The Wealden Iron Industry
The Wealden Iron Industry
paperback
Published:
14 July, 2008
Description
For two periods of British history - the first part of the Roman occupation and the Tudor and early Stuart periods - the Weald of south-east England was the most productive iron-producing region in the country. Looking across the tranquil Wealden countryside, it is hard to identify anything that hints at its industrial past. Yet 400 years ago, nearly 100 furnaces and forges roared and hammered there, the smoke from charcoal-making curling up from the surrounding woods and the roads bustling with wagons laden with ore and iron sows.
Many British naval campaigns, including the Spanish Armada, the wars against the Dutch and The Seven Years' War, relied on Wealden iron cannon; the pressures of conflict driving forward the development of iron-producing technology. For a time the economy of the whole area was dominated by the production of iron and its raw materials, providing employment, generating prosperity and shaping the landscape irrevocably. Drawing on a wealth of local evidence, this book explores the archaeology and history of an area whose iron industry was of international importance.
More Details
| Type | Book |
|---|---|
| ISBN13 | 9780752445731 |
| ISBN10 | 0752445731 |
| Number Of Pages | 160 |
| Item Weight | 390 g |
| Product Dimensions | 165 x 235 x 10 mm |
| Publisher / Reseller | The History Press Ltd |
| Format | paperback |
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Author's Bio
Jeremy Hodgkinson has lived and worked in Sussex for most of his life. He has been a writer and lecturer on the Wealden iron industry for 25 years. Formerly on the Councils of the Sussex Archaeology Society and the Historical Metallurgy society, he is currently Vice-chairman of the Wealdon Iron Research Group. He lives in Crawley, Sussex.