving records of stannary matters==
Survival of stannary records has been rather patchy. The Cornwall Records 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 (UK)|National Archives]] hold most of the records of central government, which includes records on stannary matters including court 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==
<references/>
==See also==
*[[Dartmoor tin-mining]]
*[[Lord Warden of the Stannaries]]
*[[Mining in Cornwall]]
*[[Revived Cornish Stannary Parliament]]
*[[Stannary Courts and Parliaments]]
*[[Stannary town]]
*[[Tin]]
[[Category:Tin mining]]
[[Category:Mining law and governance]]
[[Category:History of Cornwall]]
[[Category:Mining in Cornwall]]
[[Category:History of mining]]