| Description | Papers relating to the settlement with the adventurers in Minera Mine, from 1796. Boulton & Watt were first approached about an engine for Minera in Denbighshire by Joseph Duke of Chester in 1783 (3/373/15, General Correspondence 1775—1785). They eventually supplied two engines to the Maesyfynnon Wen Company, a lead mining concern whose proprietors included Robert Burton, John and William Wilkinson, and Thomas Jones, the Wilkinsons’ nephew. The company worked two mines at Minera. The first was on the Maesyfynnon Wen estate, which was owned by Robert Burton, and the company leased the right to work the mine from him. The right to work the second mine, Caemuneth West, was leased from a Mr. Topping. Robert Burton acted as mine agent (or manager).
At some point the company ran into difficulty, and the mine may have stopped. A meeting was held on 4 Aug. 1795 at which it was resolved to carry on the works “with activity and that the two fire engines be immediately set to work.” A new set of books was begun and Robert Burton was appointed (or possibly re-appointed) as agent. Boulton & Watt were in dispute with the mine for payment of premiums on the engines – by 2 April 1796 they were owed £1236. At a meeting on 2 July 1796 a further meeting was called for 1 August, to settle their demands. Robert Burton was ordered to obtain a copy of their claims. It was also resolved that no ore was to be delivered to anybody until Burton had settled all claims upon the mine including royalties, rents and workmen’s wages. At the meeting of 1 August it was duly resolved that Boulton & Watt’s claims were indeed just and that John Wilkinson should settle them. Wilkinson paid them on 6 Aug. and the future premium for the two engines was settled at £283.
This small bundle of papers relating to the 1796 dispute was found among the General Correspondence 1795—1798. For papers relating to further disputes at Minera, see 3/513 to 3/515. Also several of the letters from John Wilkinson from 1796 to 1797 (3/536) refer to the dispute. For drawings of the engines, see Portfolio 5/552. |