Great Snaefell Mining Company
Corporate brand
UnclaimedThe Great Snaefell Mining Company was a nineteenth-century Isle of Man mining company established to operate the Great Snaefell Mine in Lonan.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
The Great Snaefell Mining Company was a nineteenth-century mining enterprise created to work the Great Snaefell Mine in the parish of Lonan on the Isle of Man. Its mining sett covered approximately 567 acres and had originally formed part of the property operated by the Great Laxey Mining Company. The Snaefell workings lay within, or were surrounded by, the Great Laxey undertaking and followed lodes running broadly parallel with those of the better-known Laxey mines. The property had first been worked by the Great Laxey Mining Company between 1856 and 1864. A separate Snaefell Mine Company subsequently took control, but that enterprise entered liquidation in 1870. Its assets were purchased on 27 April 1870 for £4,000 by James Spittal, Henry Bloom Noble, Thomas Wilson and Alfred Adams. These purchasers formed the Great Snaefell Mining Company in March 1871. The new company was organized as a limited liability undertaking under the English Companies Acts of 1862 and 1867 and the Isle of Man Limited Liability Act 1865. The company began with nominal capital of £25,000 divided into 25,000 shares of £1 each. About half of the shares were taken up by investors associated with the former operator. Its initial board consisted of James Spittal, Henry Noble, William Berey, Thomas Wilson and Alfred Adams. The company maintained offices in Douglas and London, reflecting the connection between the Isle of Man mining industry and metropolitan investment networks. Commercial performance was weak. Through the 1870s and the early 1880s, the mine produced only a limited yield. The Great Snaefell Mining Company was wound up on 31 January 1884. The enterprise was then reorganized as the Snaefell Mining Company, with substantially the same directors remaining involved. The reorganization followed legal advice concerning the company's articles and the transfer and reissue of shares. A further 6,000 shares were issued as part of the arrangement. In 1884, the mine's lease was renegotiated for a further 21 years at an annual royalty of £30. The operation nevertheless remained commercially disappointing. In 1897, the Snaefell Mine suffered a serious underground disaster when a fire at the 130-fathom level caused carbon monoxide poisoning and killed 19 miners. Production difficulties continued, and a major shaft rock fall in 1908 created repair costs considered greater than the value of the company. The mine was closed thereafter and the successor company was wound up. The Great Snaefell Mining Company is therefore chiefly remembered as a short-lived Isle of Man mining corporation and as part of the history of the Snaefell and Laxey mining districts.
History
The Great Snaefell mining property was located in the parish of Lonan on the Isle of Man. Its sett covered about 567 acres and had originally been part of the holdings of the Great Laxey Mining Company. The Snaefell workings were surrounded by the Great Laxey property and followed lodes that ran parallel to the Great Laxey lodes. The property was worked by the Great Laxey Mining Company from 1856 until 1864. After that period, the Snaefell Mine Company was established as a separate operator. That company later went into liquidation in 1870, and its assets were offered for sale. On 27 April 1870, James Spittal, Henry Bloom Noble, Thomas Wilson and Alfred Adams acquired the assets for £4,000. They formed the Great Snaefell Mining Company in March 1871. The new company was incorporated as a limited liability company under the English Companies Acts of 1862 and 1867 and, in the Isle of Man, under the Limited Liability Act 1865. It had nominal capital of £25,000, represented by 25,000 shares valued at £1 each. Approximately half of the shares were taken up by shareholders of the former operator. The board comprised James Spittal, Henry Noble, William Berey, Thomas Wilson and Alfred Adams. Company offices were maintained at 28 Athol Street in Douglas and 26 Nicholas Lane, Lombard Street, London. The mine generated only a very limited yield throughout the 1870s and into the early 1880s. These weak results contributed to the company's winding-up on 31 January 1884. The operation was then re-formed as the Snaefell Mining Company. The directors were essentially the same, and the reorganization followed consultations with Deemster Sherwood and the Isle of Man Attorney General, James Gell. The scheme used provisions in the company's articles relating to the sale and transfer of shares, after which the original shareholders received shares through the new arrangement. The difficulties surrounding the restructuring were eventually resolved, and 6,000 additional shares were issued. By the middle of 1884, the mine lease was close to expiry. It was renegotiated for 21 years at a royalty of £30 per year. The renewed legal tenure did not solve the mine's production and safety problems. In 1897, a fire at the 130-fathom level caused carbon monoxide poisoning and killed 19 miners. Output remained below expectations. In 1908, a major rock fall in the shaft caused damage whose repair cost was considered greater than the company's value. The mine was closed, and the successor company was ultimately wound up.
- 1908
Mine closed after shaft rock fall
[1]A major shaft rock fall made repairs uneconomic relative to the value of the company, leading to closure.
- 1897
Snaefell Mine disaster
[1]A fire at the 130-fathom level caused carbon monoxide poisoning and killed 19 miners.
- 1884
Original company wound up and operation reorganized
[1]The company was wound up on 31 January, after which the operation was re-formed as the Snaefell Mining Company.
- 1884
Mine lease renewed
[1]The lease was renegotiated for 21 years at an annual royalty of £30.
- 1871
Great Snaefell Mining Company established
[1]The purchasers formed the Great Snaefell Mining Company as a limited liability mining enterprise.
- 1870
Snaefell Mine Company enters liquidation
[1]The preceding operator went into liquidation, and its mine assets were offered for sale.
- 1870
Mine assets acquired for £4,000
[1]James Spittal, Henry Bloom Noble, Thomas Wilson and Alfred Adams purchased the assets on 27 April.
- 1864
Separate Snaefell mine operation formed
[1]After the Great Laxey Mining Company ceased working the property, a separate Snaefell Mine Company took control.
- 1856
Initial working under the Great Laxey Mining Company
[1]The Snaefell property was first worked by the Great Laxey Mining Company, which operated it until 1864.
Products and positioning
A limited liability mining company established to develop and operate a substantial mineral property in the Lonan mining district of the Isle of Man.
Mining output · 1871
Great Snaefell Mine ore
The company's principal commercial output was mineral-bearing ore extracted from the Great Snaefell Mine. The available historical account does not identify the specific minerals or provide reliable production totals. The mine's yield was described as very limited during the company's operating period, and the property was ultimately closed after continuing commercial difficulties and serious underground damage.
Brand decisions
1908
Closure following uneconomic shaft damageStrategyBackground
A major rock fall in the mine shaft created a substantial repair requirement after years of weak yields.
Action taken
The company ceased mining because the cost of making the shaft safe and serviceable was considered greater than the value of the company.
Aftermath
The mine remained closed and the successor enterprise was wound up.
1884
Reorganization as the Snaefell Mining CompanyM&ABackground
The original company had produced only a limited yield and was wound up on 31 January 1884. The directors then pursued a restructuring based on provisions in the company's articles concerning the transfer and reissue of shares.
Action taken
The operation was re-formed under the name Snaefell Mining Company. The existing directors remained substantially involved, the share-transfer plan was approved by shareholders, and 6,000 additional shares were issued.
Aftermath
The reorganized company secured a renewed 21-year mine lease in 1884, but production remained below expectations. The mine eventually closed after a major shaft rock fall in 1908, and the company was wound up.
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