185:, South Africa, at the age of 26. Oats left for South Africa on a 20-month mission in January 1875. The colony's government had recently passed ordinances in favour of small miners which prevented mine concession owners from imposing excessive rentals on the diggers and shopkeepers, and did not allow an individual or company to hold more than ten claims. The British government had overridden some of these measures. The proprietors continued to accumulate claims and raise rents, causing mounting unrest. Oats, as Provincial Engineer, gave the decisive opinion that "fostering a large number of individual holdings is most adverse to economy of working. Oats made it clear that the restriction on the number of claims would be an obstacle to obtaining foreign capital. He wrote of the 10 claim limit,
305:
which naturally does not find a sale in circumstances like those that we face today. We are perforce compelled to mark time. We have faith that things will eventually right themselves, and that our product will again be in demand. But today we have to face the fact that no demand exists. We have therefore to ask ourselves, shall we go on working without selling diamonds? I need scarcely tell you that the position has been very anxiously discussed. There have been differences of opinion among the
Directors but in the end we came to the conclusion that while this state of things lasted we must as far as possible confine ourselves to marking time, and not further increase the stock of unsold diamonds already on hand.
285:
203:
321:
219:, obtained control of Victoria company in 1887 using financing from Stow and Jules Porges & Co., who began quiet purchases of Victoria shares early in 1887, and obtained most of its share capital for £57,000. On learning this and that the Victoria claims were surrounded by De Beers mergers, Oats and R. Hinrichson, directors of Victoria, agreed to amalgamate in April 1887 in exchange for scrip and stock with nominal value of £445,000 plus other assets. Both Oats and Hinrichson became directors of De Beers.
273:
willing to buy diamonds at all. ... There have been numerous discoveries of alleged mines in all parts of the world, but none of them have come to the serious production stage except German S.W. Africa where a discovery has been made of some superficial deposits of diamonds, but fortunately for our prices, these, singularly enough, are all small in size." Oats was making a serious error in discounting the German discovery, which had large and high quality diamonds, and dismissing
227:
1245:
356:. He tried to modernise the tin mine at St Just by sinking a new vertical shaft so that ore could be raised direct from the lower levels to the surface, a project that seemed even then to be uneconomical. His large investments in mining in Cornwall were misguided, since the industry would collapse after his death.
304:
Today we are onlookers at the greatest crisis the world has ever known. As to how long that crisis may continue we can have no foreknowledge. I have to tell you, however, that since the declaration of war we have sold no diamonds at all. We have to recognise that we are a company producing a luxury,
272:
In 1908, Oats was appointed chairman of De Beers. That year he told the company's annual general meeting, "Really, if one could believe all the stories which have been circulating about the discovery of new mines and methods for the artificial making of diamonds, it would be a marvel that people are
263:
near
Kimberley. Lemoine was arrested on charges of fraud on 11 December? 1907. In 1908, a Parisian jeweller said he had sold Lemoine some small, uncut diamonds from the Jagersfontein mine that matched the description of the diamonds Lemoine was supposed to have manufactured. Lemoine fled the country
152:, seven miles away, to attend evening classes so he could become a mining engineer. At the age of 17, Oats placed second in the mineralogy examination for the British Isles, and obtained a high grade in mining, a subject in which he had not been instructed. He was offered free tuition at the London
258:
in Paris with three others, and saw
Lemoine (stark naked to show he had nothing hidden) mix substances in a crucible, heat it in a huge furnace, and produce tiny diamonds. Oats demanded repeats of the experiment, and remained sceptical of some trick, saying the diamonds were too close in colour and
238:
There were many
Cornish miners at Kimberley, particularly as the mines became deeper and their skills in mining hard rock became more important. Oats did his best for these miners. He insisted that De Beers give each miner a yearly paid holiday in Cornwall. He also forced adoption of water hydrants
189:
The local capitalist knows very well how to evade the law, and it is done over and over again, whilst the claimholder who disposes of his ground suffers an injustice through the ground not realizing as much as it would undoubtedly had the home or foreign capitalist legitimate means of competing for
222:
By the start of 1890, De Beers had an effective monopoly on the South
African diamond trade. The poorer mines had been closed and production reduced to push up the price of diamonds. The Wesselton Mine was discovered late in 1890. The De Beers directors were unwilling to buy the mine, but were
33:
167:
district. He married
Elizabeth Ann Olds on 17 August 1874, in St Just in Penwith, daughter of a butcher. Two of their children died in infancy. Their surviving children were Francis Freathey (b. 1879), Wilfred (b. 1883), Giles (b. 1885) and Marie Elise (b. 1887).
