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A36750
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Dud Dudley's Metallum martis, or, Iron made with pit-coale, sea-coale, &c. and with the same fuel to melt and fine imperfect mettals and refine perfect mettals.
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Dudley, Dud, 1599-1684.
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1665
(1665)
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Wing D2438; ESTC R41932
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21,807
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76
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failings of others well knowing that within Ten miles of Dudley Castle there to be neer 20000. Smiths of all sorts and many Iron works at that time within that Circle decayed for want of Wood yet formerly a mighty Woodland Country Secondly The Lord Dudley's Woods and Works decayed but Pitcoal and Iron Stone or Mines abounding upon his Lands but of little Use Thirdly Because most of the Coale-Mines in these parts as well as upon the Lord Dudley's lands are Coals Ten Eleven and Twelve yards thick the top or the uppermost Cole or vein gotten upon the superficies of this Globe or Earth in open works Fourthly Under this great thickness of Coal is very many sorts of Iron Stone Mines in the Earth Clay or Stone earth like bats in all four yards thick also under these Iron mines is severall yards thick of Coals but of these in an other place more convenient Fifthly Knowing that when the Colliers are forced to sinck Pits for getting of ten yards thick or more that be gotten under the ground being small are of little or of no use in that inland Country nor is it worth the drawing out of the Pits unlesse it might be made use of by making of Iron therewith into cast works or Bars Sixthly Then knowing that if there could be any use made of the smal-coale that are of little Use then would they be drawn out of the Pits which coles produceth often times great prejudice unto the Owners of the works and the work it self and also unto the Colliers who casting of the smalcoles together which compelling necessity enforcing the Colliers so to do for two causes one is to raise them to cut down the ten yards thicknesse of coles drawing onely the bigger sort of cole not regarding the lesser or small cole which will bring no money saying He that liveth longest let him fetch fire further Next These Colliers must cast these coles and sleck or drosse out of their wayes which sulphurious small cole and crouded moyst sleck heat naturally and kindles in the middle of those great heaps often fals the cole-works on Fire and flaming out of the Pits and continue burning like Aetna in Cicily or Hecla in the Indies Yet when these loose Sulphurious composts of cole and sleck being consumed in processe of time the Fire decayes yet notwithstanding the Fire hath continued in some Pits many years yet colliers have gotten coles again in those same Pits the Fire not penitrating the solid and firme wall of coles because Pabulum ignis est Aer the Ayre could not penetrate but passe by it in the loose cole and sleck for comming into those pits afterwards I have beheld the very blows of Pikes or tools that got the coles there formerly Also from these Sulphurious heaps mixed with Iron Stone for out of many of the same pits is gotten much Iron Stone or Mines the Fires heating vast quantities of Water passing thorow these Soughs or Adits becometh as hot as the Bath at Bathe and more healing and sovereign even for old Ulcers and Sores but because many of these Baths doe proceed not onely from common Sulphur and vitriol of Mars but also from Solars sulphur in this Iron stone I hope Filii Artis will excuse my digesion from the making of Iron with Pitcole Seacole Peat or Turff and the melting of mines and mettals and refining of the same with the like fuell the first Pattent being granted by King James for 31. Years in the 19th year of his Reign upon just and true information that the Authour had the year before made many Tuns of Iron with Pitcole at a Furnace or Iron-work in the Chase of Pensnet in the County of Worcester besides cast Iron Works of sundry sorts with Pitcoles and also at two Forges or Iron Mills called Cradly Forges fined the said Iron into Merchantable good Bar Iron But the year following the grant or Pattent for making of Iron with Pitcole or Seacole There was so great a Flood by rain to this day called the great May-day-Flood that it not onely ruinated the Authours Iron works and inventions but also many other mens Iron works and inventions but also many other mens Iron works and at a market Town called Sturbridge in Commitate Wigorae although