Bedford United Mine

Overview

Bedford United, next door to the much larger Devon Great Consols, was Devon's third-largest copper producer in its own right — an amalgamation of five older workings whose combined lodes kept over 200 men employed through the 1860s.

History

Bedford United was formed in 1841 by amalgamating the lodes of five older, smaller workings: Wheal Marquis, Wheal Tavistock, Delves Kitchen, Ding Dong and South Bedford. South Bedford, being too remote from the main workings to manage efficiently as part of the combined sett, was later separated out again in 1850 to form its own set, East Gunnislake and South Bedford Mine. Bedford United went on to become Devon's third-largest copper producer, with a recorded lifetime output of 66,000 tons of copper ore; by 1862 it employed over 200 workers, and by 1868 had paid out £54,000 in dividends. The company was restructured in 1877 and continued working until 1890, after which further activity, chiefly for arsenic with smaller amounts of tin and wolfram, continued above adit through the 1920s.

Geology

The mine worked copper-bearing lodes of the Tamar Valley orefield, lying south of Devon Great Consols' own main lode, part of the same broadly Cornubian granite-related mineralisation.

Geological setting: Hydrothermal Deposits (well documented example), Veins and Lodes (well documented example)

Workings

The mine's workings amalgamated five separate older setts into one combined operation, worked from a shared system of shafts and levels; later 1920s activity for arsenic, tin and wolfram was confined to reworking ground above the original adit level.

Closure

Main copper working ended in 1890, with a smaller-scale continuation for arsenic, tin and wolfram above adit through the 1920s.

Abandoned workings can be dangerous — unstable ground, uncapped shafts, flooding and bad air are common even where a site looks safe from the surface. This entry describes history and general location only; it is not an access guide.

Recorded claims

Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.

• Bedford United was Devon's third-largest copper producer, with a recorded lifetime output of 66,000 tons of copper ore; by 1862 the mine employed over 200 workers and by 1868 had paid £54,000 in dividends. ^1,2

Sources

1. (secondary) Mining in Devon Database - Bedford United Mine, Devon — Mining in Devon Database
2. (secondary) Bedford United Mine, Gulworthy, West Devon — Mindat
3. (primary) Bedford United Marquis Mine Plan (BGS Mine Plans Catalogue) — British Geological Survey / The Coal Authority

Record created: 22 August 2026 · Last researched: 22 August 2026