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Rookhope 1809 Strike
In 1809 the Rookhope Smelters decided to strike alleging that they couldn't make enough money to keep their
families because the ore of poor quality. The Chief Agent replied that he was not sorry that the smelters had left
their work because he believed that they were not good at smelting, and as a result some Rookhope ore was sent to a
similar mine at Dukesfield Mill to see if the smelters there could do any better.
This would decide whether it was the quality of the ore or the skill of the Rookhope smelters that had caused the
'deficiency of their produce and
wages'. It was found that the Dukesfield smelters did produce slightly more lead, but despite this it was the ore
which was mainly responsible for the low productivity, so the Rookhope men were given a pay rise.
C J Hunt 1970 The Lead Miners of the North Pennines. Manchester University Press page 103
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