Galena, a heavy, shiny grey mineral of lead and sulphur, often forming cube-shaped crystals. In twelfth-century England it was dug from veins in limestone country, especially the Derbyshire Peak and the North Pennines. Miners broke it out with picks and hammers, then 'dressed' it by hand, breaking and sorting out the richest lumps, before smelting. Some galena also contained a small amount of silver, which made certain mines valuable to the Crown.
Caveats (confidence: high)
Early bole smelting needed large, rich lumps of ore; finer ore was often wasted.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org
Made by
- Dig ore
Used to make
- Bole-smelt lead
- Dress lead ore by hand
- Dress lead ore at the stamps
- Smelt lead at the ore hearth