363:
designed as a gentleman's residence that was completed in 1909. He does not seem to have spent much time there, perhaps due to the length of the journey from South Africa. The terraces of the garden are above the north side of
214:
In May 1877 Oats was asked to take a position in
Kimberley, which he accepted. The job was to run the Kimberley mines for Baring-Gould and Atkins Co. In 1883, he joined the Victoria Mine company. De Beers Mining, headed by
317:, Eastern Cape, South Africa. He was survived by his widow, daughter and three sons. The Francis Oats House, a hostel for pupils at the Kimberley Boys' High School, was built in 1920 and was still in use in 2016.
300:(1914–18). Francis Oats said the 1,000 men employed at the mines would be given half pay until the end of January 1915, when the company would decide what to do next. He said of the closure,
372:
cut into the cliff for the St Just Mine. His son made
Porthledden into a hotel, but it did not succeed. It was sold in the 1950s to pay off family debts, and later fell into disrepair.
144:. His parents were Francis Oats (1794–1871) and Maria Rundle (1810–97). His father was a farmer. His younger sister Maria was born in 1850. The family moved to
811:
148:, a mining district, about 1854. Like most young men in the district Oats became a miner when he left school, but every week he would walk to
1216:
251:
in 1899, Oats was a member of the
Civilian Defence Force. In 1901, Francis Oats and his son Francis Freathy Oats visited South America.
1037:
Newbury, Colin (Spring 1987), "Technology, Capital, and
Consolidation: The Performance of De Beers Mining Company Limited, 1880–1889",
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778:
1172:
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919:
873:
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the ground, for no one will be found to invest money in a mine (away from the place) under such a paltry restriction.
128:
industry, which collapsed after he had died. He is known for Porthledden, a mansion he built at the tip of Cornwall.
1141:
223:
reluctantly persuaded after Oats had investigated it and described the damage it could do to diamond prices.
284:
1308:
971:
Keane, Patrick (October 1974), "Adult Education and the Cornish Miner: A Study in Victorian Initiative",
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243:. He became president of the Cornish Association at Kimberley. Oats was elected to represent
153:
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979:(3), Taylor & Francis, Ltd. on behalf of the Society for Educational Studies: 261–291,
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8:
1188:
Turrell, Rob (April 1981), "The 1875 Black Flag Revolt on the Kimberley Diamond Fields",
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The Kimberley diamond mines were shut down on 8 August 1914, soon after the start of
1197:
1046:
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816:
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835:
617:
288:
Memorial in St Just church to Francis Oats and to his three grandsons who died in
1250:
890:
248:
181:
On 9 December 1874, Oats was appointed Cape Colony Government Mining Engineer at
801:
Brooke, Justin (September 2004). "The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography".
820:
314:
160:
117:
75:
1201:
159:
Francis Oats was first appointed Mine Agent in 1871. He was mining captain at
1282:
1262:
Tin and Diamonds: a Fortune in the Making: The Life and Times of Francis Oats
1122:
360:
325:
254:
Oats became known as an authority on diamonds. In December 1906 Oats visited
1215:
437:
309:
In May 1916, the Wesselton Mine and Bultfontein Mine were reopened, but the
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Oats arranged for construction of Porthledden, a 21-bedroom mansion in
247:
in the South African parliament, holding office until 1907. During the
125:
1121:
1002:
The Imperial Factor in South Africa: A Study in Politics and Economics
628:
156:
but would have to pay his expenses, and no scholarship was available.
815:(online ed.). Oxford University Press. pp. ref:odnb/47736.
240:
164:
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984:
805:
Oats, Francis (1848–1918), mining engineer and authority on diamonds
687:
685:
743:
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310:
207:
149:
121:
104:
1123:"Porthledden: Built by Captain Francis Oats; Chairman of De Beers"
682:
353:
136:
Francis Oats was born on 29 October 1848, at South Torfrey Farm,
1076:
The Cornish Overseas: A History of Cornwall's 'great Emigration'
738:
935:
454:
452:
450:
448:
446:
313:
had closed for good. Francis Oats died on 1 September 1918, in
194:
Oats resumed his position at Botallack as soon as he returned.
137:
56:
32:
281:, which was producing more than the total output of De Beers.
