This source, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blast_furnace , gives the Monks as the means of the transfer of metal processing technology: Knowledge of certain technological advances was transmitted as a result of the General Chapter of the Cistercian monks, including the blast furnace, as the Cistercians are known to have been skilled metallurgists.[9] According to Jean Gimpel, their high level of industrial technology facilitated the diffusion of new techniques: "Every monastery had a model factory, often as large as the church and only several feet away, and waterpower drove the machinery of the various industries located on its floor." Iron ore deposits were often donated to the monks along with forges to extract the iron, and within time surpluses were being offered for sale. The Cistercians became the leading iron producers in Champagne, France, from the mid-13th century to the 17th century,[10] also using the phosphate-rich slag from their furnaces as an agricultural fertilizer.[11]

And have a look at the radiation by night as depicted in the painting at Coalbrookdale: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coalbrookdale_by_Night

Kind Regards,

Raimey
rse

Last edited by ellenbr; 01/31/08 10:18 PM.