Wheal Damsel

Overview

Wheal Damsel, worked for copper near Carharrack through much of the 19th century as part of a wider group with West Wheal Damsel (Wheal Spinster) and East Wheal Damsel, gave its name to a still-existing road on the site, with shafts and burrows surviving between Carharrack and the western slopes of United Downs.

History

Wheal Damsel lay in the dense mining district between Carharrack, Chacewater and Redruth, worked as part of the wider Wheal Damsel United Mines group alongside two neighbouring setts, West Wheal Damsel (also known as Wheal Spinster) and East Wheal Damsel. Widely-repeated figures put Wheal Damsel's own working life at 1815-1872 and its output at around 37,000 tons of copper ore, with West Wheal Damsel worked 1852-1874 for a further 29,150 tons -- though these figures trace back to a single source (Mindat) that could not be independently read for this pass, so they are recorded here as uncertain rather than confirmed. East Wheal Damsel's own surviving remains -- numerous shafts, dumps and burrows -- lie between Carharrack and the western slopes of United Downs, alongside relicts of the neighbouring Carharrack Mine and Wheal Maid workings. The mine's name survives today in Wheal Damsel Road, a residential street built over part of the old site in modern Carharrack.

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.

• East Wheal Damsel lies at grid reference SW733419, near St Day, Chacewater and Redruth; numerous shafts, dumps and burrows survive between Carharrack and the western slopes of United Downs, alongside relicts of the neighbouring Carharrack Mine and Wheal Maid workings. ¹
• Widely repeated figures give Wheal Damsel's working life as 1815-1872 with around 37,000 tons of copper ore produced, and West Wheal Damsel (Wheal Spinster) as worked 1852-1874 for a further 29,150 tons -- both traced to Mindat, which could not be independently read for this pass. (uncertain) ¹
• The BGS/Mining Remediation Authority mine-plans catalogue holds 8 plans for 'Wheal Damsel Wheal Hope and Wheal Spinster', confirming the three setts were worked and recorded together, though none carries a public scan. ²
• The mine's name survives in Wheal Damsel Road, a residential street in present-day Carharrack built over part of the old site. ¹

Photographs & further reading

This page doesn't try to reproduce everything — these are the best original sources found for this mine.

Sources

1. (secondary) East Wheal Damsel, Carharrack, Cornwall, England, UK — Mindat.org
2. (primary) Wheal Damsel Wheal Hope and Wheal Spinster (mine plans) — BGS / Mining Remediation Authority mine plans catalogue

Record created: 29 August 2026 · Last researched: 29 August 2026