Glossary of Terms

	*Word*	*Description*
A	Abacus	Counting using coloured balls on a wire frame. Early calculator. Click here to see image of an *Abacus*
	Adit	Horizontal entrance to a mine, slightly inclined to allow drainage.

B	Bab gins	Early 18th century water wheel powered pumping engines, used to clear the mines of water.
	Besoms	Brushes used in Curling to smooth the ice ahead of the stone.
	Bobbin' Johns	Nickname given to Beam Engine pumps due to their 'nodding' action.
	'But and Ben' Cottages	18th Century thatched cottages where families lived in very basic conditions.

C	Cairn	A heap of stones usually set up as a memorial or landmark.
	Carat	Originally a unit of mass (weight) based on the Carob seed or bean used by ancient merchants in the Middle East. The carat is still used for the weight of gem stones where 1 carat = 200mg. For gold is is used to measure the purity where pure gold is 24 carats.
	Coffin Plates	Plates made from lead sheet, attached to a coffin lid for decorative purposes.
	Copper [Cu]
D	Dressing Floor	Area where ore is processed to separate it from waste rock and prepare it for smelting.

E	Exciseman	Tax collector

F	Fathom	A measure of depth, more usually at sea equal to 6 feet or 1.828 metres.
	Forebears	Ancestors

G	Galena	Lead Sulphide - a mixture of lead and sulphur.
	Genealogy	Study or account of descent from ancestors.
	Godfrey Downes- Rose	Author, lecturer and founder of the Museum Trust at Wanlockhead who died in December 2003.
	'Gird and Cleek'	Children's game with a rod and hoop
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I	Igneous Rock	Solidified from hot molten rock. Volcanic rock is an example of igneous rock.
	Ingot	Lead bars or 'pigs' produced by the smelting process.
	Isobel Rutherford	The first woman to be allowed membership of the Miners' Library.
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L	Leadhillite
	Leadman
	Lead Pig	The name given to lead ingots or bars each weighing about *60Kilos (132lbs)*
	Lead Sulphide	Mixture of lead and sulphur, more commonly known as Galena
	Level	Horizontal tunnel or passage underground, can also be used as an alternative to Adit
	Low Countries	Principally Holland and Belgium. Old name for the Netherlands.

M	Maker of the Mace	Michael Lloyd was commissioned to make the Scottish Parliamentary Mace, a gift from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
	Malleable	Formable or easily shaped.
	Metamorphic Rock	Pressure 'cooked' rocks altered by heat and pressure within the Earth's crust. One of the most common metamorphic rocks in Britain, is Slate
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O	Ore Dressing	Process of cleaning the ore, removing waste materials and preparing it for smelting.

P	Penny	Pre- decimal currency equal to approximately 1/2 one pence in today's money. There were 12 pennies in one Shilling and 20 Shillings in £1.00
	Pickman
	Pigs	Lead ingots or bars which were the end product of the smelting process.
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R	Rag and Chain Pumps	A simple, one-man-powered pump with a continuous chain with buckets attached which brought water to the surface to be emptied.
	Robert Owen
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S	Scurvy	A disease which was common in sailors of old, when they lacked vitamin C from a diet lacking in fresh fruit and vegetables for long periods.
	Sedimentary Rock	These rocks comprise fragments of rocks or living things. Sandstone is the most common sedimentary rock.
	Shaft	Vertical entrances into mines.
	Shilling	Pre-decimal currency equal to 12 pennies and equivalent to 5p today.
	Sixpence	Pre-decimal currency. A coin worth six pennies equivalent to 2.5p today.
	Smelt Mill	This was the place where the lead ore was heated and the molten lead poured into moulds to create lead ingots or 'pigs'
	Smiddy	Blacksmiths shop where horses shoes were made and fitted
	Sphalerite	Zinc sulphide which is the principal ore of zinc [Zn]. Sphalerite was often called 'black jack', 'resin jack', or 'zinc blende', because of its appearance and the variation in colours. Click here to see an example.
	Stope	Spaces created in the rock where the vein is removed. Stoping is the process of removing the ore vein.
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V	Vein	Vertical or nearly vertical fissure or fault in rock filled with mineral.
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W	Washing	Separating the ore from the waste materials.
	Window Tax	This was a tax levied on windows in 1696 by William III who raised money by taxing windows at the rate of 2 shillings for up to 10 windows; 8 shillings for up to 19 and 10 shillings for houses with more than 20. The tax was repealed in 1851.Many houses had some of their windows bricked up to avoid the tax.
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