Somerset coalfield
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Image:RadstockMineWheel.jpg The Somerset coalfield included pits in the north Somerset area where coal was mined from the 15th century until 1973.
It is part of a wider field which covered northern Somerset and southern Gloucestershire counties in England. It stretched from Cromhall in the north to the Mendip Hills in the south, and from Bath in the east to Nailsea in the west, a total area of about 240 square miles (620 km²).<ref>A Brief History of the Bristol and Somerset Coalfield. The Mines of the Bristol and Somerset Coalfield. Retrieved on 2006-11-11.</ref> Most of the pits in the Somerset coalfield were concentrated along the Cam Brook, Wellow Brook and Nettlebridge Valleys.
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[edit] History
Image:PaultonBatch.jpg It is believed that coal was mined in the area during Roman times and there is documentary evidence of coal being dug at Kilmersdon in 1437. By the time of Henry VIII there were coal pits at Clutton, High Littleton and Stratton-on-the-Fosse.
During the early part of the 17th century coal was largely obtained by excavating the outcrops or driving an incline, which involved following the seam into the ground. Only a small amount of coal could be obtained by these methods and so bell pits took their place. These were vertical pits, about 4 feet (1.2 m) in diameter at the top and as much as 60 feet (18.3 m) deep, which were widened out at the bottom. When all the coal that could safely be extracted from a bell pit had been recovered, another pit would be sunk close by to intersect the seam and the waste from the second pit thrown into the first pit.<ref>Mining. High Littleton & Hallatrow History and Parish Records. Retrieved on 2006-11-12.</ref>
In 1763 coal was discovered in Radstock and mining began in the area.<ref>Clew, Kenneth R. (1970). The Somersetshire Coal Canal and Railways. Newton Abbot: David and Charles. ISBN 0715347926.</ref>
The industrial uses of coal were varied. Coal was used in limekilns to produce lime, which was much in demand for mortar production for building purposes and by farmers to improve soil. From 1820 it was used to produce gas for town lighting and to drive the woollen mills in the area. Coke uses included drying malt in the brewing industry!<ref>Coal Mining. Somerset Ramblers. Retrieved on 2006-11-12.</ref>
[edit] Geology
Image:William Smith.g.jpg Much of the exploratory survey work was carried out by William Smith, who became known as the "Father of English Geology". Smith worked at one of the estate's older mines, the Mearns Pit at High Littleton. As he observed the rock layers, or strata, at the pit he realised that they were arranged in a predictable pattern, and that the various strata could always be found in the same relative positions. Additionally, each particular stratum could be identified by the fossils it contained, and the same succession of fossil groups from older to younger rocks could be found in many parts of England. Furthermore, he noticed an easterly dip of the beds of rock- small near the surface (about three degrees) then bigger after the Triassic rocks. This gave Smith a testable hypothesis, which he termed The Principle of Faunal Succession, and he began his search to determine if the relationships between the strata and their characteristics were consistent throughout the country. During subsequent travels, first as a surveyor (appointed by noted engineer John Rennie) for the canal company until 1799 when he was dismissed, and later, he was continually taking samples and mapping the locations of the various strata, and displaying the vertical extent of the strata, and drawing cross-sections and tables of what he saw. This would earn him the name "Strata Smith".
Lower and Middle Coal Measures are found at depths between 500 and 5,000 feet (152-1,525 m). Together the Lower and Middle Coal Measures are 2,000 to 2,500 feet (610-762 m) thick with the Middle Coal Measures averaging about 1,600 feet (488 m) and the Lower Coal Measures about 600 feet (183 m). The Somerset coalfield consists of the northern Pensford and the southern Radstock synclines separated by the east-west trending Farmborough Fault Belt. Only in the southern part of the Radstock Syncline have coals of the Lower and Middle Coal Measures been worked, mainly at the Newbury and Vobster collieries in the southeast and in the New Rock and Moorewood pits to the southwest. Only in the eastern part of Pensford Syncline have coals of the Lower and Middle Coal Measures been worked, at the Globe Pit in the Newton St Loe area in the 19th century.<ref>Somerset Prospect. Department of Trade and Industry. Retrieved on 2006-11-11.</ref>
Coal mines were established in the villages of High Littleton and Hallatrow by 1633 because here the coal seams ran obliquely to the surface. The first deep mine was Mearns Coalworks which began in 1783. The Greyfield Coal Company did not start until 1833.
