British Mining No. 112 – Coal Mining in Bolton and Chorley
by Jack Nadin
This publication explores an area of the Lancashire Coalfield that has previously been ignored or at least had little serious research into its rich mining heritage and past. Coal has been mined around Bolton and Chorley since before 1370 when a pit at Little Lever was recorded. The surviving records are mainly colliery names from the list drawn up by HM Inspectors of Mines, O.S. maps and newspaper articles – some from quite far afield. This has meant that much of the account refers to ‘bad news’ in the form of reports of accidents or pit closures but gives the periods of working and ownership for most sites.
Most of the collieries included in the monograph were worked during the 19th century with relatively few surviving until nationalisation in 1947; most of the sites have been built upon or landscaped. Furthermore, little is known about some of the sites which appear only as ‘Old Shafts’ etc on the 1st Edn O.S. maps of 1849/50. The study has been complicated by the use of different names for the same colliery and conversely, the use of the same name for different pits and the author has done a fine job in sorting this out.
The monograph is a valuable reference to mining in the area and mentions over 100 collieries. Of necessity, the data for some has been limited to manageable proportions and some of the larger and later collieries could well form the subject of separate studies. as could the stories of the coal owners and their families. The reader has been provided with references that point to archival sources containing more detailed information.
The book includes coverage of over 100 collieries, 71 illustrations and a comprehensive index.
- A5
- 200 pages
- 71 photos & illustrations
- ISBN-13: 978-0-901450-77-7.
£12.00
