1 “Below” 2013.3 Quarterly Journal of the Shropshire Caving & Mining Club Autumn Issue No: 2013.3 George Hall Members will probably have heard by now that George sadly passed away on Sunday 14th July 2013 in Ludlow Community Hospital, following a short illness. Despite his illness he was still taking an interest in mining history and had sent some corrections and comments for ‘Below’ a couple of weeks before he died (see page 3). Although he never produced his long anticipated book on Snailbeach, his two books “The Metal Mines of Southern Wales” and “The Gold Mines of Merionith” are highly regarded works. Over the years he contributed numerous articles on Shropshire and Welsh mines to a variety of journals (including Club publications) and his mining talks were always fascinating - particularly tales of his Welsh Gold mining exploits. His expertise on metal mining will be sorely missed. Kelvin Ivor Brown has submitted a longer tribute which appears on page 2. Attempted Break-in Perkins/Roberts Level Sometime between 20th and 24th of May forced entry was attempted into Robert’s/ Perkins Level of Snailbeach mine. The perpetrators had used bolt cutters to cut one side of the hasp that fitted into the high security entrance lock but fortunately were unable to access the other side of the hasp. However, this made the locking system weak and because of a major health and safety issue Shoropshire Mines Trust had to act quickly to properly secure the entrance. Handy Andy to the Rescue Within minutes of discussing the problem at “The Office” Andy Harris (in his mind) had come up with a solution. Loaded with steel, generator and welding kit he put his theory into practice the following Sunday. So now thanks to Andy we have a much better and more secure entrance locking system installed. Nick Southwick. Andy Harris at work, making a more secure lock. (Nick Southwick) Chapel Shaft Platform The ‘missing’ timber was located on top of the fill at 134m down, although there was some extra wood down there is was not clear what could have caused the damage. Interestingly a fence post was found straddling the girders just below the shaft cap! Some concern has been raised over the fill behind the concrete rings at the shaft top. Also in May the platform that was constructed on the 40 yard level at Snailbeach to allow the people to winched up and down Chapel shaft during the NAMHO 2011 conference was found to have been damaged. Following an inspection with the MineCam, part of the timber of the platform was found to be broken off and the outer scaffold bar bent. Watson’s Shaft Checks on Watsons shaft at Tankerville have revealed some changes at the cross-cut 45m down the shaft. See page 7. Beach Party Win! Steve Holding (or was it Nick Southwick?) wins gold and “Best in Show” in the Snailbeach Scarecrow competition. Pictures on page 19.
Transcript
1“Below” 2013.3
Quarterly Journal of the Shropshire Caving & Mining Club Autumn Issue No: 2013.3
George HallMembers will probably have heardby now that George sadly passedaway on Sunday 14th July 2013 inLudlow Community Hospital,following a short illness.
Despite his illness he was still takingan interest in mining history and hadsent some corrections and commentsfor ‘Below’ a couple of weeks beforehe died (see page 3).
Although he never produced hislong anticipated book on Snailbeach,his two books “The Metal Mines ofSouthern Wales” and “The GoldMines of Merionith” are highlyregarded works. Over the years hecontributed numerous articles onShropshire and Welsh mines to avariety of journals (including Clubpublications) and his mining talkswere always fascinating - particularlytales of his Welsh Gold miningexploits.
His expertise on metal mining will besorely missed.
Kelvin
Ivor Brown has submitted a longertribute which appears on page 2.
Attempted Break-in Perkins/Roberts LevelSometime between 20th and 24th ofMay forced entry was attempted intoRobert’s/ Perkins Level of Snailbeachmine.
The perpetrators had used boltcutters to cut one side of the haspthat fitted into the high securityentrance lock but fortunately wereunable to access the other side of thehasp. However, this made the lockingsystem weak and because of a majorhealth and safety issue ShoropshireMines Trust had to act quickly toproperly secure the entrance.
Handy Andy to the RescueWithin minutes of discussing theproblem at “The Office” Andy Harris(in his mind) had come up with asolution. Loaded with steel,generator and welding kit he put histheory into practice the followingSunday.
So now thanks to Andy we have amuch better and more secureentrance locking system installed.
Nick Southwick.
Andy Harris at work, making a moresecure lock. (Nick Southwick)
Chapel Shaft PlatformThe ‘missing’ timber was located ontop of the fill at 134m down, althoughthere was some extra wood downthere is was not clear what couldhave caused the damage.
Interestingly a fence post was foundstraddling the girders just below theshaft cap! Some concern has beenraised over the fill behind theconcrete rings at the shaft top.
Also in May the platform that wasconstructed on the 40 yard level atSnailbeach to allow the people towinched up and down Chapel shaftduring the NAMHO 2011 conferencewas found to have been damaged.
Following an inspection with theMineCam, part of the timber of theplatform was found to be broken offand the outer scaffold bar bent.
Watson’s ShaftChecks on Watsons shaft atTankerville have revealed somechanges at the cross-cut 45m downthe shaft. See page 7.
Beach Party Win!Steve Holding (or was it NickSouthwick?) wins gold and “Best inShow” in the Snailbeach Scarecrowcompetition. Pictures on page 19.
2 “Below” 2013.3
George , who died recently agednearly 90, had been a member of theShropshire Mining Club from 1962.He was a mining engineer, mineoperator and a historian of note. Hisspecial interest was the lead mines ofWales but he also had a greatinterest in gold mining and in theShropshire mines. George’s miningeducation was interrupted by WorldWar II and its aftermath and he spentsome time in the coal mines and ironmines of the Forest of Dean. Formany years he worked in the familybusiness (a bicycle shop) but in hisspare time was actively involved inmany metal mines in Wales. He wrotea number of technical articles onmining and several works on miningin Wales. He has also written onthese subjects in the publications ofthe Club.
The writer has, however, only foundone article published by George onmining in Shropshire (‘The BogMine’ near Minsterley, published byMining Magazine April 1990),although George had studied thecounty well over many years. Georgealso had his father's papers andphotos on Shropshire from the timewhen he was interested. George'sfather, Tom, was educated in andlived near Shrewsbury before hebecame an apprentice on the NorthStaffordshire railway. Among thesepapers were unpublished photos ofthe Snailbeach Mine including onesaid to be of George's father leavingthe cage at the top of the shaft inabout 1900. George always said thatthese were not to be published untilhis book on Snailbeach waspublished which was nearly complete(this was in July 1975 and the bookhas not yet been published). Therewere also photos of Staffordshire andShropshire collieries but these hadnot been sorted.
Later George sent the writer a set ofthe Snailbeach photos so that theycould be consulted when advisingthe County Council during therestoration of the Snailbeachbuildings. The “no reproductionrule” still applied but it is believed
that quite recently George sent someof the photos to the ShropshireMines Trust. In the 1980s Georgewas asked to write a report on “TheProspects of the Shropshire LeadMines” by an international miningcompany. A copy of this 28 pagereport, plus maps and sections, wasgiven to the writer when working foranother company. It is a fascinatingpiece of work based mainly oninformation from George’s rarecollection of 19th century ‘MiningJournals’, which he had cataloguedfor Shropshire mine references on acard index.
Coincidently a report of a similar title‘Report on the Shropshire MinesDistrict’ was written in 1919 by aT.C.F.Hall for the Shropshire MinesLimited (see Geological Survey No.14 page 43 published in 1948).
George William Hall (1924 - 2013)Ivor Brown
Several copies of this 30 page reportstill survive but George has told thewriter on several occasions that thisT.C.F.Hall was no relation. Anunsolved mystery?
George was always generous with histime and information and provedparticularly so when trips for theNewcomen Society and the WelshMines Society were arranged to theShropshire area. George alwayslooked after the trips to the Grits andthe Gravel mines while the writer didthe others. Over the years thisarrangement worked about five times.It was amazing how much interestand enthusiasm George showed ineverything and he certainly did notshow his age.
Thank you, George.
Left: George in full-flowduring his talk at a recentShropshire Mines TrustAnnual Dinner.
Just one of the many miningtalks he gave over the years.
George left his mark onShropshire in many ways -his visit in September 1958,with close friend the lateDavid Bick, to a mine inSouth Shropshire is just oneexample (see below).
Pictures: Kelvin Lake - I.A.Recordings
3“Below” 2013.3
This comment on Grit Mines(following the report in the last issueof ‘Below’) and correction wassubmitted by George Hall a couple ofweeks before he passed away.
The Grit MinesWhen I first explored the Grit mines,which would have been in the 1950s,the mouth of the deep adit wasclearly visible in the east bank of theOnny Brook, immediately adjacent to,and on the north side of, the lanefrom the Bishop's Castle -Shrewsbury road to what was at onetime the “Clive Arms”.
This was the obvious place for it as itis the lowest possible point on theMore mineral rights for a deep adit,the field south of the lane being inother ownership.
At that time the course of the aditcould be easily made out, runningnearly due north towards the WhiteGrit engine shaft. As I expect you
know the surface here rises verygradually, and for some distance theadit had been made as a 'cut andcover' level, that is, a trench was dug,and it was then covered over, ascould be clearly seen.
I see I noted on my 6-in. map ‘85yards (paces) to portal’, although thelast word is not clear. I presume thismust mean from where the levelenters solid rock. Beyond, therewould no doubt have been air shafts.