124:
diamond company. He made extensive investments in the Cornish
593:
581:
443:
239:
to lay the dust created by mining drills, the main cause of
911:
Glitter & Greed: The Secret World of the Diamond Cartel
369:
726:
704:
702:
700:
368:
at Cape Cornwall. On the south side of the cove there are
1108:
1045:(1), The President and Fellows of Harvard College: 1–42,
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336:
On a visit back to Cornwall, Oats bought shares in the
865:
Speculators and Patriots: Essays in Business Biography
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163:. For a while Oats also gave science classes in the
1164:
Grand Dukes and Diamonds: The Wernhers of Luton Hoo
670:
479:
464:
348:mines. At the time of his death he was chairman of
802:
634:
491:
140:, near Fowey, Cornwall, England, in the parish of
753:
401:
1280:
861:
599:
587:
1217:"Unsung mining hero's life celebrated in book"
1019:"8 August 1914, The De Beers mines close down"
934:
907:
732:
691:
230:Searchlight at the Wesselton Mine during the
176:
1259:
954:"Priest's Cove at Cape Cornwall – A Feature"
438:Unsung mining hero's life celebrated in book
1016:
843:Christie, Phillip John (23 February 2015),
708:
116:(29 October 1848 – 1 September 1918) was a
1196:(2), Taylor & Francis, Ltd.: 194–235,
629:Porthledden: Built by Captain Francis Oats
31:
1157:
664:
388:Other sources give his place of birth as
862:Davenport-Hines, R.P.T. (28 June 2005),
842:
720:
319:
283:
225:
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1187:
1036:
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908:Farrell-Robert, Janine (1 April 2007),
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812:Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
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563:
548:
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524:
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324:Porthledden House, which Oats built in
267:
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1072:
999:Kiewiet, Cornelius William De (1937),
973:British Journal of Educational Studies
800:
652:
611:
412:
331:
16:Cornish miner and chairman of De Beers
970:
951:
759:
485:
1017:Lunderstedt, Steve (8 August 2016),
340:. He also took shareholdings in the
1190:Journal of Southern African Studies
889:Epstein, Edward Jay (10 May 2011),
197:
13:
1236:
777:Bolitho, Bob (11 September 1918),
392:, Cornwall. He grew up in St Just.
14:
1320:
1139:
779:"Death of Mr. F. Oats of St Just"
640:
473:
458:
1243:
1005:, CUP Archive, GGKEY:5TL8CHER2JK
171:
1304:People from St Just in Penwith
382:
131:
1:
1260:Claire Leith (6 April 2009),
940:, Kimberley Boys' High School
895:The Rise and Fall of Diamonds
120:miner who became chairman of
1023:Today in Kimberley's History
836:UK public library membership
264:before receiving judgement.
78:, Eastern Cape, South Africa
7:
1039:The Business History Review
10:
1325:
769:
177:Government mines inspector
1202:10.1080/03057078108708026
99:
91:
83:
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42:
30:
23:
748:Porthledden – Inside Out
375:
210:(Kimberley Mine) in 1886
1073:Payton, Philip (2005),
1264:, Trevithick Society,
952:Howes, Oliver (2014),
821:10.1093/ref:odnb/47736
328:
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259:shape to those of the
235:
211:
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1167:, Faber & Faber,
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302:
287:
229:
205:
187:
914:, Red Wheel Weiser,
600:Davenport-Hines 2005
588:Davenport-Hines 2005
268:Chairman of De Beers
1025:, City of Kimberley
891:"15: Infringements"
692:Farrell-Robert 2007
461:, Facts and Events.
332:Cornish investments
59:, Cornwall, England
1309:Cape Colony people
1159:Trevelyan, Raleigh
937:Francis Oats House
733:Francis Oats House
390:St Just in Penwith
329:
294:
275:Ernest Oppenheimer
261:Jagersfontein Mine
236:
232:Siege of Kimberley
212:
146:St Just in Penwith
1174:978-0-571-29030-7
1161:(13 March 2012),
1086:978-1-904880-04-2
958:Oliver's Cornwall
921:978-1-60925-880-1
875:978-1-135-77933-7
834:(Subscription or
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785:, archived from
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198:Mining executive
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68:1 September 1918
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1237:Further reading
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789:on 13 July 2014
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53:29 October 1848
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1271:978-0904040746
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1223:, 10 June 2009
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845:"Francis Oats"
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783:The Cornishman
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713:
696:
681:
669:
667:, p. 132.
