In a message dated 28/07/2004 16:02:10 GMT Daylight Time, lesleystyles@hotmail.com writes: My family of FORSTER were mainly lead miners. They lived in Stanhope/Rookhope, Durham. Can anyone help with which mine they would have worked please? I note you do not mention any period. The Stanhope and Rookhope districts - indeed the whole of Weardale - was an intense lead-mining area from the early 17th century (at least) until the middle of the 19th century. Note that word "intense". If I were to include periods when there were just a few mines operating I would have to start much further back and go up to some time in the 20th century. A useful set of (rough and ready) statistics to remember is that in the mid-19th century 70% of the world's lead came from Britain and 70% of Britain's lead came from Weardale - ie 50% of all the lead produced in the whole world was from Weardale. Having said that, there were never any large, labour- and capital- intensive mines in the lead producing districts, such as there were in the coalfield. Lead mining did not lend itself to that sort of thing. Small mines were always starting up and closing down and sometimes deserted mines were re-opened. Some mines had only a handful of employees and many men combined lead mining with subsistence farming or other jobs. At the height of the boom - in the middle of the 19th century, some lead mines became fairly large concerns by the standards of the lead district - Killhope is well-known and there were a handful of others. Nevertheless, most men who could call themselves lead miners would always be working in small, sometimes family-manned mines. There was more intensive work at those mines where the ore was prepared for smelting - ie where there were crushing machinery, washing floors, etc - and of course at the smelters themselves of which at various times there were several in the mining area, but at others they were in or near the ports. It was always a matter of where was the best and most economic place to bering together a worthwhile amount of ore plus the necessary amount of coal, and that changed continually over time. I suggest you have a look at one of the OS 1st or 2nd edition 6-inch or better maps of the area and try counting up how many mines and "mine (disused)" names there are on it. Geoff Nicholson 57 Manor Park, Concord, WASHINGTON, Tyne & Wear NE37 2BU Long-established Professional Genealogist: ask for details of NBL/DUR family history research by THE local expert, working for YOU.