> > > Hi Everyone > > > > I was wondering if anyone could help with some background information. One > > of my ancestors was, according, to the marriage certificate I have, was a > > mine agent. Can anyone tell me what that entailed and what kind of > > background they would have come from. > > < > > Cheers > > > Lennie > Hi Lennie - If you go to my website, http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~staustell , and click on Parish Life, there are articles written about mining and miners that might be interesting. One article came from the West Briton - a complete description by a mine agent as to how his working days were spent. They had to be expert in every function of the mine - from blacksmiths making tools and equipment to carpenters re-enforcing shafts and building platforms, to the miners - who had to keep to their own "patches", and so on. They even testified at trials as to where specific ore samples came from within a mine. They could tell that one rock came from this place, and not from another, just by looking at it! So it was a very technical, demanding job. They were highly respected, and often called "Captain". If you read the article, you'll see that they didn't have a whole lot of free time - but when romance calls, who knows what's possible? Cheers, Julia Julia Mosman, OPC for St.Austell,Charlestown, and Treverbyn Website at http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~staustell W. Briton newspaper transcripts at http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~wbritonad Please visit the OPC website at http://cornwall-opc.org