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Summary

Description

Dated 1770. Curfew bell and weathervane supported on open timber pyramid of 4 struts with low level horizontal sections and cast iron bolted tension bars. Brass bell with iron finial and rope pull supported by 2 iron brackets at apex. Wrought iron weathervane with four scrolls to base, mid section with 'W' arrow and dated flagged arrow to top under plain ball finial.

Statement of Special Interest

Built by the Scots Mining Company in 1770, the curfew bell is prominently sited in the village square in the centre of the former lead mining village of Leadhills. It was supposedly built to commemorate James Stirling, mine manager, in the year of his death.

The curfew bell was an integral element of the mining industry in Leadhills and the community as a whole: used to inform workers of shift changes, accidents in the mine as well as for schools and offering articles for sale.

The Lowther Hills ore field is the most important lead-zinc deposit in Scotland. Mining for lead ore was known to be evident in the Leadhills and Wanlockhead area as early as 1517 becoming more prevalent in the early 17th century when mining was carried out by pairs of men using gunpowder and sledgehammers. By 1861 the Leadhills Mining Company were manufacturing on a grand scale using steam power and improved smelting apparatus, in 1868 2 ½ miles of underground railway was built to aid production and distribution.

The timber frame previously had 4 large timbers tying the base of the feet together which have more

recently been replaced by the rough cast concrete plinth.

References

Bibliography

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