Prior to its re-opening by a working miner in 1856 the site was apparently unrecognised as a mine. Instead local legend referred to this hole as being “haunted by ghosts, hobgoblins and fairies, who played occasional pranks on old crones and timid maids who passed by at night”. A number of artefacts including small “Celts”, a short pick and a “boulder stone..with a withy twisted round it for a handle” were recovered from the working before mining ceased sometime around 1869.

In 1996 the location of the ancient spoil mound was identified following the discovery of several stone mining tools within the outcast of a badger’s set. The site was surveyed and excavated the following year and charcoal recovered from these layers has now been dated to between 1890 and 1630 yrs cal BC.

The cobbles used as hammer stones at the mine are largely of igneous origin, the nearest source for these being Tonfanau beach north of Tywyn (Timberlake & Mason 1997).

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Photograph of excavation and survey work in 1996.

(S. Timberlake)

Plan of Ogof Wyddon site and trenches. (B. Craddock and Simon Timberlake)