[edit] The pits
| Colliery | Location | Opened | Closed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allen's Paddock | Farmborough | |||
| Amesbury's | Farmborough | |||
| Barlake | Nettlebridge | |||
| Bishop Sutton | Bishop Sutton | 1835<ref name="durham2">Durham, I. & M. (1991). Chew Magna and the Chew Valley in old photographs. Redcliffe Press. ISBN 187297161X.</ref> | 1928<ref name="date">Colliery lists. The Mines of the Bristol and Somerset Coalfield. Retrieved on 2006-11-12.</ref> | 1896 owned by F. Spencer, New Rock Colliery,<ref name="peak">Peak District Mines Historical Society Ltd. Retrieved on 2006-11-12.</ref> 1908 owned by J Lovell and Sons<ref name="cmrc">List of Mines in Great Britain and the Isle of Man, 1908. Coal Mining Resource Centre. Retrieved on 2006-11-12.</ref> |
| Braysdown | Peasedown St John | 1845<ref>History. Parish of Peasedown St John Parish Design Statement. Retrieved on 2006-11-14.</ref> | 1896 owned by Danbeny and Scobel <ref name="peak" /> 1908 Owned by Braysdown Colliery Co.<ref name="cmrc" /> | |
| Bromley | Stanton Drew | 1860<ref name="down">Down, C.G., A. J. Warrington (2005). The history of the Somerset caolfield. Radstock: Radstock Museum. ISBN 978-0-9551684-0-6.</ref> | 1957<ref name="down" /> | 1896<ref name="peak" /> & 1908 Owned by Bromley Coal Co Ltd. <ref name="cmrc" /> |
| Burchells (sometimes spelt Burchills or Birchill's)<ref name="clutton">Clutton’s Mines. Clutton Village Web site. Retrieved on 2006-11-14.</ref> | Clutton | 1911 (reopened)<ref name="clutton" /> | 1921<ref name="clutton" /> | Owned by Earl of Warwick’s estate<ref name="clutton" /> |
| Camerton | Camerton | 1950<ref>Coal Mining. Somerset Ramblers. Retrieved on 2006-11-12.</ref> | Combined old and new pits. The 8ft diameter, 1,818ft shaft is known to have been sunk (to a lesser depth) before 1800. The colliery ceased production in 1950.<ref name="camerton">Camerton. Flickr. Retrieved on 2006-11-12.</ref> 1896<ref name="peak" /> & 1908<ref name="cmrc" /> owned by Miss E.E. Jarrett. Site of a massive coal dust explosion at Camerton New in 1893 which killed two miners.<ref name="ramblers">Coal Mining. Somerset Ramblers. Retrieved on 2006-11-12.</ref> | |
| Charmborough | Holcombe | |||
| Clansdown | Radstock | 1929<ref name="date" /> | 1896 owned by Trustees of the late C. Hollwey<ref name="peak" /> 1908 Owned by Clansdown Colliery Co <ref name="camerton" /> | |
| Coal Barton Pit | Coleford | Scene of a firedamp explosion which killed nine miners in 1869<ref name="ramblers" /> | ||
| Conygre | Timsbury | 1791<ref name="down" /> | 1916<ref name="date" /> | Merger of Upper and Lower pits. 1896<ref name="peak" /> owned by Samborne Smith and Company. 1908<ref name="cmrc" /> Owned by Beaumont, Kennedy and Co |
| Dunkerton | Dunkerton | 1905<ref name="ramblers" /> | 1933<ref name="date" /> | Owned by Dunkerton Collieries Ltd., <ref name="ramblers" /> |
| Edford | Holcombe | 1986<ref name="peak" /> & 1908<ref name="cmrc" /> Owned by Edford Colliery Co., (HJ Ridler) | ||
| Farrington | Farrington Gurney | 1921<ref name="date" /> | 1896 owned by Farrington Colliery Co.<ref name="peak" /> | |
| Farrington No 1 | Farrington Gurney | 1923<ref name="date" /> | ||
