Mike Thanks for your interesting and helpful comments, which I have been busy following up, especially with the Director of the BVI (British Virgin Islands) Parks Trust, which manages the CMP (my abbreviation of Copper Mine Point) site. She is getting me an article about its history - possibly that one from the Journal of The Trevithick Society. I also hope to be able to find out more about some graves on Virgin Gorda reputed to be of Cornish miners. I shall post any names I come across. However, I have not yet established which of our museums holds that mine cost book which I would love to see. I should be very happy to assist your Cornish Global Migration Programme in identifying any of the Caribbean locations mentioned. CMP is at the extreme south-east of Virgin Gorda, the second most populated island in the BVI after Tortola and now largely dependent on sea-based tourism. "St. Thomas's, West Indies" refers to the large entrepôt port on St Thomas. in the Danish West Indies, now the USVI (United States Virgin Islands - our immediate neighbours), a favoured cruise-ship destination. I have two modern reports on CMP: 1. a "Management Plan" prepared for the Parks Trust by a consultant from Nevis (part of St Kitts-Nevis), in December 1995. This may be the one you mentioned, as he acknowledges "the technical contributions of Mr Dick Morris of Tortola (whom I knew0 and Mr Frank Birchill of Cornwall, England towards an understanding of the engineering aspects of the copper mine operation and construction" and "they had undertaken site and archive research for a book about the history , operation and equipment of the mine, 1832-1862" One of the Plan's main recommendations is "the retention of a restoration architect with direct field experience in the consolidation and preservation of Cornish engine houses and ancillary structures" and The Trevithick Trust is identified as a potential source of funding for work on "the built heritage". It concludes with four pages on the Cornwall Industrial Heritage's intention to seek World Heritage Site Status for Cornish Mining by the Millennium 2. its "Tourism Potential", prepared by the BVI Government's Town and Country Planning Department in about 1999 (Draft Copy). This refers to the formation of the Virgin Gorda Mining Company in London in 1835, possibly drawing on an article on "Virgin Copper" on p 4 of Issue 15 of "Cornish World", 1997/1998 When CMP was declared a National Park in 2003, it was recalled that "An initial assessment (on the site) was done by Mr. Robert Allen of Cornwall, England. That was followed by input from ... a mason, Mr. Phillip McCall also of Cornwall" <http://www.islandsun.com/2003-April/04042003/local4-v10i14.html> There was a failed attempt by our new, incoming government last year to source funding for CMP <http://www.virginislandsnewsonline.com/news/special-funding-for-copper-mine-point-denied> The beam engine by the Perran Foundry in 1836, lying on the beach after a catastrophic attempt to remove it many years ago, is the oldest surviving Cornish beam engine in the world. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copper_Mine,_Virgin_Gorda> Has the Poldark Mine web site been relocated or is it still under reconstruction? It is referred to at <http://www.mindat.org/loc-37443.html> as containing a good source of history of the mine at <http://www.poldark-mine.co.uk/bvi.htm> Peter >Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2012 23:17:39 +0100 >From: "Michael Kiernan" <Mike@corn1.freeserve.co.uk> >Subject: [CORNISH] Virgin Gorda >To: <cornish@rootsweb.com> > >Peter. I thought would mention (but you are probably aware of this) that a >short history of the Virgin Gorda Mine appeared in the Journal of The >Trevithick Society some years ago, written by Frank & Margaret Birchall. >(sample extract - "The first serious mining operation began in 1835 when >the Virgin Gorda Mining Company was formed. Miners were recruited in >Cornwall and 31 men and 5 women sailed from St. Austell"). I understand >that the authors research was partly based upon a mine cost Book which has >survived and is located in the British Virgin Islands Museum. Also, in the >very early years of this millenium a mining historian / consultant from >Cornwall carried out a site survey and conservation recommendations for the >Virgin Gorda authorities (with particular thoughts on the remains of the >engine house and the unattached stack and, I think to some machinery - was >it an engine bob on the beach?). I do not know if his report is available >for you to look at in the Virgin Gorda authorities files. > >With regards the Cornish families - some family names are given in the >Journal article mentioned above. At the Cornish Global Migration Programme >here in Redruth we do have a shortlist of some of those miners but as of yet >have not done any work on family histories (they are in "our jobs to do" >very large file). One problem we have is with some sketchy references to >such locations as "St. Thomas's, West Indies" >Mike, Redruth. Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2012 16:13:38 -0400 >From: "Peter Moll" <spring@surfbvi.com> >Subject: Re: [CORNISH] PhD research on wives "left behind" ... >To: <cornish@rootsweb.com>, "Trotter, Lesley" <ljt210@exeter.ac.uk> >Lesley > >Please share with me any reference you encounter to the Cornish men (and a few women) who lived and worked around the copper mine on Virgin Gorda between 1837 and 1862. The only such mine in the Caribbean, I understand.

Mike I've not yet been able to locate that mine costs book, nor a copy of the Birchalls' article partly based upon it. Please send me a bibliographical reference for the latter. Thanks Peter On Sat, 05 May 2012 17:28:37 -0400 "Peter Moll" <spring@surfbvi.com> wrote: >Mike' > >Thanks for your interesting and helpful comments, which I have been busy following up, especially with the Director of the BVI (British Virgin Islands) Parks Trust, which manages the CMP (my abbreviation of Copper Mine Point) site. She is getting me an article about its history - possibly that one from the Journal of The Trevithick Society. I also hope to be able to find out more about some graves on Virgin Gorda reputed to be of Cornish miners. I shall post any names I come across. However, I have not yet established which of our museums holds that mine cost book which I would love to see...... > >Peter > >>Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2012 23:17:39 +0100 >>From: "Michael Kiernan" <Mike@corn1.freeserve.co.uk> >>Subject: [CORNISH] Virgin Gorda >>To: <cornish@rootsweb.com> >> >>Peter. I thought would mention (but you are probably aware of this) that a >>short history of the Virgin Gorda Mine appeared in the Journal of The >>Trevithick Society some years ago, written by Frank & Margaret Birchall. >>(sample extract - "The first serious mining operation began in 1835 when >>the Virgin Gorda Mining Company was formed. Miners were recruited in >>Cornwall and 31 men and 5 women sailed from St. Austell"). I understand >>that the authors research was partly based upon a mine cost Book which has >>survived and is located in the British Virgin Islands Museum.