This article was downloaded by: [Turku University Library] On: 25 March 2010 Access details: Access Details:

[subscription number 781058540] Publisher Taylor & Francis Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House, 3741 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK

Annals of Science

Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/title~content=t713692742

Burchard Kranich (C. 1515-1578), miner and queen's physician, Cornish mining stamps, antimony and, Frobisher's gold
M. B. Donald a a University College, London

To cite this Article Donald, M. B.(1950) 'Burchard Kranich (C. 1515-1578), miner and queen's physician, Cornish mining

stamps, antimony and, Frobisher's gold', Annals of Science, 6: 3, 308 322 To link to this Article: DOI: 10.1080/00033795000202001 URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00033795000202001

PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE

Full terms and conditions of use: http://www.informaworld.com/terms-and-conditions-of-access.pdf This article may be used for research, teaching and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, re-distribution, re-selling, loan or sub-licensing, systematic supply or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contents will be complete or accurate or up to date. The accuracy of any instructions, formulae and drug doses should be independently verified with primary sources. The publisher shall not be liable for any loss, actions, claims, proceedings, demand or costs or damages whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with or arising out of the use of this material.

308

Mr. M. B. Donald on

B U R C H A R D K R A N I C H (C. 1515-1578), M I N E R AND Q U E E N ' S PHYSICIAN, CORNISH MINING STAMPS, ANTIMONY AND, F R O B I S H E R ' S GOLD. B y M. B. DONALD,M.Sc., F.R.I.C., M.I.Chem.E., A.R.C.S., .Reader in Chemical Engineering in the University of London, University College, London, [PLATE IV.]
Downloaded By: [Turku University Library] At: 20:27 25 March 2010

" In this Hundred (of West) the rubble of certaine mines, and ruines of a fining house convince Burchard Craneigh, the Dutchman's vainc endevour, in seeking silver owre : howbeit hee afterwards lighted on a thriftier vayne, of practising phisike at London, where he grewc famous by the name of Doctor Burcot ". (l~iehard Carew, Survey of Cornwall, 1602). T~E delicacy of the Tudor phrasing incites one to follow up this vein laid bare or, as the Cornish miner might put it, " come to grass " In the career of this " Duchman " there is a close connexion with t h a t of Agricola (Georg Bauer, 1495-1555), the author of t h a t remarkable book, De Re Metallica (1556), who studied medicine at Padua and who was mayor of Chemnitz in Saxony, a town near Freiburg where silver had been smelted since the twelfth century. The first record of Craneigh or Craniche is in a patent granted by Queen Mary on May 29, 1554, where he is described as " Hie Almayn " 1 I f this means " high German ", it m a y be t h a t the religious upheaval in Saxony at this time was responsible for his coming to England, as he was a Roman Catholic. The painter Lucas Cranach (1472-1553) was a professor at Wittenberg and had pleaded illness when asked by John Frederick, Duke of Saxony, to paint a portrait of his sister-in-law, Anne of Cleves, for H e n r y VIII, but there are no indications t h a t he was of the same family. The spelling Kranich has been adopted here in the title, since it has a German meaning, namely " crane ", and also since it was the form adopted by Kranieh when he was naturalized in 1561. The letters from him t h a t are still e x t a n t were written by a scribe and his signature is in such an old gouty scrawl t h a t it might be, and has been, given several interpretations. The patent granted him the right to " mine, break ground, melt, divide and search for all manner of metals in a n y place " for t w e n t y years. There was also an inhibition to all other persons within ,the n e x t six years " to melt, separate or divide any of the metals Burchard shall melt "
* Public R e c o r d Office. C 66/869/rn 13,

B u r c h a r d K r a n i c h (c. 1515-1578) Cornwall : M i n i n g S t a m p s .

309

Kranich must have gone to Cornwall, since on December 28, 1555, a commission 2 was granted to one Cranyce " t o dig and follow as well such mines of gold, silver and copper an he hath already by his industry and skill searched and tried out in the county of Cornwall " The Receiver of the Duchy was charged to deliver to the Queen's use all such metal. A declaration was to be indented under the hands of Thomas Treffry of Fowey a and John Trethinke " of the quantity t h a t shall be ready at every meeting and if the assay was of just fines to pay Burchard such sums of money, receiving first the same metals ". They were to oversee Burchard's doings " t h a t there be no melting made by him but t h a t t h e y have knowledge of and to procure to learn at his hands the secrets of his art " Six months later it is recorded : " As touching Burchard's [Cranise] request to have longer days for the payment of such moneys as he oweth to the Queen, notwithstanding t h a t the Queen is greatly in need of money, yet, in consideration of the benefit that is like to come to this realm by the said mines, she is pleased that he shall have day until Michaelmas next for the payment of same " That Queen Mary was short of silver is evidenced by the correspondence which passed fl'om Thomas Gresham and Christopher Dawntesey (M.P., Lostwithiel, 1553) at that period 4 All does not seem to have gone well, since in the summer of 1557 an investigation was ordered and John Trelawny, Thomas Treffry, John Tredenick and William Carnsewe, the elder (1497-1570), were told to take charge of the mines discovered by Cranyce 5. Protection for two years was given to him and all his goods on J a n u a r y 10, 1558 6. The next evidence comes from a letter written by William Carnsewe, the younger, Quartermaster to the Lord Lieutenant-General of Cornwall, Sir Walter Raleigh, from " Bokellye " (Bockeley), his manor house one mile west of St. Kew, to Thomas Smyth, Principall Customer of London, at his house in Fenchureh Street 7. Smyth was also an English shareholder in the Mines Royal Company incorporated in 1568 to obtain copper from Keswick with Austrian technologists s. S m y t h w a s later responsible for setting up the copper-smelting trade in South Wales.
2 Acts o] the Privy Council (A.P.C). H.M.S.O. 3 Treffry had proclaimed Lady Jane Grey as Queen at Launeeston in opposition to Queen l~ary. He died in 1563. See C. G. Henderson, Essays in Cornish History, Oxford, 1935, p. 38. a Calendar.State Papers (Foreign), 5A.P.C. 6 C 66/930 m 42 and A. P. C. Jan. 1. R. Carew, Survey of Cornwall, London, 1769, p. 83. s H, Hamilton, The English Brass and Copper Industries to 1800, London, 1926.

