The West Briton and Cornwall Advertiser,
Monday,
10 Jan 1887
Extracted
by Rita Bone Kopp & Julia Mossman OPC's for St Stephen in Brannel & St
Austell
Mr.
KITTOW - The death of my old friend, Mr. Kittow, of Browda, at the genuinely
patriarchal age of 100 years, which he had just overpassed, I believe, by a few
days, recalls all the memories of the ancient glories of South Caradon,
throughout the whole of the prosperous existence of which mine he was either
actually, or, I might almost say, practically -- seeing that he was aided and
succeeded by his nephew, Mr. J. G. DYMOND -- the purser. It was about the year
1835 that one party after another began to drive levels into the Caradon hills,
tempted by the fine gossans, at the spot which has since become known as South
Caradon. They made nothing of it, however, and at length in 1837 a new party
took the matter up, at first, like their predecessors, to be disappointed, but
at length to find that it was only 'the strike of a pick' that came between them
and fortune. The leaders of this lucky band of adventurers were Messrs. T. and
R. Kittow, Mr. J. CLYMO, and Mr. P. Clymo, jun. It was, then, just 50 years ago,
when he had well reached middle life, and when some people think of dropping the
more active forms of business, that Mr. Kittow commenced his prosperous mining
career. Practically he saw the rise and development of the copper mining
industry of the Caradons, and its decline and fall; for, so far as I am aware,
there are only two mines now in operation in the locality which were at work
before this date, and one of these has turned over to the majority, namely,
Stowes, now part of Phoenix sett, and largely productive of tin. The other is
that perennially working, and called Marke Valley, which may be the last of the
Cornish mines left, for all I know – it jogs along with such an even tenour,
neither baffled by serious disappointment, nor perplexed by deserved success.
Mr. Kittow was a man who worked long and well, and earned respect, and even at
100 one is sorry to part with him, though age be at last a burden.