Sir John Gardner Wilkinson and the Dolaucothi Gold Mines

Sir John Gardner Wilkinson and the Dolaucothi Gold Mines

Lily took part in a one-week curatorial research micro-internship in June 2024, hosted by the University of Oxford National Trust Partnership team and co-supervised by the National Trust.

Map of the Ogofau mines by Gardner Wilkinson. Briggs, C.S. 2009: ‘Some Preliminary Observations on Sir John Gardner Wilkinson’s Survey of the Ogofau Gold Mines, Dolaucothi, of 1868’ in James, H. & Moore, P. Carmarthenshire & beyond: studies in history and archaeology in memory of Terry James. S.l: Carmarthenshire Antiquarian Society, 137.

In my week of curatorial research for the National Trust Partnership micro-internship, I was tasked with researching the collection of letters and watercolours created by the Egyptologist Sir John Gardner Wilkinson – specifically his works on the ancient Dolaucothi mines in Carmarthenshire, South Wales. The National Trust team at Dolaucothi have obtained a copy of Gardner Wilkinson's survey of the ‘Ogofau’, which is now displayed for visitors. I spent many of the first few days researching historical mining techniques, combing through 19th-century watercolour topographical maps, and deciphering letters of correspondence in the Bodleian libraries.

My finished report records the images of Wilkinson’s watercolours depicting artefacts from Welsh sites, and the letters between Gardner Wilkinson and the Johnes family who were the owners of the Dolaucothi estate and fellow ‘antiquarians’.

 The research produced from this project will contribute to the displays at the National Trust site at Dolaucothi, providing an insight into the 19th-century antiquarian boom in South Wales. Gardner Wilkinson’s collections demonstrate historical attempts at heritage preservation. They may help us to reimagine the configuration of the only Roman gold mines in Britain before they were exploited on a larger scale at the turn of the century.

 The Dolaucothi gold mines, heavily worked before Roman involvement around 70 CE, were likely expanded by the Romans who introduced sophisticated hydraulic systems. However, although a nearby Roman fort suggests military participation in the mining, direct evidence for Roman involvement mining remains elusive.

Interest in Dolaucothi’s Roman connections dates back to 1695, with early mentions in Britannia and observations by Sir Joseph Banks after the excavation nearby of luxurious gold jewellery. Local 19th-century folklore also claimed ties to Roman ancestry, with one scholar citing a contemporary villager with the name Paulinus, reflecting a deep and enduring regional fascination with Dolaucothi’s ancient Roman past.

After living in Tenby, he and his botanist wife Lady Catherine Wilkinson moved to the Gower peninsula, allowing Wilkinson to channel his interests into ancient British remains. His work, including private sketches and articles on Welsh archaeology, reflects a deep curiosity about Southern Wales, enriched by his wife’s ties to Lady Llanover, a pioneer and patron of the Welsh arts.

 A few years before the Ogofau maps were created, Gardner Wilkinson discussed the mines and the Roman presence in Wales in a publication on ancient Welsh monuments. He noted that the gold mines, crudely excavated by the Britons, were later worked by the Romans, who employed systematic tunnelling to access quartz veins containing ore. The Ogofau mines in Dolaucothi, according to Wilkinson, exemplify this contrast between British and Roman mining techniques, with remnants of a Roman town and a villa indicating organized operations similar to those found in Egyptian quarries that he had previously studied and mapped out.

His sketches of the finds at Dolaucothi, likely dating to 1854-59, may coincide with his 1855 visit to the Johnes household where items were displayed and drawn for publishing by one of the daughters, Betha Johnes.

Photos of the sketches of the Dolaucothi Jewellery by Gardner Wilkinson taken by Lily Makin. Bodleian MS Gardner Wilkinson, ep. d. 36, fol. 24.

During the years that Sir Gardner Wilkinson and his wife lived in the Gower, his health steadily declined, leading him to refer to himself as an invalid in his notebooks. From 1864 onward, his archaeological notes became sparse and his handwriting deteriorated, as seen in his letters at the Bodleian Library. By 1869, his illness severely limited his mobility, preventing him from attending the reading of his paper on Arthur’s Stone in the Gower, despite his recent appointment as vice-president of the Cambrian Archaeological Association.

His deteriorating condition is evident in inscriptions on the back of the Ogofau maps, dated October 28, 1868, in which he made arrangements for their publication after his death. Despite his poor health, the detailed measurements and observations on the Ogofau maps (some of which do not appear in previous surveys) suggest that Wilkinson personally traversed the terrain despite his ill state. However, a misidentification of some structures – like the Melin-y-Milwyr – may indicate either his absence during some surveys or a common error at the time.

It is possible that Wilkinson worked on the maps earlier, closer to the time of his watercolour sketches. However, the timing of the maps coincides with John Johnes' commencement of large-scale mining at Ogofau which Wilkinson, with his close personal ties to the Johnes family, would have known about. Both Wilkinson and the Johnes family had a strong interest in preserving Wales’ ancient history. Wilkinson's dedication to preservation is also evident in his 1867 campaign to save Tenby’s medieval gates from demolition.

Although the Ogofau maps may have been intended for the Cambrian Archaeological Association after Wilkinson's death, their primary purpose was likely to document the site before it was lost to industrialization. In a letter by Caroline Wilkinson, she suggests that his map of the Gower was created for personal knowledge rather than for publication. Despite his efforts to preserve Welsh monuments, Wilkinson’s collections were not accessible to the public and his dismissive remark about the Cymru as a ‘wicked and cannibal race’ in a letter to Betha Johnes reflects a biased view of Welsh history.

Lily Makin has recently graduated with a degree in Classical Archaeology and Ancient History from Oxford University where she took a special interest in scientific methods of archaeology, paleodiet, Roman Britain, and ancient jewellery.