THE COALBROOKDALE COALFIELD CATALOGUE OF MINES by IVOR J. BROWN Price 5/- Cover Picture MODERN PITHEAD GEAR AT MADELEY WOOD MINE, TYPICAL OF TODAY’S EQUIPMENT. Reproduced by kind permission of “Shropshire Magazine.” THE COALBROOKDALE COALFIELD CATALOGUE OF MINES AND MINING BIBLIOGRAPHY Compiled by IVOR J. BROWN, Min. Dip., C.Eng., A.M.l.Min.E., A.M.I.Q., LECTURER IN MINING, DONCASTER TECHNICAL COLLEGE. SHROPSHIRE COUNTY LIBRARY 1968 PRINTED BY ADVERTISER PRINTING WORKS, NEWPORT, SHROPSHIRE CONTENTS Page PREFACE PART I Catalogue of mines Broseley area Oakengates area 11 Madeley area 14 Dawley area 15 Lawley area 18 PART II Mining bibliography 21 PART III List of preserved mining antiquities 28 FOREWORD Compared with the nineteenth century, little is published nowadays on the history of Shropshire. There is as great an interest—possibly a greater one—in matters concerning the past, but not many people can find the time to record the knowledge they have gathered. It gives me great pleasure, therefore, to sponsor this pamphlet on an aspect of Shropshire’s industrial history, which sets out information not readily available in print. If it is well received, the County Library Sub-Committee may be encouraged to publish work of a similar nature as opportunity arises. C. F. CORDINGLEY Chairman, Shropshire County Library Sub-Committee PREFACE This catalogue contains the names, situation, minerals worked and approximate dates of working, where known, of nearly 550 mines in the Coalbrookdale Coalfield. The list is by no means complete but includes only those mines of which the compiler has some information. It is quite possible that a complete list would have twice or even three times the number of mines given. National Grid references have not been added. The compiler has references for many of the mines but the task of putting a reference to each entry could be carried out more easily by some local group, school or club. The mines are given under the following geographical areas, Broseley, Oakengates, Madeley, Dawley and Lawley. Names of collieries (or groups of. pits under one ownership) are in italics. Occasionally one of the pits included in a group is duplicated elsewhere. This is because the pit has been worked as an individual unit for a number of years usually after the group was abandoned. Altemative names are given in brackets following the common name and the name of the parish in which the mine is situated is given where there might otherwise be confusion in identification. The minerals worked are indicated by the following:— C —— coal, Fe — ironstone, P —— pyrites, F —— fireclay R — red, tile or brick clay, L — limestone. All dates are inclusive and nearly all have been obtained from the official documents (Part II Nos. 62—64, 66—67). Numbers given after the dates refer to the Bibliography, Part II. The compiler will be pleased to assist, on request, students or others studying the various mines. Obviously, the list gives only a bare out- line of the detail available. PART I CATALOGUE OF MINES BROSELEY AREA (Barrow, Benthall, Broseley, Jackfield) Alder Meadow —— 1940 Amies Field (103, 129) Ash Coppice 01891 Barnetts Leasow Bells Rough 01891 Benthall (Benthall Potteries) —— 1924 (125, 129) #11 Benthall (Bennett Bros.) .0 —— 1923 (125) Benthall Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, & 9, (3 Willey, Posenhall "11 —— 1921 Benthall Coal Pit — 1943 Benthall Lane W16? 