the Authour sent with speed to preserve the people from drowning one resolute man was carried from the Bridge there in the day time and the nether part of the Town was so deep in Water that the people had much ado to preserve their lives in the uppermost rooms in their Houses My Yron works and inventions thus demolished to the joy of many Iron masters whose works scaped the Flood and who had often disparaged the Authors Inventions because the Authour sold good Iron cheaper then they could afford it and which induced many of the Iron masters to complain unto King Iames averring that the Iron was not Merchantable As soon as the Authour had repaired his works and inventions to his no small charge they so far prevailed with King Iames that the Authour was commanded with all speed possible to send all sorts of Bar Iron up to the Tower of London fit for making of Musquets Carbines and Iron for great Bolts fit for Shipping which Iron being so tryed by Artists and Smiths that the Iron masters and Iron-mongers were all silenced until 21th of King Iames At the then Parliament all Monopolies were made Null and diverse of the Iron-masters endeavouring to bring the invention of making Iron with Pitcole Seacole Peat and Turff within the compasse of a Monopoly but the Lord Dudley and the Authour did prevaile yet the Pattent was limitted to continue but Fourteen years after which Act the Authour went on with his invention cheerfully and made annually great store of Iron good and merchantable and sold it unto diverse men yet living at Twelve pounds per Tun I also made all sorts of cast Iron Wares as Brewing-Cysterns Pots Morters and better and cheaper than any yet were made in these Nations with Charcoles Some of which are extant to be seen by any man at the Authours House in the City of Worcester that desire to be satisfied of the truth in the Invention Afterwards The Authour was outed of his works and inventions before mentioned by the Iron-masters and others wrongfully over long to relate yet being unwilling his Inventions having undergone much charge and pains therein should fall to the ground and be buried in him made him to set forward his Invention again at a Furnace called Himly Furnace in the County of Stafford where he made much Iron with Pit-cole but wanting a Forge to make it into bars was constrained for want of Stock to sell the Pig-Iron unto the Charcole Iron-masters who did him much prejudice not onely in detaining his stock but also disparaging the Iron Himley Furnace being Rented out unto Charcole Iron-Masters The Authour Erected a new large Furnace on purpose 27 foot square all of stone for his
be Exported seeing that Wood fuell and Timber is decayed for Buildings and instead thereof Brickmaking formerly spending Wood but now coles is much in use also is Glasse now made with cole but formerly were there many Thousand Loads of Wood fuell spent in the making thereof and the Glass Invention with Pitcole was first effected near the Authours Dwelling Sixthly Making of Steel Brewings making of Coppras Allum Salt casting of Brasse and Copper Dyings and many other Works were not many years since done altogether with the Fuell of Wood and Charcole instead whereof Pitcole and Seacole is now used as Effectually and to a far better Use and Purpose besides the preservation of Wood and Timber Seventhly That which is somewhat neerer the mark and Invention the Blacksmith forged all his Iron with Charcole and in some places where they are cheap they continue this course still but small Pitcole and Seacole and also Peat and Turff hath and doth serve the turn as well and sufficiently as Charcole Eighthly That which is nearest and my perfect Invention and neer the Authours Dwelling called Greens-lodge there are four Forges namely Greens-forge Swin-forge Heath-forge and Cradley-forge Which Four Forges have Barred all or most part of their Iron with Pitcole ever since the Authours first Invention 1618. which hath preserved much Wood In these Four besides many other Forges do the like yet the Author hath had no benefit thereby to this present Yet by this Barring of Iron with Pit-cole 30000 loads of Wood and more have been preserved for the general good which otherwayes must have been had and consumed Symon Sturtevant in his Mettallica in the Epistle to the Reader saith That there was then Anno 12. Jacobi in England Scotland Ireland and Wales 800 Furnaces Forges or Iron Mills making Iron with Char-cole Now we may suppose at least 300 of these to be Furnaces and 500 to be Forges and each Furnace making fifteen Tun per week of Pig or cast Iron and work or blow but Forty weeks per Annum but some Furnaces make Twenty Tuns of Pig Iron per Week and two Loads of Charcole or there about go to the making of a Tun of Pig Iron And two Loads or two cords of Wood at the least go to the making of a load of Charcole Now what Loads of Wood or Char-cole is spent in great Brittain and Ireland Annually but in one Furnace that makes Fifteen Tun per Week of Pig-Iron for Forty weeks I shall give you the Table and leave you to judge of the rest of the Furnaces  Charcole Wood 15. Tun per week spends of 30 loads 60 loads Per Annum 40 weeks spends 1200 2400 loads Also for one Forge that make Three Tuns of Bar Iron weekly for Fifty weeks but some Forges make double my Proportion and spend to Fine and Bar out each Tun three Loads of Coles To each Tun.  