Downloaded By: [Turku University Library] At: 20:27 25 March 2010

310

Mr. M. B. Donald

on

The letter (of January 15, 1584, N.S.) says : " Let your Ulrick take such as he is now acquainted with of our countrymen, and the same that wrought in that work at Treworthye last when it was by Burchard's frowardness given over, which was about twenty three years past " 9 Ulrich Frass (Frose, Frawce or Franse) probably came from either Schwatz or Gastein in the Tyrol, east of Innsbrnch, and was employed by David Haug, Hans Langnauer & Co. of Augsburg, to whom he forwarded the accounts from Keswick which have been so ably translated and annotated i0. He married Mabel l~adclyfe at Crosthwaite, Cumberland, in 1567 and, when the Keswick copper mines shut down in 1583, hewas sent to Cornwall to the Treworthie mine. His letters come from Perin Sands and Cuthbert (Cubert) parish and he probably lived at the manor of Treworthen, west of the site of Piran's church and one mile south el Cubert ~1. Wheal Mexico mine in this neighbourhood had the reputation of being tile oldest silver mine 1~ On June 14, 1561, Kranich was naturalized by paying 6/8 in the hauaper 53 and on May 5, 1562 he was obviously owed 40, since Thomas Harewell was put in exigent in the busting of London for non-appearance in the Common Pleas to answer Burchard Kraneygh, a miner 14 Harewell avoided payment by surrendering himself to the Fleet Prison. Burchard's finances, however, did not suffer long since on May 27, Queen Elizabeth directed Francis, Earl of Bedford, in return for a lease of twenty-one years of Restorme]l park and castle near Lostwithiel, to pay ] 00 marks (66. 13. 4) to Burchard Cronische, physician, of the Queens free gift. On October 16 the L a d y Jane Browne " from Dr Burcotts " was buried at St. Clement Danes in the Strand 15 Cranich had not forsaken his mining and in 1563 he was granted a patent for the " draining of mines or conveying of water from any place whatsoever from low to high " with engines or instruments which he has devised 1% Failure to put up engines in three years in the counties of Devon or Cornwall involved a penalty of 500. The end of this venture in Cornwall is contained in a memorandum of an inquiry held at Lostwithiel on October 13, 1567, before Peter Edgeombe (1536-1607), J o h n Conyers, auditor, and John Bylle, general
State P a p e r s (Domestic) : S.P. 12/167/24. x0 W. C. Collingwood, " E l i z a b e t h a n K e s w i c k - - E x t r a c t s f r o m t h e original a c c o u n t books, 1564-77, o f t h e G e r m a n m i n e r s in t h e arehives of A u g s b u r g ", Cumberland and Westmoreland Antiquarian Society, Tract Series No. V I I I , K e n d a l , 1912. 11 G. G. Francis, The Smelting of Copper in the Swansea District, 2 n d ed., L o n d o n , 1881, transcribes a few of t h e letters a n d A. L. /~ouse, Tudor Cornwall, L o n d o n , 1941, pp. 5 5 59, gives a b s t r a c t s . 1~ W. H e n w o o d , Trans. Roy. Geol. Soe. Corn., 1843, 5, 109. 13 C 66/968 : a n d W. Page, Huguenot Soe., 1887, 8, u n d e r K r a m c h . la C 66/984. x5 C 66/985, 16 C 66/988.

Downloaded By: [Turku University Library] At: 20:27 25 March 2010

Burchard Kranich (c. 1515-1578)

311

s t e w a r d of t h e D u c h y of Cornwall 1~, regarding 500 a d v a n c e d to Cranyse b y J o h n Coseworth i s l~eeeiver-General of t h e Duchy, on behalf of Queen Mary, for which s u m H e n r y T r e t h e n i c k a c t e d as surety. B u r c h a r d h a d spent this m o n e y in erecting a melting-house 80 feet long a n d 24 feet wide a t " L a r y o n " a n d c o n s t r u c t i n g a w a t e r - c o u r s e of a b o u t 2,000 paces for w a t e r - p o w e r . T h e cost of the v e n t u r e was listed as follows : For the ridding, cleansing and levelling of the .. s. d. ground for setting of the foundation thereof . . . . 26 6 8 For making of the foundation of the walls and the. poinions of the melting house . . . . . . . . 120 0 0 For making of the audit to build the furnace and melting chimney upon . . . . . . . . 30 0 0 For timbering and covering the house . . . . . . 50 0 0 For doors, windows, locks and bars . . . . . . 6 0 0 The wheel, axletree and the stamps 19 . . . . . . 10 0 0 For four pairs of great bellows with their geames and other necessaries . . . . . . . . 25 0 0 The iron tools and other necessaries . . . . . . 20 0 0 For making the eoalhouse . . . . . . . . 15 0 0 For making of the roasting house .. .. 20 0 0 For making of the lest and dyke coming to the" melting house . . . . . . . . . . 66 0 0 For the hart and tl~e crane . . . . . . . . . . 20 0 0 For opening of the mines at Tregardith, Langosack, Peranmedlay, Loggan 20, St. Austell, St. Johns and others . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220 0 0 628 6 8

