Mining in Hunthouse Wood, Mamble,
Worcestershire (David Poyner, Andrew Santer
& Robert Evans, SCMC Journal No.5)
Introduction
The parish of Mamble in Worcestershire lies on the Wyre Forest Coalfield
and has seen mining from at least the 17th Century. The largest complex of
mines is located close to the village centre, along the Marlbrook valley.
However, coal has been worked at other locations in the parish including
Hunthouse Wood, which lies to the south and is bordered by the Dumbleton Brook
on its east and south sides. The name Hunthouse Wood is now applied
collectively to a series of dense woods which clothe the steep slope of the
brook and its tributaries and today is largely owned and run as a nature
reserve by the Worcestershire Wildlife Trust. However, it has had an
interesting industrial past, as will be reviewed below.
Geology
Hunthouse Wood lies on the edge of the southern basin of the
The main stratigraphic feature in the sequence is a band of sandstone,
100ft thick, known as the "Thick Sandstone". This, along with a thin
band of limestone rich in the fossil Spirobis and a band of purple and
red mottled clay, the "Horseflesh Clay", provides a useful marker in
interpreting the geology of the locality. The most significant tectonic feature
of Hunthouse Wood is that it is located in a trough fault, with a throw of
about 50ft. This means that the Hard Mine coal outside of the fault is almost
on the same horizon as the Main Coal within it. This was elucidated in the
Second World War by Geoffrey Bramall, managing director of the Bayton Colliery
Company, and has had considerable implications for the history of mining.
Pre-Mining History
Hunthouse Wood formed the boundary of the Saxon manors of Sodington and
'Broc'. In the 13th Century some of the woodland was granted to one Wynwaru as
part of a farm or 'wic', hence the name Winwrick's Wood. For a period Hunthouse
Farm (perhaps the manor of Broc) may have been a hunting lodge. Subsequently
the names have lost their meanings and become transposed, leading to the
presence of Winrick's Wood Colliery in Hunthouse Wood.
By the end of the Middle Ages the wood had become part of the lands of
the Blount family of Sodington and Mawley Hall and it was to remain in this
family until well into this century. Little is known of its use for much of
this period. The land is wet and slopes steeply, so was of little agricultural
value. Most retained its semi-natural cover with only some coppicing until
felling took place between the wars.
Historical Evidence for Mining
The first records of mining in this part of Mamble which have so far
come to light are the notebooks of the geologist Sir Roderick Murchison, who
visited the area in 1833. He noted the presence of shallow mines at Hunthouse.
In 1842 Berrows Worcester Journal reports the death of a boy who fell down a
pit shaft at Frith Common, a settlement about ( mile west of Hunthouse Wood. It
is likely that these mines were the fore-runners of the large late-19th century
complex that was known as Buckets Leasow Colliery, and which worked the coal
from the outcrop south of Hunthouse Farm almost towards the ground of the Mamble
Colliery itself. Both of these were owned by the Blount Family and were
subsequently leased to the Aston family. Buckets Leasow remained a primitive
colliery with handwinding until its closure in 1907, employing about 20 men in
its latter years. It is important to note that it did not include any part of
Hunthouse Wood it its workings and it is not certain whether Murchison's
colliery in 1833 was within the wood or close to the farm. Thus there is no
certain documentary evidence for pre-20th century mining in Hunthouse Wood.
Matters become much clearer with the founding of the Bayton Colliery
Company, registered in December 1914. Although this actually took over a mine
in Bayton village, known as Bayton No.l on the Sakenhurst Estate of the Guerney
family, the real target was to lease the minerals of the Mawley Estate; 1500
acres including Hunthouse Wood. The First World War meant that this was not
achieved until 1921 but almost immediately the company began to sink a shaft
just to the north of Mamble village; Bayton No. 2 or the "Eggbox
Pit", so-called because of its square-section, timber lined shaft.
Unfortunately it was not a success and it closed in 1923, shortly followed by
No. 1, where reserves had been exhausted. The Bayton Colliery Company was left
without a working colliery to its name and was forced to do some rapid
prospecting. It was decided that the outcrop in Hunthouse Dingle was the best
prospect for rapid coal production and in April 1924 a pair of drifts were
driven in an outcrop of the Main Coal. The mine exceeded expectations and so
the site was developed in a more extensive way. In 1925 a tramway was laid to
the mine from the road and in 1926 a third drift was opened further to the
south in the woods.
In 1928 the workings were so extensive from the first two drifts that it
was decided to sink shafts down to them, to improve ventillation and working
efficiency. In the event, it was necessary only to put down a single shaft and,
on completion of this, a road was laid out to it, allowing the companies own
fleet of lorries direct access to the pit head and eliminating the need for the
tramway. The mine was now known as Bayton No.3 or Winwrick's Wood. At some
point a shaft was also sunk to the more southerly drift in the wood.
In the early 1930s, the company's interests lay elsewhere, with a trial
sinking at Stildon Manor (Bayton No.4), the purchase of the small Hollins
Colliery in Pensax and a rather unsuccessful colliery nearer Mamble Village
(New Mamble or Bayton No.5). However, No.3 remained the mainstay of the company
and in April 1936 a start was made on a fresh pair of shafts to extend the
workings further to the north. These were to be Bayton No.6, or Hunthouse
Colliery. This went well but in August 1937 water broke through a small fault
and flooded the existing workings of No.3. Given that this was shortly to be
abandoned in favour of No.6, no attempt was made to pump the old mine dry and
the miners were transferred to New Mamble (the other mine of the company then
in operation) until No.6 was finished.
This finally opened in June 1939, and the expectation was that New
Mamble would soon close. However, the Second World War intervened to make this
a very protracted process. It was not possible to secure the promised
electricity supply at No. 6, leaving it short of power. Furthermore, Government
permission could not be obtained to close down New Mamble, even though it was
making a loss. The power shortage was eventually solved by the purchase of two
gas engines. These drove the compressors to supply the compressed air picks
used at the face. However, the Ministry of Fuel and Power still refused
permission to close New Mamble until the company agreed to reopen the drifts to
provide work for those men too old to cope with No.6. Thus in 1944 one drift
was driven parallel to those of 1924 and another closer to that of 1926, to
clean out the coal that had previously been left. A lorry road was also put
down to these.