I do not know how clear the woodnow is, but I should think that inwinter, if one stood over the aditmouth, it ought be possible to seethe line of the adit, running north in astraight line, though mostly lookinglike a part-filled trench.
At the time of the N.A.M.H.O.conference in 2011, when I lead afield-trip to Grit, I tried to getpermission to visit this site, but wasrefused. Now that the plantation has
Letters to the Editor
Below: Site of the possible run-in drainage adit at White Grit - the deep trench running off to the top right could bethe line of the ‘cut and cover’ adit, with water issuing from the pool on the left. Although it is hard to tell if the trenchwas caused by the forestry machinery. (Kelvin Lake - I.A.Recordings)
Cambrian Mines Trust.It is unfortunate that a ‘malapropism’has got into the importantannouncement of the transfer of therights of the Cwmystwyth mines fromthe Crown to the new Trust. Yourwording says ‘.. . Crown Estate whohave acted in extemporary manner...’I presume that what is meant is'exemplary.’ ‘Extemporary’ is hardlycomplimentary !
G.W. Hall.
Applogies for this - it just shows theperils of ‘cutting and pasting’ partsof press releases when rushing tomeet press deadlines!
Kelvin
been felled, and ownership may havechanged, it seems to me that it wouldbe worthwhile making furtherenquiries for access, as this could bea most interesting place at which toput a shovel into the ground. It mightbe possible to get into the adit at therock head.
4 “Below” 2013.3
News Round-Up 1Ivor Brown
Pit ProfilesThis is a travelling exhibitionshowing the paintings of H.A.Freeth,the NCB artist of 1948-1952. About 20are on show plus a similar number ofmore recent photographic portraitsby Anton Want. Two originalportraits of miners from Highley Pitare on show and a copy of the one ofSam Cookson who represented theCoalbrookdale Coalfield in theoriginal series.
IGMT have added a small display ofShropshire artifacts from the time of“Old Sam”. This includes lamps,exploders, magazine overshoes andthe surveying equipment from theWalker Technical College. Also thewriters pit boots minus the laceswhich were probably the mostvaluable part since they were made atthe pit from scrapped conveyorbelting cut into thin strips. Thehelmets shown are all of a later date,helmets (when worn) in Sam’s daywere always black not white.
The local miner’s lodge bannerprovided the background to thespeakers at the opening ceremonybut will not be on show for the rest ofthe exhibition period (to 31st Dec.).
Note: One of the “local” displayboards shows photos of IsaiahJones, manager of Rock Mine, takenby IJB on a visit to this mine in 1964.Another shows a “pit-danner”working underground. During theevening the “danner” wasrecognised by one visitor as D.Grantof Dawley.
Black Tom Jig and Washing DrumDuring June and July 2013 the restored jig and drum (rebuilt by Barry Ellis)were placed alongside Black Tom shaft at Snailbeach. The arrangement nowlooks much as it did in the 1940s-60s. (In August a cover building waserected over the jigs, sponsored by the Ludlow Town Walls Trust andconstructed by volunteers. The building was completed just in time for an“Official” opening ceremony, when local resident Mrs. Chidley cut theribbon, see pictures on page 17. Ed.)
Note: Malcom Newton’s fine model of Snailbeach Mine has also beenreturned to the Snailbeach Visitor Centre after restoration.
Items from IJB and Walker Technical College Collection in the IGMTExhibition 2013 at the Museum of Iron, Coalbrookdale. (Ivor Brown)
Ironstone Cottage, Pool Hill, DawleyThis interesting old building has recently been brought to the writersattention. It is situated amongst more modern housing next to Hartfield GuestHouse on the corner between “Pool Hill Road” by the “green island” in PoolHill.
Harz jigs andwashing drumrelocated to theirnew site nearBlack Tom shaft.
(Ivor Brown)
Huntington Opencast SiteThe site is now finished. The lastcoal was taken out in June, ratherearlier than anticipated. Theoverlying sandstone had provedharder than expected and the amountof coal beneath was less thanbelieved, no further relics of interestwere reported.
Above: The sandstone cottage at thebottom of Doseley Bank and PoolHill crossroads near Dawley,reputed to have originally been apump house. (T.Price)
It is now probably theonly building inShropshire made whollyof ironstone blocks.When interviewed thepresent occupiers saidthat the previousoccupants believed thatit was once a minepump-house. The roofand window positionsdo not indicate this buthas anyone got otherideas?
5“Below” 2013.3
John Evans was a carter who lived at,and presumably operated from,Hogstow during the 1870s and by theearly 1880s from Santley. Hisprincipal business seems to havebeen to haul coal and sundries tovarious local mines and lead ore,blende (though he always spelt itwithout the last ‘e’ I have used thecurrent spelling) and barytes out,mainly working between the minesand Minsterley station. He keptwritten records and two of his bookshave survived to become part ofShropshire Mines Trust’s library andare the subject of this piece.
Whilst this type of primary materialsis invaluable it is also limited. He kepthis records for his own purposes andin his own way. It is not always clearif the three columns on the pages aretons, cwts and quarters or £.s.d.,though it is sometimes stated andoften obvious. Occasionally he notedthat there was no return load, doesthis imply that in almost all casesthere was?
Periodically there are subtotals whichcannot always be tied up with theseparate entries. Unless localknowledge has survived there is noway of knowing if he was a soletrader or employed others on apermanent or occasional basis, it alsocannot be known if he was the onlycarter serving a given mine on agiven day. Within these constraintshe has left us a series of snapshotswhich shed some light on otherwiseunknown corners and reveal twomining companies previously notknown of (at least by your author)one of whom may have worked apreviously unknown mine.
In addition to his haulage businesshe hired horses by the day, in manycases to mines and these are alsorecorded. About 10% of the first(Hogstow) book and 70% of thesecond (Santley) cover matters whichare not mine related, much of it themanagement of his horses, stud lists,feed purchases etc. The second bookhas much more non-mining materialwith farming notes in several hands,sometimes written between the lines
John Evans’ Work Books, part 1Mike Shaw
on earlier pages andcover matters asdiverse as a recipe forrhubarb wine andveterinarypreparations.
There are severalapproaches possible todocuments like thesebut it seem interestingto try and match thevery detailed but verylimited snapshotsoffered to what isknown of the historyof the industry of themetal and coal mines,the smelters, thepeople and thetransport system.Loads of coal aregenerally below 4 tonsand of ore up to 5 or sotons. Furtherinformation on themines mentioned willbe found in theauthor’s ‘Lead, Copperand Barytes Mines ofShropshire’, LogastonPress, 2009.
The Hogstow (first)Book runs from May1872 to December 1877and the Santley(second) book from1883 to 1895 for miningentries with other itemsrunning up to 1931,including some in, asyet un-deciphered,shorthand. The minesserviced are as follows.
BogThe book reveals anpreviously unknownmining concern the Bog WasteCompany Limited (which it was not,the Limited no doubt being anassumption). This concern receivedtwo to three tons of coal most weeksfrom May 1872 to September 1873and sent out lead ore or blende eachmonth, though very rarely both in thesame month. Presumably they werereworking tips, the coal being for
processing plant as they wouldpresumably not have been pumping.One final entry is for about 5 tons ofblende on October 25 and 26 1877.This entry is written across a page ofBog Mining company entries for1874, quite what the situation was isnot clear, Bog mining CompanyLimited had gone into liquidation inFebruary 1876 so were the Bog
The total known history of “North Nicknowls” Mineis encompassed on this sheet of paper (dated May1888 to June 1889), from the second book, 90mmx 215mm c25 thick hardback.
6 “Below” 2013.3
Waste Company of 1877 the sameconcern as the company of 1872-3?One other curious entry in theconcern’s account for July 1873 is‘Tankerville lead ore’ presumably tofill an quota/order.
At the same time as the Bog WasteCompany was working the site sowas the Bog Mining CompanyLimited with Mr Evans being activewith both concerns, sometimes onthe same day. The Bog Mining (orsometimes) Mine account begins inJuly 1872 and carries on until theliquidation of the company inFebruary 1876, the book does notindicate whether Mr Evans’ bill of£13/6/11d was settled. The mine hadreopened in 1871 and during 1872most effort must have gone intopumping the mine dry to restartproduction and this is reflected inthe frequency and quantity of coalbeing delivered and the presenceonly occasionally of lead or zinc oregoing out. By early 1873 a littlemore was being produced, thisconclusion is not totally safe as it isnot known if other carriers alsoserved the company. The amount ofore being shipped out up until Feb1876 does not seem great, no doubtit wasn’t as the company went intoliquidation in that month.
There are odd entries in the secondbook for 1884 and 1885 when themine was supposedly not in action.Other less than obvious entries arefor coal to Ritton Castle in early1876 and the August 31st 1875entry, ‘Chemist 26 & 27 Blackfriarsloads London’.
Cefn GunthleyNot one of Mr Evan’s regularcustomers but he did haul about145 tons of barytes to MinsterleyStation for them between December1888 and April 1889. This may havebeen the end of that phase of themines life as its proprietor WilliamBoustred was bankrupt by theAugust.
East Roman GravelsVirtually nothing is known of thehistory of this mine at this date, it
was described in official statistics asin liquidation from 1885 to 1889 but in1890 it is recorded as owned by theexecutors of William Edwards.Whoever he was working for MrEvans hauled coal in and lead andblende out between 1888 and 1890.
