The Tinners Rabbits

On my desk I have this block of tin molded with the symbol of the "Tinners Rabbits"

The symbol of the three rabbits can be found in the roof bosses of many Dartmoors churches and was said to have been used as a sort of emblem by the Dartmoor Tinners. It is thought to have been placed there to indicate that the church had benefited from money donated by the tinners, who were in the 15th century very wealthy men

It was given to me by my wife several years ago and is one of a limited edition made by a local firm from an ingot of Cornish tin that was recovered from a sunken wreck off the Cornish coast. Tin is very heavy and this one measures 6 x 6 x 1.5 cm yet weighs 500g

Far from being a symbol originating in Devon, the oldest findings of them comes from China in the 6th - 7th century and there are records of them being found all over the world and their history is a story in itself.

To me it is my own little piece of mining history and the men who worked in the mines.