Charcole Wood 3 Tun per week 9 Loads 18 loads Per Annum 450 loads 900 loads By these Examples may you see the vast quanties of Charcole or Wood that the 300 Furnacis spend weekly or yearly and the 500. Forges workings all the year spend little lesse then the Furnaces It being impossible after this rate for great Brittains or Ireland to supply these her works with Charcole in Fining of Iron at the Fineries may be permitted to use Charcole and may be supplyed with under Woods Let us but look back unto the making of Iron by our Ancestors in foot blasts or bloomenies that was by men treading of the Bellows by which way they could make but one little lump or bloom of Iron in a day not 100 weight and that not fusible nor fined or malliable untill it were long burned and wrought under Hammers and whose first slag sinder or scorius doth contain in it as much or more Iron then in that day the workman or bloomer got out which Slag Scorius or Sinder is by our Founders at Furnaces wrought again and found to contain much Yron and easier of Fusion than any Yron stone or Mine of Yron whatsoever of which slag and Sinders there is in many Countryes Millions of Tuns and Oaks growing upon them very old and rotten The next invention was to set up the Bloomeries that went by water for the ease of the men treading the bellows which being bigger and the waterwheel causing a greater blast did not onely make a greater quantity of iron but also extracted more iron out of the slag or sinder and left them more poorer of iron then the foot-blasts so that the Founders cannot melt them again as they do the foot-blast sinders to profit Yet these Bloomeries by water not altogether out of use do make in one day but two hundred pound weight of iron or there abouts neither is it feisible or malliable but is unfined untill it be much burned and wrought a second time in fire But some of the now going Furnaces with Charcole do make two or three Tun of Pigg or cast iron in 24 hours Therefore I do not wholly compute the vast quantities of charcoles and wood spent in these voragious works which quantity of cast iron with pit-cole and Sea-cole at one Furnace I desire not but am contented with half the proportion which once I attained unto before my Bellows were riotously cut that is one Tun in 24 hours we need not a greater quantity if the like quantity were made in Furnaces in Scotland and Wales which abounds with Pit-cole and Sea-cole as well as England and our supernumery Smiths Founders and Forgemen and other Tradesmen might be there imployed thereby to furnish His Majesties Plantations as well if not better then England where Coles are far cheaper then in England Although vast quantities of Coles do abound near the Authors dwelling yet twenty thousand Smiths or Naylors at the least dwelling near these parts and taking of Prentices have made their Trade so bad that many of them are ready to starve and steal so that it is wished there were some courses taken to mend their Trade imploy them in other parts or permit them not to take so many Prentices all which have great occasions to use Pit-cole and had not these parts abounded with cole it would have been a great deal worse with them then it is but of the cole there is nor will be any want nor of iron-stone The manner of the cole-veins or measures in these parts and also of the measures of iron-stone or mines how they lye be or increase some veins lye circuler some sami-circuler some ovall some works almost in a direct line and some works parts of a Circle as by the Circle it being onely for a small Example to judge the rest of the Mines by may appear FINIS ΛΛ East Λ West ΛΛΛ North. Time not permitting me to give you a Larger Mapp conclude c. A Two Gutters out of which issueth Water as hot as that at Bath B The way from Himley to Dudley and from Dudley to Burmicham C Dudley Castle O Coles ten yards thick o Iron-stone four yards thick o Coles two yards thick The Scale for Cole and Stone per yard By the white innermost Circle you may conceive the Scale under to be over in Diameter a mile and a half