Gravels,Presumably Roman Gravels. Forreasons now unknown TankervilleMine account has an entry forOctober 12th 1883, ‘3 horses 1 day atGravels for engine’.
Mytton DingleThis is presumably the mine knownto later generations as Myttonbeach.Mr Evans’ business shedssignificant light on activity here, it
“don’t take your client for granted”, a picture of the closure of a recentlyfabulous mine, from the second book. Tankerville Great Consols entries forApril-July 1884 and entries ‘prepared’ for 1885, but the mine closed Autumn1884.
confirms that it was run by theproprietors of New CentralSnailbeach Mine whosepredecessors were known to havebought rights on Hill Sett prior to1868 but the location was not clear.Mr Evans’ activity runs from June1872 to April 1875. Coal came fromNew British (Colliery), Ruabon, CleeHill and Sarn, (via Minsterley Station)and Asterley Colliery and from MrYoung and Wm Taylor and ‘Centralof Pitt House’, for further on coal andcollieries see below. Sundriesincluded clay, coaks(sic), cindersfrom the smelthouse, air pipes fromNew Central Mine and firebricks. Ifany ore was dug it was nottransported by Mr Evans.
to be concluded in the next issue ...
John Evans’ Work Books, part 1continued ...
7“Below” 2013.3
Chapel Shaft & TankervilleRound-up
As reported on page 1, the MineCamwas lowered down Chapel shaft onthe 3rd August to inspect thedamage to the platform at the 40 yardlevel and to examine the underside ofthe concrete rings at the top of theshaft.
Members present: Alan Robinson,Neal Rushton, Andy Harris, NickSouthwick, Steve Holding, PeterEggleston, Colin Armfield, KelvinLake, Mike Moore.
Some rot in the timbers under therings was noted, along with a missingsection of one of the timbers, whichlooked failry rotten.
It wasn’t obvious what had causedthe damage to the platform andnothing, apart from the missingrotten timber from the shaft top andthe few broken bits of planking fromthe platform could be seen at the‘bottom’ of Chapel shaft - well maybea few rocks, but nothing obvious.
To help lower the camera AndyHarris’s new quadpod was tried outover the shaft. This worked well andwill certainly make it easier to rig forsomeone to descend/ascend theshaft.
TankervilleAfter inspecting Chapel shaft theteam moved to Tankerville to inspectWatsons shaft. When club membersdescended the shaft back in the1990s using the club winch theylanded on a cone of debris 45m downat the entrance to a cross-cut. Thislevel split, one branch heading offtowards New shaft (but blocked) andthe other branch heading towardsOvenpipe shaft but seriously backed-up with liquid manure and notconducive to exploration!
An interesting feature was theremains of a wooden duct on the wallof the level, probably once used forventilation.
Last year, standing water wasspotted down the shaft and aninvestigation by the ‘ResCam’(MineCam Junior) showed that most
of the debris cone had gone andwater was visible below. TheMineCam descent on 3rd Augustrevealed more changes. The cone ofdebris has now completelydisappeared and the shaft continuesfor a further 3m to water. The surfaceof the water is covered with floatingpieces of timber and other rubbish.
Plumbing the shaft with a scaffoldtube on a rope wasn’t conclusive -
the tube descended 70m from theshaft collar without reaching abottom. A subsequent visit withColin Armfield and his fishing rodfound a fairly substantial ‘bottom’ at92m from shaft collar. This gives a44m head of water on the blockage,although a cross-cut to Boat Levelshould be encountered somewheredown the shaft - however there issome debate as to how far down thisis likely to be!
Peter Eggleston watching pictures from the MIneCam at Watsons shaft.(Kelvin Lake-I.A.Recordings)
Assembling thequadpod at Chapelshaft - prior ‘walking’ itover the shaft cap.
8 “Below” 2013.3
As part of the project to record theartefacts along the 40 yard level atSnailbeach, I have now a list ofobjects that are in the workshop; I amgrateful to Andrew Wood for the listand Ian Cooper for the photographs.The list is now a few years old, but Ithink it is still accurate. Kelvin Lakehas commented that one piece ofnewspaper in the workshop was from1923 , which gives us some idea ofwhen the area was in use.
Based on a copy of a survey beingcarried out by Mike Worsfold, Iwould estimate that the grid referencefor the workshop is approximately SJ380022 and it is around 680’ or 210 mabove ordnance datum (ie mean sealevel). The vast majority of itemswould seem to be those which wouldhave been used by miners, inbreaking ground, blasting andremoving rock or ore and in timberingtheir workplaces.
The candles were clearly used forillumination. The tins were probablyused for holding small items such aspieces of fuse, nails or indeedtobacco. Quite what was kept in theformer poison bottle is less clear tome; if it had been properly washedout then it could simply have beenwater.
Although the area is of course calleda “workshop”, based on theartefacts, it would seem unlikely tome that it was specifically used formaking or repairing items. It appearsmore likely to have been a usefulplace where miners could leave toolsor items that they did not want totake with them to their workplace, orpossibly did not want to carry to thesurface to discard. I am of courseaware that others know far moreabout Snailbeach than I do and soplease let me know if this is rubbish!
FootnoteJust adding to David’s notes above.The Club tends to use the‘workshop’ as a base for explorationsand we often sit there having lunch.On one occassion Andy Coylecommented that you could imagineminers sitting in the same spot
The Artefacts in the Workshop on the 40 yard LevelDavid Poyner
Workshop (inbye side)1 galvanised bucket1 bent shovelhead and remains of stale1 candle in deads10x 6in nails in deads2x 2’ hand drills2x 2’ and 18ins copper ended tampers5x chisels 9-12”1 pipe hanger2 1 scraper 26” long
Workshop (outbye side)1 tin box (tobacco?) 5” x 4”1 galvanised band 9” dia (bucket base?)17x 3ins nails1 tall tin with lid , 4” x 2.25” x 7.5”1 clay gob with candle stub1 clog ironLots of pieces of fuse1 small tin with lid 2.75” x 1.625” x 1.125”2 candle stubs1 round tin, open 4.5” dia x 4.5”1 galvanised powder tin with handled lid 6” x 4” x 110”.
(No bottom but small amount of powder)1 wooden stale 17” x 1.5” dia (hammer?)1 saw 24” with detached wooden handle6 small hangers about 2”1 axe head + part haft 6” x 9” wide1 part wooden handle3 full candles 6.5 ins long1 piece of crumbled newspaper
(when readable in the late 1980s it was dated 1923. KL)1 small tin, open 2.5” dia x 4”1 tin, open 4” dia x 5”1 remains of a tin1 quantity of straw (for stemming?)2x iron hinges 19 ins long x 1.5” - tapered2x pieces of metal strapping 15 ins x 1.5”1 shovel head 12” across and 12” high1 1.75 ins length hemp?1 bottom part elliptical glass bottle 4” x 2” x 4” high. Makers mark
20 CC LGreenish tinge with lumps on glass. Embossed writing; remains of:“poisonous – not to be taken”.
smoking their pipes. If they broke thestems they would probably pushthem into the stonework of the workbench . . . a sure enough in the gapsin the stone, there was a couple ofbroken pipe stems! It is alsonoticable that the wall behind the
wooden plank that we often sit onhas a curious ‘black’ texture. If youexamine this closely you will discoverthat the wall is caked in candledrippings which now has a black‘coating’.
Kelvin
9“Below” 2013.3
The Artefacts in the Workshop on the 40 yard Levelcontinued ...
Above and top: The selection of artefacts on the work bench in the 40yard Level workshop.
Left: Two candle stubs and a small tin on the bench in the workshop.
Pictures: Ian Cooper
10 “Below” 2013.3
“Walkers Earth” Mining in the Silurian Measures, CoalbrookdaleIvor Brown
Definition as provided by BGS in1972, “Fullers Earth” as found inBritain is now accepted to becalcium-montmorillonite, but the“fullers earth” of the Welshborderland has been shown byanalysis to consist mainly of a mixedlayer mica-montmorillonite claymineral. This poorer quality “fullersearth” is called “Walkers Earth”.
Both terms “fullers” and “walkers”earth have been used locally for thedeposit in the Coalbrookdale area.While the properties of both earthsare similar the latter does not havethe same economic value as fullersearth but has obviously been used inthe area in the past as a substitute.
Pocock R.W. (1938 ShrewsburyMemoir BGS p112) mentioned theoccurrence of a cream coloured clay“identical in appearance with walkersearth at several horizons in theSilurian Wenlock Shales”. It“occurred in beds one to two inchesthick especially towards the base ofthe Coalbrookdale Beds”. It is inthese beds that it has been found inthe Lincoln Hill area. Here and alongthe valley sides in the vicinity severalotherwise inexplicable ‘levels’ havebeen noted and there has been muchland slippage.
One level (see figure 1) almostcertainly worked for walkers earthalone, has been explored near theCoalbrookdale Institute. It is shownas an isolated “mouth of level” onthe 1847 Tithe Map and localresidents have described a ruinedbuilding at its mouth as a ‘washhouse’. A small stream issues from
the 60 metre long level, which is bricklined but further in, in the solid. Thisleads into flat, very thin workings.Presumably the water and the mineralwere used for washing. Higher up thehill there is an exposure which hasobviously been dug by hand inearlier years.
