Ince, Hindley, Westhoughton & Leigh

There were many landlords in this area and leases were taken by the major colliery proprietors such as the Kirkless Hall Coal & Iron Company and Pearson & Knowles. There was however room for a large number of smaller concerns of which the two largest were probably the West Leigh Colliery Co. Ltd and Crompton & Shawcross. The latter firm was bankrupt in the 1890’s but was revived by J.E. Rayner trading as Crompton & Shawcross Ltd. Rayner also acquired a controlling interest in a number of other colliery concerns in this area. None of the collieries operated by these smaller companies except the Rayner subsidiary Rose Bridge Colliery Co. Ltd, survived the 1920s and 1930s depression. The West Leigh Company’s collieries were purchased by Manchester Collieries Ltd, not to be worked but for their production quota under the 1930 Act. Rose Bridge closed in 1941.