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Description and History of Site:-

Two discrete sets of workings: Burtersett Quarry (SD898 887), known from 1847 and Seavy Quarry (SD895 887) known from 1867,which both began as open workings but from 1894 expanded to exploit less weathered and purer flagstone from underground levels driven into Yoredale Group beds. Narrow-gauge tramways were used in the levels which were worked by quarrymen not miners; Seavy had 3 levels in 1881. Burtersett Old quarry had one level 365m long, with branching levels, with ponies employed on the tramway. Stone pillars supported the roof where necessary, and the pillar and post method was employed where levels opened out into chambers. Discarded stone was stacked in worked-out parts of the underground workings. Men worked in teams of six using iron bars and wedges to prise stone loose after which iron balls were pushed under the large slabs so they could be levered and rolled onto pony-hauled bogeys for transfer to the surface dressing floors. Some black powder was used. Slabs were either hand split or machine sawn, then taken by wagon to Hawes sidings once the railway was completed in 1878, each cart taking 5-6 tons. Seavy had three dressing sheds and Burtersett one; both had two steam cranes.
Products mainly included walling stone, flooring slabs, roofing flags and water cisterns.See above plus: in the 1880s Burtersett Quarry employed c. 50 and Seavy c. 20 but each had dropped to less than 20 by the 1920s. Worked temporarily stopped at Seavy in 1900 and at Burtersett in 1905 but another operator took them on working till 1920. Both had closed down by 1931.Production peaked c. 1890 when 15,000 tons passed through Hawes.

Further Reading and References:-

D. Hall. 1985. Burtersett Quarries. A Wensleydale mining community. Privately published.
B. Skipsey. 2003. 'A first look at Burtersett stone mines' Yorkshire History Quarterly 8 (3), pp. 2-8.
EDAS. 2014. Seavy and Burtersett Quarries, south-east of Burtersett, North Yorkshire. 2006 archaeological survey. Unpublished report for the YDNPA, SYD 14098.
D. Johnson. 2016. Quarrying in the Yorkshire Pennines. Stroud: Amberley, pp.42-43.

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Key Words :- flagstones open workings underground stone workings

Viewing the Site :- no public access

Address :- Burtersett, Hawes, North Yorkshire
Grid Ref :- SD 898 887
Co-ordinates :- Lat 54.293817 , Long -2.158211
Local Authority :- Richmondshire District Council
Pre 1974 County :- Yorkshire - North Riding
Site Status :- Site extant - Protected status unknown
Site Condition :- Site derelict - some buildings remaining
Site Dates :- probably early 19th - 1931
Contributor :- David Johnson - 4 February 2017

Copyright :- cc-by-nc-sa 4.0 © David Johnson