Posted by Owen Roberts on May 27, 2011 at 16:02:09 user OwenRoberts.
In Reply to: Re: Gold in the Hills posted by Tom Napier on May 27, 2011 at 05:34:54:
Unless there is specific evidence to the contrary, all land is presumed to belong to the Crown.
In any case, no matter who owns the land, gold and silver belongs to the Crown.
The SAD mining company would have to establish who owned the land, in those days it might have been the estate of some Duke – nowadays more likely the National Trust. They would have to agree a licence to extract the copper with the land owner for the payment of a royalty to the land owner. (It should also be noted that the landowner may not own the mineral rights – but these could held by another party).
Nowadays such workings would also be the subject of planning permission which might veto any mineral extraction in an area of outstanding national beauty or special scientific interest.
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