Lancashire Coalfield

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The northern part of the coalfield between Colne and Blackburn has a number of papers and monographs covering its history and geology.^1-4
Many of this area’s small mines were linked by chain hauled tramways locally called ginneys.
The more important southern area, with its steeply dipping and heavily faulted seams, has not been covered in the same detail.^5-9
Like parts of Staffordshire and Shropshire, the Wigan area produced large amounts of cannel coal which was favoured for gas making.

When the coal industry was nationalised in 1947, there were 108 collieries in Lancashire; now there are none. The last five pits to close were Golborne (1986), Agecroft (1990), Sutton Manor (1991), Bickershaw (1992) & Parkside (1993)

1. Bond, B. Martholme Pit, Great Harwood, British Mining No.25, 1984, pp.31-37
2. Nadin, J. The Coal Mines of East Lancashire, British Mining No.58, 1997
3. Williamson, I.A. The Burnley Coalfield, British Mining No.63, 1999, pp.6-27
4. Nadin, J. Coal Mines Around Accrington & Blackburn, British Mining No.64, 1999
5. Fanning, G. Oldham Coal, British Mining No.68, 2001
6. Hayes, G. Collieries in the Manchester Coalfields (Eindhoven: De Archaeologische Pers, 1987)
7. Atkinson, G. The Canal Duke’s Collieries: Worsley 1760-1900 (Swinton: The author, ud)
8. Davies, A. & Hudson, L. The Wigan Coalfield (Stoud: Tempus, 2001)
9. Davies, A. The Pit Brow Women of the Wigan Coalfield (Stoud: Tempus, 2006)

Special Rules of some of the Lancashire, Cheshire & North Wales Collieries 1855.

Mining & the church of St Thomas

Collieries after Nationalisation in 1947

Dates in brackets indicate the date that the colliery merged with another