Again the local story is that menwalking home over the hill from theCoalbrookdale Ironworks used tokeep a shovel there and on their wayhome with an empty lunch bag,shovelled a small amount of “earth”for use in washing and soothing thebaby’s bottom.
Another local story is that “earth”from the valley sides was carted towaiting rail waggons on the SevernValley Railway at Buildwas Station(now beneath the Ironbridge ‘B’Power Station) for sending toLiverpool.
While surveying the old workings ofLincoln Hill Limestone Mine on 5thFebruary 1972 the writer observed abluish grey clay band, this had awaxy feel, almost like talc. This wasrecorded in the survey and afterdiscussion with Brian Coppack of theBGS it was thought to be “fullersearth”. It was arranged that theShropshire Mining Club would takeCoppack into the mine (via 110ft.deep shaft) to examine the mineral onMay 14 1972.
He obtained samples for testing. Inaddition Coppack examined furtherexposures of the Silurian in the areaand found evidence of a similarmineral towards the bottom of theLimestone series as it had occurred at
Lincoln Hill. It was confirmed thatthis mineral was that known as“Walkers Earth”, but has beendescribed in the latest Memoir (BGS1995) as “bentonite”.
At the same time a documentarysearch was made for further evidenceof the existence of the mineral.Nothing was found in standardgeological works but the followingnote was located in a handwrittendocument in the offices of J.Derry,Solicitor, Ironbridge:
“There on the left, near the top ofChurch Road, Coalbrookdale, is anarrow layer of rock, so much likefullers earth, that proud fathers, ontheir way home from work in the Dale,would dig a bag full for mother whowould use it when tending to baby,its soothing qualities wereunsurpassed in the ‘80s”.
The document is undated butobviously refers to the 1880s.
John Randall (1810-1910) alsoreferred to the presence of ‘fullersearth’. He said that when examiningthe Silurian rocks at ‘the Turn’ on theCoalbrookdale to Wellington Road, alocal resident pointed out that he waslooking at fullers earth and that“persons fetch it when they aregalled and it is good for the eyes”.Large quantities were being “fetchedaway and sent to Manchester”.Randall continued by describing howthe weathering of this material “hascaused rockfalls”.
No further evidence has, as yet, beenfound of the working of this mineralin the area.
Figure 2: IJB in “Walkers Earth” Mine, Coalbrookdale April 1987Figure 1: Coalbrookdale Level 1972
11“Below” 2013.3
N
Adit Entrance
Bea
ring
82o
Bea
ring
105
o
Single brick lining’flow stone’ covered in partsheight 1.5-1.6m, width 2m approx.
0 5 10m
Scale
End of brick lining54m from entrance
side passage - unlined, 5m
Heading 2.2m high, 3.2m wide, unlined,in grey mudstone with occassional nodulesof limestone and beds of limestone and clay.
WarningBad air - mainly oxygen deficiencyhas been recorded in this adit.Reference:Brown, I.J. "Underground in the Ironbridge Gorge"I.A.Review Vo. III, No.2 Spring 1979
The Walker’s Earth Mine, CoalbrookdaleBased on surveys by Wardell-Armstrongand I.J.Brown, 1985
“Walkers Earth” Mining in the SilurianMeasures, Coalbrookdale, continued ...
King Edward Mine MillWins Award
The Mill (tin concentration plant) atKing Edward Mine (KEM) has beenrecognised by the Institution ofMechanical Engineers by beinggranted their prestigiousEngineering Heritage Award.
For those not familiar with the award,it was established in 1984 to celebrateexcellence in mechanical engineering.It is the Institution’s premier awardfor sites of significance to mechanicalengineering heritage - past, presentand future. Have a look on the webunder Engineering Heritage Award.
Eighty five sites have beenrecognised to date. They include theSS Great Britain, Quarry Bank Mill,the Channel Tunnel, FfestiniogRailway and the Boulton & WattEngine at Crofton. At KEM we aredelighted to be included alongsidesuch sites and it is a real achievementfor the dedicated band of volunteerswho’ve restored the mill to workingcondition.
Considering that the mining of coal,iron and base metals underpinned theindustrial development of the UK ,mining is very poorly represented inthe list, the Newcomen Engine is theonly other mining related award.
Tony Brooks, King Edward Mine
News
Russian CityRussian police have uncovered anunderground city hidden beneath aMoscow market. The series ofsubterranean rooms housed over 200illegal migrants from Asia.
The city contained a factorycomplete with sewing machines andtables where the illegal migrants werekept to sew clothes. The complex wasalso equipped with a market, cafe,cinema and casino.
It is not the first time Moscow’sFederal Migration Service havediscovered a clandestine factory in2011 a similar settlement was found inan abandoned Soviet-era bombshelter.
EuroNews 5th June 2013
Coalpit Heath Homesabout historical coal mining at thesite and the need for an investigationbefore any work would take place.
Recommending the scheme forrefusal, planning officers at SouthGloucestershire Council said thescheme “fails to conserve orenhance” the landscape and ruralsetting of the existing residentialdevelopment.
The officers said the “adverseimpacts” would “significantly anddemonstrably outweigh the benefitsof the scheme”.
BBC News 30th June 2013
Plans by Barratt Homes and DavidWilson Homes to build 350 newhomes at a former coal mining site atCoalpit Heath in Gloucestershirehave been recommended for refusalby a planning committee. The schemeincluded a local centre with space forshops, services, restaurants andother community space.
Local residents, Westerleigh ParishCouncil and Frampton CotterellParish Council objected to the plan.The Coal Authority, SouthGloucestershire Mines ResearchGroup and the Bristol IndustrialArchaeological Society raised points
12 “Below” 2013.3
A small notebook has been receivedby the writer, it contains notes madeby Joe Hardman, one of the longserving windermen at Kemberton PitMadeley during the 1950s.
Joe is very well remembered for hismeticulousness in all he did –including keeping the engine housefloor clean with old newspapers.
Outside Pit.31.7.54: New rope put on Outside Pit.2.10.54: Engine tested.26.11.54: New bell for Inside Pit- and so on.
Additional items in 1955 include:
15.5.55: A guide rope changed atInside Pit (this was one of 4additional ropes down the shaft,
one at each corner of the cage toprevent any swinging of the cageduring transit).
31.5.55: New springs were put inbrake pillers.
In 1956 the “batteries” were changedas were the “coolers”.
The final entry was 10.11.57 when “anew cage was fitted in Outside Pit”.
It is good to find out that the shaftequipment was being looked after sowell at a time when the writer wasbeing raised and lowered daily by it!
Joe must haveretired at aboutthis time becausethe entries at theback of the bookall relate to whathe was plantingin his garden –last entry is “setlettuce, parsleyand thyme 12/4/62”.
A Winding Engine Man’s NotebookIvor Brown
The engine was electrically driven,650 h.p. and was in the ‘White’engine house built in 1937 (see figure1 and the top photograph on page 48of “East Shropshire Coalfield”(Tempus)).
The Inside Pit was beneath the wheelnearest to the engine, the Outside Pitbeneath the other. The engine woundfrom both shafts simultaneously, onerope running off the drum, while theother was winding on.
Many thanks to Janet Doody for thisbook, which will be passed on to theRecord Office. Joe was an uncle ofJanet’s father.
Figure 1: Rear of old offices, stores etc. at Kemberton Pit, 1965. (Ray Rushton)
The Highley Mining Companyworked two significant railways; oneconstructed by themselves for theirmine at Kinlet and the other whichthey inherited from the BillingsleyColliery Company. This article bringstogether what I know about theengines that worked on thesesystems.
The first locomotive owned by theHighley Mining Company was“Kinlet”, built to work the railwaythat connected Kinlet Colliery withthe Severn Valley Railway at ajunction a little under a mile south ofHighley Station. From this point, therailway ran to the colliery followingthe Borle Brook; a length of justunder a mile. For the last 300 or soyards the line climbed at a gradient ofaround 1 in 15 to reach the pit top.Whilst normally loaded wagonswould descend this, even takingempty wagons up a gradient thissteep would make considerabledemands of any locomotive. TheHighley Mining Company placed anorder for an 0-6-0 saddle tank withAndrew Barclay of Kilmarnock1 .Barclay’s were well-establishedbuilders of industrial locomotives.The key dimensions of the engine areshown in table 1. Assuming a boilerpressure of 160 lbs/sq inch, themaximum tractive effort would havebeen around 10,500lbs; a typicalvalue for an industrial locomotive ofthis date. The three sets of coupledwheels would have given goodadhesion for working up the steepgradient whilst also keeping downthe axle weight.
The Highley Mining Companysigned an agreement with the GreatWestern Railway for a junction withtheir line in May 18952 . Constructionof the line probably took most of thatyear, for the surviving drawings forthe locomotive are dated as February1896 and it was allocated worksnumber 7823 . The drawings foreverything except the boiler aremarked “per F.C Southwell”. F.C.Southwell was an engineering firmbased in London, where theyparticularly specialised in themanufacture of agricultural
machinery; it seems that Barclay’ssubcontracted the work on thislocomotive to Southwell.Construction was rapid. Aphotograph exists of 782, apparentlytaken soon after it had been deliveredto Kinlet; the trees in the backgroundseem to be in bud, suggesting that itwas taken no later than early May4 .At this time, Barclay’s were stillproducing drawings for locomotive781, indicating that they had fast-tracked 782 for the Highley MiningCompany.