At the time of sinking of the 1944 drifts, Geoffrey Bramall of the
Bayton Colliery Company became convinced that the best coal lay to their
north-east. A detailed survey of the geology of the brook valley suggested the
presence of the trough fault and he proved this by driving a trial level at 45(
from the mouth of one of the 1924 workings. This, starting out in the Main
Coal, passed through the fault into the Hard Mine, proving Bramall's
conjecture. Bramall then turned to the area east of the trough fault and
explored the outcrop of the Main Coal with a series of triaIs. Arising out these,
a production drift was started in November 1946, following the draining of a
bog which lay in its path. The first entrance to this mine was on the outcrop,
close to the brook and was served by a tramway. This was subsequently used for
drainage, with a cross-measure drift being driven to the surface further to the
west to meet up with a surface road for lorry access. Subsequently a shaft was
sunk into its workings, presumably to aid ventilation. Sometime between 1947
and 1950 a further production drift, No.9 Drift (not to be confused with No.9
Shaft), was opened alongside the brook, midway between the 1924 and 1946
drifts. This worked the Main coal previously proved by one of the trials
referrred to above.
After the war, electricity finally arrived in November 1945, although an
electric winding engine was not installed until some years later. The coal
industry was nationalised in August 1947 but at first the Bayton Colliery
Company retained its independence, working as a small mine under a series of
temporary licenses from the National Coal Board. However, operations at Bayton
were too large for the company to escape the NCB's clutches and, after an
uncomfortable 18 month relationship, the Bayton Colliery Company abandoned the
struggle and made the mine over to the NCB. They continued to operate a
brickworks and coal haulage business until the 1960s. The NCB seem to have made
a sorry mess of running the pit and closed it in February 1950. As a small and
isolated mine, it stood little chance of survival in the new order.
Although the NCB had no interest in working the Worcestershire half of
the Wyre Forest Coalfield, others were not so easily discouraged. The Mole
family of Clows Top had worked at the local collieries since the previous
century and had made several attempts in the inter-war period to open mines in
the area. With the withdrawal of both the Bayton Colliery Company and the NCB,
they took their chance and obtained a license to work the coal in the vicinity
of No. 8 drift as a small mine. Rather than re-use the drifts, they sank two
new shafts, (officially Bayton Nos.10 and 11, following on from the
nomenclature of the Bayton Colliery Company), although the mine was always
known as Hunthouse. Production began in 1954, using a mixture of largely second-hand
plant driven by compressed air or electricity. As a licensed mine, usually 30
men were employed underground. In 1963 an additional shaft (No.12) was sunk and
fitted with a pump to improve drainage. The mine closed in 1972, nominally
because of flooding. Attempts to re-open it as a going concern came to nothing,
although the site was not cleared until 1979.
Surface Remains
As noted above, documentary evidence for pre-1924 working is
insubstantial and inconclusive. However, there is clear archaeological evidence
for earlier mining. Along most of the outcrop are traces of coal digging, with
signs of spoil tips and drift mines in several places. Old workings were
discovered when No.8 drift was being opened out in 1946, where the coal had
been taken from the upper part of the Main Coal seam. In the east of the site,
the workings seem fairly haphazard, but in the west they seem to have been laid
out to a plan. Along the valley-side are two parallel lines of shafts, each on
its own terrace, which also carry access tracks. The shafts are laid out at
approximately 50 yard intervals. Exact details are difficult to recover, as the
area has been affected by ground slippage and was of course partly re-worked in
the 1920s. However, there are perhaps up to 5 or 6 shafts in each row. On the
level ground by the side of the brook there are substantial spoil mounds,
perhaps arising from the shafts .
The area of the 1924 drifts is well preserved at the eastern end. There
are the foundations of the haulage engine, still with holding down bolts, and
the office. The mouth of No.2 drift is discernible, and No.7 cross-measure
drift put down in 1944 can be followed for some distance to where it has
collapsed. When the drifts finally closed here the mouths were sealed by
bulldozing and so the western end of the site is harder to interpret. A number
of artefacts remain, including a vertical boiler and the base of a wooden tub
in the brook, a steel arch, a wheel set, and numerous lengths of rail. The
tramway incline that served the 1924 mines is well preserved for most of its
length and at the top of the bank there are brick foundations of unknown
function; perhaps part of a brake-drum assembly or a creeper. Further along is
a bank made up of the bodies of steel tubs, now badly corroded. These are
perhaps more likely to date from the 1940s.
At the site of the shaft of No.3, there is no sign of the shaft itself.
At some point, the stream which ran alongside the pithead has been culverted
and perhaps at this point the site was tided up. However, the site remains as
an obvious platform, with large mounds of burnt ash. There are signs that this
has been quarried for hardcore at some time. There are a quantity of concrete
arches on the site, that are probably left over from culverting the stream, and
also two much rusted A-frames of unknown provenance. The lorry road down to
this site is obvious, as is its continuation to the 1924/44 drifts. The lowest
section of this is distorted by land slippage and the main track now curves
away to the east, cutting through the line of the 1925 incline.
At the site of Hunthouse No.6, there is a prominent spoil tip and,
adjacent to it, the foundations of the land sale screens. The shafts have been
capped and most of the site built over. However, nearest to the lane which
originally served as the tramway and then road to the earlier mines are the
brick-built compressor and gas engine house and the stables. These have
survived by being converted into a house and garage. The roofs have been raised
but the original walls are quite distinct. Further along the track, buried in
conifers which screen the saw-mill, is a horizontal boiler almost completely
sunk in the ground. At the site of No.8 drift, the incline of c.1946 is well
preserved for most of its length. It is associated with several large lengths
of approx. 9" flanged pipes and rail sections. At its base, the first
drift entrance is obvious as a line of subsidence. Just off this is a (filled)
brick-lined shaft, shown on all plans of the workings, perhaps put down either
for exploratory purposes or to aid ventilation. The later entrance to the drift
is marked by two low brick retaining wall and a short length of subsidence. The
access road is largely visible, but seems to have been washed away by a stream
close to the drift mouth.