Downloaded By: [Turku University Library] At: 20:27 25 March 2010

The melting-house was built for the p r o d u c t i o n of silver m e t a l in t h e f o r m of bullion a n d its location has been identified w i t h L e r r y n on L e r r y n creek, a t r i b u t a r y of t h e F o w e y 21. T h a t this is quite p r o b a b l e is confirmed
17 Memo. Roll~, Lord Treasurer's R e m e m b r a n c e r , 9 Eliz. Mich. (Comm.) m. 3, E 368/370 : L . F . Salzmarm, English Industries in the Middle Ages, London, 1913, p. 66. The inclusion of this reference u n d e r " Tin " is misleading as there is no evidence tin was ever considered. is H e lived at Coseworth, five miles inland f r o m Treworthen, w a s M.P. for Lostwithiel 1554-8 a n d brother-in-law t o Michael Lock (q.v.) 19 The silver mines at Clonmines in Co. Wexford, Ireland, were s t a r t e d in 1551 and on May I0, 1552, J o a c h i m Gundelfinger reported : " The melting house and the fining house a n d the s t a m p i n g mills are ready so t h a t w o r k m e n be set forth. We will m a k e 300 oz. of silver every week ". S u b s e q u e n t correspondence indicates t h a t t h e t e r m " s t a m p i n g mill " in this connexion does n o t refer to the water-driven t y p e w i t h wheel and axle.tree. State Papers, Ireland, E d w a r d V I : S.P. 61/4/47. so N o w Illogan. 31 A. K. H a m i l t o n Jenkin, The Cornish Miner, London, 1948, p. 79. The m a p of the H u n d r e d of W e s t b y J. Norden, Speculi Brq;tanniae Pars. Cornwall, 1728, shows a. fining house at this spot.

A n n . of Sci,--Vol, 6, No. 3,

312

Mr. M. B. DonMd

on

by the existence of a mill-race of the required length above the village. The present mill has the same dimensions and was built in 1850. The important point about this document is Chat its mention of stamps or stampers is probably the first reference to their introduction into England. Sir Francis Godolphin 22 is traditionally reputed to have first used t h e m 2~, but as he was born in 1534 he must have been very active when young to have anticipated Kranieh ; as Kranieh must have been using stamps before 1558 17 and, so far as the author is aware, their

Downloaded By: [Turku University Library] At: 20:27 25 March 2010

names are never linked in contemporary documents. The tremendous advance of using wager-power for crushing over the old method of handbreaking with a hammer after previous heating can only be fully appreciated by carrying out the experiment on some Cornish ores. The location of the mines is not so easy to trace, although some assistance is given by a letter of J a n u a r y 21, 1579, from Captain Edward Fenton, one of the adventurers on Frobisher's voyages, to the P r i v y Council 94. He sent a parcel from Cornwall of eight samples of o r e :
2~ iF. G. Marsh, The Godolphins, :New Milton, 1930, p. x x . 2a R . N. W o r t h , Roy. Corn. Poly. Soc., 1872, 40, 97, ~4 S.P. 12/129/2.

Burchard Kranich (c. 1515-1578)

313

Downloaded By: [Turku University Library] At: 20:27 25 March 2010

" 1. Like copper myadiek ~5 from St. Austell Clives three miles from the haven of Foye (Fowey). 2. Commonly called by the tinners ealle 2~ from St. Tew (Ewe) and three other places 3 miles from the seaside ~nd from the haven of Foye 7 miles. 3. Like tin or lead from St. Austell in the ground ~6 of Hugh Collins of Tregonie 2 miles from the sea and 6 from Foye. 4. In the parish of Yiran in the ground of Mr John Nance and was one of the mines ~ Mr Bureott wrought for silver. I t lies within 2 miles of New Kaie a little harbour now decayed. The work stands 22 fathoms deep in water and the lode thereof a foot broad. 5. Found by me and ~ r Coseworth in a silver work 2s of Burcott's at New Kale hard by the sea and in the parish of St. Collom (the lower). I found also in a house hard by certain slag which he used to melt down the same ore. 6. Ore from Mr Bernard Penrose 29 of Helston. 7. Fouud in the parish of St. Tanaese ~0, her Majesty's land hard upon the sea side. 8. Seven sorts recovered from Mr Edgecombe "

Doctor Burcott.
After a n i n t e r v a l of t e n y e a r s we r e a d t h a t on J u l y 24, 1576, " Cranighe, doctor of p h y s i k e ", of t h e parish of St. Clement Danes, b o u g h t eight houses a n d t h r e e gardens (one o f which was a l r e a d y r e n t e d b y him) for 700 f r o m T h o m a s D o u g h t y of t h e I n n e r T e m p l e al. T h e houses, k n o w n as P u r s e t~ents, were on the s o u t h side o f H i g h H o l b o r n a n d would necessitate crossing P u r s e Field (the western h a l f of Lincoln's I n n Fields) to r e a c h t h e m . P u r s e Field was owned b y t h e W h i t e H a r t I n n , on t h e eastern corner of D r u r y L a n e a n d H i g h H o l b o r n . Cranighe p a i d 200 m a r k s (133. 6. 8) d o w n a n d agreed to p a y 200 a t M i d s u m m e r 1577 a n d 1578 a n d 166. 13. 4 in 1579 b e t w e e n 1 a n d 4 p.m. a t t h e font stone Of t h e T e m p l e Church. T h e properties h a d b e e n p u r c h a s e d in 1560 for 140 f r o m L o r d a n d L a d y M o u n t j o y 32, who were friends of William Carnsew, t h e y o u n g e r , a n d who were i n t e r e s t e d in t h e d e v e l o p m e n t of a l u m a n d copperas 33.
25 W. Pryce, Mineralogia Cornubiensis, L o n d o n 1778, : m y n d i c k is pyrites. 26 P r o b a b l y Carclaze. J. $. Daniell, History and Geography of Cornwall, 4 t h cd., b y T h u r s t o n C. Peter, Truro & L o n d o n , 1906, p. 349. 2~ T r e w o r t h e n is j u s t in t h e p a r i s h of P e r r a n Sands. See Ulrich F r o s e ' s correspoudence in 1584 : S.P. 12/170, etc. 2s P r o b a b l y n e a r t h e p r e s e n t r a i l w a y station. e~ O n t h e west side o f L e e Pool. a0 N o w St. Agnes. See Daniell, op. cir., p. 373. 31 Close Roll, C 54/990/m. 40 : a n d London County Council Survey o/London, 1914, v, 5. 32 C 54/566/m. 30. 33 A. L. Rowse, Tudor Cornwall, L o n d o n , 1941, pp. 55ff. 428ff. a n d C. Singer, The Chemical Industry, L o n d o n , 1949, p. ]82,

Y2

314

Mr. M. B. Donald o n

Kranich again comes into the limelight when called in by Queen Elizabeth in the matter of the alleged gold ore brough~ to England by Frobisher.
F r o b i s h e r ' s Gold.