The new locomotive was called“Kinlet”. The colour scheme isunknown, but the worksphotograph5 shows that the liningwas a broad dark band surroundedby thin light bands on either side. Oneither side of the tanks was writtenHIGHLEY MINING CO LD with“KINLET” written beneath; thelettering was done in light colour. Asthe wagons of the Highley MiningCompany were painted red, it ispossible that the engine was alsosome shade of this colour, with thelining in black and yellow. Very littleis known about the working life ofKinlet whilst it was owned by theHighley Mining Company. It wasretubed from 2nd-9th November 19006 ;perhaps a somewhat surprising stepin an engine just over 5 years old.
In 1913, a second railway was builtalong the Borle Brook, this time bythe Billingsley Colliery Company totheir pit7 . This line initially ranparallel to the Kinlet railway, butcontinued for an extra 1½ miles to thecolliery screens at Prior’s Moor. Thishad no severe gradients although itdid have a number of sharp curves.To work this railway, the BillingsleyColliery Company purchased asecond-hand 0-4-0 saddle tank, No599 built by Peckett’s of Bristol. Thelocomotive was built in May 1895 forChristopher Rowland, a shuntingcontractor of Swansea Docks8 ; theworks photograph shows that itcarried “R No 4” on its tank,indicating that it was his fourthlocomotive9 . In August 1891,Rowland was given a contract by theSwansea Harbour Trust to load and
discharge ballast and cargoes at thedocks10 . His operations were basedon an engine shed at the south endof the dock, on the east bank of theRiver Tawe. In 1905 this shed wastaken over by the Harbour Trustees,but Rowland moved to a new, three-engine shed near Swansea Riversidestation. His business continued untilhis death in 1910 when it is probablethat his work was taken over byPowesland and Mason, the mainshunting contractors at the docks11 .It would seem likely that 599 wasjudged surplus to requirements andwas sold to C.D. Phillips, an enginedealer of Newport. The connectionbetween the Billingsley CollieryRailway and the Great WesternRailway was passed by the RailwayInspectorate in May 1913 and so bythis date the engine had probablybeen acquired by the BillingsleyColliery Company. William Foxlee, adirector of the Billingsley CollieryCompany was also a railway engineerwho admired the products ofPeckett’s Atlas works12 ; he may haverecommended purchase of 599.
No 599 was an example of Peckett’sW4 class; several hundred of thissuccessful design were built for 20years from 1886. As built, it was ofpeculiar appearance as it wasadapted for extensive street running,as would be needed to serve docks;thus it had to comply with legislationto ensure that it would not bedangerous to people or (moreimportantly) horses. The wheels andcoupling rods were hidden behindhinged panels and the exhaust steamfrom the cylinders was notdischarged into the air but was ledback by pipes to the tank where itwas silently condensed. It is likelythat, if these modifications stillexisted in 1913, they were removedby the Billingsley Colliery Company.The cab had no side panels abovewaist height as originally built; it ispossible that more protection wouldhave been offered to the crew whenthe engine ran to Billingsley.
In 1915, Billingsley Colliery was takenover by the Highley MiningCompany; this meant that they now
Railway Locomotives of the Highley Mining Company andBillingsley Colliery Company, David Poyner
14 “Below” 2013.3
had two steam locomotives. Whilstboth Billingsley and Kinlet collieriesremained in operation, there wouldhave been enough work for bothlocomotives. However, Billingsleywas closed in 1921; whilst the railwaywas retained to serve a coal wharf atPrior’s Moor, this would have onlyneeded occasional trains13 . Thus thecompany appear to have decided tosell one of their locomotives. Theengine that was judged surplus torequirement was “Kinlet”. ThePeckett was at least the equal ofKinlet in terms of tractive efforts; itslarger diameter cylinders ensured thatper lb of boiler pressure it wouldoutperform the Barclay. There wasalso little difference in the grate andheating areas, factors important formaintaining boiler pressure (Table 2).As an 0-4-0, it had a much shorterwheelbase than the 0-6-0 and sowould be better able to negotiatesharp curves. Its axle weight wouldprobably have been greater and it isunlikely to have had the sameadhesion as “Kinlet”14 , but clearlythe Highley Mining Company judgedthat it was capable of working up the1 in 15 to Kinlet Colliery. “Kinlet”was sold to H.S. Pitt and Company ofShutt End, probably at the very endof 192115 .
H.S. Pitt was a partnership betweentwo brothers, Harold Sydney Pitt andGeorge Percy Pitt; just before theFirst World War they moved intocoal mining and owned a complex ofrailways centred on the old BradleyBlast Furnace16 . Harold lived atAlveley and George was a friend ofHerbert Stonehouse and ErnestWalley, directors of the HighleyMining Company. H.S. Pitt and itssuccessors were the second largestcustomer of the Highley MiningCompany in the 1920s. George wasresponsible for renaming thelocomotive “Peter”, the pet name ofhis son, R.D. Pitt17 . In January 1922, acomplete set of new axle boxes weresupplied by Barclays18 . These werepresumably for H.S. Pitt; the fact thatthe locomotive needed attention wasprobably another factor behind itssale. George Pitt died in 1923 and thefirm of H.S. Pitt was split; Peter
passed into the ownership of Guy,George’s elder son who traded asGuy Pitt and Co from 1925. On Guy’sdeath in 1936, Peter Pitt took overfrom his brother and the locomotive“Peter” became his. Peter Pitteventually went into partnership withAlexander Comley, a scrap merchantand one Lunt, a coal merchant toform Lunt, Pitt and Comley19 . “Peter”was one of three locomotives theyoperated. It was given a new boiler in1948 and new brushes were suppliedin 195520 . The engine was presentedto the Ironbridge Gorge MuseumTrust in 1969. After a spell on loan tothe Horsehay Steam Trust in the1980s and 90s and display atCoalbrookdale, it has now returned toBlist’s Hill.
Having disposed of Kinlet/Peter, theHighley Mining Company appear tohave used Peckett 599 until 1929. Inthat year they purchased a secondhand Hawthorn Leslie 0-4-0 saddletank from Thos Ward and Co, dealersof Sheffield. This engine was 3424,built 1919. It was almost immediatelysent to India, to work on a railwaysystem belonging to the City ofBombay Improvement Trust. Whenthis was wound up it was returned tothe UK, probably being purchasedby Wards for resale21 . As can beseen from table 1, it had very similarspecifications to the Peckett. Theprobability is that by 1929, thePeckett was considered to be at theend of its working life; its fate is notknown but it may have beenscrapped, after over 15 years serviceat Billingsley and Kinlet. An addedconsideration is that from 1929-30,the Billingsley railway saw extratraffic connected with theconstruction of a new road followingthe valley of the Borle Brook byShropshire County Council. It may bethat 3424 was purchased with oneeye on these extra duties. It probablyhad a short tenure at Kinlet, for in1933 Ward’s supplied another engineto the Highley Mining Company,Hudswell Clark 0-4-0 saddle tank1401, constructed in 1920. This wasoriginally been built for the DartonMain Colliery Company in Yorkshire,where it was known as Darton Main
No 222 . As it is very unlikely that twoengines would be needed by theHighley Mining Company,presumably it was purchased toreplace 3424; the latter engine wasreturned to Ward’s and sold on tothe Steel Company of Scotland. Thereason for its short life at Kinlet isunknown, but 1401 had broadlysimilar specifications to all the otherlocomotives that worked at Kinlet(table 1).
By the early 1930s, Kinlet Collierywas struggling and it was eventuallyclosed by the Highley MiningCompany in 1937. 1401 was sold andby 1941 was working for W.Gilbertson & Co of Pontardawe.Surprisingly it was not the lastengine to arrive at Kinlet. Thathonour belongs to another AndrewBarclay product; 1113, an 0-6-0saddle tank built in 1907 for theShelton Iron and Steel Company inStoke and named Bowood. Theexistence of this locomotive at Kinletis known only from a photograph,showing the engine with a footplatecrew of Highley Mining Companystaff, and the associated oralevidence23 .
It is not known when the enginearrived at Kinlet; it wasphotographed at the steel works on16th May 193624 , so it must have beenafter this date. The probable timing ofBowood’s move to Kinlet isinteresting. The Shelton Iron andSteel Company operated the nearbyHolditch Colliery via a subsidiary. InJuly 1937, this was put out of use byan explosion25 . This may haveresulted in the steel company havingsurplus locomotives at exactly thetime the Highley Mining Companywas looking for a new engine to worktheir salvage trains. The board of theHighley Mining Company wasmostly made up of individuals fromnorth Staffordshire, and so they mayhave had links with the Sheltoncompany, making it easy for them toeither purchase or, more likely, hirethe engine. Bowood wassubstantially more powerful than anymachine that had previously workedat Kinlet (table 1), and it is possible it
Railway Locomotives of the Highley Mining Company andBillingsley Colliery Company, continued ...
15“Below” 2013.3
was obtained specifically to workheavier than usual trains to help thedismantling work. This stretched wellinto 1938; hard core was used fromKinlet pit mound for earthworks atthe new screens being built forAlveley Colliery. It is not knownwhat happened to 1401 after Bowoodarrived; it may have been left straightaway although it is possible that itwas retained to work alongsideBowood to help with salvage,perhaps allowing recovery work totake place simultaneously on boththe Kinlet and Billingsley lines. In1938 Bowood returned to northStaffordshire, arriving at the FlorenceColliery of the Florence Coal & IronCo Ltd, a subsidiary of the Sheltoncompany. It eventually transferred toHolditch Colliery in March 1960 bythe National Coal Board, where it wasscrapped in 196426 .