| Foxcote | Radstock | 1896<ref name="peak" /> owned by Writhlington, Huish and Foxcote Colliery Co., | ||
| Fry's Bottom | Clutton | 1830s<ref name="clutton" /> | 1885<ref name="date" /> | Owned by Earl of Warwick’s estate<ref name="clutton" /> |
| Globe | Newton St Loe | |||
| Greyfield | Clutton | 1833 | 1911<ref name="date" /><ref name="clutton" /> | 1896<ref name="peak" /> owned by Right Hon. Earl of Warwick. & 1908<ref name="cmrc" /> Owned by Greyfield Colliery Co. Ltd., |
| Grove | Timsbury | |||
| Haygrove Engine | Farmborough | |||
| Hayswood | Timsbury | |||
| Holcombe | Holcombe | 1924<ref name="date" /> | ||
| Huish | Radstock | 1896<ref name="peak" /> owned by Writhlington, Huish and Foxcote Colliery Co., | ||
| Kilmersdon | Radstock | 1972<ref name="eh">Mining and Ores. History of East Harptree. Retrieved on 2006-11-12.</ref> | 1896<ref name="peak" /> & 1908<ref name="cmrc" /> owned by Kilmersdon Colliery Co. | |
| Longs | Nettlebridge | |||
| Lower Conygre | Timsbury | Merged with Upper Conygre. 1896<ref name="peak" /> owned by Samborne Smith and Company. 1908<ref name="cmrc" /> Owned by Beaumont, Kennedy and Co | ||
| Ludlows | Radstock | Part of Radstock. 1896<ref name="peak" /> owned by Trustee of Frances, late Countess of Waldegrave, | ||
| Mackintosh | Coleford | 1867<ref name="ramblers" /> | 1919<ref name="ramblers" /> | Merged with Newbury. 1896<ref name="peak" /> owned by Westbury Iron Co. Ltd., |
| Marsh Lane (Farrington No 2) | Farrington Gurney | |||
| Meareland's | Farmborough | |||
| Mearns | Farmborough | 1783 | ||
| Mells | Mells | 1860s<ref name="ramblers" /> till 1880s | reopened 1909 till 1943<ref name="ramblers" /> | |
| Middle Pit | Radstock | Part of Radstock. 1896<ref name="peak" /> owned by Trustee of Frances, late Countess of Waldegrave, | ||
| Nettlebridge | Nettlebridge | |||
| Newbury | Coleford | 1927<ref name="date" /><ref name="ramblers" /> | Merged with Mackintosh. 1896<ref name="peak" /> owned by Westbury Iron Co. Ltd., 1908<ref name="cmrc" /> Owned by John Wainwright and Co. Ltd. | |
| Norton Hill | Midsomer Norton | 1908<ref name="cmrc" /> Owned by Norton Hill Colliery Co., | ||
| Old Haygrove | Farmborough | |||
| Old Mills | Paulton | Merged with Springfield. 1896<ref name="peak" /> & 1906<ref name="cmrc" /> Owned by W Evans and Co. | ||
| Old Nettlebridge | Nettlebridge | |||
| Old Paulton | Paulton | |||
| Old Welton | Radstock | Merged with Clandown. 1896<ref name="peak" /> owned by Old Welton Colliery Co. 1908 <ref name="camerton" /> Owned by Clansdown Colliery Co | ||
| Paulton | Paulton | |||
| Pensford | Pensford | 1909<ref name="down" /> | 1955<ref name="down" /> | |
| Priston | Priston | 1930<ref name="date" /> | ||
| Radstock | Radstock | 1906<ref name="cmrc" /> Owned by Earl of Waldegrave, | ||
| Ratcomb | Farmborough | |||
| Rudge's (Clutton Ham) | Clutton | |||
| Shoscomb | Radstock | |||
| Smallcombe | Radstock | |||
| Springfield | Paulton | Merged with Old Mills. Owned by W Evans and Co. <ref name="cmrc" /> | ||
| Temple Cloud | Temple Cloud | |||
| Timsbury | Timsbury | |||
| Travis | Bishop Sutton | |||
| Tyning | Radstock | Part of Radstock. 1896<ref name="peak" /> owned by Trustee of Frances, late Countess of Waldegrave, | ||
