The publication, titled A History of Quakers and the Lead Mining Industry of the North Pennines, was authored by a member of the Allendale Quaker Meeting.
The North Pennines National Landscape’s Land of Lead and Silver project supported the venture.
This project aims to preserve and celebrate the mining heritage of the Northern Pennines, where the Quaker movement originally took root.
The research for the book was carried out by Quakers from the Allendale Meeting in the area, who braved the fells with packhorses and snowy winter walks across the moors above Nenthead.
The book was launched on August 23, during a weekend of celebrations marking the 200th anniversary of the construction of Nenthead Mining Village by the London Lead Company in 1825.
The narrative delves into the lives of Quakers from Allendale, Nenthead, and Alston, who were engaged in the lead mining industry in the area as miners, managers, and suppliers in the 18th century.
The book also examines the involvement of Quakers in the early 18th century slave trade and their role in the South Sea bubble scandal.
During Isaac Newton’s tenure as master of the Royal Mint, silver from the Quaker company’s Alston Moor mines was used to produce silver shillings.
These unique coins, stamped with the company’s Rose and Plumes symbol, are referred to as Quaker Shillings.
The book also recounts the story of Charles Alsopp, a Quaker who lived at Broadwoodhall, Allendale, and William Westgarth of Coalcleugh, near Ninebanks, who invented a hydraulic engine to drain the deep mines.
Published by the Independent Publishers Network, the book is available in softback format for £8.