NORTH BRITON LEAD

205 BROWNS ROAD SCARSDALE, GOLDEN PLAINS SHIRE

All information on this page is maintained by Heritage Victoria. Click below for their website and contact details.

Victorian Heritage Inventory

Statement of Significance

• Additional Place Information

  • History

    NORTH BRITON LEAD - History

    Contextual History:History of Place:
    Heritage Inventory History of Site:
    North Briton Lead, rises on the south side at the base of Watsons Hill
    05.11.1858: North Briton Lead has been discovered at Browns, and there are 200 shareholders on the list and a considerable number of claims have been taken up.
    11.1858: lead was discovered; it runs to the west and nine claims were registered.
    04.11.1858: a steam engine and other expensive machinery, being obtained.
    06.1859: depth of sinking is 150 feet; width of lead is 50 feet; wash-dirt is from 1 to 4 feet thick; the lead pays well and the average yield is 1 oz per load; it is partly held under block and partly under the frontage system; the part of the lead held under the frontage system is worked from 4 shafts on each of which a steam engine is erected; the companies working the lead are well organised; two tributary leads, the Barber and the Morning Star fall into this lead
    08.1859: paying as well as ever, but becoming worked out.
    ALABAMA Co.
    10.1863: making wages.
    BROWNS CONSOLS Co.
    09.1877: yield for the quarter 120 ozs 13 dwt.
    GRAND JUNCTION COMPANY.
    06.1859: has a lease of 29.5 acres; bottomed at a depth of 180 feet; this shaft was the first in the Browne's district to meet rock.
    07.1859: opening a drive into the gutter; prospects are encouraging.
    08.1859: doing better than usual.
    12.1859: not doing as well as the Great Briton and North Briton Companies.
    07.1860: excellent yields.
    11.1860: one of only 3 claims of any importance on the deep alluvial leads at Browne's.
    12.1860: gold is patchy in this claim and the yields vary.
    01.1861: scarcely making wages.
    03.1861: make good wages; working in their first shaft while sinking a new shaft.
    05.1861: sinking a new shaft.
    07.1861: nothing has yet been taken from the new shaft.
    08.1861: bottomed their new shaft much too shallow; driving for the gutter.
    10.1861: not doing much.
    11.1861: paying moderately.
    12.1861: very poor paying as low as 30s per man per week.
    GREAT BRITON Co.
    06.1859: lease of 33 acres; the likely location of the Contest and the North Briton Leads.
    08.1859: work suspended because of a legal dispute.
    12.1859: successful and dividends of 30 pounds per man per week are common.
    12.1859: recorded production of 60 ozs or 1.866 kg.
    HAND-IN-HAND COMPANY.
    03.1859: advertised for a 20 horsepower steam engine with pumps and gear complete.
    06.1859: has a lease of 32.5 acres; bottomed on a north-westerly reef nearly 100 feet above the gutter and are now driving through the slate to meet the gutter.
    07.1859: opened a drive at 225 feet; have not yet struck the gutter.
    08.1859 :yet to reach the gutter.
    12.1859: not doing as well as the Great Briton and North Briton Companies.
    07.1860: yield is below mediocre because of the spread out nature of the lead.
    08.1860: claim sold; purchasers to re-organise the operation.
    11.1860: one of only 3 claims of any importance on the deep alluvial leads at Browne's.
    12.1860: one of the greatest failures at Browne's.
    01.1861: sinking a new shaft.
    03.1861: have fitted up a new steam engine are erecting two puddling machines in connection with it.
    05.1861: sinking a new shaft.
    07.1861: nothing has been taken from the new shaft.
    08.1861: the new shaft has not yet bottomed.
    10.1861: broken into the gutter and obtained an excellent prospect.
    11.1861: have had first rate wash-dirt in the last few days; a relief for the owners who have been losing till now.
    12.1861: ceased work some time ago and the company is apparently making new arrangements.
    NORTH BRITON Co.
    06.1859: at the junction of the Contest and Barber Leads.
    12.1859: successful and dividends of 30 pounds per man per week are common.
    1859: recorded production of 300 ozs or 9.331 kg.
    UNITED BROWNE'S Co.
    06.1860: getting magnificent yields.
    07.1860: excellent.
    11.1860: one of only 3 claims of any importance on the deep alluvial leads at Browne's.
    12.1860: doing very well; ground is uniform and the mine is well managed.
    03.1861: ground is very poor but the company processes a large quantity of wash-dirt; there is a large extent of the North Briton Lead in the north-west of their claim.
    06.1861: working the remaining portions of the North Briton Lead.
    07.1861: getting excellent wash-dirt from the North Briton Lead.
    08.1861: getting very good ground.
    02.1862: have taken up a large part of the Contest Lead and have employed many men to work it.
    12.1864: a party using steam power are working on a flat near this old claim and are doing tolerably well.
    NEW NORTH BRITON CO., Browns,
    31.07.1875: invited tenders for supplying machinery and plant so that the operations can commence.
    11.08.1875: paid £480 for the plant of the Roxburgh Co.; company's claim extended over the Contest and North Briton Leads.
    21.08.1875: tenders called for removing and re-erecting machinery.
    28.08.1875: removal of machinery will commence next month.
    25.09.1875: good progress with erection of machinery; foundations excavated, bed logs and horses in position; engine on beds and boiler to be built in.
    02.10.1875: engine and building of boiler well advanced; proceeding with erection of housing.
    16.10.1875: building of stacks and housing over boiler nearly finished; contractors to commence sinking soon.
    31.10.1875: water delayed sinking till engine started; total depth of 45 feet; erection of puddling machine proceeding.
    13.11.1875: shaft at depth of 110 feet; reef struck at 100 feet with heavy wash containing gold 33 feet above the gutter; erecting puddling machine.
    01.12.1875: quarterly general meeting: plant purchased from the Roxburgh mine includes 12.5 inch cylinder, 20 foot by 5 foot 6 inch boiler, pudding machine, and pine tank.
    11.12.1875: contractors given up sinking and progress slow, current depth is 170 feet; putting up opening set for chamber will skid the shaft .
    08.01.1876: surface completed and tank, truck and cages put in shaft; commenced opening out chamber.
    19.02.1876: air drive connected ventilation improved and blasting now possible.
    18.03.1875: cleaned up well chamber and drives from last swamping; driving is slow but water is easing.
    29.03.1876: struck reef wash on flat reef in which gold was seen.
    03.06.1876: quarterly meeting decided to let mine on tribute to a party of 35.
    10.06.1876: taken on tribute by Bak Hap, well known Chinese tribute manager who has worked at the No. 1 Reform tribute.
    10.06.1876: auction notice for plant and tools: a 12 inch horizontal engine, a boiler 20 foot by 5 foot 6 inches, pumping and winding gear, bob and connections, rope and cages, buckets, block, bellows, anvil, blacksmiths tools, picks, shovels, grindstone, buildings, crab winch, iron rails, timber, and a shaft of slabs.
    17.06.1876: Chinese tributers have their material on the ground and are ready to start.
    24.06.1876: washed one machine for a yield of 5 ozs 8 dwt 10gr.

