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Alva Mine

Ochil Hills, Silver Glen, NE of Alva, Clackmannanshire.

Mine, NE of Alva. One of 4 veins worked at Alva as well as a n air shaft at Carnachan (Carnaughton Burn).

The abandoned silver and cobalt mines near Alva are situated on the E side of the burn at the S end of the glen. They consist of a series of shafts and levels.

The silver extracted from these mines helped to fund the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745 and the cobalt ore was used by porcelain manufacturers such as William Littler of Prestonpans in East Lothian, as a blue colouring agent.

The National Museums of Scotland (NMS) have undertaken a programme of research and excavation in an attempt to safeguard the remains at this site. The programme included excavating the old dumps by hand and by JCB. A sluice box was constructed by NMS joiners using old 1910 plans with which the excavated gravel was washed and the heavy silver and cobalt minerals recovered. It was found that even at depth there was little mineralisation left in the spoil heaps though a few specimens containing silver crystals arranged in fern-like structures and cobalt ore did survive. [Canmore]

This mine was discovered in 1711, with miners being brought from Leadhills to work it. On 6" old series, marked as 'Old Mine', 'Silver and Cobalt Mine (Disused)' and 'Cobalt Mine (Disused)'. [Landless]

The discovery of silver at Alva c. 1714 is cloaked in mystery, mainly due to the political circumstances. The discovery corresponded with the 1715 Jacobite rising. Sir John Erskine of Alva was an enthusiastic supporter of his relative, John, Earl of Mar, leader of the rising. Both fled into exile and the discovery was leaked to government, apparently by one of the miners. Sir John's promise to develop the mines when supplies of silver were curtailed by war seems to have secured his permission to return to Scotland.

A key figure in this was Daniel Peck. Henry Kalmeter, a Swedish mining expert who visited Alva in 1719 states Peck was involved with Sir Charles Erskine at Linlithgow. He expands on this: An Englishman called Peck [based in London but probably from Cheshire], who came to Scotland to look for metals, had in 1714 taken the opportunity of a narrow strip of white sparr, or rock, running up right across a high mountain, to go in there prospecting, and when he had hardly come one yard, a gland of silver was discovered which was not only rich in itself but also contained pieces or lumps of solid silver which I have seen myself ... Kalmeter, is unequivocal that it was the discovery at Alva which stimulated a burst of prospecting - and equally clear that by 1719, though work continued at Alva, nothing was being produced ... A Memorandum of Facts Concerning the Mines of Alva dated 1753 notes 15 sites on or close to the Alva estate where work had been carried out in the past or where ore was thought to exist.

By May, 1757, the Alva mines had been inspected by John Williamson who, by March 1758 was supervising resumed work at Alva [for James Wright, Laird of Loss and John Stickler]; the old workings were cleared and work continued through all or much of 1758. In early 1759, chemist Joseph Black confirmed the presence of cobalt in the ore. Erskine of Alva formed a company to work the east side of Alva. That company was to continue at Alva till about 1766, cobalt probably being the main product although other minerals were found and exploited.

C. 1761, Nicholas Crisp - a partner and a technical adviser to the Alva cobalt mine [and proprietor of the Vauxhall porcelain factory (cobalt being used in blue glazed pottery)] - diverted miners from Alva to work at Airthrey, Bridge of Allan. It is likely some of the Erskines became partners in the Airthrey Mine.

Other investors in the Alva Mine included John Stephenson, a merchant from Hull, Fordyce, Grant and Company of London, Patten and Richardson from Cheshire (involved in Lead mining in Tyndrum and Minigaff). Scots partners included George Muir, WS, Andrew Crosbie, advocate and John Campbell, cashier of the Royal Bank of Scotland, perhaps acting for the bank itself. Alexander Sheriff, a Leith merchant, being deeply involved, in the Scots Lead industry. During the course of 1762 Patten and Richardson entered into agreements for the west side of Alva. The Partners of the Alva Cobalt mines included Charles Erskine of Alva, James Erskine (lord Barjarg, Baron of Exchequer) and Sir Harry Erskine 84. The Bethunes, Hopes and Haldanes also drew in their extended kin.

By the time of Kalmeter's visit Erskine had begun to build a smelting and refining house at Alva - which might, of course, have been used to process ore from other sites had the Alva mine itself been still working. Two documents of the 1760s refer to the 'old smelt house' at Alva, one placing it in the Silver Glen the other beside the Dove Coat Burn, presumably the older name for the Silver Glen Burn. [Harrison]

Alternative Names: Alva Silver Mines

Notes: Coordinates given refer to the main adit located downhill from the public access path to the Silver Glen/Silver Mine. There is a more obvious mine adit above the path.