Newsletter May 2014 - The Area around Lanyon Quoit

Lanyon has become a real area of interest with two mills, an air crash and of course the Madron Patrol base.

The aircraft was a Mosquito during the Second World War; this site has been thoroughly metal detected and we have lifted some interesting pieces. She was a test aircraft known as a Tsetse, designed to carry a 6 pounder gun, but she was not carrying it at the time as we have found 20mm casings, she could not have carried both guns!

The mills and water courses as well as the shafts are being tracked and mapped throughout the valley and at the corn mill there is a quarter section of the water wheel still in situ. We are trying to photograph it but need to clear the wheel pit of stone first. We know the stamping mill dates back to at least 1700 and the corn mill is an ancient site though the building, or ruin, presently standing dates back to 1940. it stopped working when the man working it was found crushed in the workings, his clothes being caught up and dragged in, his name was Robert Penberthy. The mill never worked again.

One of the old shafts on Lanyon moor, 16ft to water, no workings open for exploration at this time.

Remains of the wheel at Lanyon mill, cast iron, present estimate around 15-20ft diameter

We have also found the Madron Auxiliary Unit Operational Base (OB) at a location to "near Lanyon Quoit". The men were Gordon Bolitho, Dick Matthews, Bernard Trewern, Bill Eddy, Fred Noy, Lanyon Thomas and Morley White. Digging and metal detecting is still going on but no real finds, they were thorough in their dismantling. The Unit is described on the next page..

Stuart Emmett