2-319-926 - Peter Thompson/Heritage Images

Magpie Mine, Derbyshire. Magpie Mine, near the village of Sheldon in the Peak District, is an old lead mine. It was first worked in around 1740 but closed for the last time in 1954, although it only operated intermittently from 1835 onwards. It reached the peak of its production in the 1820s after a Newcomen pumping engine was installed to keep the workings free of water. The mine became notoious in 1833 after 24 of its miners were put on trial for murder. The Magpie men and those of the nearby Maypitt mine were both working on the same disputed seam of ore underground, and would light fires in order to try to smoke each other out. One such incident led to three Maypitt miners dying after being overcome by fumes. None of the Magpie workers were convicted, partly owing to the difficulty of ascertaining which individuals were actually responsible. It is said that the widows of the dead Maypitt men laid a curse on the Magpie Mine, leading to its ruin.