The first expedition in search of a North-West passage to Cathay (China) set out from England in June 1576 under Frobisher, but only reached a bay in the south of Baffin Island which is now known by Frobisher's name. One story is that a member of the company, when asked for a souvenir on his return, produced a piece of black stone much like sea-coal but heavier, and t h a t one of the adventurers' wives threw a piece on the fire where it burnt, but, on being quenched in vinegar, it glistened with a bright " marquesset of gold " 34. The other story is that Frobisher, then aged thirty-seven, handed a stone to Michael Lock, Treasurer of the Mint, aboard ship in the presence of Roland Yorke ; and that this was given to Mr William Williams, Assay-Master at the Tower, to Wheeler, a gold refiner, and to George Needham, but they found no metal a5 In January, 1577 (N.S.), Michael Lock 36 showed a piece to J u a n Baptiste Agnello, a Venetian alchemist living in London, who made three proofs and found gold 37. Lock then informed the Queen on J a n u a r y 28, t h a t it contained 1 oz. gold per cwt as On February 1, Edward Dyer, one of the venturers (partners), and others had made tests and found a little silver and Sir Francis Walsingham 39, the Secretary of State, was "persuaded t h a t Agnello did but play the alchemist " Sir John Bartley and Sir William Morgan had proofs made in a house at Lambeth and introduced Jonas Schtitz, a metallurgist from Annaberg, in Saxony, to Agnello. A contract with Agnello was signed on March 19 and the Queen increased her financial interest in the expedition to 1,000 40. Sir William Winter ~1, Master of the Ordnance to the Navy, was informed of the results and Schutz was made chief master of the mines for the second voyage with a promise of a good pension. The expedition sailed on May 26, 1577, with Robert Denham as a miner 42, and took on 124 tons in the A y d e and 16 tons in the Gabriel a3,
34 G. B e s t , True Discourse etc., L o n d o n , 1578, e n d o f first v o y a g e . a5 S.P. 12/112/25. 3, D . N . B . I n 1576 h e w a s 44. 3: A n u m b e r o f t h e S t a t e P a p e r s a b s t r a c t e d i n t h e Calendar, Colonies (East Indies), a r e t r a n s c r i b e d b y S i r / ~ . C o l l i n s o n i n Three Voyages of Martin Frobisher, 1867. as G o l d w a s 3 a n d s i l v e r 5/- a n oz. 3g C o n y e r s R e a d , Mr. Seereta~'y Walsingham, O x f o r d , ~925, vol. iii, p. 392. 40 S.P. 12/111/48. 41 See D . N . B. a2 S.P. 12/131/20. A R o b e r t D e n h a m w a s mar~'ied a t T o t t e n h a m in 1543 i 43 S.P. 12/118/40.

Downloaded By: [Turku University Library] At: 20:27 25 March 2010

Barchard Kranich (c. 1515-1578)

315

mainly from K o d l u n a n or W h i t e Man's Island (Countess of W a r w i c k Island), on t h e n o r t h of Frobisher Bay. The ships arrived back in E n g l a n d in September a n d J o n a s on October 5 began to build a furnace in Sir William W i n t e r ' s house in St. K a t h e r i n e ' s Hill b y t h e Tower of L o n d o n 44. On October 17 the P r i v y Council directed the ore to be b r o u g h t to L o n d o n 4s The trial o f the first cwt. was r e a d y on October 30 a n d it was reported to contain gold to t h e equivalent of 40 per t o n (13 ozs. per t o n ; Agricola says a poor ore contains a b o u t 3 ozs. per ton). This was r e p o r t e d to W a l s i n g h a m on N o v e m b e r 23 by L o c k ~, W a l s i n g h a m t h o u g h t it n e c e s s a r y t o have a second opinion, and referred the m a t t e r t o B u r c h a r d K r a n i e h who reported as follows : " After most hearty and humble commendations, whereas the Queen (as I perceive by your Honour's letters) hath required me to make an assay and to show my judgement in that ore which Captain Frobisher brought into this land, the truth is, I have so done, and I desire your honour to advertise her highness that I have assayed and proved it to the uttermost by divers and sundry assays and find not therein such great riches as is spoken and reported of. " But the truth is I have found that in a c w t . there is oz. of gold in the black ore, that is, 10 oz. in a ton. Also I find one other red ore bearing 2 oz. in a c w t . that is 40 oz. in a ton. And if the same be well husbanded by a skilful and expert man, that black ore will yield in the great fire 1 oz. and bear the charges of melting and purifying of it. " I would, therefore, wish her Highness to a]low some yearly consideration unto some expert and skilful man in the knowledge of minerals that if any such rough, wild and foreign ore at any time hereafter happen to come into this land, that he by his true assays thereof may certify her highness of the just increase of the same at his own charges, that thereby her Majesty and subjects may not (as heretofore they have been) be deceived by such vain and untrue reports. " And further that such skilful man may teach others in the same experience of minerals if at any time hereafter the like voyage shall be made for ~the like or other ore whose knowledge of the travellers may greatly increase the commodity of the voyage, who by his instructions in the same knowledge may become a breviate and short assay in the trial thereof without any charges, furnace or other instrument. And that in such short time that they may thereby make 12 assays in an hour, what goodness is in such ore and then to take the good and leave the bad. " I f age and sickness did not so oppress me, but that I were able to travail therein myself, I would willingly bestow my diligence in that service. " Thus I leave your honour to God's direction, praying for her Majesty's long and properous reign. Dated this 26th November, 1577. Your honour at commandment, Burehard Kranych "
~4 8 . P . 12/115/35. 45 A . P . C . 4a S.P. 12/118/36.

