[1] The mine holds the world record for the largest sulphide crystal (measured by both volume and mass), being a sample of galena (PbS) weighing 118kg.

Later in the same century the Earl of Buchan received a licence from King Edward I to dig for lead on the Calf of Man, and when the Isle of Man was granted to Sir John Stanley by King Henry IV in 1406, "mines of lead and iron" were included.

However, in addition the mine yielded zinc, silver, copper pyrites and hematite iron in significant quantities.

Laxey owed its fresh start to a Westmorland man who was in turn licensed for the undertaking by George Murray, 6th Duke of Atholl.

Whilst various minerals were extracted from the mine, lead ore was the main component of the workings, and substances regarded as of lesser value were simply thrown away.

[5] In part payment for their labour, the owners allowed the miners to keep the copper ore which had been extracted, and by the mid 19th century this was being sold for £23 14s 6d per ton.

The wheel was named the Lady Isabella, after the wife of Sir Charles Hope, who at the time was the Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man.

During its working life the wheel was capable of pumping 250 gallons (1100 litres) of water a minute from a depth of 200 fathoms (370 metres).

[6] In 1901 a rich vein of lead was discovered; however during the extraction the workings let loose a large body of water.

By January 1902, although the main ingress had ended, the water level in the mine was still rising by 6 inches (15 cm) daily.

[9] A report by the mining manager at the end of March stated that all workings by then were flooded to the 85 fathom (155 metre) level.

[10] In addition a fixed electrically powered pump was installed at the 255 fathom level which was capable of forcing the water up to the adit in one lift.

The incident was of particular significance as a similar outbreak of fire in the Great Snaefell Mine in 1897 resulted in the deaths of 19 miners.

[1] Prior to the main shift commencing work, a party of men had descended the Welsh Shaft to inspect the joints of the steam pumps which had been put into the mine to assist in purging water, and which were found to be satisfactory.

At approximately 07:00hrs the boiler man at the Welsh Shaft picked up the smell of burning wood and promptly raised the alarm.

Several men volunteered to descend to the level, where they found hot pieces of rock falling from the roof of the shaft.

[13] To the search party it was obvious that the scaffold had collapsed resulting in the men falling into the sump which contained approximately 17 ft (5.2 m) of water.

[13] An Inquest into the deaths of the miners opened on Tuesday 13 December, presided over by the High Bailiff of Castletown, James Gell, who was deputising for Samuel Harris.

Visitors to Laxey Wheel today can view displays about the mine and can venture a short distance into the adit.