Dud Dudley in his book Metallum Martis, 1665, says, that having been taken from Baliol Coltege, Oxford, where he was then a student, in 1619, "to look and manage 3 iron works of my fathers, 1 furnace, and 2 forges, in the Chase of Pensnet, in Worcester-shire, but Wood and Charcole, growing then scant, and Pit-coles in great quantities abounding near the furnace, did induce me to alter my furnace, and to attempt by my new invention, the making of iron with pit-cole, assuring myself in my invention, the loss to me could not be greater then others, not so great, although my success should prove fruitless; but I found such success at first tryal animated me, for at my tryal or blast I made iron to profit with pit-cole, and found Facere est adder e Inventioni." * * *
"After I had made a second blast and tryal the fesibility of making iron with pit" cole and sea-cole I found by my new invention, the quality to be good and profitable, but the quantity did not exceed above 3 tuns per week."
A patent for smelting iron ore by pit or sea coal was granted to Dud Dudley in 1619. In the year following his works were swept away by a great flood, known for long afterwards as the May day flood.
We, however, find Dud Dudley stating that the works were repaired, and that he "made annually great store of iron, good and merchantable, and sold it to divers men, yet living (1665) at twelve pounds per tun." Making "all sorts of cast iron wares, as "brewing-cysterns, pots, morters, and better and cheaper than any yet were made in these nations with charcoles." Subsequently we find him smelting with pit-cole at Himley Furnace, Staffordshire, having been "ooted of his works and inventions before-mentioned by the ironmasters and others wrongfully," and again at Hasco-Bridge in the parish of Sedgley, Staffordshire, making seven tons of iron per week—
"the greatest quantity of pit-cole iron that ever yet was made in Great Britain. Dud Dudley's works were riotously destroyed, and he himself by adhering to the royal cause became utterly ruined.
As respects the prices of the iron made by Dud Dudley, he states that "he did sell pig or cast iron made with pit-cole at four pounds per tun, many tuns, in the twentieth year of King James with good profit." He further says—"The author did sell bar iron good and merchantable, at twelve pounds per tun and under, but since bar iron hath been sold for the most part ever since at 15l., 16l., 17l. and 18l. per tun by charcoal iron masters."—Metallum Martis, p. 32.
Note on the Coal Raised and Iron made in 1858 in South Staffordshire. By Robert Hunt, F.R.S., Keeper of Mining Records.
The quantity of Coal raised in South Staffordshire was 4,995,780 tons; the present value of which may be regarded as 1,248,945l. sterling.
The quantity of coal required for calcining and for smelting the iron ore is at the rate of about three tons of coal for one ton of iron, or about 1,793,427 tons were employed in 1858 for that purpose. This is exclusive of the coal required for the manufacture of bar iron, &c.
The quantity of ironstone raised from the South Staffordshire coal measures, was about 959,000 tons; the average production of iron from this ironstone ore being about 33 per cent.
In addition to this ore, the following and some other ironstones were consumed in South Staffordshire:—
| From North Staffordshire:— | Tons. |
| Sent by railway, iron ore, calcined | 76,367 |
| Sent by„ railway„ iorn„ ore„ uncalcined | 5,797. |
| Sent by canal iorn„ ore„ calcined | 135,861 |
| Sent by„ canal„ iorn„ ore„ uncalcined - - 79,327 | |
| From Lancashire and Cumberland, about | 30,000 |
| From„ Forest of Dean, about | 13,000 |
| From„ Northamptonshire and other places, about | 50,000 |
| 400,352 |