Downloaded By: [Turku University Library] At: 20:27 25 March 2010

316

Mr. M. B. D o n a l d

on

To the Right Worshipful Sir Francis Walsingham, Knight, Chief Secretary unto the Queen's Majesty, my singular good friend give these " a7 On December 4, J o n a s m a d e a p r o o f with a second cwt. as, and the results were certified t o Walsingham on December 6 as being of the same order as those of the previous test 49. The Lords were not well satisfied because of t h e remainders in the slag " which could not be g o t t e n out ", " but chiefly t h e y believed nothing t h a t was done, because the goldsmiths a n d goldfiners of L o n d o n and m a n y other n a m e d cunning men had m a d e m a n y proofs of this ore and could find no whit of gold therein ". On December 7, Frobisher r e t u r n e d from Bristol, where he was intending to erect t h e great works, and on December 9 he and L o c k t o o k some samples to B u r c o t t for analysis. B u r c o t t ' s requirements and charges for handling t h e work were a pension of 200 a year and 20/- a working d a y so. On DeCember 10 a conference began between B u r e o t t a n d J o n a s which lasted for three or four days, during which time t h e y obviously t o o k a strong dislike to each other. On December 13 Jonas, Frobishcr and Lock " r o d e to divers places to see watermills and at D a r t f o r d J o n a s liked the mills best of all for commodious water " 50. These wheat and m a l t mills at Bignoures, one mile u p s t r e a m on the D a r e n t from Dartford, belonged to William Vaughan (a founder of the local g r a m m a r school) and he put in a claim for compensation 51 Frobisher was in a h u r r y t o get results t o enable him to s t a r t on t h e n e x t voyage and on December 20 he suggested t h a t B u r c o t t should melt down a cwt. in Jonas's furnace, b u t B u r c o t t said t h e bellows were too high as and t h e y should be lower s2 to blow right into the h01e on to the fore-hearth. Frobisher also endeavoured t o have ten tons melted at Keswick. On December 23 J o n a s offered to make a t h i r d trial and said he w a n t e d some " mkesite " 53 to melt the ore. Instructions were issued b y the P r i v y Council s4 for his assistant, Cole, to seek for this material. On J a n u a r y 6 sh, B u r c o t t wrote : " My humble commendations Sir Walsingham. I give you most hearty thanks for your labour and diligence for the performing of your promise and the sending of my patent. " I hope by God's grace to perform my promise towards you. I had ere this certified your honour the true matter of this ore and my proofs,
4~ S.P. 12/118/43. 4s S.P. 12/122/62. As S.P. 12/119/8. s0 S.P. 12/119/t2. sz S.P. 12/119/14. 52 Cf. Agricola, De Re Metallica, t r a n s l a t e d b y H . C. H o o v e r , 1912, p. 379. ~ The t e r m m a r c a s i t e a t t h i s ~ime h a d a m o r e g e n e r a l m e a n i n g t h a n i t n o w bears. 54 A. P . C., J a n . 3, 1578 (N.S.). s5 On J a n u a r y 8, " a w i d o w fl'om Dr. B u r c o t t s " b y t h e n a m e of E m a T y p s a l l was b u r i e d in St. C l e m e n t Danes.

Downloaded By: [Turku University Library] At: 20:27 25 March 2010

Burchard

Kranich

(c.

1515-1578)

317

Downloaded By: [Turku University Library] At: 20:27 25 March 2010

but God hath touched me so hard with the gout that I have kept m y bed this 3 weeks and do yet. " I certify your Honour of a truth t h a t I have made a hundred divers assays of sundry ores out of that lanct and I find not such goodness in it as I thought to have found, not proceeding oz. as the black ore is. I have prepared and roasted aeeordillg as I promised you and I can bring it to no slag but I have molten down a pound and hath found in it four [? three] grains, as by this proof I have sent you doth appear, that will come in a c w t . almost ~ oz. that is a mere 14 oz. in a ton. " I doubt not when it is right prepared it will fall out in the great fire very well. I am minded as soon as I am able with m y body I will melt down a cwt. and send you that proof accordingly. So I bid you farewell with my humble desire to advertise the Queen's Highness and my Lord of Lasiter [Leicester]. Your humble to command, Burchard Kranych " 56 T h e site at D a r t f o r d was r e p o r t e d u p o n b y t h e s u r v e y o r on J a n u a r y 7 a n d n e x t d a y t h e P r i v y Council a u t h o r i z e d t h e building of the g r e a t works t h e r e 57. On J a n u a r y l l a p a t e n t was g r a n t e d to J o n a s t o be chief w o r k m a s t e r a n d to receive 100 per a n n u m if he p r o d u c e d 10 oz. of gold per ton, i.e. w o r t h 30, at a cost of not more t h a n 10 ~s. N e x t d a y he a n d L o c k went d o w n to D a r t f o r d to m e a s u r e l~he site a n d the P r i v y Council issued instructions on J a n u a r y 19 for the erection of t h e f a c t o r y 5~. On J a n u a r y 24 ore was sent to B u r c o t t with 10 for building t h e fnrnace a n d R o b e r t D e n h a m was m a d e available to help h i m G0. D e n h a m h a d to swear on his o a t h n o t t o divulge t h e secrets, " a l t h o ' he t o l d Mr. L o c k a b o u t t h a t t i m e t h a t he h a d a piece of strange ore, which did m u c h good in t h e melting, f r o m D r B u r c o t t ' s house a n d t h a t D r B u r c o t t called it ore of a n t i m o n y a n d h a d said to h i m it held no m a n n e r of metal. H e h a d m a d e a p r o o f a n d f o u n d it to hold silver, copper a n d lead " On F e b r u a r y 15 F r o b i s h e r visited L o c k ' s house and, being g r e a t l y e n r a g e d w i t h t h e Commissioners, w e n t to T o w e r Hill where " finding J o n a s n a k e d at his works, a n d v e r y sick, a l m o s t t o d e a t h of infection of t h e s m o k e of the minerals, he reviled him a n d d r e w his dagger o n him for n o t h a v i n g finished his works t h a t t h e ships m i g h t be p r e p a r e d for the t h i r d v o y a g e ". J o n a s solemnly v o w e d n e v e r m o r e to go w i t h h i m to sea ! J o n a s ' s t h i r d test on F e b r u a r y 18 g a v e a l m o s t 5 ozs. o f gold per ton, b u t he said t h a t t h e t e s t was done h a s t i l y a n d m u c h gold r e m a i n e d in t h e slag. B u r c o t t w r o t e on F e b r u a r y 19 to W a l s i n g h a m as follows : " Your Honour remember what appointment you made with me in m y house and what promise I made you. I have done so and molten down a c w t . and a pound and I have the proofs to show you to save sa S.P./12/122/3. a7 S.P. 12/122]4. 5s C 66/1173/m. 32. 59 A. P.C. ~0 S.P. 121131/20.