Thanks to the excellent work carriedout by the Industrial Railway Societyand individual enthusiasts, lists oflocomotives that worked at mostmines and quarries are available.What is often much less clear is whya particular engine was purchased ordisposed of.
Railway Locomotives of the Highley Mining Company andBillingsley Colliery Company, continued ...
Table 1: Locomotives of the Highley Mining Company andBillingsley Colliery Company
1 Unless otherwise stated, details ofindividual locomotives are fromA.J. Bridges, IndustrialLocomotives of Cheshire,Shropshire and HerefordshireIndustrial Railway SocietyHandbook G,1977 and J. Tennant,The Billingsley and KinletRailways, Severn Valley RailwayNews, 24, (1972), pp 23-27
2 Abstract of mining leases affectingthe Kinlet estate to be sold byauction, 25th July 1919, MarcyHemmingway (Collection ofDavid Postle)
3 Glasgow University Archives(GUA) RHP54610/1-10
4 M.A. Vanns, Severn ValleyRailway, a view from the past,(1998), pg 63
5 GUA GD3296 Diary of Noah Lawton, collection
of the late Mrs M. Price7 National Archives (NA), MT 2180/
6
This study of the locomotives atKinlet and Billingsley hopefullyshows that with a little research, it ispossible to arrive at a much morecomplete history of these machines.
8 National Railway Museum (NRM)Peckett engineering drawings,3647 Roll 5 20/6/1895, 3650 Roll 53/5/1895 Order No. 2594 W4 Eng.No. 599
9 NRM Peckett negative list, 12/0110 NA RAIL 877/13211 http://www.locosheds.co.uk/
index.php?n=Sheds.SWANSEA-RIVERSIDECHRC
12 W. Smith and K. Beddoes, TheCleobury Mortimer and DittonPriors Light Railway, (1985), pg 24
13 D. Poyner and R. Evans, TheWyre Forest Coalfield, (2000), pp94-5
14 I do not have a figure for theweight of AB782, so thesestatements are based on anestimate of 30 tons.
15 Letter from R.D. Pitt, 12-8-198116 N. Williams, The Railway to
Wombourne, (1986), pp 66-6717 Letter from R.D. Pitt, 12-8-198118 GUA RHP54610/7
19 N. Williams, op. cit.20 GUA RHP54610/3, 721 S. Darvill, 2008, www.ilsa.org.in/
26 A.J. Bridges, IndustrialLocomotives of NorthStaffordshire, Industrial RailwaySociety Handbook G, 1977. I amgrateful to Paul Teather forinformation about the ownershipof Bowood in north Staffordshire.
References
a Diameter: b Calculated assuming a boiler pressure of 160 psi: c estimated
Table 2 Comparison of boiler, grate and wheelbasedimensions, Peckett 599 and AB 782
Engine Firebox Grate Tubes/ Wheel- Boiler area Heating area base
Peckett 2’10” x 2’10” 8 sq ft 119 x 2” x 8’6”/ 5’6” 3’4” x 11’6”
x 4’8” 530 sq ft
AB782 2’10” x 2’10” 8 sq ft 115 x 1¾” x 8’7”/ 5’3” + 3’3” x 14’3”
x 5’ 458 sq ft 5’6” =
10’9” tot.
ThanksI would like to thank Paul Teatherand Mike Shaw for help with thisarticle.
16 “Below” 2013.3
On 21st April the team consisted ofDavid Adams, Mike Moore, PeterEggleston, Steve Holding, and JohnHendy with his digger. Ivor & IrisBrown, and Alan Taylor also visitedduring the day.
The object this time was to furtherinvestigate the two claw like wallsprotruding from the shaft collarfound late on the previous dig. Thisrequired some adjustment of themassive amount of spoil created fromthe deep excavation carried out lasttime in order to get the digger closeenough. Machine digging alternatedwith hand digging by P.E. and S.H. toa depth of 2.4 metres (8ft) withoutfinding any sign of a floor.
It was thought that there was apossibility of the base being at the
Pitchcroft Report, April 2013David Adams
same level as the brick floor found atthe base of the deep excavation, buta large tree blocks the likelihood ofproving a connection. The materialbeing excavated was soil down toheavy clay making hand excavationdifficult. The two walls are built ofthick square blocks rather than bricksand are in the form of a horseshoefrom the shaft with the outer endopen. Alan Taylor in a letter hassuggested that it might have heldpart or even a cylinder of an earlypumping system, or a balance pit tohold a counterweight to the pumprods.
D.A. made measurements andcommenced a drawing, also preparinga section of the pillars of Site 3.Finally J.H. levelled off the disturbedarea to the north of Site 3 and filled in
the test pits outside the wall of theapse. There is still no sign offoundations, which may have held apumping engine adjacent to theshaft, but in this we may be misled bythinking of Cornish engine typelayouts that came later. The originalengines would have been simpler andin an age of experiment probablyspecial to each site, hence the lack ofcomparison with other known sites ofsimilar age.
D.A. made a brief inspection of thedrawing shaft which revealed that theaircraft tracking cover had markedlydeteriorated during the winter with alarge hole sufficient for an animal tofall through, this will need to bereported to the landowner and tenantin due course and an arrangementmade for some action to be taken.
New Potash Mine DelayPlans for the potash mine in theNorth York Moors national park havebeen delayed by at least a year. SiriusMinerals wants to build the mine nearWhitby and connect it by pipeline toa new port on Teesside. It hasannounced that a full assessment of
the project’s environmental impactwill not be ready until July 2014 - ayear later than its original plans. Thismeans permission for the mine mightnot be granted until December 2014.
News Reports, 16th September
View videos of the replacement of theBoulby headframe during the summer:
New Building at Black TomOfficial Opening, 31st August 2013
Above: The Jigs on their final spot, (14th July) beforethe construction of the building.
Above: The completed set-up inside the new building onthe 31st August.
Right: The crowd assemblesaround Black Tom ready for theopening.
Left and below: After speeches by Clive Dean(Shropshire Council) Colin Armfield (SMT), RichardCundal (Ludow Walls Trust - sponsors of thebuilding) and local councillor Heather Kidd, Mrs.Peggy Chidley (supported by Vincent Chidley) wasinvited up to cut the ribbon and open the building.
Pictures: Kelvin Lake-I.A.Recordings
18 “Below” 2013.3
Shropshire Mines 100 Years Ago, 1913Ivor Brown
Mines Inspector Hugh Johnstone’sreport for 1913 shows that thenumber of mines in Shropshire hadincreased from 52 to 56 and the coaloutput alone had increased to845,727 tons, an increase of nearly10%. This however was partlybecause there had been a major strikeof coal miners in 1912. Fireclayproduction also increased from about26,000 tons to 29,000 but red clay,pyrites and ironstone had fallendramatically (to 20,882 tons, 25 tonsand 2,489 tons respectively).Ironstone production was down byabout 30% because the MadeleyWood Company furnaces had beenblown out in 1912, leaving only thoseof the Lilleshall Company.
The number of persons employedunder the Coal Mines Act were; 3,075males underground (including 122boys under 16 years), 634 males onsurface (including 3 boys under 14years) and 9 females.
Three mines were now using coalcutting machines (2 in 1912).
Four persons were killed in minesunder this Act during 1913 (about 1for every 1,000 employed, ascompared with over 3 in theWorcester pits). There was oneexplosion in Shropshire atCruckmeole Pit, which injured oneman who had climbed over a ‘NoRoad’ fence into old workings to getsome clay for use as stemming. Heignited gas with his candle.
Fatal AccidentsAt Brandlee Pit - the undermanagerwent down a sump to examine it anda rock fell from the side upon him.At Woodhouse Pit, a youth waskilled on his first day undergroundwhile helping on a haulage way, hewas crushed.At Kemberton Pit a collier, acting as arescueman, was poisoned by gaswhen opening up some workings thathad been closed following a fire (see‘Below’ Winter 2006.4 or ClubAccount No.24 p50 for details).At Freehold Pit, a coal picker on thesurface was crushed when hisclothing got caught in machinery.
As the Coal Mines Act 1911 was nowin force, there was some practicaldifficulties in getting everyone tocomply, for example exemptioncertificates had had to be granted toKemberton, Meadow, Rock, andLawley to the use of overwindprevention equipment,.
Birmingham University was nowcharged with the examination of allfiremen (deputies) and shotfirers inShropshire and for the training ofMines Rescue Teams (Three teamsfrom Madeley Wood Pits had beentrained during the year). LilleshallRescue Station had trained 12 men.
During the year 282 horses wereemployed underground, 5 had beendestroyed following accidents and 3by disease. Eighty-two were injuredin accidents and 2 were found tohave been ill-treated.
Only two pits had used electricityduring the year, none had used it forwinding or ventilation. Aggregatehorsepower in use had been 120 hp.for washing or screening, 11 forhaulage on surface and 130underground, 70 for pumping, 135 forportable machinery and 40 hp. forother uses.
Metalliferous Mines ActTwelve mines were at work duringthe year, employing 128 menunderground, 90 on the surface, plusone female, total 219.