Further north in the wood is the site of No.9 shaft, sunk to ventilate
the workings. This is now marked by a flooded hollow but lying besides it are
the remains of a hand windlass. This consists of an iron roll supported on two
wooden frames, and was formerly encased in a sheet-iron hut. This was
apparently purchased secondhand and never used. The site of the Mole Brothers'
Hunthouse Colliery was completely cleared, except for No.12 shaft set in the
wood. The Pulsometer Pump was left in situ and the flooded shaft used as an
emergency source of water for the sawmill which replaced the mine. A steel
gantry stands over the shaft, carrying an electric motor which was used to move
the pump up and down. The gantry itself may have been purchased second-hand
from the Rockmoor Coal gassification experimental site, set up in 1951. Close
by is a sinking kibble. Hunthouse Colliery was salvaged by
There is an enigmatic collection of remains close to the entrance to the
nature reserve, in the north of the site. These essentially consist of a number
of deeply worn holloways leading south-east down the hillside to Dumbleton
brook. They may well have been formed over a considerable period as part of a
route through the wood to Pensax and perhaps also for timber hauling purposes.
Some are overlain by the 1946 incline to No.8 drift. However, one cuts through
this, showing the route was re-established post-1947. At the top of the bank is
a brick and concrete foundation of some kind of building of unknown function.
Next to this are a compressed air receiver and a water-tube vertical boiler.
These can be identified on a 1946 inventory of Hunthouse No.6 colliery. A
little further north are another series of holloways leading down the hill,
their lower ends now obscured by land slips. In one of these are the remains of
pipes and rails suggesting it had been associated with coal mining. Detailed
records of the activities of the Bayton Colliery Company survive but less is
known of the NCB period or the early days of the Mole Brothers' operations. It
is possible that the tracks may have been pressed into service during these
times, perhaps as access to No.9 or other drifts. The remains of No.9 drift
have not yet been positively identified but, together with the associated trial
drifts, they are probably at the northern edge of earlier outcrop working.
Conclusions
Hunthouse Wood has had a long history, being exploited both for its
timber and coal. Plans to extend the workings into areas yet untouched came to
nothing in post-war years and much coal remains. An attempt to resume mining in
1990 failed in the face of local (commuter) opposition and County Council policy.
There are good remains surviving from all periods of mining history. The
coal mines are well documented during the interwar period but much less is
known about activities outside this period. Further study of the physical
remains may help to shed light on this. Although Hunthouse Wood Nature Reserve
is open to access at all times please note that many of the remains of
Hunthouse Colliery (Nos.8-12) lie on private land and the goodwill of the
landowner depends on the respect of his privacy.
Coal Nationalisation 50 Years On (David
Coxill, SCMC Journal No.5)
Following the passing of the Nationalisation of the Coal Industry Act
1946, after it was initially delayed by opposition in the House of Lords,
valuation reports of the coal industry's assets for each coalfield were
prepared in order that the appropriate level of compensation could be paid to
the private owners. The report for the East Shropshire Coalfield
(Coalbrookdale,
At the time of nationalisation, only one deep mine was working, Alveley
Colliery operated by Highley Mining Co Ltd. The coalfield extends from
Bridgnorth in the north to the Abberley Hills in the south, actually crossing
the county border into Herefordshire. The Highley Group of the Upper Coal
Measures contains thin sulphurous coals which were only rarely worked around
Bayton and Mamble. Beneath these, the Kinlet Group of the Productive Coal
Measures contained "sweet" good quality coal seams that were widely
worked. The principle seams were the Five-Foot (or Broach) Coal, Halfyard Coal,
Four-Foot Coal and Two-Foot Coal. Only the Broach was being worked in 1946.
The Highley Mining Company was formed in 1870 and coal production at
Highley Mine (SO745830) began in 1874. A second colliery was sunk at Kinlet in
1896 and continued until it was forced to close in 1937 through roof problems
and heavy faulting. During the 1930s, it was decided to develop the area east
of Highley Colliery and so the Alveley Colliery was sunk on the eastern bank of
the River Severn in 1935-37. Production commenced in 1938 and full output was
reached six years later at 275,000 tons per annum. The two mines were
interconnected and, after 1940, Highley Colliery served only as ventilation
shafts for Alveley Colliery. The new mine was modern for its day, being
electrified from the start, so there was no need for boilers. Coal face working
was fully mechanised and, in 1947, the capital cost of Alveley Colliery was
£206,937. There were 289 men working at the coal face, 135 for haulage and
another 561 underground making, with the 180 employed at surface, a total
workforce of 741 men.
Alveley worked to the north, south and east directions but not to the
west, where the Highley mine was. A natural boundary of the prospect to the
east was the Romsley Fault but this appears to have been penetrated at a much
later date.
The future of Alveley looked promising and it was for about 20 years. At
its peak in the 1930s it employed over 1,250 men, producing about 280,000 tons
per annum. Then in 1968 the quality of the coal deteriorated dramatically at a
time when there was a national over supply and a major pit closure programme
being implemented by Harold Wilson's second administration (1966-70) to remedy
the situation. Had the quality problem occurred during or immediately after
World War II, or during the mid-1970s when there were energy crises through
blending, then it might not have mattered. However, coming at a time of
oversupply, the mine was closed as uneconomic in January 1969.
At the time of nationalisation, it was estimated that up to the Romsley
Fault the estimated reserves were 22 million tonnes for the Brooch Coal, 10
million tonnes for the New Mine Coal and 15 million tonnes for the Flying Reed
Coal, making a total of 47 million tonnes. At most, only 15% of these reserves
were worked.
Forest of Wyre Coalfield (Robert
Evans, David Poyner, & Steve Powell, "Mining in
To most people, the
Near to the surface, there are three seams which produced a sulphurous
coal - Brock Hall, Hard Mine and Main Sulphur Seams, the latter producing a
fair household coal. Deeper still are found four other seams - Broach, Half
Yard, Four Foot and Two Foot Seams, together with ironstone and fireclay.
Mining probably started in the Middle Ages with coal being dug from
surface outcrops, short levels or stream beds where coal deposits were exposed.
They were mostly worked by miners/farmers, who grew crops in summer and mined
coal in winter when there was little farmwork to do. Most of it would have been
for their personal consumption but they would have been able to sell some
locally to offset costs. By 1594, however, a proper colliery was being worked
at Chetton on behalf of Thomas Hord of Bridgnorth and in 1613, Francis Lacon of
Kinlet let his mines to John Slaney of London and Sir Percival Willoughby of
Woollaton. These partners intended to develop the collieries and introduce a
railway but quarrelled over the lease and parted.
