This beautiful crystal formation was retrieved from deep within
the New Glencrieff mine at Wanlockhead on the Leadhills ore
field.
A mine worker, Robert Brown rescued the piece from going to the
crusher around 1927. He then sold the crystal to the museum, along
with two other pieces, for the princely sum of £3.
Site of scientific interest
Back in the 1920s, when the Calcite crystal was uncovered, the
mines of Wanlockhead and Leadhills were important sources of
lead.
Now the site is a world-class mineral site and a Site of Special
Scientific Interest, because of the variety and rarity of some of
the minerals that occur there.
The particular conditions of pressure, temperature and acidity
in the Leadhills ore field have created a collection of secondary
lead minerals that is quite unique.
There are a number of mineral species that were first identified
here, such as Leadhillite, Lanarkite, Susannite and Caledonite. The
mineral Macphersonite from Leadhills was named after Harry
MacPherson, Head of Mineralogy at the Museum in 1984.