    Heritage Inventory Description

    NORTH BRITON LEAD - Heritage Inventory Description

    Site No.121.01 has 3 quartz wash and/or mullock heaps around a cleared and levelled area which is 15m in diameter. The setting reminds me of a group of tents around a camp fire. These heaps are approximately 15m in diameter and 3-4 m high. It appears that material has been removed from the site, and a dam has recently been constructed next to this site./nSite No.121.02 is probably the North Briton Mine. It has an intact mullock heap 30m in diameter and 5m high, with a scatter of quartz covering the ground north and south of the heap. These areas covered with quartz are 60m by 30m and 30m by 30m respectively./nSite No.121.03 is very disturbed and there appears to have been gravel removals in relatively recent times. The site is over grown with gorse. Scattered heaps of quartz cover an area approximately 80m by 70m with some sections up to 3m high. There is no sign of a shaft, and the site appear to be a disused gravel reserve./nThere are also a couple of mounds north west from site No.120.03 on either side of Carey Road.

    Heritage Inventory Significance: Not relevant

• Location map
• Explore related places
  • Show:
    -- select -- Nearby Places

  • WELCOME STRANGER TOURIST TRAIL

    

    Victorian Heritage Inventory
  • GOLDEN GATE CO AND THE CONTEST LEAD

    

    Victorian Heritage Inventory
  • NORTH BRITON LEAD

    

    Victorian Heritage Inventory
• Public contributions