Mineral Rights
The English mineral rights system is a major drag on mineral exploration
Severed Mineral Rights
Many mineral rights are severed from surface rights during the transfer from one owner to another. This especially applies to large estates split up after Lloyd George’s budget of 1909 and taxes from the First World War. These rights can be sub-divided; some areas into /64ths.
Some rights of major landowners have been registered with the Land Registry. However many are not
Image shows unregistered areas in green (either surface or minerals) in Land Register in 2022
Duchy of Cornwall (Prince William)
Duchy of Cornwall
Contrary to some opinions, the Duchy of Cornwall does not own all mineral rights but is restricted to areas in the table and in the map below.
| Type | Location | Number |
| Antiqua maneria manors of 1337 | see map below | 17; surface of 6 sold in 1798 |
| Reformation manors (seized by Henry VIII from Priories and Lord Courtenay) | Landuph, Looe, Tregamere etc | |
| Estates bought | Stoke Climsland, Port Eliot(S), Arallas, Duloe, Rialton (Crown) | |
| Mines Royal | all? Dispute with Crown |
Map of Duchy Manors (~1660)
Ancient Manors= Antiquera Manors
Duchy Ownership in Antiquera Manors
| Antiquera Manor Ownership | Minerals | Surface |
| Demesne | Duchy | Duchy |
| Free Tenant | Tenant (enfranchised) | Tenant (enfranchised) |
| Conventionary | Duchy | Tenant enfranchised 1844 |
Duchy Mineral rights were formalised in a Kings Bench case of 1829 and published in Rowe versus Brenton (Walker,1830 London).
Liskeard Manor (mainly Duchy)
Example of mineral rights, comparing 1844 data with Land Register. Liskeard was chosen as it is unimportant for mining.
Other Major Mineral Rights Owners of Interest Cornwall
Other Major Owners
| Family | Minerals | Major Surface owners |
| Beauchamp | Yes | Most sold |
| Basset | Tehidy Minerals/ Cornish Minerals | No |
| Bolitho | Yes | Yes |
| Boscawen (Falmouth) | Yes | Yes, some sold |
| Buller | Sold (Westcountry Minerals) | No |
| Coode | Yes | yes |
| Edgcumbe (Mount Edgcumbe) | Yes | most sold |
| Fortescue | Yes | Boconnoc, St Stephens sold |
| Godolphin (Leeds) | Godolphin Minerals | No |
| Hawkins (Galsworthy) | Yes | Yes |
| Lemon (Tremayne) | Yes | No |
| Pendarves | Yes | No |
| Rashleigh | Menabilly Rashleigh yes; Colman Rashleigh no | Some |
| Robartes | Tehidy Minerals/ Cornish Minerals | Most sold |
| Rodd | Yes | No |
| St Aubyn (St Levan) | Yes | Yes |
| Molesworth-St Aubyn | Westcountry Minerals (Clowance); east, yes | West sold |
| Trelawny | Yes | No |
| Van Grutten (Harris) | ?No | No |
| Vivian (Praed) | Yes | Part |
| Vyvyan | Yes | Some sold |
| Williams | Some sold | Yes |
| Willyams | Yes | Yes |
| Church Commissioners | Yes | No |
| Imerys | Yes | Unused surface sold |