Those with research interests in the Wealden iron industry are advised, in the first instance, to consult the standard reference work (26.5Mb), The Iron Industry of the Weald
An older standard work is Wealden Iron, by Ernest Straker, originally published in 1931. Although inaccurate in some respects and largely superseded by The Iron Industry of the Weald, its gazetteer is still useful. A searchable pdf of Wealden Iron can be downloaded online (119Mb file). The earliest writing on the industry is the Historical and Archaeological Notices of the Iron Works of the County of Sussex by Mark Antony Lower which was published in Volume 2 of the Sussex Archaeological Collections in 1849. A monograph, The historical geography of the Wealden iron industry, by Mary Cecilia Delany, pub. 1921, draws heavily on Lower’s work and subsequent writers. It can also be read online.
More specific research enquiries may be directed to members who have specific interests with an email link below or by emailing HERE
THE ROBERTSBRIDGE PROJECT
A research project to investigate the sites and resources associated with the furnace, forge and steelworks at Robertsbridge in East Sussex. For further details follow this link.
MEMBERS’ RESEARCH INTERESTS
This is the beginning of what is hoped will be a comprehensive list of members’ interests; it will be added to over the coming months and years. These members will be pleased to make contact with people having similar interests or who have enquiries on their area of interest. If you have a particular research interested connected with the Wealden iron industry and would like your name and interest added to the table below please contact the Editor
| Subject | Member |
|---|---|
| Air supply problems in furnaces Iron ore mining | Jonathan Prus |
| Biographical research | Alan Hayward |
| Biographical research (Kent) Edged tool industry, Kent Weald | Tony Singleton |
| Cast-iron firebacks 18th century Wealden iron industry | Jeremy Hodgkinson |
| Handcross blast furnace and ironworks (NT Nymans estate) and Challoner interests. Photography, eg artefact photography, recording digs, sites, etc. | Keith Mason |
| Hepden family connections to iron sites in Wadhurst/Burwash area | Ken Jones |
| Iron industry in England and Wales generally | Peter King |
| Iron workers in West Hoathly area Leonard family in Sussex and connections with iron industry in New England and New Jersey | Christopher Thompson |
| Landscape Archaeology, Landscape Surveying, prehistoric landscapes, development of Wealden settlements | Judie English |
| Romano-british bloomeries on the southern side of the High Weald; possible relationships with historic routeways in Danehill, Fletching, Ashdown and Sheffield forest areas; iron related field names | (Mrs) Gerry Crawshaw |
| Gaining better understanding of the past by using business or technical modelling and themic analysis methods on historical records and information. | Alan Davies |
| Experimental bloomery smelting | Tim Smith |
Any other enquiries can be made by emailing HERE
RESEARCH THESES
The following pieces of original research on aspects of the Wealden iron industry are available in full.
Click on the links to view details and to access the texts.
THE IRON INDUSTRY OF ROMAN BRITAIN
by Henry F Cleere
PhD Thesis, University of London, 1981
THE IRON INDUSTRY IN THE WEALD IN THE PERIOD OF THE SEVEN YEARS’ WAR, 1750-1770
by Jeremy Hodgkinson
MA Dissertation, University of Brighton, 1993
THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATIONS OF ROMANO-BRITISH IRON PRODUCTION IN THE WEALD
by Jaime Kaminski
PhD Thesis, University of Reading, 1995
ORGANISATION OF ROMAN IRON PRODUCTION IN THE WEALD
by Ethan Greenwood
PhD Thesis, University of Exeter, 2021
THE MEDIEVAL IRON INDUSTRY OF THE WEALD
by Jack Cranfield
PhD Thesis, University of Exeter, 2023
RIOTS AND THE WEALDEN IRON INDUSTRY IN SIXTEENTH-CENTURY SUSSEX
by Rob Selvey-Clinton
MSc Dissertation, Brasenose College, University of Oxford, 2023
Other Theses:
The British Library hosts the Electronic Theses Online Service (EThOS) an index of academic theses – some of which are relevant to the Wealden Iron Industry, notably:
“The Wealden iron industry” by Margaret Richards, University of London, 1924
“Iron: Aspects of the industry during the Iron Age and Romano-British periods” by Rodney Clough, University of London, 1986
“Wealden gunfounding in the sixteenth century with reference to Ralph Hogge and other leading producers” by Edmund Teesdale, Brighton Polytechnic, 1987
“The iron trade in England and Wales 1500-1815: the charcoal iron industry and its transition to coke”, by Peter King, University of Wolverhampton, 2003
© Wealden Iron Research Group 2000-25.