318

Mr. M. B. D o n a l d

on

your Honour's credit and m y honesty. Therefore appoint the day and hour to ride to Detforthe to bring me there to give me your Honour's countenance for if you do not go I will not go. That all workmen and so many of the commissioners as it shall please you to see and hear our determination and show such things as I have and can do before them all for I esteem your hot, our and credit as much as my own life. I doubt if I can ride it without a horse litter and yet I know of no easy horse. And if you Honour will humble yourself so much and yet come once in m y house an hour or twain before we depart our of London I will show your tIonour both the patron of the melting house and the assays privily between you and me that m y doings be not only words but deeds. So God increase your Honour in health " 61
Downloaded By: [Turku University Library] At: 20:27 25 March 2010

But, failing this, he invited the 62 Commissioners t o his house on F e b r u a r y 21 a n d a n n o u n c e d t h a t the ore contained 13 oz. of gold per t o n % H e showed t h e m the p r o o f a n d said t h a t f u r t h e r work would depend u p o n his being provided with a mineral called " A n t i m o n i " a n d t h a t there were quantities in t h e grounds of Mr. E d g e c o m b e of Devonshire e2. I t would seem t h a t this m a r k s the first discovery of the substance in England. He also showed t h e m plans of the furnaces, b u t i m m e d i a t e l y t o o k t h e m back again. The Commissioners t h e n went t o L o r d Treasurer B u r g h l e y ' s house in the S t r a n d with the samples and plan a n d there met Sir Walter Mildmaye, Chancellor of the Exchequer. The ibllowing letter seems to have been sent the same d a y to W a l s i n g h a m : " Please your Honour I perceive by your letter that you cannot come so quickly as I thought, I send you here by the captain the silver and gold of a pound and a c w t . whereby I will abide by it of my credit and honesty that I will bring 20 times so much out of every ton in the like ore as that was ~nd never under, but rather over, the rate. " I pray you show to the Queen that her Majesty will be good lady unto me for I am like so much this spring to go about that business and that you will be ameane that the captain may be speedily set forth again with such teaching and instruction as I have given him. For if he shall not so speedily and specially now this year it will be the worst that ever came to England and that the ore may be brought hastily from Bristol to Detforthe. That the additament a that the captain can show you be prepared and your ttonour to come so hastily as you can to visit the place where the melting house shall stand. Now I send you the truth by the captain how the house shall be and I trust to see you shortly. So I commit your Honour to God in haste " 65 B u r c o t t h a d been so insistent on having a n t i m o n y a n d maintaining t h a t it held no metal t h a t R i c h a r d Young, one of the venturers, asked the L o r d Treasurer to let him have a piece. The n e x t d a y D e n h a m made an assay in the presence of E d w a r d D y a r , J o h n Dee a n d Y o u n g with the same results as previously. ~ s.P. 12/122/44. ~2s.P. 1 2 / 1 3 1 / 2 0 . ~ This is probably the antimony from Cornwall. 6a S.P. 1 2 / 1 2 2 / 5 2 . ~a s.P. 12/122/53.

Burchard Kranich

(c. 1515-1578)

