MineArchiveWest Wheal Frances
| Location | Illogan, two miles from Redruth, in the manor of Tehidy, Cornwall |
|---|---|
| Commodities | Tin, Copper |
| Type | Metal |
| Worked | 1819–1896 (merged into Basset Mines) |
| Maximum depth | 95 fathoms (174 m) at the engine shaft by 1856 |
| Operators | Baroness Grenville (1854–?), Basset Mines Ltd (1896–1918) |
Overview
A tin and copper mine in Illogan two miles from Redruth, opened in 1819 under the Tehidy lordship, whose engine shaft was 95 fathoms deep by 1856; it joined Basset Mines Ltd in 1896.
History
West Wheal Frances lay in Illogan parish, within the manor of Tehidy, two miles from Redruth, shipping its ores through Portreath. It was first opened in 1819 and worked by a Cornish company under its own name. By 1856 it held a 21-year lease from 1854 at a royalty of one-fifteenth from Lady Baroness Grenville of Boconnoc. The ground was killas and granite with five known lodes running east and west, carrying tin, copper, spar and iron, and three cross-courses. The engine shaft was 95 fathoms deep with five levels, and a second shaft 80 fathoms with three; the machinery was a 40-inch pumping engine with two boilers and a 19-inch whim engine and stamps. The cost-book company had 512 shares, with R. H. Pike of Camborne as purser and Charles Thomas and James Mayne as captains.
When the old part of the Wheal Basset sett was stopped, its water flooded towards West Basset and West Wheal Frances, and the old Wheal Basset pumping engine was kept working. In 1896 West Wheal Frances joined South Frances United and Wheal Basset as Basset Mines Ltd.
Geology
Five east-west lodes of tin, copper, spar and iron in killas and granite, with three cross-courses.
Workings
An engine shaft 95 fathoms deep and a second shaft of 80 fathoms, with a 40-inch pumping engine and a 19-inch whim and stamps.
Closure
Joined Basset Mines Ltd in 1896.
What remains
Unknown.
Redevelopment
Unknown.
Related mines
- North Wheal Basset — Both joined Basset Mines Ltd in 1896.
- South Wheal Frances — Neighbours on the Basset ground; South Frances United and West Wheal Frances both joined Basset Mines Ltd in 1896.
- Wheal Basset (Basset Mines) — Flooding from old Wheal Basset reached West Wheal Frances; both joined Basset Mines Ltd in 1896.
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- West Wheal Frances was first opened in 1819; in 1856 it held a 21-year lease from 1854 at 1/15th from Lady Baroness Grenville of Boconnoc. 1
- Its engine shaft was 95 fathoms deep and a second shaft 80 fathoms, with a 40-inch engine and a 19-inch whim and stamps. 1
- There were five known lodes running east and west, of tin, copper, spar and iron, and three cross-courses. 1
- When the old part of Wheal Basset was stopped, flooding affected West Basset and West Wheal Frances. 2
- In 1896 West Wheal Frances joined South Frances United and Wheal Basset as Basset Mines Ltd. 2
Sources
- (secondary) 1856 Mines in Devon and Cornwall — Grace's Guide
- (secondary) Basset Mines — Wikipedia
Record created: 18 October 2026 · Last researched: 18 October 2026