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How
big were the Halifax coal mines?
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By today's standard they would be considered very small mines, however in the 19th century a number of them would be considered average or medium sized. Although no reliable national or regional figures are available for this period it is clear that although some mines did employ hundreds of men the great majority would have employed less than 70 men. Even as late as 1895 over 60% of mines in Yorkshire employed less than 200 men, with one third employing less than 50. Back in 1842 a number of the mines in Northowram and Southowram could be described as medium sized employing between 30 and 70 men. Swan Bank colliery appears to be the largest employing 60 men and boys, Listerwick employed 44, and Boothtown approximately 36. Even with the change to mainly mining clay after 1860 the size of the biggest mines did not change very much. |
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Examples
of the number of miners employed in 1842,
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and
in 1896.
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When discussing the size of the mines it is perhaps worth dividing the mines into three distinct types. The first are the small independently run operations, often with members of the same family both owning and working them. e.g. Ditchforth and Clay's colliery at Elland which was 50 yards deep and wound by a turnwheel (simple hand roller). Secondly larger medium sized mines operated by local landowners or businessmen. Swan Bank colliery owned by the Rawsons family and Listerwick colliery on the Shibden Hall estate, both of which were worked by steam engines, would be good examples. A third class of mine so far not mentioned, but non the less very important is the small mine which was owned in conjunction with several other mines. The numerous pits owned and run by Joseph Stocks, such as Quarry House, Windy Bank and Boothtown collierys are prime examples of this type. The reason that Stocks was still working in this way and that the small independent coalmines survived to the 1850s probably reflects the irregular nature of land ownership in the area at this time. It should therefore be no surprise that by the 1830s the major players in the Halifax coal mines were Lister, Rawson and Stocks, who were also the major land owners in both North and Southowram. |