The majority of collieries at this time were worked from shallow shafts,
not more than 100ft deep, from which men and coal were wound by hand windlass,
or occasionally a horse gin. Sometimes drift mines were worked, where tunnels
were driven into the side of a hill to intersect the coal seam. None of these
enterprises would have employed more than a handful of men or produced more
than 100 tons of coal per year. They were working poor quality seams and much
better coal was available in neighbouring coalfields which attracted more
investment.
At the start of the 19th century, there were dramatic, if ultimately
short lived, developments at Billingsley and Highley. As demand for coal by
local industry grew, a large estate at Billingsley was acquired by Sir William
Pulteney, MP for
In 1804, Stanley Colliery was opened near Highley by John and Benjamin
Thompson. The brothers were ironfounders but the coal produced was too
sulphurous for smelting. It found instead a market in Bewdley, Worcester and
beyond for household use, hop drying, lime burning and brick making. By 1810
the colliery had three shafts and a winding engine, having reached a depth of
330ft. It was sold in 1812 but eventually closed in 1822 when the coal ran out
after it hit geological faults.
Although most workings were shallow, several deep exploratory shafts
were sunk in the 19th century including those at
In the early 1860s, the landlord of the Cape of Good Hope Inn in
Billingsley began prospecting for coal in the locality. In 1873, the shaft hit
a five foot seam of coal which was to change the fortunes of the coalfield. A
public company was formed in 1873 to finance the mining but faced ignominy when
the Chairman was sentenced to six months hard labour for fraud! It was
relaunched but fared little better since the partners ended up suing each other
for libel and one of the clerks was arrested at
The colliery was operated on a small scale by Alfred Gibbs (the former
chief clerk) until 1910, when it was purchased by the newly formed Billingsley
Colliery Company. A lot of money was spent on re-equipping both underground and
surface (see Figures 57-58), where a railway was built to connect the colliery
with the main line. Following the First World War, the company struggled to
meet costs and there were serious geological problems, with numerous faults
full of water and gas. The colliery was sold in 1915 to the Highley Mining
Company who operated it until its closure during the 1921 Strike. The official statistics
indicate that ironstone was mined as well but an old collier has the opinion
that the only ironstone that came up the shaft was buried deep in the tubs and
disguised as coal!
The Highley Mining Company was formed by several members of the Viggars
family, who were engaged in the coal trade at Silverdale, Staffordshire. From
the mid-1870s, they opened a brick works at Highley and began sinking trial
shafts. The company was reformed in 1877 when the Viggars were joined by the
Scrivener family of
Highley Colliery continued to run at a profit for many years and, in the
early 1890s, it was decided to develop a new colliery at Kinlet. This had two
shafts of 9ft and 16ft diameter, which finally reached the Brooch Seam at a
depth of 927ft. A huge brick winding house was erected in 1896 (see FIgures
59-60) with a twin cylinder horizontal steam winder inside. To serve the
colliery, a short branch was taken off the
In the early 1880s, there were two mines on Chelmarsh Common and a two
storey engine house stood here until it was demolished in 1985. It is possible
that these mines were connected with the grandiose plans at Billingsley
Colliery but little is known about them.
By the early 1930s, Kinlet Colliery faced problems with faulting of the
coal and unstable roofs. Highley Colliery, however, was very profitable and
greatly mechanised with electricity underground and coal cutters. The only
problem was that workings were heading under the River Severn towards Alveley
and further away from the shafts. In 1935, a new shaft was started at Alveley
for coal and man winding, with a concrete headgear and electric winder. It was
connected to the Highley workings in 1937, at which time Kinlet Colliery was closed
and the men transferred to Highley. Men and coal winding were then
progressively transferred to Alveley and by 1940 Highley Colliery was closed,
although the shafts at Highley were retained for ventilation. Coal was taken
over the River Severn to a screening plant by a rope-worked tramway. The
colliery was taken over by the NCB in 1947 and ten years later it employed 1000
men with an annual output of 300,000 tons. Geological problems and loss of
markets led to the eventual closure in 1969, with several million tons of
untouched coal reserves.
Forest of
Data taken from Lists of Mines (in the Mineral Statistics published as
Parliamentary papers) for the years 1854-81, 1888-1915, 1917-38, 1945, 1948,
1950. Owners from 1856, men from 1894.
This data is simply transcribed from the the above records. Apart from
any mistakes I may have introduced doing this, it also reflects the errors made
by the initial compilers. Thus Hurdington, 1856-72 is actually Eardington,
which worked from 1843-1861!. I would be happy to help any researcher who has
queries about this data.
