MineArchiveSedling Rake Mine
| Location | Sedling Vein, near Cowshill, County Durham — 54.7460, -2.2350 (approximate) |
|---|---|
| Commodities | Lead, Fluorspar |
| Type | Metal |
| Worked | 1818–1948 |
| Maximum depth | No reliable depth figure has yet been located. |
| Operators | Beaumont Company (1818–1878), Weardale Lead Co. (1900–1948) |
| Status | Researched |
Overview
A Weardale lead mine near Cowshill, worked by the Beaumont Company for lead through most of the 19th century and later reopened by the Weardale Lead Company for fluorspar, its old packhorse track still visible today as a green lane across the moor.
History
Sedling Mine, on Sedling Vein near Cowshill in Weardale, was worked by the Beaumont Company from 1818 to 1878, primarily for lead, producing some 10,411 tons of lead concentrates over that sixty-year span. The mine was later reopened by the Weardale Lead Company between 1900 and 1948 to work the ground for fluorspar instead, following the same pattern seen elsewhere in the district of lead workings finding a second life once fluorspar itself became commercially valuable. 'Sedling Rake' itself refers to the old packhorse track that ran through the mining area, still visible today as a green lane crossing the moor. The site today consists mostly of grassed-over spoil dumps.
Workings
Worked via Sedling Vein for lead (1818-1878, 10,411 tons of concentrates) and later fluorspar (1900-1948).
Closure
Lead working under the Beaumont Company ran 1818-1878; the mine was reopened for fluorspar by the Weardale Lead Company from 1900, finally closing in 1948.
What remains
Mostly grassed-over spoil dumps survive; the old packhorse track, Sedling Rake itself, remains visible as a green lane across the moor.
Grassed-over spoil dumps and the trackbed of the old packhorse route, Sedling Rake.
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 Beaumont Company worked Sedling Mine for lead from 1818 to 1878, producing 10,411 tons of concentrates. 1
- 'Sedling Rake' refers to the old packhorse track through the mining area, still visible today as a green lane across the moor. 2
Photographs & further reading
This page doesn't try to reproduce everything — these are the best original sources found for this mine.
Images
Sources
- (secondary) Sedling Mine, Cowshill, Stanhope, County Durham — Mindat
- (secondary) Burtree Fell, Cowshill mines, Sedling Fell — Boyd Harris (Weardale walking/history site)
Record created: 1 September 2026 · Last researched: 1 September 2026