Stephen Atkinson (metallurgist) facts for kids

Stephen Atkinson was an English expert in metals, known as a metallurgist. He lived and worked between 1586 and 1619. He is famous for writing a book called The Discoverie and Historie of Gold Mynes in Scotland, which was all about finding gold in Scotland.

Stephen Atkinson's Life and Work

Stephen Atkinson was born in London, England. We don't know much about his family, but his uncle lived in Foster Lane and was friends with a very important person named Robert Cecil, who was a powerful government official.

Stephen learned how to purify gold and silver by working as an apprentice for Francis Tiver, who was a refiner. Around 1586, Stephen became a refiner himself at the Tower of London. Later, he worked in Devonshire, purifying silver that came from lead found in Ireland.

He learned many of his mining skills from a clever gentleman named Sir Bevis Bulmer. Stephen said he spent his "golden time" traveling around different parts of England. He also spent two years in Ireland with Bulmer.

In 1616, Stephen Atkinson received special permission from the Scottish government and King James I of England to search for gold and silver in an area called Crawford Muir in Scotland. He agreed to give the king one-tenth of any metals he found. His brother, William, was also part of this agreement.

However, Stephen's mining efforts were not very successful. Because of this, he decided to write his book, The Discoverie and Historie of the Gold Mynes in Scotland. In his book, he suggested to the king that if they opened up the gold mines in Scotland, the king could become the richest ruler in Europe! He even proposed creating "Knights of the Golden Mynes" by having 24 wealthy English gentlemen each invest money.

King James I, however, had already spent a lot of money (about £3,000) on the gold mines in Crawford Muir and had only found a tiny amount of gold, less than three ounces. So, Stephen Atkinson's ideas didn't convince the king to invest more.

The Story of Painters and Scottish Gold

Stephen Atkinson is often mentioned for a story he told about events that happened 40 years before his time, during the rule of the Earl of Morton. Atkinson claimed that three painters – Nicolas Hilliard, Arnold Bronckorst, and Cornelius de Vos – came to Scotland to look for gold.

According to Atkinson, Arnold Bronckorst was made to stay in Scotland and became the official painter for the royal court. While Arnold did become the court painter, historians today are not sure if Nicolas Hilliard actually came to Scotland in person. It's also interesting to note that Cornelius de Vos was not just a painter, but also a mineral prospector (someone who searches for minerals) who worked in Scotland. Atkinson himself knew a lot about how to make painting colors from different minerals.