David Poyner - Email : D.R.Poyner@aston.ac.uk
|
Mine |
Working
Period |
Owner |
Managers |
Underground
& Surface Workers |
Coal
Seam |
|
Abberley |
1856-1876, 1880-1908 |
|
1866-67 James Molliet 1868-74 J Jones 1875 John Bailey 1876 Booth & Hardcastle 1880-1908 |
1894 22 (7) 1895 22 (5) 1900 17 (5) |
Top Bottom |
|
Alveley |
1935-69 |
1935-45 Highley Mining Co 1946-69 NCB |
1935 H V Eardley 1936-7 C Nicholas 1938 T Stonehouse 1945-48 S H Machin 1950 R J Hasbury |
1937 24 (15) 1938 562 (214) 1945 619 (232) 1948 623 (191) 1950 637 (232) |
|
|
Arley |
1854-1872 |
Capt Pelley |
|
|
|
|
Arley Wood |
1921-22 |
1921 Roberts & Co 1922 W G Maiden |
1921 J J Jones |
1921 7 (1) |
|
|
Barrats Farm |
1923-26 |
1923 Old Hall Colliery Co 1926 F J Davies |
1923 C Priest 1926 F E Davies |
1923 9 (2) 1924 4 (3) |
Silver Brooch Sweet Coal |
|
Bayton |
1871-93 |
1871-2 J Crump 1873-4 Rev D Davies 1875-7 T Wyatt & Son 1888-93 Tolleys & Co |
|
|
|
|
Bayton No.1 & 2 |
1910-23 |
Bayton Colliery Co |
1910 F Wright 1914 H Blakemoor 1921 A R Buffrey 1922 W L Moody |
1913 90 (18) 1914 91 (18) 1915 57 (15) 1916 70 (18) 1922 67 (17) |
Three Quarters Hard Mine |
|
Bayton No 3, Hunthouse
Level |
1924-37 |
Bayton Colliery Co |
W L Moody |
1924 3 (7) 1925 18 (12) 1926 35 (25) 1927 35 (41) 1930 35 (41) 1932 88 (49) |
Five Foot |
|
Bayton No 4, Stildon Pit |
1930-36 |
Bayton Colliery Co |
W L Moody |
1930 7 (6) |
|
|
Bayton No 5, New Mamble |
1934-44 |
Bayton Colliery Co |
1934-36 W L Moody 1937-8 A R Buffrey |
1934 3 (5) 1935 13 (11) 1936 28 (13) 1937 81 (21) |
Top Five Foot |
|
Bayton No 6 |
1937-50 |
1937-45 Bayton Colliery Co 1946-50 NCB |
W L Moody |
1938 3 (4) 1945 59 (30) 1948 56 (25) |
Five Foot |
|
Bayton No 6 Drift A (Mamble) |
1938-50 |
1937-45 Bayton Colliery Co 1946-50 NCB |
W L Moody |
1948 11 (4) |
Five Foot Hard Mine |
|
Beehive (Abberley Mitre) |
1909-11 |
Beehive Colliery Co |
|
1909 6 (2) |
Top Bottom |
|
|
1870-2 |
Bell Colliery Co |
|
|
|
|
Birch Hill Farm |
1922-4 |
J H Armishaw |
|
|
|
|
Billingsley |
1868-1921 |
1868-75 Wm Birchley 1876-7 Billingsley Colliery Co 1878-1909 Severn Valley Colliery Co 1910-15 Billingsley Colliery Co 1916-21 Highley Colliery Co |
1884-94 A Gibbs 1895-1910 F W Gibbs 1910-15 L E P Russ 1917-21 C C Nicholas |
1894 20 (4) 1895 24 (4) 1898 25 (4) 1908 20 (4) 1910 38 (28) 1911 93 (39) 1912 74 (57) 1913 151 (87) 1915 137 (65) 1917 117 (44) 1918 151 (42) 1919 200 (530) 1921 219 (47) |
Five Foot Four Foot Two Foot Half Yard Brooch Deep Shallow |
|
Blakemoor |
1864-99 |
1864-5 Mrs Davies 1866 Wm Dixon & Co 1867-72 Mrs Davies 1873 Wm Davis 1898-9 T C Dalley |
|
1898 3 (2) |
|
|
Buckets Leasow |
1873-1921 |
1873-4 Ed Blount 1875-93 Thos Aston 1894-1921 Ed Aston |
|
1894 18 (8) 1895 15 (8) 1908 12 (4) 1914 12 (4) 1917 6 (3) |
|
|
|
1934-38 |
1934-6 C & P Blewitt 1936 Blewitt & Sons 1937-8 Chorley Colliery Co |
1935-6 J H Humphries 1937-8 J H Newey |
1934 4 (4) 1935 14 (16) 1936 45 (22) 1937 46 (18) |
Four Foot Top Bottom |
|
|
1922-28 |
1922-4 A Lebeter & F Pepper 1925-7 Chorley Colliery Co 1928 Chas Home |
|
1922 2 (2) 1923 3 (3) 1924 8 (4) 1925 6 (3) 1926 12 (2) 1928 3 (1) |
|
|
Empire |
1925 |
Ed Aston |
|
|
Silver Brooch |
|
Fieldbrook (Slope) |
1921-29 |
1921-4 Arthur Jones 1929 Hurdiss & Fletcher |
|
1921 19 (14) 1922 30 (16) 1925 11 (4) 1927 16 (10) |
Top |
|
Gybhouse |
1867-1923 |
1867-72 1888 W Davies 1889-90 Elijah Davies 1891-4 John Davies 1922-3 John Clarke |
|
|
Five Foot |
|
Harcourt |
1856-1923 |
1856-81 Robert Jones 1923 Thos Halsall & Co |
|
1923 2 (2) |
Four Foot |
|
Highley (H&M) |
1880-1969 |
1880-1945 Highley Colliery 1946-69 NCB |
1888 C 1889 W Galley 1890 J Wainwright 1891-1910 T Bramley 1911-15 H V Eardley 1917-37 C C Nicholas |
1894 137 (44) 1895 146 (41) 1896 151 (35) 1898 204 (40) 1899 188 (40) 1900 161 (42) 1902 200 (41) 1905 258 (49) 1907 277 (51) 1910 301 (50) 1911 340 (61) 1914 330 (61) 1915 265 (63) 1917 323 (73) 1918 362 (70) 1919 378 (93) 1920 403 (102) 1927 404 (101) 1930 359 (127) 1932 447 (121) 1934 470 (124) 1937 534 (136) |
Brooch Four Foot |
|
Hollins |
1895-1936 |
1895-1930 1931-6 Bayton Colliery Co |
|
1900 27 (10) 1911 30 (13) 1914 30 (11) 1917 30 (3) 1921 30 (14) 1927 34 (15) 1931 30 (10) 1932 37 (12) |
Six Foot Higher Lower Five Foot Soft |
|
Holyacre |
1865-72 |
|
|
|
|
|
Hurdington |
1856-72 |
Mrs Depper |
|
|
|
|
Kinlet |
1892-1936 |
Highley Colliery Co |
|
1894 12 (6) 1895 18 (21) 1896 30 (36) 1898 122 (34) 1901 150 (39) 1904 240 (37) 1907 267 (44) 1914 262 (44) 1915 233 (32) 1917 258 (40) 1919 285 (42) 1920 345 (41) 1926 282 (69) 1930 267 (72) |
Brooch New Mine |
|
Mamble |
1864-1925 |
1864-6 + 1870-2 S G Blunt 1873-4 Ed Blount 1875-93 Thos Aston 1894-1925 Ed Aston |
|
1894 9 (4) 1895 6 (2) 1900 9 (0) 1906 10 (4) 1920 13 (8) 1921 18 (12) 1922 20 (7) |
|
|
Manor |
1925-6 |
A J Jones |
A R Buffrey |
1925 13 (6) |
Yard |
|
Mill Farm |
1877-99 |
W Wyatt |
|
1894 3 (2) 1895 3 (2) |
|
|
Newlands (Pensax) |
1925-27 |
A J Jones |
A R Buffrey |
1925 12 (7) |
|
|
Old Hall (Rock) |
1856-1931 |
1856-57 Ed Ree 1864-72 Messrs Hopcutt 1873-6 Ed Ree 1877-81 Wm Davis 1888-90 Wm Bickley 1891 Wm Bickley Jr 1892-3 J R Lindsey 1894-5 Lindsey & Slater 1896 Standing 1897-1900 C Broom 1928 F Mole 1929-31 R G Mole |
