Glenchass Mine

Overview

A minor Manx copper working near Port St Mary, also known as Glensash, worked in fits and starts from before the 19th century until a fatal-to-the-mine shaft collapse in 1865.

History

Glenchass -- also recorded as Glensash -- lies near Port St Mary on the Isle of Man, one of the island's mines alongside the much larger Laxey, Bradda and Foxdale workings. The lode had already been tested by the Foxdale Company around 1842, decades before the main phase of work recorded here. Glenchass was in operation in 1857, work was then suspended, and resumed in 1861 when the 15-fathom level was being driven; by 1862 the shaft had reached 50 fathoms, and by 1863 a three-foot lode was carrying steel-grained galena. In 1865 the shaft -- sunk among old workings -- collapsed, and the accident brought operations to a close.

Workings

A shaft reached 50 fathoms by 1862, driven among old workings on a lode that by 1863 was carrying a three-foot band of steel-grained galena.

Closure

A shaft collapse in 1865, the shaft having been sunk among old workings, brought operations to a permanent close.

What remains

No reliable current-condition detail has yet been located.

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.

• Glenchass was worked in 1857, suspended, then resumed in 1861 (15-fathom level); by 1862 the shaft reached 50 fathoms and by 1863 was raising galena from a 3-foot lode; a 1865 shaft collapse ended operations. ¹
• The Glenchass lode had already been tested by the Foxdale Company around 1842, well before the main 1857-65 working phase. ¹
• Glenchass is grouped alongside Laxey, Bradda and Foxdale as one of the Isle of Man's worked mines. ²

Sources

1. (primary) Chapter 12 The metalliferous veins of the island (Geology of the Isle of Man, Lamplugh, 1903) — Scottish Geology Trust / British Geological Survey
2. (secondary) Mining activities - Isle of Man — Derbyshire Caving Club

Record created: 31 August 2026 · Last researched: 1 September 2026