MineArchiveMeall Luaidhe Mines
| Also known as | Kerrowmore Mine, Innerwick Lead Mines |
|---|---|
| Location | Kerrowmore, Glen Lyon, Perthshire — 56.6070, -4.3350 (approximate) |
| Commodity | Lead |
| Type | Metal |
| Worked | Opened up about 1730.–Abandoned not long after opening, having proved unprofitable. |
| Maximum depth | No reliable depth figure has yet been located; the workings were shallow and short-lived. |
| Status | Researched |
Overview
A short-lived 18th-century lead mine on the Farm of Kerrowmore in Glen Lyon, opened about 1730 and soon abandoned as unprofitable -- part of Perthshire's minor and scattered lead-mining record, overshadowed by the larger but still modest workings at Tyndrum.
History
The old mines at Meall Luaidhe are situated on the Farm of Kerrowmore, about one mile up the Allt Bail' a' Mhuilinn from Glen Lyon, and half a mile east of the road to Killin, itself some twelve miles distant. They appear to have been opened up about 1730, but, being unprofitable, were soon abandoned. Three veins were worked, trending 50 degrees east of north and hading south-east at angles of 70 to 75 degrees, hosted in country rock of garnetiferous mica-schists with interbedded quartzose and calcareous bands; a little galena occurs on the hanging wall, with thin, irregular strings visible at intervals along the bottom of the working. Perthshire's lead mining was minor and scattered by comparison with the sustained output of Leadhills and Wanlockhead in the Southern Uplands: even Tyndrum, the district's best-known and longer-lived mine, produced only 430 tons of lead across its main 1856-65 working life, with a largest single year's output of 94 tons, against roughly 1,000 tons a year sustained across 120 years at Leadhills and Wanlockhead combined.
Workings
Three veins trending 50 degrees east of north, hading south-east at 70-75 degrees, worked in garnetiferous mica-schist country rock with interbedded quartzose and calcareous bands; galena occurred on the hanging wall with thin, irregular strings along the bottom of the working.
Closure
Abandoned not long after its circa-1730 opening, the venture having proved unprofitable.
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.
- The mines at Meall Luaidhe, Kerrowmore, appear to have been opened up about 1730, but being unprofitable were soon abandoned. 1
- Three veins were worked, trending 50 degrees east of north and hading south-east at 70-75 degrees, hosted in garnetiferous mica-schist with interbedded quartzose and calcareous bands; galena occurred on the hanging wall with thin, irregular strings along the bottom of the working. 1
- Perthshire's lead mining was minor and scattered compared to Leadhills and Wanlockhead; even Tyndrum, the district's best-known mine, produced only 430 tons of lead across its main 1856-65 working life, against roughly 1,000 tons a year sustained for 120 years at Leadhills and Wanlockhead combined. 2
Photographs & further reading
This page doesn't try to reproduce everything — these are the best original sources found for this mine.
The digitised British Geological Survey memoir section covering the Meall Luaidhe mines and the wider, generally minor Perthshire lead-mining district.
View sourceSources
- (primary) Lead and zinc ores of Scotland Area II. Tyndrum, other Perthshire mines, Fifeshire and Forfarshire — British Geological Survey (Earthwise, digitising Wilson & Flett 1921)
- (primary) Lead and zinc ores of Scotland: introduction, historical notes, statistics and the veins — British Geological Survey
Record created: 30 August 2026 · Last researched: 30 August 2026