Interesting booklet on coal mining in Yorkshire

[JMR]

Hi there,

For anyone who had ancestors in the coal mines, this is an easy to read and informative old booklet.

http://www.keepandshare.com/doc/2525169/mines4-pdf-january-17-2011-4-01-pm-1-5-meg?dn=y

It mentions one of my direct ancestors Isaac Wells, but what is also interesting is the list of people who died in mines at the end. Many just children.

Cheers,
Jill

 

[duckweed]

It is very interesting because it is about iron and coal mining. I've been looking at it in North Derbyshire but not had such a good description of how they did this. In earlier times they were more concerned about the iron than the coal, then they found a way of making coke and it became just as important to get the coal. If you notice most of the accidents are due to the roof falling in. Pit props were expensive and many mine owners skimped on the number of props. It is no coincidence that when the mines became publicly owned and the miners had a say in safety that there was an increase in pit props used and a sharp decline in roof falls killing miners.

I recommend anyone who is able to visit the National Mining Museum in near Barnsley. It is quite an experience when you go down the mine shaft there, and they turn off all the lights.

 

[leefer]

Enjoyed that Jill,interesting for me in the sense that i didn't realise Bradford's history had so much mining,always assumed that the rag/linen trade was the big deal.
Of course i knew that Yorkshire was full of coal pits but never knew Bradford had a big history with coal.

All the best.

 

[Marilyn]

Hi Jill

thanks for the link to the booklet on coal mining.

I just joined the forum today and I'm interested in knowing not only who my ancestors were, but what their lives entailed.

This booklet is very informative for me, (I haven't read it all yet), but my father's paternal branch has worked in coal mining in the Bradford, Yorkshire district since the early 1800's so this is fantastic!

Thanks for the link again.

Marilyn

 

[duckweed]

http://www.ncm.org.uk/displaypage.asp?id=37


They haven't got everything online yet but still an informative site

 

[Ellie]

Hi Jill,
Thanks for the link, looks very detailed and interesting.

 

[JMR]

Hi Jill,
Thanks for the link, looks very detailed and interesting.

Yes it's interesting when you have ancestors who worked in mines nearly all their lives. I found the details of the deaths very interesting and your article on head coup made sense of it all.

Two of my family lines worked in iron and coal mines for 200 years and a couple of them had papers published which I found, thanks to Mr Google! It must have been a tough way to make a living, not to mention dangerous as well!

Cheers,
Jill

 

[Ellie]

Yes it's interesting when you have ancestors who worked in mines nearly all their lives. I found the details of the deaths very interesting and your article on head coup made sense of it all.

Two of my family lines worked in iron and coal mines for 200 years and a couple of them had papers published which I found, thanks to Mr Google! It must have been a tough way to make a living, not to mention dangerous as well!

Cheers,
Jill

Many of my paternal ancestors also worked in the mines, which is how I came across 'head coup' .This must have been quite common accident along with other tragedies .

 

[duckweed]

I had a lot of relatives in the Lancashire Coal fields round Wigan. There is an artist who drew Pitbrow Lasses. I think one of them is related to me.

 

[JMR]

I had a lot of relatives in the Lancashire Coal fields round Wigan. There is an artist who drew Pitbrow Lasses. I think one of them is related to me.

That's exciting Duckweed, I hadn't heard of them before. I found it interesting to read that when the 1842 labour laws were introduced banning women and children working in the mines, many families were reduced to poverty overnight. This was a way of keeping girls employed. I found a scap book that can be downloaded free from:

http://www.daveweb.co.uk/PitBrowLasses.pdf
I hope that you can find your relative's name there.

Jill

 

[leefer]

Hi Jill,thanks for posting that,a fascinating link and i browsed through all the pics...brilliant.
Will read it at another time.
The smaller link at the bottom with the list of deaths etc is morbid but a great insight of the danger etc.
An 8 year old girl taking breakfast to her father is crushed to death by a coal wagon

Thanks again to you and Duckweed because i had never even heard of these woman and girls.

 

[duckweed]

The Family was mainly down the mines of Pemberton and Ince. My Grandad had a house in Bryn. When I was a child, they were building the M6 and they hit a really rich coal seam. They let us go and pick the coal for the pensioners.

I think there may be one family member that died Mary Prescott but there were others I know that were Pit Brow Lasses and one there is a drawing of, but I forget who. I took a copy but can't remember where I put it. She lost a brother and a sister down the pit I think as children working there.