MineArchiveSett
| Category | Law & Custom |
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The legal boundary — and the licence to work within it — granted to miners under Devon and Cornwall's own stannary mining law, the Cornish counterpart to Derbyshire's Barmote system.
Historical usage
Setts were a foundational part of Cornish and Devon stannary law, used from at least the early 18th century onward to license groups of miners, known as adventurers, to work tin — and later other minerals, including copper, lead, china clay and slate — within a defined area, typically for a 21-year term.
How it worked
A landholder, known as a bounder, granted a sett to a group of adventurers, usually subject to conditions requiring the ground actually be worked and often limited to a specified depth. In return, the adventurers paid the bounder a share of the tin raised ('farm tin'), plus separate 'toll tin' to the landfreeholder and a royal 'tin coinage' duty before any refined tin could be legally sold.
Why it was used
A sett gave miners a clear, legally defined right to work a specific area without disputing boundaries with neighbouring operations — the Cornish equivalent of the 'meer' granted under Derbyshire's Barmote court system, adapted to a landowner-rights framework rather than a free-mining one.
Regional variation
Setts were specific to Devon and Cornwall's stannary law (and also used on the Isle of Man); Derbyshire's parallel system, granting a 'meer' under Barmote court jurisdiction, worked on different legal principles — see Barmote Court for that comparison.
Related terminology
Mines associated with this term
Included only where MineArchive's own research gives a reasonable evidential basis — not every mine where this might plausibly apply.
- Dolcoath Mine — Cornwall (historical documentary reference)
The mine's own recorded history references its sett or setts by name. - Wheal Owles — Cornwall (historical documentary reference)
The mine's own recorded history references its sett or setts by name.
Sources
- (secondary) 1856 Mines in Devon and Cornwall — Grace's Guide
- (secondary) Mining sett — Wikipedia
Record created: 22 August 2026 · Last researched: 22 August 2026