Bibliography - Jonathan Prus
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Charcoal Production in Woodland around the Blast Furnace at Darwell in East Sussex, by Jonathan Prus, published 2005 in Wealden Iron Research Group (Second Series No. 25, article, pp.25-37, ISSN: 0266-4402) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/506572]   Download PDF

Seventy-seven charcoal burning platforms have been identified in the woodland surrounding Darwell Furnace near Brightling in East Sussex (Cleere and Crossley, 1995. p.328). Although there is no direct evidence linking these platforms to the furnace, the later energy-hungry industries in the area (lime-burning and brick-making) are more likely to have used wood as a fuel, and later, coal (Beswick, 2001). There is only one place (TQ 6932 2072) within the woodland investigated with any bloomery slag, so it is unlikely that charcoal burning on this scale was associated with bloomeries. One platform (at TQ 7074 2021) is cut by what appear to be mine pits, placing those pits at a date after that platform was last used.

An Experiment to test Alternative Conjectures about the Covers of Ore-roasting Pits, by Jonathan Prus and Brian Herbert, published 2007 in Wealden Iron Research Group (Second Series No. 27, article, pp.6-10, ISSN: 0266-4402) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/506574]   Download PDF

The ballistic properties of roasting siderite iron ore suggest that ore-roasting pits must have been covered during use. In the absence of archaeological evidence, the experiment described here was designed to test the alternative conjectures that such pits were covered with either mud or with green vegetation.

Some operating characteristics of Wealden iron industry water-wheels, bellows and tuyere, by Jonathan Prus, published 2010 in Wealden Iron Research Group (Second Series No. 30, article, pp.36-43, ISSN: 0266-4402) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/506577]   Download PDF

The power delivered by Wealden iron industry waterwheels may not have exceeded 300 Watts, very little by modern standards. The data that lead to this assessment are archaeological and historical but they are limited in scope and number. However, the maximum and minimum power ratings are tightly constrained by other data that are more easily checked, notably by the chemistry of blast furnace operation (which provides minima) and by human physiology (which provides power maxima).

The Wealden 'Double Tuyere', by Jonathan Prus, published 2011 in Wealden Iron Research Group (Second Series No. 31, article, pp.9-17, ISSN: 0266-4402) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/506578]   Download PDF

In 1963 Henry Cleere described a 'double tuyere' found in association with a bloomery furnace. This artefact may be regarded as the typespecimen for a number of similar finds made in the decades since. The purpose of this note is to highlight some problems with the interpretation of this class of object.

Some operating characteristics of Wealden iron industry water-wheels, bellows and tuyere: addendum, by J. Prus, published 2013 in Wealden Iron Research Group (Second Series No. 33, article, pp.20-22, ISSN: 0266-4402) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/507841]   Download PDF

It was argued in a previous paper (Prus 2010) that the power output of Wealden ironworks waterwheels may not have exceeded 300 Watts. The argument was based on indirect evidence from the archaeology, the available historical descriptions, minimum power requirement of the bellows and from the likely power output of two men when foot-power was used in the absence of sufficient water.
There is an additional line of evidence that establishes beyond reasonable doubt the small power outputs of some blast furnace waterwheels. This evidence comes from calculating water throughput in the relevant catchment area. A small proportion of the known blast furnace sites are sited quite close to stream sources. One of these sites (Warbleton Priory) has been studied in detail.