A soft, heavy grey metal smelted from galena ore. England was a major producer: lead mines at Wirksworth and Bakewell in Derbyshire appear in Domesday Book, and ice-core studies suggest output peaked in the late twelfth century. Ore was smelted in wind-blown hillside hearths called boles. Lead roofed churches and castles, lined gutters and made pipes, coffins and some church fonts. Silver-bearing lead, notably from the North Pennines, was refined for its silver.
Caveats (confidence: high)
The North Pennine silver-lead workings are documented from the 12th century, but exact output figures were not checked.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org · medievalists.net
Made by
- Bole-smelt lead
- Bole-smelt lead from dressed ore
- Smelt lead at the ore hearth
- Smelt lead from dressed ore at the ore hearth
Used to make
- Beat a lead salt pan
- Cupel lead for its silver
Used to build
- Hall
- Great house
- Copperas works
- Alum works