Mining in Cornwall and Devon tin was found as alluvial deposits of cassiterite in the gravels of stream beds. Eventually tin was mined underground; underground mines sprang up as early as the 16th century. Tin lodes were also found in outcroppings of cliffs. Tin is one of the earliest metals to have been exploited in Britain. Chalcolithic metal workers discovered that by putting a small proportion of tin (5 – 20%) in molten copper, the alloy bronze was produced. The alloy is harder than copper. The oldest production of tin-bronze is in Turkey about 3500 BC, but exploitation of the tin resources in Britain is
Fish and Tin and Copper Fish and Tin and Copper Fish and Tin and Copper is a traditional folk song/ballad associated with Cornwall, and dealing with the legend of the devil ("Old Nick") visiting Cornwall and being frightened away, fearing that he'd be made into a Cornish pasty filling. It used to be said that the devil never came to Cornwall: he once reached Torpoint and immediately noticed that various kinds of pie were customary; he feared that devilly pie might be the next kind so returned to Devon. The title comes from the three primary industries of Cornwall, Fish, Tin, and Copper. The reference