|
1894 19 (4) 1895 19 (4) 1899 2 (2) 1929 6 (3) 1930 2 (1) |
Yard |
|
Old Hall (Stourport) |
1856-72 |
Sir Ed Blount |
|
|
|
|
Penn Hall |
1877-81 |
Lewis Bros |
|
|
|
|
Pensax |
1854-76 |
1854-64 Pensax Colliery Co 1866 John Higginsbottom 1867-72 Pensax Colliery Co 1873-6 J Higginbottom |
|
|
|
|
Pensax Common |
1895 |
Chas Pensax |
|
|
Higher Mine |
|
|
1866-1900 |
1866-7 James Molliet 1868-74 J Jones 1876-81 Booth & Hardcastle 1888-92 James Hardcastle 1893-5 |
|
1894 23 (5) |
Higher Mine Lower Mine |
|
Porchbrook Drift (Abberley) |
1926-7 |
A J Jones |
AR Buffrey |
1926-7 30 (8) |
Top Yard |
|
Rock |
1907-9 |
Alfred Sidney |
|
|
|
|
Rockmoor |
1876-98 |
1876-81 F 1891 George Mole 1892 Rockmoor Colliery Co 1893 Bewdley Colliery Co. 1894-5 Rockmoor Coal & Coke Co 1896-8 T C Calley |
1895 J Whitehouse |
1894 34 (23) 1895 53 (16) 1896 29 (6) |
|
|
Sakenhurst |
1892-1909 |
1892-4 C 1895-1900 W L Viggars 1901-2 Bayton Coal, Coke &
Brick Co 1904-9 J A Smallshant |
|
1894 15 (7) 1895 10 (4) 1899 8 (3) 1901 4 (2) 1902 8 (4) 1905 16 (4) 1907 26 (5) |
Hard Mine |
|
Shatterford |
1854-1936 |
1854-72 J Jones 1875-6 Thos Bertram 1923-4 G Heath 1933-6 Shatterford &
Kidderminster Colliery Co. |
1923 J W Jones 1933-34 H J Newey 1935 V Parry |
1923 2 (4) 1933 9 (16) 1934 24 (25) 1935 55 (20) |
Three Foot Fireclay Yard |
|
Snead |
1906 |
A J Davies |
|
1906 4 (2) |
Top Bottom |
|
Tasley |
1872-5 |
T Cartwright |
|
|
|
|
Upper Snead |
1910 |
Beehive Colliery Co. |
|
|
|
|
Winwoods |
1926-27 |
Edwin Tolley |
1926 W Turner 1927 Edwin Tolley |
1926 3 (2) |
|
|
Yew Tree |
1898-9 |
T C Dalley |
|
1898 5 (5) |
|
Prior's Moor, Billingsley (David
Poyner & Robert Evans, "SCMC Journal No.6")
Introduction
Priors Moor is located in Billingsley where two small brooks (now known
as Ray's and Scott's Brooks) unite to form Bynd Brook, although in this article
we will go slightly beyond the historic boundaries of the estate. The site has
long been known, at least locally, as the site of the screens of Billingsley
Colliery and the terminus of the standard gauge railway that took the coal from
the mine to the Severn Valley Railway in Kinlet. Following some inept path
repairs on the Jack Mytton Way and with evidence of tree clearance, we became
sufficiently concerned to survey the site in case it was about to suffer
serious damage. Fortunately this has not yet occurred and the survey revealed a
number of features pointing to a much longer industrial history for the area.
Geology
Priors Moor is mainly situated on Productive Coal Measure strata,
formerly referred to as the Kinlet Beds. However, the only coal which outcrops
on the site is to the west of the main road where a fault brings in a the
Highley Beds of Upper Coal Measure age. The rest of the site is dominated by
outcrops of thick sandstone and the brooks have cut steep valleys exposing
these beds. The area is wooded and it is unlikely that it has ever been used
for agriculture.
History
Billingsley was granted to the Abbey of Shrewsbury in Medieval times and
presumably the name "Prior's Moor" reflects that. Its subsequent
history is obscure until much later. In the late 1750s the Bridgnorth to
Cleobury Mortimer turnpike was opened and this road now cuts through the site.
However a map published in 1754 before the turnpike was built shows the old
main road taking a significantly different course, further to the west on a
line now preserved by a public footpath. It seems that the Turnpike Trustees
constructed the present road sometime before 1808 (the date of the next
available map) to ease the gradients. A map of 1828 shows a second road
descending to the junction of the brooks but this is described as being shut up
and its significance is unclear.
Although the history of Priors Moor is poorly documented, the
surrounding area was being exploited for industrial purposes. In the 17th
Century the wood had been coppiced for charcoal, and ironstone mining had been
going on since very early times. By the 18th Century coal was also being mined
in the south of Billingsley close to Priors Moor. In the 1790s the scale of
industry was dramatically transformed when a group of
As noted elsewhere, the late 1860s brought a rival in the local mining
industry with the a new colliery close to the Cape of Good Hope finding good quality
coal in 1872. However this and subsequent developments left Priors Moor
untouched. It was not until the Billingsley Colliery Company of 1910 began
operations that new activity started. The Company needed to construct a rail
link for their coal and initially the Stottesdon, Kinlet and Billingsley
Railway Company was promoted, to connect with the Ditton Priors Light Railway
at Stottesdon. When this failed, work began on a line from the Severn Valley
Railway, up the Borle Brook and the eastwards to Priors Moor. Here the terminus
was built and it was connected to the mine by a rope-worked narrow gauge
incline. Tubs descended this from the pit, the coal was screened at Priors Moor
and then loaded into railway wagons for despatch to the main line. The screens
were notable for having a slack washer; the first in the Wyre Forest Coalfield.
