This older mining term refers to a specific chunk of soil, turf, or soft ground that holds visible mineral wealth. It was primarily used in shallow surface workings or alluvial mining where the ore was mixed with loose earth rather than embedded in hard rock. The term shares its roots with ecclesiastical land but in mining simply denotes a productive clump of dirt.
Heard on the job
The early prospectors washed every glebe they could dig from the riverbank looking for traces of cassiterite.