Wheal Eliza

Overview

An unsuccessful copper and iron trial on the River Barle at Simonsbath, part of the Knight family's ambitious attempt to develop Exmoor's mineral resources, remembered today less for its ore than for the notorious 1858 murder whose victim was found in its flooded shaft.

History

Some limited mining activity on the site may date back as far as 1552, but organised working began under the Knight family, who had bought large tracts of Exmoor in the early 19th century and set about trying to develop its mineral wealth. Frederick Knight, MP, took over the project from his father and drove the mine — first named Wheal Maria, later Wheal Eliza — as a copper venture from 1845 to 1854. Results were disappointing throughout: despite assays showing ore as rich as 60% metallic copper in places, essentially no copper was ever actually extracted in commercial quantity. The workings eventually comprised a shaft around 300 feet deep together with several trial adits, drained by a waterwheel fed by two leats from 1847; nine miners were recorded working the site in 1851, housed in cottages built for the purpose.

With copper unproven, the mine was briefly examined for iron instead in 1856-57 by Henry Schneider of Schneider, Hannay & Co, but no workable iron deposit was found either, and the venture was abandoned for good in 1858, its pumps and machinery left to fail and the workings allowed to flood.

The abandoned, flooded mine became the scene of Exmoor's most notorious 19th-century crime later that same year. In June 1858 a local man, William Burgess, killed his seven-year-old daughter Anna; he told neighbours she had gone to stay with relatives near Porlock. When suspicion grew, local magistrates ordered the flooded mine drained — a task that took several months and cost £350 — and on 2 December 1858 the search revealed the girl's body at the bottom of the shaft. Burgess, who had fled to South Wales, was captured, tried, and hanged on 4 January 1859.

Geology

Copper and iron on the River Barle at Simonsbath: assays showed ore as rich as 60 per cent metallic copper in places, but essentially none was ever won.

Workings

A shaft around 300 feet deep with several trial adits, drained by a waterwheel fed by two leats from 1847; the mine straddles the River Barle, its two sides now linked by a modern footbridge.

Closure

With copper unproven, the mine was briefly examined for iron instead in 1856-57 and then given up.

What remains

Surviving remains include multiple shafts, spoil heaps, ruined buildings, the leats, a wheel pit and tail race, on private land. The site was surveyed in 2010 and reassessed in a 2023 condition survey, and was added to the Exmoor Local Heritage List in February 2024 for its Knight Estate associations and distinctive industrial archaeology.

Recorded claims

Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.

• Originally named Wheal Maria, the mine was renamed Wheal Eliza under the ownership of the Knight family, who drove it as a copper venture from 1845 under Frederick Knight, MP. ¹
• Despite assays showing ore as rich as 60% metallic copper in places, no copper was extracted in commercial quantity between 1845 and 1854. ¹
• Henry Schneider of Schneider, Hannay & Co examined the site for iron in 1856-57, but no workable deposit was found, and the mine was abandoned in 1858. ¹
• William Burgess murdered his seven-year-old daughter Anna in June 1858 and hid her body in the mine's flooded shaft; the mine was drained on magistrates' orders, the body was found on 2 December 1858, and Burgess was hanged on 4 January 1859. ^1,2
• The site was added to the Exmoor Local Heritage List in February 2024 for its Knight Estate associations and industrial archaeology. ²
• Located at about 51.129 N, 3.739 W. ¹

Sources

1. (secondary) Wheal Eliza Mine — Wikipedia
2. (primary) MSO6802: Wheal Eliza Mine — Exmoor National Park Historic Environment Record

Record created: 26 August 2026 · Last researched: 26 August 2026