Devon Great Consols

Devon Great Consols was a copper mine near in Devon. The lease on the site was taken from the Duke of Bedford in 1844 by a group of investors. The 1,024 shares, sold at one pound each, were divided among the six men. Earlier attempts to mine this property had all ended in failure.

Work at the site began in August of the same year, when it was known as North Bedford Mines or Wheal Maria. By November 1844, a rich vein of copper ore was discovered at a depth of 20 fathoms under ground. After learning that the copper lode extended eastward for over two miles, the company quickly began opening other mines on its property.

In the first six years of operation, nearly 90,000 tons of copper had come from Devon Great Consols. The mine was so productive, transport by horse and wagon could no longer handle the volume of copper it sent to the docks at Morwellham Quay. The company built its own railway, the Devon Great Consols Railway, to get its product to market; it was also necessary for the firm to build a Great Dock and quay at Morwellham because of the amount of copper it had to ship.

It was once viewed as the most productive copper mine in the world. When cheaper sources of copper became available from abroad, the company began refining arsenic in 1867 and was considered to be its largest producer in the 19th century.

The counties of Devon and Cornwall were at their height of copper production in the early to mid 19th century. While there were many very productive mines in existence for some time, speculation was active in the establishment of new ones. The attraction of copper mining was the ability to make large profits from small investments, but for every new mine which proved successful, there were countless others which failed. Previous attempts at mining the property which became Devon Great Consols had ended in failure.

Led by Josiah Hugh Hitchens, a group of six investors who were comfortable with the risks in establishing a new copper mine, agreed to fund the project with £1,024. The group met with the Duke of Bedford's land agent and signed a lease for the property on 26 July 1844. Among those investing was William Morris, Sr.; his son, William Morris, served as the director of the company from 1871 to 1875.

The 21-year lease for the mine called for royalties to be increased at the time the mine made a profit. The mine was first named Wheal Maria, for the Duke of Bedford's wife. Work began at the site in August 1844. By November 1844, a rich copper lode was discovered at the depth of 20 fathoms below ground. It was determined that the lode was at least 40 feet wide and extended eastward for more than two miles. The company rapidly opened other mines in the vicinity: Wheal Anna Maria, Wheal Fanny, Wheal Emma and Wheal Josiah among them.

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