A Speleothem Record of Early B ritish and R oman Mining at C harterhouse, M endip, E ngland

The laser ablation ICP–MS transect of a speleothem from GB C ave, close to C harterhouse, M endip H ills, UK , records Pb variations over the past 5 ka. The speleothem record correlates well with the known historical record of lead mining in the district, the principal features of which include: the R oman lead mining peak; the Dark Ages cessation; gradual, episodic revival up to the late 16th century peak; the 17th century collapse and subsequent recovery; and the final short‐lived burst at the end of the 19th century. This correlation supports the assumption that the pre‐ R oman lead record also derives from local mining. Thus, this record is the first example of quantifying ancient human mining activity through trace element signature of a speleothem. This record also provides the first solid evidence of significant pre‐Roman mining activity in the C harterhouse region, and the first solid dating of that activity. This pre‐ R oman mining can be divided into three main peaks dated to 1800–1500 bc , 1100–800 bc and 350–0 bc .