The Billingsley Colliery Company also undertook an extensive house-building
programme in Highley and leased a brick works in Billingsley. The local roads
were unable to cope with the traffic that this created and so the Company
constructed an aerial ropeway from the brickyard to Priors Moor. Slack went up
the ropeway and bricks came down it to be sent by rail to Highley Station.
As noted in the accompanying article, Billingsley Colliery proved an
expensive liability. It was sold in 1915 to the rival Highley Mining Company,
who eventually closed it in 1921 after the national coal strike. Although the
tramway to the colliery was dismantled the screens buildings remained and the site
was leased by the Burwarton Coal and Trading Company, who used it as a landsale
wharf, predominantly for coal from Kinlet Colliery. It was the closure of
Kinlet in 1937 that finally brought industrial activity at Priors Moor to an
end; the site was cleared and it has reverted to scrub, although there is a
commercial conifer plantation on the higher slopes.
Archaeological Features
Pre-19th Century
Remains of many different phases are still present at Priors Moor. High
on the steep bank north of Bynd brook a prehistoric flint knife was found,
although presumably its owner was not involved in mining. As far as industrial
history is concerned, it is perhaps best to begin west of the road on the
outcrop of Sulphur Coal. This has obviously been worked, although the ground is
now very confusing with a series of holloways and low mounds. Most if not all
of these workings are just outside the old boundary of the Prior's Moor estate;
there may have been mining within the estate itself but a combination of land
slips and conifer planting make the ground difficult to read. In the 1930s the
surveyors from the Geological Survey interpreted this as evidence of adits and
shafts and this seems reasonable. However it is difficult to pin-point
individual adits and there are no obvious shaft depressions. At the eastern
end, much of the surface is covered in red ash. The quantity of this seems much
too great to have come from the workings on this site and has probably been
tipped from the early 19th Century mines to repair the embankment of the road.
There is documentary evidence from 1793 of one Richard Chidley supplying
coal from Priors Moor to the Kinlet Estate and some at least of the remains may
be of his mine. However most of the workings are very close to the course of the
main road, and it seems unlikely that the Turnpike would have tolerated their
highway being disturbed by mining. On this some of the work may predate the
construction of the turnpike, ie 18th Century or earlier.
19th Century
The main features from this period are to be found north and east of the
brook. The "stopped-up" road on the 1828 map is still present, having
been used for haulage until comparatively recently. There are two quarries
north and south of this. The southern quarry is very large and is probably the
older of the two; in the early 19th Century a child was killed in the "New
Buildings Quarry" when hunting swallows. The upper quarry is harder to
date; it roughly coincides with the site of a cottage on the 1828 map, and a
track heading
The 1828 map marks five cottages, four alongside the old road. The
southernmost was where there is now a flat space but there are no obvious
surface remains. The second is that which remained until this century; it was
stone and thatch and there are remains of the foundations. The third and fourth
look to have been obliterated by the quarry although there are a few shards of
pottery by their site. The fifth cottage on the 1828 map was significantly
further east. A track can be followed past the southern quarry, then it is cut
into a ledge above the brook. It crosses a minor stream leaving traces of
bridge abutments and then opens out into a level area 50 yards long. This is
marked by a stone retaining wall running parallel to the brook and a
substantial scatter of pottery. Although only one cottage is shown on the 1828
map, there would have been room here for a significant terrace. Furthermore a
track leads east to another platform cut in the hillside. Although no pottery
was noted on the surface, it would certainly have been big enough for more
cottages. It seems possible that Priors Moor was the site of numerous houses,
almost certainly for the miners and furnace men at the nearby works. It was a
small industrial settlement.
20th Century
The railway and screens have left obvious traces. A comparison of the
1902 OS map with the current alignment of the brook indicates that a
substantial remodelling of the valley bottom took place to create the space for
the new works. The brook was straightened and its sides built up; it now runs
between high stone retaining walls. It is possible that the northern quarry was
opened for this work, although another was also operating at
Interpretation of the screens complex is helped by the survival of
several contemporary photographs. It is easiest to first consider the remains
on the south of the brook. Moving west to east, the first feature to be
encountered is the aerial ropeway terminus. The bases of the ropeway pylons are
found either side of the brook and they can also be seen at the very northern
edge of the site and elsewhere in Billingsley. A concrete bunker is set in the
ground; slack was stored in here, to be picked up by an elevator to be loaded
in the ropeway buckets in exchange for bricks. The screens complex proper then
begins. The buildings were predominantly corrugated iron sheds mounted on
wooden posts, allowing the railway wagons to run underneath. Some post-holes
for the supports are still clearly visible, marked by iron brackets which were
attached to the timbers. The tramway crossed the brook about 30 feet from the
ropeway terminus; the brook retaining wall dips at this point and there is a
slight depression in the ground. Here are a set of six 12" holding down
bolts of unknown purpose, set in the ground. Between the tramway terminus and
the ropeway terminus was a substantial building with some kind of gantry
projecting out. Although the ground here is obscured by large chunks of broken
concrete, one post hole is visible, fixing its location. The building may have
housed some of the motors for the screens machinery and probably also formed
part of the circuit for tubs arriving down the tramway.
East of the tramway terminus a series of post holes define a long shed
which probably housed the jigs for grading the coal. Moving further along the
brook there is a concrete base containing a substantial iron bracket which
presumably supported some structure. Beyond this the retaining walls alongside
the brook are raised and thickened and there is a substantial concrete platform
next to the brook, with 5 large post holes for horizontal timbers. It seems
likely that these spanned the brook, supporting an extension of the screens
building. One photograph shows a tall building here, with perhaps an elevator
leading to its top from the adjacent building, the iron bracket may have
supported this elevator). An unusual feature either side of the retaining wall
is a slot for timbers to form a "stop lock" to dam the waters of the
brook. It seems reasonable to conclude that this complex housed the slack
washer, with the stop lock ensuring that water was always available. Moving
away from the brook, close to the railway are two concrete plinths which the
photographs show supporting a gantry (for a walkway?) or a crane. One large
post-hole can be found by the concrete base, and alongside the course of the
railway are 3 wooden baulks, about 1'x 1' x 1'. Inspection of one of the
photographs shows that these supported another raised shed, with railway tracks
and trucks beneath. This must have housed the discharge hoppers for loading the
railway wagons and perhaps also had a picking belt for cleaning the coal.
