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Settlement
Miners' houses were generally situated as close as possible to the mine entrances. This meant that many settlements
were at high altitudes. Mines in the Pennines range in height from 1200-2500ft above sea level. Early settlement
(18th century) tended to be at the higher levels, while the later 19th century settlements tended to cluster along
the valley bottoms or sides where some protection from the elements could be gained.
Many villages in the valleys were built by the mining companies initially, as centres for their mining operation.
However, by the 19th century the companies were building and leasing houses to their workers, or leasing land for
them to build on. Settlements were typically ribbon developments of long pieces of cultivated land surrounded by
moorland. In 1824, Weardale is described as being like a "�continuous scattered village" such was the density of
settlement.
The growing population of the early 19th century, mostly lead miners working in the now highly profitable mining
industry, caused an acute shortage of land to be available for housing and farming. The 1815 Enclosure Act
officially made more land available for settlement and initially eased the need for constant sub-dividing of
the land into ever decreasing plots.
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