Susanna Mine

Overview

The richest vein in the Leadhills lead field and a mineralogical landmark in its own right — the type locality for six mineral species, including one, susannite, named directly after the mine.

History

Lead has been mined around Leadhills since 1239, under the Newbattle monks, but large-scale working began in the 1570s under Edinburgh goldsmith Thomas Foulis, who bought the land outright in 1592; it passed to the Hope family in 1638 through his granddaughter's marriage. By the 18th century around 40 veins were being worked across the district, with the Susanna Vein the richest of all — the Scots Mining Company, under manager James Stirling from 1734, made the operation genuinely profitable and expanded it into what contemporaries regarded as a technological wonder of 18th-century Scotland for its scale, machinery and investment. Mining declined from 1830 amid litigation over water rights, and though the Leadhills Mining Company took over in 1861, the Susanna Mine itself closed in 1869; mining continued intermittently elsewhere in the district into the early 20th century before the wider field finally closed in 1929.

Geology

The Susanna Vein cuts Southern Uplands greywacke and shale and is exceptional for its secondary mineralogy: Mindat records 35 mineral species from the site, six of them first described from Susanna Mine specimens — chenite, lanarkite, leadhillite, macphersonite, scotlandite and susannite, the last named directly after the mine itself.

Workings

Workings combined opencast cutting — the large spoil scar known as Lady Manners' Scar marks one such working — with underground shafts and levels, and surviving waterwheel pits show where water power drove pumping and processing machinery on site.

What remains

Open cast workings, shafts and waterwheel pits remain visible on the ground, though the extent of any public access is unclear — the Leadhills Estate, which owns the site, is the point of contact for current access information.

Lady Manners' Scar, open cast workings, mine shafts and waterwheel pits all survive above ground.

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.

• Susanna Mine is the type locality for six mineral species first described from specimens found there: chenite, lanarkite, leadhillite, macphersonite, scotlandite and susannite. ¹

Images

Sources

1. (secondary) Susanna Mine, Leadhills, South Lanarkshire, Scotland, UK — Albion Fire & Ice
2. (primary) Susanna Mine Plans (BGS, e.g. SP11, SP1787, SP1846) — British Geological Survey
3. (secondary) History of Leadhills — Leadhills Estate
4. (secondary) Susanna Mine

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