Caplecleugh Mine

Overview

A lead and, later, zinc mine in the Nenthead field on Alston Moor, opened under Adam Wilkinson in 1754, developed by the London Lead Company from 1799, and finally worked out by the Belgian Vieille Montagne Zinc Company between 1896 and 1918 specifically for the zinc ore its predecessor had left behind as uneconomic.

History

A grant to work the Caplecleugh North Vein was made to Adam Wilkinson on 18 June 1754; his workings must have been extensive, since a dividend of £10,000 was reportedly obtained in a single year. In 1780 the lease passed to Henry Errington and Company, and then to the London Lead Company in 1799. The Caplecleugh North Vein was originally worked from surface shafts and the Caplecleugh High Level; the London Lead Company went on to develop both the Caplecleugh and Caplecleugh North veins in the Great Limestone from the Caplecleugh Low Level, driving it as far as the Cowhill Cross Vein by the time of Wallace's 1856 report, and separately driving James Hill's Branch Level along the Caplecleugh North Vein. The Caplecleugh Level was also extended south to the Browngill Vein at the head of the Nent valley, but little ore was raised there under the London Lead Company because of the low lead content -- the vein instead held a large amount of zinc ore, which the company left behind as uneconomic, with zinc predominating over lead at depth. The London Lead Company gave up its Nenthead leases in 1882; after the Nenthead and Tynedale Zinc Company held them briefly, the Belgian Vieille Montagne Zinc Company took over in 1896 and extended the Caplecleugh Horse Level both east and west along the Browngill Vein specifically to work this zinc, stoping a total length of 900 metres over 18 metres of height to the west -- far enough that a sump at the western end connected the Caplecleugh workings directly through to the Whitesike Level at Garrigill. To the east, stoping took place in ground already developed by the London Lead Company from the Caplecleugh Low Level. The main Vieille Montagne workings at Caplecleugh ceased in 1914, though a small amount of further stoping on the Middlecleugh North Vein continued until 1918, and the Caplecleugh High Level was itself extended eastward in 1915 to link up with the Bogg Shaft.

Workings

Worked via the Caplecleugh Low (Dowgang) and High Levels along the Caplecleugh and Caplecleugh North veins in the Great Limestone, with James Hill's Branch Level serving the North Vein; the Vieille Montagne-era Caplecleugh Horse Level connected underground, west along the Browngill Vein, all the way through to the Whitesike Level at Garrigill.

Closure

The main Vieille Montagne Zinc Company workings ceased in 1914, with limited further stoping on the Middlecleugh North Vein continuing until 1918.

What remains

Two entrances survive on the west bank of the River Nent, one at river level (the original Caplecleugh Low Level entrance, from which water still issues) and a second, later entrance higher in the woodland above, driven in the late 19th century for easier access to the western waste tips.

Two level entrances beside the River Nent, along with the wider surface remains of the Nenthead mining field.

Redevelopment

Explored recreationally by cavers in the modern era, connecting through to the Smallcleugh, Rampgill and Whitesike workings.

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.

• A grant to work the Caplecleugh North Vein was made to Adam Wilkinson on 18 June 1754; his workings must have been extensive, since a dividend of £10,000 was reportedly obtained in a single year. ¹
• The lease passed to Henry Errington and Company in 1780 and then to the London Lead Company in 1799, which developed the Caplecleugh and Caplecleugh North veins from the Caplecleugh Low Level, driving it as far as the Cowhill Cross Vein by 1856. ¹
• The Browngill Vein at the head of the Nent valley yielded little lead under the London Lead Company but held a large amount of zinc ore, left behind as uneconomic; the Belgian Vieille Montagne Zinc Company returned from 1896 to work this zinc, stoping 900 metres west along the vein until the workings connected underground to the Whitesike Level at Garrigill. ¹
• The main Vieille Montagne workings at Caplecleugh ceased in 1914, with limited further stoping on the Middlecleugh North Vein continuing until 1918. ¹
• Caplecleugh's own change of ownership from the London Lead Company to the Vieille Montagne Zinc Company mirrors the wider Nenthead field: the London Lead Company sold its entire Alston Moor holdings in 1882 to the Tynedale and Nent Head Zinc Company, which in 1896 sold out in turn to the Belgian Vieille Montagne Zinc Company. ²

Photographs & further reading

This page doesn't try to reproduce everything — these are the best original sources found for this mine.

Sources

1. (primary) Bulletin 9-1: The History and Workings of the Nenthead Mines, Cumbria — Peak District Mines Historical Society (NMRS Bulletin)
2. (secondary) Alston Moor, Cumbria — Wikipedia

Record created: 30 August 2026 · Last researched: 31 August 2026