There had been a substantialincrease at Bog Mine 94 to 112, andan increase at Snailbeach (one,making 38). Mineral output wasincreasing and in 1913 was 13,772tons barytes, 276 tons lead ore, 444tons zinc ore and 240 tons limestone.
No fatal accidents occurred duringthe year.
Quarries Act70 quarries employed 1,596 persons(no females and only 1 boy age 12-14years. These produced 55,556 tonsbrickclay, 514,778 tons igneous rock,19,458 tons gravel and sand, 176,200tons limestone and 15,176 tons
sandstone, all except sandstone werean increase on the previous year.
There was one fatality, at Clee HillDhustone Quarry, one quarryman,George Mapp, was working at thefoot of the quarry face when aboulder, about 3cwt. fell from a joint50ft. above him. The accidentfollowed heavy rain.
AppendixThe following list gives all minesemploying over 10 persons in 1913.
List of Mines in 1913 underthe Coal Mines Act.Key: C =Coal, FC = Fireclay, RC =Red Clay, I = Ironstone.
Clee Hill CoalfieldCatherton (C) - 12, Trout (C) - 33.
List of Mines in 1913 underMetalliferous Mines ActsKey: B = Baryte, L = Lead Ore, Z =Zinc Ore.
Snailbeach (B, L, Z) - 38, Bog (L, Z) -112, Rhadley & Rock (B) - 18,Cothercott (B) - 14.
19“Below” 2013.3
Snailbeach “Beach Party”Weekend 13th-14th July
As part of the community eventsover the weekend of the 13th-14thJuly residents in the villages alongthe Stiperstones were invited to makescarecrows and place them by theroadside. The neighbours of NickSouthwick under the guise of “The
Lane Gang” took their inspirationfrom Nick and made a ‘Miner’scarecrow - allegedly designed tolook like Nick it ended up lookingmore like Steve Holding - you canjudge for yourself in the pictureabove!
Much to everyone’s surprise thescarecrow won ‘Gold’ - it was astriking figure (the scarecrow notNick) and the first of the scarecrowsencountered as you enteredSnailbeach from Plox Green.
A number of ‘features’ surroundingthe scarecrow hinted at theirinspiration - bottles of beer, self-rescuer, bottles of beer, black cat,bottles of beer . . . makes youwonder how they thought of it!
Congratulations to the ‘Lane Gang’.
Pictures: Kelvin Lake-I.A.Recordings
20 “Below” 2013.3
What the Papers Said - Wellington Journal & Shrewsbury Newssubmitted by Steve Dewhirst
was a mistake. After the late Mr. More’s death, acompany for Gritt and Ladywell, managed byCook and Thomas, purposed to divide the twosetts, which he (Mr. More) allowed on the conditionof a company being arranged for the Gritt, butwhen he found Baron Grant wanted it, he opposedit. This mine was now being started, he hoped,under favourable auspices.
The history of the Roman Gravels was betterknown. Mr. Salmon was the first who took itwhen Mr. More’s father proposed to work ithimself, but was advised by his solicitor not toincur the responsibility. Sir Charles Lyell gave his(Mr. More’s) father the character of being aperfect authority on the district, and the eventproved his opinion of the Roman Gravels to havebeen perfectly right, and Mr. More regretted thathis father had not worked the mine himself as Mr.Beaumont worked theirs in Northumberland.
The model he made of the district obtained a prizemedal in the exhibition of 1861, and he hopedwould be placed for reference in the Museum atShrewsbury. He suggested that different authoritiesshould under-take a short sketch of each mine,which should be sent to Mr. Higgins, whom heproposed should jointly edit them with himself.He himself would write the history of locomotionin the district, commencing with the road toMinsterley made by his uncle, Mr. BridgemanMore, and the different attempts to make a railwayline the district. These facts might be of use to ofthe generations after they were all forgotten. Mr.More ton, Mr. Salmon, and Sir Roderick Murchisonhad left materials which would help the compilationof a concise history of the district. Mr. More thengave an account of Sir Roderick Murchison’s lastvisit, when the latter gave Mr. More the benefit ofseven years’ experience in the district 40 yearsbefore.
Mr. Edward Marston was of opinion that part ofthe dividend of £120,000 paid on the RomanGravels shares had been set aside as a means ofworking the mines during the time when lead fellin value, and that the mine should not have stopped.Captain Oldfield, of Snailbeach, supported theproposal to write an account of the mines, andgave his opinion that this was the best miningdistrict in England, and that the same veins ran
LEAD MINES IN SHROPSHIRE. RETROSPECTIVE & PROSPECTIVE VIEWS.
Yesterday week a meeting was held at ShelveSchool to consider the propriety of drawing up astatement of the history of these mines. The roomwas well filled. The Rev. R. Relton presided, andstated that he had asked Mr. More to give alecture, and that he had chosen this subject.
Mr. More said he had suggested this as being ofpractical interest to them. Strangers were nowinquiring about these mines, and it would be usefulto print the most authentic facts. He then sketchedwhat was known of them in the time of theRomans, in the reign of Henry II., and in themiddle ages, and said that the first case reportedby Plowden was a case of royalty for gold, ofwhich two instances were given in Shropshire, onenear Shifnal and one at Pontesbury. Then in moderntimes he knew Snailbeach was worked about 120years ago ; for his great-grandfather, dying in1780, Pemberton, the solicitor of the family, solda share of a quarter of an interest in Snailbeach for£500.
The speaker’s grandfather and other gentlementried their hands at Snailbeach, and being told bythe best authority of the time that he would eat allthe lead that was ever found at Snailbeach, theygave up, but the men drove on and cut the lodewhich had been worked for more than 100 years,so that the man who said he would “eat all thelead” must have required a good digestion.
Then came the Laurences, of whom a lady memberwas still living at Pontesbury. Then the Farmers’Company of 32 members, who knew what theywere about, and drove the Leigh level about 1½miles, to near Hope Church. The driving of thislevel was the chief point which had beenoverlooked. The Laurences and the Farmers’Company seem to have had the whole district, buthe did not know who began the Wood level.
Then came Mr. Ward and Mr. Dickin at the Grit,who employed 300 men for 40 years, where a Mr.Dickin lived as agent. After this the lease was soldby arrangement with the late Mr. More to Mr.John Taylor, the well-known mining agent, whotook that with Ladywell, and purposed to get ridof his company and take the Ladywell alone,which Mr. More’s father would not allow, and gotrid of Mr. Taylor, which he (Mr. More) thought
21“Below” 2013.3
straight though into North Wales. Three causeshad operated against the district, viz., badmanagement, the broker system, and high royalty.By bad management he meant following the pipesof ore down as had been done at the Bog for 500yards without extending the workings. He spokein favour of a drainage company to continue theLeigh level, and instanced one in which theexpenditure of £10,000 in drainage of the HalkynMines had paid the shareholders £90,000. Hestrongly supported the publication of a book ofthe mines.
Mr. Gwilliam spoke in favour of a school ofmines for the district, and thought lectures shouldbe given there on mining.
Mr. Lewis, of Pennerley, said the mines were fullof pipes of ore, which would pay well.
Mr. More then replied. Alluding to the railwayschemes, he said a gentleman was coming downto consider the question. He denied that therewere any high royalties now. They had establisheda sliding scale as advised by Mr. Bewricke, themanager of Mr. Beaumont’s late mine. The Dukeof Cleveland’s sliding scale in Durham began at 1-18 when lead was low.
Mr. Gwilliam proposed, and Mr. Oliver seconded,a vote of thanks to Mr. More for taking so muchinterest in the neighbourhood.
Mr. More, in reply, said he hoped all would pulltogether now that another company were comingto take over the Wood Mine. If they could start asufficient number of mines, then they would havea railway. (Cheers.) He begged all who had factsworth knowing to send them to Mr. Higgins orhimself, and then they might meet again to considerwhat they would publish.
22nd January 1898
What the Papers SaidContinued ...
Romania Gold Project “Back On”Canadian mining firm Gabriel Resources Ltd wants toexpand and modernise a communist era open-castgold mine at Rosia Montana in Transylvania, northernRomania.
The mine is on top of one of Europe’s largest golddeposits. However the project has been held up formore than a decade by a row over its environmentalimpact. The mine would cut into mountain peaks andinvolve heavy use of cyanide.
The project may now be back on track after theRomaninan government approved new draftlegislation on the Rosia Montana Project. TheRomanian parliament will consider the bill duringSeptember. If adopted by the Romanian parliament itwill set the framework to significantly accelerate thedevelopment of Europe’s largest gold mine at RosiaMontana and other mining projects in Romania.
Gabriel Resources control Rosia Montana GoldCorporation (RMGC), which would develop the mine.But the Romanian state’s stake in the project wouldrise to 25% from a current 20%.The royalty rate for the Romanian state would alsorise from the current 4% to 6%.
Gabriel Resources says RMGC would "undertake topreserve cultural heritage, ensure environmentalprotection and eliminate historical pollution".
The company says the project “will create an averageof 2,300 jobs in the construction phase and 900 in theoperational phase”. They also say they will“undertake to preserve cultural heritage, ensureenvironmental protection and eliminate historicalpollution”. However the Rosia Montana CulturalFoundation, which is opposed to the mine, fear thatmine expansion would ruin a picturesque area andwreck ancient Roman mining galleries. The companyadmits that large sections of the ancient mines wouldbe destroyed, along with the peaks of four localmountains.
