Research Notes:

In Feb 1839 T Moyle of Crane was the informant on the death of his father-in-law Francis Vivian of Crane, miner.

In 1841 Thomas Moyle, aged about 35 years, mine agent, and wife Mary, aged about 35 years, were living in Crane, Camborne, Cornwall. With them were children Maryann (15), Thomas (13), Elizabeth (11), Francis (6), John (3), and Henry (1), and Ann Vivian, aged about 60, independent.

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Childrens’ Employment Commission Report of 1842 for Mines in Cornwall and Devon

Report by Charles Barham, Esq., on the Employment of Children and Young Persons in the Mines of Cornwall and Devonshire, and on the State, Condition and Treatment of such Children and Young Persons.
Name Age Mine Parish Task Page

Moyle Thomas 37 Trevascus Camborne Mine agent 51,112

From pp. 111-112 of the Commission Report (Questions in bold type)....

Tin and Copper Mine, TREVASCUS.

No.48. Mr. Thomas Moyle, 37 years old. Examined at Camborne, March 25th., 1841. He is the underground agent at Trevascus. The produce is tin and copper. There are about 60 employed underground of whom five are boys and 9 men and 45 boys and girls at surface work. The mine returns about £300 a month. He has been at that mine ever since she has been worked. This is about five years. He went to work at Stamps at the age of about 7 and went underground at about 14. He has always been in this neighbourhood, except during two years. when he was in the lead mines in Perran. The depth of Trevascus is 110 fathoms from the surface, She is the wettest mine he has ever known an is well ventilated and is in killas. Before she was now worked the mine had been left for 50 years. The former workings had not gone below the 40 fathom level.
Has any change taken place within your recollection in the ages at which children go to work, or in the nature of their employment at the mines? - I think they did not go to work, so early as formerly, and that a younger set are employed at the same work. They also seem to be to be smaller for their age and the men as well are smaller, I think.
What are the hours of work at your mine? - From 7 to 5. Half an hour is allowed for dinner, no other time for eating. No difference is made with respect to age in this.
Is there any method practised by which the hours of labour are reduced? - Tasks are sometimes set, but not often, which may be finished before the usual hour of closing.
When this is the case, do the children often make up extra time by working afterwards? Very seldom, not once in a hundred times.
Is work ever done on the surface after the regular hours of closing? - No. except by the landers, who are men.
Is any difference made according to age in the time of underground labour? - None. except that now and then wheeling a certain quantity of stuff is given the boys as task work.
How frequently do you think the boys underground work beyond their regular course in your mine? - Twice or three times in a month perhaps. Out mine is very wet and they cannot stay so long as in the dry ones. I remember, myself, when about 15, I used to stay once or twice a month for three 12 hour courses in succession, merely coming to the surface for a short time between each stem of 12 hours to take some food. At that time nobody took any down with them and the feeling of exhaustion was very great and this was done by many of the same age at that time, in that mine, North Roscear and others. I was much fatigued at the end of the time that when I got home to bed I often found it impossible to get to sleep for hours. This is not done at Trevascus, and I do not know that it is done anywhere now.
Is this working overtime entirely at the choice of boys and girls? - Yes, they generally have for pocket money what they earn at these odd hours.
Is there any necessity or this working overtime as regards the welfare of the mine? - No, it is done for the purpose of earning more, except now and then on occasion of some accident.
Is any difference made with respect to age between night and day work? - None whatever.
Have any changes in any of these particulars been made within your knowledge? - About 25 years ago it was usual for the tutworkmen to work only six hour courses.
Would it be particularly injurious to the interests of the mine to forbid the working of boys underground before they were 16 years of age? - It would be too expensive to employ boys of 16 and upwards to do the light work underground.
Would it be practicable to dismiss those under from 14 from work an hour earlier than is now done? - There would be no particular difficulty in the underground boys leaving work after six hours. The surface boys under 14 being generally, employed in preparing work for the older ones, it would not be easy to dismiss them earlier, but it might, no doubt, be very often managed, perhaps twice or three times a week. No time allowed for crowst (lunch) in this neighbourhood. All the work is suspended during dinner time. They eat it in parties, boys together and laidens together, about the mine. They are not in the habit of washing or changing their dress before dinner.
What is the earliest employment of boys underground and to what work are they brought in succession? - The first is rolling that is wheeling the stuff from the place where the men are working. They are afterwards employed in holding and then in taking a turn at beating the borers, after this they take men’s places.
At what work are they first much exposed to poor air? - When filling the barrow in a dead end in driving a level, they are exposed, but only for a short time to poor air.
Is any superintendence exercised as to the employment of boys who are weakly or very young in unfavourable situations? - No, nothing more than a passing remark for the agent is such a thing is observed. There is no authority to interfere.
What is the succession on surface work at your mine? - Boys are not much employed at Trevascus at grass, except at the stamps. Picking, cobbing, jigging, spalling and griddling are each in order perhaps harder work that before it. Sheds are provided for the girls to do much of their work in. He has not found that the underground boys fall off from their work. There has never been a death from accident since the mine has been working and only one broken limb. No accident has happened to the children. Good Friday and Christmas Day are now the only holidays. There used to be many in the year.

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Not with his family at the time of the 1851 Census, though his wife Mary was called "married" at that time.

Place and date of death of Thomas MOYLE (jr) has yet to be established. The family tradition has it, however, that Thomas died in a mining accident in Cornwall in the decade preceding the emigration of his wife and children to South Australia.