319

Downloaded By: [Turku University Library] At: 20:27 25 March 2010

This discovery n a t u r a l l y caused quite a stir a n d W a l s i n g h a m h a d a court of inquiry on F e b r u a r y 26 62 with all t h e commissioners a n d Denham. D e n h a m , being reminded of his allegiance t o the Queen, " kneeled down a n d craved p a r d o n alleging his oath t o B u r c o t t n o t to reveal his secret " H e did, however, say t h a t " B n r c o t t made p r o o f of b u t one p o u n d o f ore a n d t h a t according to t h e proportions of gold a n d silver f o u n d therein he did m a k e u p o n the rest of t h e gold and of t h e silver delivered t o the Commissioners with angel gold a n d dollar silver of his own. The a d d i t a m e n t Dr B u r c o t did put in h a d evil success " H e also said he h a d n o t revealed his assay of t h e a n t i m o n y to B u r e o t t betbre last T h u r s d a y , F e b r u a r y 20. B u r c o t t obviously heard of this i n q u i r y since the n e x t d a y he wrote to W a l s i n g h a m : " IVIy humble commendations as I am informed that your Honour and the rest be displeased with me as though I had made a false proof which I will stand to the contrary to death and life that it is as I have sent unto you. " Therefore I have done it with my own hand and can do it again save the last quarter, which Denham hath molten down and brought it a good way after the rate and in the driving utterly marred it for iguorance and unskiltfutlness. It was in the night when I eoutd not be at it and I would not trust him further. I made that quarter good after the rate I sent. As for the additament it hath laid this ten year in my house and were m y invention to melt it 86 the easier and the sooner. There is not so much silver in it 67 as you are informed for the ore is sufficient in himself to augment your honour and save m y credit. " Because it is corned to such an exclamation against my honesty and deface me without a cause I will make myself clear. Let me have delivered out of hand in haste 2 ewt. be brought in my house of that ore and 2 honest men and not false men to see the roasting, because I have a fl~rnaee mete for it. In the meantime when it is roasting I will ride to the Tower Hill by your commandment to mend Jonas' furnace or to make a new one, that will serve me. Let these two sworn men carry tile ore to the Tower when it is roasted and see it molten down and purified as I have sent you and let me have all things necessary. I t if please you and Sir William Winter may be the men appointed to do it and Denham be the workman, because he is the causer of this exclamation as I can tell you privily, when your Honour please between you and me shall hear the very truth. And if I do not prove it truly corned out then take my body and goods to your own pleasure. Jonas, nor the captains, nor any of their confederates, shall come nigh me, but them whom you please. For if Jonas has any cumling it had long since appeared. Therefore he shall learn nothing of me until it be known that I am a perfect master above them all. This proof will be done out of hand after it is roasted, having all things necessary prepared. Appoint a time when you will and I will
c o m e t o y o u " es 6~ P r e s u m a b l y t h e ore. ~7 P r e s u m a b l y t h e a d d i t a m e n g , as S.P.

12]122]61.

320

Mr. M. B. Donald

on

Frobisher's third voyage began in May and on October 10 Lock reported to Burghley t h a t thirteen ships had returned laden with ore. All was not well however in the Burcott household, since on September 20, Susan Burcot " f r o m Dr Burcotts " was buried at in Clement Danes and in October an informer reported " t h a t Dr Burcott and Dr Good of Chancery Lane had been to hear mass at Baron Browne's and t h a t the Baron, of Cross St, Cripplegate, kept a chaplain " 70 On October 7 Cranegh made his last will directing that his p r o p e r t y in Holborn be sold b y his friends Christopher Fisher, Richard Braswell and William Dearie 71. He bequeathed 20 to Braswell and 40/- apiece and 10/- for their livery to all his servants. Dearie was to receive 100 for the poor and the remainder and the house in which he dwelt went to his wife, providing t h a t she agreed to the extinguishment of her title of dower. The will was witnessed by John Dalton, scribe. A codicil added on his death-bed on October 19 gave to Deane any money from the sale of his estate over 700 together with his books and instruments and to Fisher a bowl of silver, double gilt, with a cover, " the gift of m y Lord " (possibly the Earl of Leicester). On October 22, the Recorder of London, Sir W. Fleetwood, wrote to Burghley " Dr Burcott of St Clement Danes Churchyard is dead ; I think of thought t h a t he took for the death of a child of his " 72 On October 17 Leicester had written to Burghley that the " Queen has been marvellous ill m a n y days with a pain in her cheek " vs. On tile previous day the Queen had a conference with Dr. Bayley concerning her disease 74 ; and on October 28 Leicester and Walsingham decided to send Dee abroad to Hamburg a n d Frankfurt-am-Oder in order to see ibreign physicians 75 Ore was smelted at Dartford from the third voyage in F e b r u a r y 1579 76. A second trial had been made on December 29, 1578, b y Jonas in the presence of Frobisher " who made great haste thereof to have presented it to Her Majesty for a New Year's gift to bring him a knighthood, but the work succeeded evil ". All things at Dartford were taken charge of on April 16 by Edward Sellman, a servant of Lock and author of an account of the third voyage. He was beaten and nearly had his head cloven with a dagger by Frobisher. John Spilman, a German, was granted a lease of Bignoures about 1580 and erected the
60 Ffatfield M.S.S. ,o Cal. S . P . D o ~ . , Addenda. 71 41 Langley. Perogative Court of C a n t e r b u r y Wills. 72 Hatfield ~ S S . ~3 S.P. 12/122/68. 7~ Camden See. P,~bl., 1842, 19, 5. 75 Charlotte F. Smith, J o h n Dee, London, 1909. 76 S.P. 12/129/43.

Downloaded By: [Turku University Library] At: 20:27 25 March 2010

Burchard Kranich

(c. 1515-1578)

321

first p a p e r mill in E n g l a n d on this s a m e site in 1585 77. T h e ore was finally t e s t e d b y William Williams, assay m a s t e r , in 1583 a n d he f o u n d neither gold or silver vs T h e geological evidence on the ore is as follows : - - T h e coast of F r o b i s h e r B a y consists of L a u r e n t i a n rocks, granites, greisens, schists, a n d highly m e t a m o r p h i c rocks 79 ; a s a m p l e at D a r t f o r d was umphibolite, m a i n l y h o r n b l e n d e with a little p y r i t e s a n d b r a s s y yellow m i c a ; a n d a sample in t h e D a r t f o r d M u s e u m is a g a b b r o complex w i t h biotite, olivine, plagioclase a n d augite so
Antimony.
Downloaded By: [Turku University Library] At: 20:27 25 March 2010