BBC News, 8th August 2013
Bosnian Miners Leave Pit After StrikeAbout 140 coal miners whobarricaded themselves (between100m and 250m below ground) at theDjurdjevik mine in northern Bosnia-Hercegovina for 3 days in a disputeover pay and recruitment resurfacedafter a deal had been reachedbetween the miners, management andthe mine owners.
The strike was triggered by the
decision of the mine’s supervisoryboard to appoint a new companysecretary. The Union said thisviolated an agreement with thegovernment to hold off recruitment ofadministrative staff until the miners’wages went up. The mine has agreedto dismiss the company secretaryand begin hiring more productionworkers. An agreement was alsoreached over pay.
The government of Bosnia’sautonomous Muslim-Croat federationis majority owner of EPBiH, the utilitythat operates the Djurdjevik mine,which employs more than 1,000people and produces about 600,000tonnes of coal per year, supplyingthe power plant at the nearby town ofTuzla.
BBC News 4th September 2013
22 “Below” 2013.3
Events, Books & Web Sites
Rope & Rope HaulageJust published by C. E. Mountfordand available from the IndustrialRailway Society.
Pages 229-234 contains a descriptionof the Carmears Incline, near PontsMill, Par, which was rare in that it wasworked by a waterwheel.
Otherwise it gives generalinformation about this routeinstigated by J. T. Treffry in 1837.
Simon Hughes
Adventurers in the LeadTrade - being an account of
the Mining Interests of theThornhill family of StantonHall, Nr Bakewell,
Derbyshire
By Jim Rieuwerts, Hard back, 162pp,255mm x 155mm luxury lead-greyclothbound only 300 copiesproduced in full colour.
The book features rare original maps,charts and illustrations from theStanton Archive and Dr. Rieuwerts’private collection, additionalphotographs by Paul Deakin, PhilipWolstenholme and vintagephotographs of Millclose Mine andits miners.
Commissioned by the Davie-Thornhill Estate of Stanton Hall inDerbyshire, the limited edition bookdetails the history of the Thornhillfamily’s involvement in lead-miningbetween the 17th and 19th centuries,and their enthusiastic investment ofventure capital into pioneeringtechnical solutions for de-wateringthe orefield, and in many casesproducing huge returns on theirinvestments.
They co-funded some of the longest,deepest and most famous soughs inDerbyshire, and installed multipleNewcomen water-pumping enginesdeep underground in the pursuit ofmore lead.
Many of the sites photographed inthe book are rarely visited and/orpoorly documented, and includeOdin Mine, Blue John Caverns/Waterhull Mine, Mandale Mine,Yatestoop Sough and Drake Mine inWinster.
Price: £25.00 + P&P
All books mentioned here areavailable from Mike Moore at Clubmeetings, or online at
www.moorebooks.co.uk
Online Mapping ofMines in the BritishIslesThe Northern Mine Research Societyis pleased to announce this majoradvance in the research toolsavailable on its website.
Mike Gill has prepared extensivedatabases giving the locations andhistorical details of coal andmetalliferous mines in the BritishIsles. Starting with coal, these arenow being made available on thewebsite by superimposing the dataon Google Earth mapping.
Some 23,000 mines will be covered,and basic information such as theopening and closing dates, themineral worked, and the ownershiphistory (all where known) is given.
To find the “Collieries of the BritishIsles”:
go to the ‘Mining in the British Isles’section of the main website(www.nmrs.org.uk)
Click on ‘Information’ (penultimateentry on the option bar) andselect ‘Mines Information’.
Click on Coal, and at the foot of themap choose the 'Online Mapping'option.
Mike Gill
A direct link to get onto these pages:
www.nmrs.org.uk/mines/coal/maps/
100th Anniversary ofStainless Steel
Historical Metallurgy SocietyAnnual Conference
19th-20th October 2013Cutlers’ Hall, Sheffield, S1 1HG
On the 20th August 1913, localmetallurgist Harry Brearley made hisfirst arc furnace cast of stainless steelin Sheffield. Therefore to mark thisoccasion the Historical MetallurgySociety is holding its 2013 AnnualConference in the Cutlers’ Hall inSheffield.
There will be a mixture ofpresentation on stainless steel, otherrecent alloys and metal-workingtechniques on the Saturday. Theprogramme is up on our website. Asa special treat we have access to oneof the private rooms in the Hall whereyou can see the display of theBrearley knives that he assembledand gave to the Company in the1930s.
The Sunday will be field trip toKelham Island Museum, home of oneof only three Bessemer Convertersleft in the world. There will also bethe opportunity to see the 12,000horse power River Don Engine atwork!
Bookings close on the 20th ofSeptember, but to assist if you areintending to come could you sendEleanor Blakelock an email on theaddress below so that I can confirmnumbers.
For more information visithist-met.org/meetings/31-hms-
Papers are invited on all aspects ofthe development of technologyinvolved in mining and quarrying.
Submissions of papers should bemade to Dave [email protected]: 01341 280901.
23“Below” 2013.3
Books and Videos
HISTORIC MINES OF SPAIN VOL.2
full details available at:www.iarecordings.org
EXPLORING THE MINES OF SIERRA MINERA AND MAZARRÓN
In April 2008, the Club visited theSierra Minera region of Murcia inSpain to see some of the vast rangeof ancient and modern mines whichsurvive so well in the area. At scoresof sites, flat-rope winders standbeside intact steel or woodenheadframes over extremely deep openshafts! The footage in this recordingis a compilation of the many sitesvisited, along with location maps andcaptions - it has no commentary, butthere is incidental dialogue inSpanish and English.
Las Matildes mining museum near LaUnión, is where the Fundación SierraMinera preserves and exhibits a widevariety of mines, buildings andequipment. Later we visited thepicturesque ruins in the Rambla delAvenque and at Portman we exploredpart of the large elaborate processingmill Lavadero Roberto.
At La Union, we toured the workbeing done to convert AgrupaVicenta into a show mine, thenfollowed the "33 Road" mine trackover the mountain through Romanmining remains and pastmanganese kilns to Portman Bay.At Corta Emilia we were givenpermission to examine a uniquedonkey gin.
Cabezo Rajado - the "Riven Hill"has been mined for hundreds ofyears and still has plenty to show:450m deep shafts, ornate steelheadframes, a flat rope winder, alarge mill containing 40 woodenflotation cells and a ball mill.The winder at Mina Ocasión, LaUnion, has both its flat ropes stillin good condition.
At El Lirio, levels with wooden pitprops lead to an undergroundstables. Other sites visited include:Corta Brunita opencast, La Parreta,Lavadero San Ignacio, Jose Maestretunnel and more ...
Mazarrón west of Cartagena is anochre-red zone of rich lead and silver,mined before the Romans. The hill iscut by open stopes and dotted withopen shafts; many with headframesof stone, wood or steel. Under awooden building, a steam winder stillhas its flat ropes connected to awooden headframe.
Running time: 1 hour 42 minutes
Price: £14. 40 (High Definition Blu-rayversion £18.00)Discounted price for Club members:£ 10 (£14 for Blu-ray) - if you collecte.g. at Club Meetings.
The Lead, Copper & BarytesMines of Shropshire
By Michael Shaw, Logaston press.
While SCMC publications have oftencarried articles about the variousmines covered by this book, therehas long been a need to try and pulleverything together into a coherentpublication. In this aim Mike Shawhas been very successful.
He has spent years researchingrecords and books, talking tosurviving miners, members of theirfamilies, SCMC members and trackingdown original documents and thesites of numerous mines - many ofwhich only lasted a year or two!
The first few chapters cover the earlymining history of Shropshire, theproducts and processes, beforedelving off into the different miningareas and covering the mines in moredetail, so it will have general appeal.
There are plenty of interestingsnippets and facts to keep‘enthusiasts’ engaged. This excellentpublication is a must for anyoneinterested in Shropshire’s mininghistory.
ISBN: 978-906663-09-4Softback, 320 pages, over 200 b&wphotographs, drawings and plans.Price £12.95.
Available from Mike Moore at Clubmeetings, or online at
www.moorebooks.co.uk
Cornish ExplosivesBy Bryan Earl, hardback 365pp 2ndedition (which is completely revisedupdated and extended with manypreviously unpublished photos), thissuperb book has been reduced from£35.00 to £15.00 an absolute stealthe book describes the industry inCornwall and also explains themanufacture of explosives.
I can’t praise this book enough andat this price for a hardback it wouldbe crazy not to add this to yourbookshelf
Its available from all good stockistsincluding myself.
Price: £15.00 + P&PMike Moore
24 “Below” 2013.3
Diary Dates2013
Club Officers
Catch us on the World Wide Web. Club activities & the labyrinth: www.shropshirecmc.org.uk
18th -19th October: The ForgottenState of Industry Conference,Glendalough Hotel, Co. Wicklow.
25th -28th Ocotber: 29th SUICROSymposium, Hotel Doolin, Co. Clare.
![Contributions of Jean Watson’s theory to holistic critical thinking … · 2018. 12. 27. · Rev Bras Enferm [Internet]. 2018;71(4):2072-6. 2074 Contributions of Jean Watson’s](https://static.documents.pub/doc/80x56/60e6eb50735446557e50e616/contributions-of-jean-watsonas-theory-to-holistic-critical-thinking-2018-12.jpg)