665:Trevelyan 2012
657:
655:, p. 423.
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616:
614:, p. 356.
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580:
568:
566:, p. 222.
553:
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488:, p. 277.
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315:Port Elizabeth
269:
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161:Botallack Mine
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100:Known for
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76:Port Elizabeth
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72:(aged 69)
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1146:, Mark Hattam
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1101:"Porthledden"
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868:, Routledge,
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721:Christie 2015
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602:, p. 66.
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590:, p. 65.
589:
584:
578:, p. 28.
577:
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558:
551:, p. 56.
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539:, p. 54.
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256:Henri Lemoine
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29:
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19:
1261:
1225:, retrieved
1220:
1193:
1189:
1178:, retrieved
1163:
1148:, retrieved
1143:Francis Oats
1142:
1140:Symes, Bob,
1130:, retrieved
1126:
1112:, retrieved
1104:
1090:, retrieved
1075:
1042:
1038:
1027:, retrieved
1022:
1007:, retrieved
1001:
976:
972:
961:, retrieved
957:
942:, retrieved
936:
925:, retrieved
910:
898:, retrieved
894:
879:, retrieved
864:
852:, retrieved
848:
824:. Retrieved
810:
804:
791:, retrieved
787:the original
782:
755:
728:
716:
677:Epstein 2011
672:
660:
648:
636:
607:
595:
583:
576:Newbury 1987
571:
564:Turrell 1981
549:Kiewiet 1937
544:
537:Kiewiet 1937
532:
525:Kiewiet 1937
520:
513:Bolitho 1918
481:
384:
358:
350:Basset Mines
335:
308:
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295:
290:World War II
279:Premier Mine
271:
253:
237:
221:
217:Cecil Rhodes
213:
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188:
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172:South Africa
158:
135:
114:Francis Oats
113:
112:
103:Chairman of
95:Mine captain
70:(1918-09-01)
37:Francis Oats
25:Francis Oats
18:
1294:1918 deaths
1289:1848 births
1221:West Briton
1150:12 February
1079:, Dundurn,
653:Payton 2005
612:Payton 2005
413:Brooke 2004
338:Levant Mine
298:World War I
245:Namaqualand
132:Early years
84:Nationality
1283:Categories
1127:Portledden
1105:Inside Out
838:required.)
760:Howes 2014
694:, PT171ff.
486:Keane 1974
476:, Sources.
142:St Sampson
126:tin mining
92:Occupation
49:1848-10-29
1227:17 August
1180:17 August
1132:17 August
1114:17 August
1092:17 August
1067:154919072
1029:18 August
1009:17 August
963:18 August
944:18 August
927:17 August
900:18 August
881:17 August
854:17 August
826:18 August
793:17 August
346:Kenidjack
292:(1939–45)
241:silicosis
183:Kimberley
165:Botallack
849:geni.com
643:, Album.
311:Big Hole
208:Big Hole
150:Penzance
122:De Beers
105:De Beers
1210:2636378
1059:3115773
993:3120060
770:Sources
354:Redruth
118:Cornish
87:English
1268:
1208:
1171:
1083:
1065:
1057:
991:
918:
872:
832:
234:(1899)
138:Golant
57:Golant
1206:JSTOR
1063:S2CID
1055:JSTOR
989:JSTOR
641:Symes
474:Symes
459:Symes
376:Notes
370:adits
1266:ISBN
1229:2016
1182:2016
1169:ISBN
1152:2022
1134:2016
1116:2016
1094:2016
1081:ISBN
1031:2016
1011:2016
965:2016
946:2016
929:2016
916:ISBN
902:2016
883:2016
870:ISBN
856:2016
828:2016
795:2016
344:and
206:The
65:Died
43:Born
1198:doi
1109:BBC
1047:doi
981:doi
817:doi
352:of
277:'s
1285::
1219:,
1204:,
1192:,
1125:,
1107:,
1103:,
1061:,
1053:,
1043:61
1041:,
1021:,
987:,
977:22
975:,
956:,
893:,
847:,
809:.
781:,
740:^
699:^
684:^
619:^
556:^
493:^
466:^
445:^
420:^
403:^
1200::
1194:7
1049::
983::
830:.
819::
762:.
750:.
735:.
723:.
711:.
679:.
631:.
515:.
440:.
415:.
51:)
47:(
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