The physical a p p e a r a n c e of a n t i m o n y ores was no d o u b t familiar to K r a n i c h f r o m his knowledge of t h e large mines in Bohemia. F r o m the general descriptions given in t h e d o c u m e n t s it seems to h a v e been u n k n o w n at this t i m e in London. Agricola describes its use t o p a r t silver f r o m gold sl a n d a detailed a s s a y in 1741 says t h a t the gold was covered w i t h p o w d e r e d a n t i m o n y sulphide (stibnite) a n d t h e whole m e l t e d in t h e fire s2. T h e m e l t was p o u r e d into a conical vessel greased with tallow a n d t h e floor h a m m e r e d to m a k e t h e phases s e p a r a t e while still liquid. W h e n cold, t h e solid cone was i n v e r t e d a n d t h e yellow t o p p o r t i o n (regulus) k n o c k e d off w i t h a h a m m e r . This o p e r a t i o n was r e p e a t e d ; a n d finally air was blown over t h e regulus while m o l t e n a n d the a n t i m o n y was r e m o v e d as a smoke. T h e silver, which h a d t a k e n up t h e s u l p h u r f r o m t h e a n t i m o n y , was collected in the o t h e r p h a s e as sulphide. I r o n was a d d e d t o r e m o v e the sulphur a n d lead t o t a k e u p t h e silver as a n alloy. L e a d was n o r m a l l y a d d e d t o r e m o v e silver a n d gold f r o m a n ore as an alloy (cupellation), b u t w i t h stibnite the " result would m o r e p r o b a b l y be quite t h e reverse as a n t i m o n y in lead m a k e s cupellation difficult or in e x t r e m e cases impossible " sa On his r e t u r n f r o m t h e t h i r d v o y a g e a f t e r B u r c o t t ' s death, C a p t a i n E d w a r d F e n t o n went d o w n t o see E d g c o m b e and finally located t h e ore s4,24. I t was found in t h e grounds o f Mr E v i n g t o n in the parish 7~ g. Dunkin, Histo~ of Dartford, London, 1844; Rhys Jenkins, Collected Papers, London, 1936. 7s S.P. 12/161/41. v9 V. Stefausson and E. McCaskill, The Three Voyages of Martin ~'robisher, London, 1938, vol. ii, Appendix 10. s0 S. K. Keyes, Dartford Historical Notes, Dartford, 1933 and 1938. 81 Op. cit., p. 456. s2 j. A. Cramer, Elements osf the Art of Assaying Metals, London, 1741, p. 245. 83 Dr. S. W. Smith, in a private communication. He also points out that the method was used in Sir Isaac Newton's time for making " pure gold " for " Trial Plates ", because parted gold Mways contains about 1 part per 1000 of silver. ,4 S.P. 12/127/I0.

322

Burchard Kranich (c. 1515-1578)

of Pillaton 79 near the D e v o n border, b y F a c i n as, who delivered it to Philip Bollin, who h a d sent it u p to B u r c o t t via E d g c o m b e a b o u t 1572. A n t i m o n y in Cornwall occurs as t h e sulphide a n d also in c o m b i n a t i o n with lead (Jamesonite), copper (Bournonite), a n d silver. I t occurs s6 between Pillaton a n d St. E r n e y . T h e Pillaton mines sold 132 tons in 1819-21.
A n u m b e r of p r o b l e m s r e m a i n u n s o l v e d : W h y did Agnello insist t h a t gold was in tim ore ? H e w r o t e a b o o k entitled An Exposition of the Apocalypse of the Secret Spirit st, perusal of which indicates t h a t he lived in a world as m u c h of p h a n t a s y as of reality. Ferguson c o m m e n t s on it as follows : " This l t t l e t r a c t is w r i t t e n in t h e m o s t allegorical, allusive a n d illusive m a n n e r a n d while t h e r e is no d o u b t a b o u t t h e secretiveness of the s p M t , one m a y well w o n d e r a n d a s k w h e r e a b o u t is t h e r e v e l a t i o n " ss J o n a s h a d to find gold in the ore because he h a d s u p e r i n t e n d e d t h e loading a n d selection in F r o b i s h e r B a y . W a s B u r c o t t d e t e r m i n e d to go one b e t t e r t h a n his y o u n g e r colleague in t h e hope of keeping in t h e Queen's f a v o u r when she h a d a l r e a d y heavily subscribed to the v e n t u r e ? " Henry Heron doth . . . . sell to the said Anne Carew s9 . . . . the " foresaid ggrdeu ~nd orchard . . . . the sgid garden towarde the west " abutting on the lande late Burchard Cranick".--Close tloll, 1592. I n writing this b i o g r a p h y I h a v e sought a n d received m u c h help f r o m t h e experience of a large n u m b e r of friends to w h o m I n o w pen this a c k n o M e d g e m e n t w i t h m a n y thanks.
8~ S.P. 12/129/2. s~ j . I t . Collins., T'ra~s. Roy. Geol. Soc. Corn., 1912, 14, 338. s7 Expositione 8opra Apocalypsi~ spiritus 6"ecreti, Londr~, 1566 : t r a n s l a t e d into E n g l i s h b y 1%. N. E., 1623. ss j . Alchemical Sot., 1913, 2, 5. so W i d o w of George Carew, s o m e t i m e D e a n of Exeter.

Downloaded By: [Turku University Library] At: 20:27 25 March 2010

Annals of Science

P L A T E IV

Downloaded By: [Turku University Library] At: 20:27 25 March 2010

The original of this figttre is in colours in the Public P~ecord Office Museum (State Papers, Domestic, Elizabeth; S.PI 12, Vol. 122, no. 63). The words " burchards furn~se" under the m e n at the furnace on the left h a n d side are in Lord Burghley's handwriting, as is also t h e c o m m e n t " old order " u n d e r the two m e n working the bellows at the top. The m e c h a n i s m for working t h e furnace bellows is n o t clear, b u t is quite different from t h a t illustrated b y Agricola. I n B u r c h a r d ' s conditions for working u p the ores (S.P. 12/119/12) he proposes to erect six furnaces, axle-trees, fining ovens and six pairs of bellows. Near the melting-house he would have an adequate roasting-house and coal-house. I n a letter to Burghley dated October 4, 1582, from Sandy Acre occurs the comment, " We u a d e r s t a n d t h a t Burcard's h e a r t h was m a d e of clay a n d charcoal and pumice beaten together, whereof we received the true p a t t e r n m a d e b y one Chawner, who was s e r v a n t to Burcote " (Hatfield MSS.).

Reproduced by courtesy of the D e p u t y K e e p e r of the Records.