The retaining wall along the brook continues for about another 200ft, and
there is a substantial platform of earth and spoil kept up by a low brick
retaining wall facing the brook. This must have provided sidings accommodation.
Between the brook and the earth platform there is a small brick plinth towards
its eastern end and also a scatter of bricks. A photograph shows what seems to
be a substantial post in this area, towering above the rest of the buildings.
It is not known what function it served. Beyond the platform there is a
considerable earth rampart between the railway and the brook extending for
several hundred feet until an over-bridge is reached. Beyond the over-bridge
was the engine shed (foundations remain) and a weigh-bridge (walls still
intact) with apparently more space for sidings. The purpose of the earth rampart
is unknown; it may just be spoil from levelling the site, but it seems very
well formed if this is the case.
To the north of the brook there is less connected with the screens. The
tramway itself went through a cutting and then was supported by a metal gantry
on its final few yards to the screens. This has vanished, but tramway route is
obvious. Almost opposite the proposed site of the slack washer there is a brick
platform which probably housed a pump. A pipe can be traced from this along the
north bank of the brook until the end of the retaining wall where until the
1970s it could still be seen crossing the brook, to continue underground to the
engine house.
It is possible to make some guesses as to how the screens worked. Tubs
arriving down the incline would be immediately unclipped and emptied onto the
tippler before being sent back up the incline. The coal would probably be
sorted into bests, seconds and slack by a jigging screen and the slack would be
taken by elevator to the washer. It would be cleaned by flotation and taken by
conveyor to be dumped close to the tippler building. The larger coal would be
taken by conveyor to picking belts and then discharged into wagons. The aerial
ropeway took slack by an elevator into the buckets, exchanging this for bricks
which were discharged by a chute into railway wagons.
Other Features
Just east of where the brook goes under the main road is a short brick
culvert, D-shaped, about 3ft high ending after some 4ft in a stone wall. It has
been suggested that it was a cellar for a long-vanished cottage.
At the far west of the site where the earth rampart starts, there is a
cutting running parallel to the brook, about 3ft wide and 100ft long. It leads
to wide flat area by the brook. In appearance it resembles a water course but
there is no evidence of a dam or any building at either end. Further
investigation is needed.
Conclusions
Priors Moor has had a rather more complicated history than was
previously realised. West of the main road are perhaps pre-1750 coal mines.
North of the brook is the remains of an early 19th Century industrial hamlet.
South of the brook is the 20th Century screens. As little has been recorded
about the survival of coal preparation plant, these remains are particularly
important. The site is heavily overgrown and much probably lies buried beneath
the surface. It is very likely that much more information could be recovered by
excavation. Miraculously it has suffered relatively little damage in recent
operations. We will continue to keep a close watching brief on it.
George Ferriday and the 1912 Accident at Billingsley
Colliery (David Poyner, "SCMC Journal No.6")
In the last Annual Journal, Ivor Brown contributed articles on General
and Special Rules at Shropshire Collieries and the 1901 Colliery Mine Managers
examination in
Billingsley Colliery started life in about 1870 as the creation of
William Birchley, the landlord of a local inn called the
The redevelopment at Billingsley involved an almost total rebuilding of
the surface buildings, a railway (eventually to the
Back at the jig bottom, McKale and Homer remained behind whilst Brewer
went to investigate the progress of repairs. On finding that they were still
not finished, he sent word for all men to come out of the south west district.
Homer unfortunately went back up the jig with McKale to fetch his clothes. As
they then walked out at about 3.45am, Homer collapsed close to the pit bottom
and died. Ferriday was summonsed and whilst others attempted artificial
respiration, he tried to revive Homer with brandy. Unsurprisingly, this was
ineffective. It was unclear whether death was due to carbon monoxide poisoning,
lack of oxygen or some other cause.
Ferriday was duly censured by the inquest jury for neglect of duty,
admonished by the coroner, dismissed by the company and prosecuted for two
breaches of the Coal Mines Regulations. He did indeed show a fair degree of
incompetence and would be interesting to know just why he gave up an
undermanager's job to come to Billingsley in the first instance. However, a
number of other factors also emerged. The most serious was that the Company
were only employing two deputies to cover three shifts; Ferriday from 5.25pm to
3.00am for afternoons and nights, and a second man from 5.35am to 2.50pm. It
was obviously impossible to provide adequate supervision or liaison with such a
system. Russ was made the scapegoat for this method of working and was
prosecuted by the Mining Inspector. Alfred Gibbs died later that year and Frank
also seems to have left the company soon afterwards. Whether the accident was
connected with his departure is not known, but the many years later the Gibbs'
family were convinced he had been badly treated by the Billingsley Colliery
Company. An obvious question is to what extent Russ and his team were under
pressure from the directors to cut corners. The Company did have a style that
antagonised a number of local interests. The following year they were
humiliated in court by the local union over a number of cases of unfair
dismissal and injury compensation and they also fell out with the local
district and parish councils. As far as I can tell, Russ was not regarded with
any malice by the local miners and I suspect the Company was rather lucky that
the Inspector did not aim any higher with his prosecutions.
After the accident Mrs Homer was lent £8 by the company for her
husband's funeral and then awarded £130 compensation under the Workmen's
Compensation Act. £15 was given immediately to allow her to buy a cow for her
small-holding and the rest was to be paid in £2-10-0d instalments per quarter.
The Homers lived at
Where was the site of Homer's accident?
It appears that little work was done in the south west after Homer's
death. From the published accounts it is obvious that Homer was working on a
level at the top of a jig. The district is described as follows in the
Inspectors report:
" Two miners were employed at the face of what had been a level
road, but for 37 yards next the face it had a dip of 8o; 77 yards back from the
face a jig had been driven for a distance of 33 yards, rising at 36o, and from
the top of the jig a rise level had been driven back for 46 yards. Deceased and
his mate worked at the face of this rise level".
The report also says that the iron tubes extended for 450 yards from the
pit bottom, and that the motor house was 120 yards from the downcast. The dip
of the strata at Billingsley was predominantly about 1 in 8 to the east. The
plan uses conventional symbols ie roads not in coal shown as multiple lines,
arrows indicate dip side of fault, throw shown in feet. Dates are approximately
when working ceased.