Page 78 - GAHS Journal Volume 9

WICKLOW'S INDUSTRIAL HISTORY

Lime stone was burnt in local kilns for distribution on the land
and the remaining smaller pieces from the Erratics were used for
field boundaries. Mention is made of an agricultural society
formed by Earl Fitzwilliam in Tinahely for the advancement of
knowledge and improvement of agricultural methods.

Noted produce was butter from some areas, and strangely,
the milk was otherwise used to feed lambs for the Dublin market,
leading to our well-known Wicklow Lamb.

In 1824 much of
the Erratic boulders
must have been
used up because
the stone cutters set
up in quarries near
Ballyknockan. Other
small quarries were
opened in all parts of
County Wicklow for
single purposes and
then fell into disuse. Figure 5 Ballyknockan Quarry 2016
Some produced products such as roofing slate from slate out-
crops but the principal granite quarry remained in Ballyknockan.

A little earlier, in 1795, gold was discovered near
Glendalough, and there was a brief but significant gold rush until
taken over by the government. In 1798 the works were destroyed
by the insurrection but in 1801 it was reworked systematically
and then eventually abandoned after the mountain in the area
was carefully searched for traces of gold in the rock. None was
found, and the works were finally vacated.

Copper and lead were mined in several places in the east of
the county.
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