Charterhouse (Roman town)

Charterhouse is a name used for a former Roman-British town, located west of the later village of Charterhouse-on-Mendip in Somerset, England.

[3] The settlement grew up around the north-western edge of prehistoric lead and silver mines, which were exploited by the Romans.

[5] Extraction is thought to have begun as early as AD 49[6] (although the evidence of dateable lead ingots found in the neighbourhood has recently been questioned.

[9] After a short time, the extraction of these metals was contracted out to civilian companies, probably because of low silver content.

[10] Smelting was undertaken on site where industrial workshops have been excavated,[11] and the metal exported along a minor road to the Fosse Way, and probably through a small inland port at nearby Cheddar.