Edge Green, Bamfurlong & Ince Moss

Much of the land in this area was owned by Baron Gerard of Garswood Hall. In the south east of this estate at Edge Green, leases were granted in 1809 to John Evans and John Banks and pits were sunk during the period 1809 – 1812. These pits subsequently passed into the ownership of Richard Evans. A partnership, Mercer & Evans later took over bringing together into the same ownership the pits at Edge Green and those at Golborne and Haydock in the St Helens coalfield. Later, a limited liability company was formed, Richard Evans & Co. Ltd, who were major proprietors of collieries around St Helens.

At Bamfurlong, attempts had been made to sink pits by one Adam Platt, apparently without success, on land owned by John Dobbs. The executors of John Dodds later assigned leases to May, Hall and Andrews but this partnership defaulted on their royalty payments and were sued. The pits were put up for auction but there was no sale and they were idle until Messrs. Cross, Tetley & Co. Ltd took a lease in 1867. Cross, Tetley also took over existing pits at Mains, a short distance to the south. “Modern” collieries were established on both sites. The principal landowners were Baron Gerard and Humphrey Jeffery Walmsley. Cross, Tetley were bankrupt in 1931 and both collieries were purchased from the Receivers in 1934 by the Wigan Coal Corporation. Mains Colliery survived to be nationalised in 1947 but Bamfurlong was closed in 1936. Nevertheless the closed colliery would still be useful to the Wigan Coal Corporation for it’s production quota.

Thomas Pearson, millwright and engineer, commenced mining at Ince in the early 1840s. Several pits were worked by Pearson and in 1854 Thomas Knowles was taken into partnership. In 1863, Pearson & Knowles moved to a new site at Ince Moss to sink new shafts. Leases were taken from Baron Gerard, Humphrey Jeffery Walmesley and Richard Walmesley, together with a number of small landowners. In 1874, Pearson & Knowles amalgamated with Dallam Forge, Warrington and the Warrington Iron Wire Company to form the Pearson & Knowles Coal & Iron Co. Ltd. Eventually Ince Moss Colliery extended to six shafts and survived to be Nationalised in 1947.