| Upper Conygre | Timsbury | Merged with Lower Conygre. 1896<ref name="peak" /> owned by Samborne Smith and Company. 1908<ref name="cmrc" /> Owned by Beaumont, Kennedy and Co | ||
| Vobster | Vobster | 1874 <ref name="ramblers" /> | ||
| Wellsway | Radstock | Part of Radstock. 1896<ref name="peak" /> owned by Trustee of Frances, late Countess of Waldegrave, | ||
| Welton Bridge | Midsomer Norton | 1888<ref name="date" /> | ||
| Welton Hill | Radstock | Owned by Clansdown Colliery Co <ref name="camerton" /> | ||
| Withy Mills | Timsbury | c 1810<ref name="down" /> | 1877<ref name="down" /> | |
| Woodbarrow | Radstock | |||
| Woody Haygrove | Farmborough | |||
| Writhlington | Radstock | 1972<ref name="eh" /> | Merger of Upper and Lower Writhlington, Huish & Foxcote. 1896<ref name="peak" /> owned by Writhlington, Huish and Foxcote Colliery Co., 1908<ref name="cmrc" /> Owned by Writhlington Collieries Co. Ltd. The spoil heap is a now a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) because of the rich collection of fossils in the spoil heap<ref>Writhlington SSSI, Somerset. English Nature. Retrieved on 2006-11-14.</ref> - see Writhlington SSSI. |
[edit] Transportation
The coal was transported by the Somerset Coal Canal and later by the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway, which were reached from the pits by a series of tramways.
[edit] Output
Tonnage increased throughout the nineteenth century, reaching a peak around 1901, when there were 79 separate collieries and annual production was 1,250,000 tons per annum.<ref>Radstock's coal mining history. This is Wiltshire. Retrieved on 2006-11-12.</ref>
[edit] Decline and closure
The peak years were 1900 to 1920. However the decline soon took hold and the number of pits reduced from 30 at the beginning of the twentieth century to 14 by the mid-thirties, 12 at nationalisation to create British Coal on 1st January 1947, 5 by 1959 and none after 1973.<ref>Coal Mining. Somerset Ramblers. Retrieved on 2006-11-12.</ref> Narrow seams made production expensive, limiting profit and investment, and a reduced national demand together with competition from more economical coalfields<ref>North Somerset Heritage Trust. Retrieved on 2006-11-11.</ref> led to the closure of the last two pits in the coalfield, Kilmersdon and Writhlington, in September 1973.<ref>A Brief History of the Bristol and Somerset Coalfield. The Mines of the Bristol and Somerset Coalfield. Retrieved on 2006-11-11.</ref>
[edit] Area today
Although there are still the remains of some of the mines, in the form of disused or redeveloped buildings and a few slag heaps, most of which have been removed or landscaped, the area has returned to a largely rural nature between the Mendip Hills and the river Avon in north east Somerset. Many of the towns and villages have some light industry but are often Commuter towns for Bath and Bristol. There is still some quarrying for Limestone particularly in the Mendips.
The Colliers Way (NCN24) is a national cycle route which passes many of the landmarks associated with the coal field,<ref>The Colliers Way (NCN24). BANES cycling. Retrieved on 2006-11-11.</ref> and other local roads and footpaths follow the tramways developed during the coal mining years.
[edit] References
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