The origins of tin production in Cornwall are so ancient that they are undocumented.
Classical writers make reference to Cornwall as a source of tin.
As early as the 1st century BC Diodorus Siculus wrote of tin streaming and lode mining taking place. After the Romans left Britain there are few records of the industry, although its long establishment is mentioned in King John's charter to tinners in 1201. Through the medieval period, technical improvements continued, particularly with the smelting, dressing and crushing processes. The need to go underground tested the ingenuity of the Cornish and they responded accordingly. By the reign of Elizabeth I, there were important tin mines in west Cornwall, and the Truro and St. Austell areas.