1925 —— 1942 Benthall Level (3 — 1945 (129) Birch Meadow C3 Bottomcoal, Broseley (3 —- 1921 Broad Meadow c1891 Broseley c1936 Broseley Hill 01891 Broseley Wood Broseley Wood 1 & 2 "r1 01891 — 1916 Broseley Wood Green — 1916 Caughley ownwww (129) Cockshot (Cockshutt) Broseley o (129) Cold Oak Coneybury —— 1896 Dark Lane, Broseley Deep Pit (Guests) —— 1941 (57, 129) Deersleap 01891 — 1947 Dingle Double Pits Doughties —— 1902 Dunge Colliery Nos. 1, 2, 6, 7. Stang —; 1907 Nos. 3 & 4 — 1905 Exleys WWO -— 1908 (129) Fish-house O — 1900 Fox Holes Gitchfield — 1950 Green Pit WW (129) Hay Cop Hemans Field Pit (103) Holly Grove, Jackfield 1905 —~ ? Inetts (103,.129) Jubilee —— 1910 Knowle —— 1914 Ladywood WWW —— 1939 Ladywood C) , F 1903 —— 1.921 (125) Langfords Milburgh & Wallace Shafts 1930 ~— 1940 New Pit —Cl910 Pottery Pit WW c1891 Red Lane Rock, Broseley — 1902 Rudgewood Silver Hill ——c1910 Slang Pit Stable Hill ——01891 Stocking —— 1905 Three Stiles Tinning Trial Pit , C 01891 —c1910 Tuckies Shaft —— 1922 (125) Turners Yard —— 195? (125, 129) Vigar Drift 1948 — 1953 Wallers, Broseley —— 1891 10 White Brick-Kiln White Level, Benthall c1891 Willey Park c1863 Woodland Green, Broseley —— 1914 Works & Calcu‘tts —— 1908 Wynd Road, Broseley 7573710 —— 1913 Yew Tree, Calcutt (103, 129) OAKENGATES AREA (Oakengates, Donnington, Hadley, Ketley, Lilleshall, Muxton, Priors Lee, Wombridge) Belle Vue C 1926 —-— 1936 Bridge, Wombridge C —— 1928 Cats Head, Wombridge Church Aston L —01858 (15, 118) Clares Lane C 1926 —— 1935 Coalport, Wombridge C — 1888 Coppice, Oakengates 1924 —— 1927 Cow Wood Pits, Red Lake Crow Hayes (Lilleshall Trial Pit) (129) Donnington Colliery (Lilleshall Co.) C, Fe (45, 77, 129) Barn, Barnyard, Barracks, Blue Flat, Chimney, Drayton, Freehold, Gran- ville, Grange (Albert & Alexandra Pit), Hort-on, Jervis Building, Lang- ley, Lodge Bank, Lodgewood, Meadow, Muxton Bridge, Nobby, Overleys (Overtons), Rookery, Sale, Sour Leasow, Stephens, Waxhill Barracks, White, Woodfield. Donnington Wood Colliery C, Fe c1788 Tub Engine Pit, Double Coal Edwards Piece, Hadley 11 Fair Lady, Ketley (3 Gin and Old Gin (3 —— 1868 Gladstone, Ketley (3 01905 -— 1910 Grange, Ketley (Stafford Arms) C3 —- 1913 (28) Greenfield, Wrockwardine Wood c1730 ——~ 1735 Greyhound, Priors Lee 31 Hadley (Balls) C) —— 1866 Hadley C) 01810 Hall, Ketley (3 1927 —— 1933 Holly Bush, Rock, Ketley C3 1924 —— 1925 Holyhead, Oakengates C3 1924 —— 1925 Hopleys, Wombridge C3 —— 1901 Ivy 1 & 2 (Harris’) (28) Ivy 3 & 4, Oakengates (3 1929 —— 1930 (28, 129) Jubilee, Ketley (3 —— 1910 Ketley H1 —— 1920 (125) Ketley Colliery C, Fe, F —— 1903 Nos. 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 9A, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 18, 19, 20, 20A, 21, 21A, 22, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 35A Lilleshall f“ 01855 —~ 1883 (I5) Mannerley Lane (3 — 1930 Mossey Green (3 — 1929 Mossey Green & Rock Farm (3 Mossey Green Jacky Pit (3 —— 1914 Nail Works, Oakengates C) —— 1921 New Sough 01730 —— 1735 Oakengates (3 ——-1872 Oakengates Station, Upper & Lower —— 1905 Oaks, Mossey Green 1925 —— 1931 Old Park Lane, Oakengates 1924 only Park Lane, Oakengates, 1, 2 & 3 1925 —— 1929 12 Partons (or Whaleymoore Wood), Wombridge (129) Podmore & Teaques, Wombridge ——~ 1899 Princes End C, F,P 1922 ——— 1948 (28, 129) Priors Lee Colliery (Lilleshall Co.) C, Fe, F (125, 129) Albion, Bower, Coekshutt, Dark Lane, Ferriday‘s, Fireelay, Hall, Hydraulic, Hangman’s Hill, Lawn, Little Hayes, Nelson, Rickyard, Slaughter, Spring (Top and Lower), Stafford 1, 2, 3 & 4, Tarry, Village, Westcroft, Woodhouse Puddley Hill, Hollinswood Quarry, Ketley C) ~— 1904 Quarry, Mossey Green (3 —— 1925 Quarry Hole 1932 only C1<3 Queens Head, Oakengates U ——c1910 Queens Wood, Wombridge (3 —-— 1905 Red Lake Colliery (3 —— 1926 Nos. 1 & 2, Cow Wood, Quarry Rock, Ketley, Nos. 1 to 12 C, RF 1882 —- 1964 (16, 28, 129) Rock (Baileys) 1895 — 1921 (28‘) Rock (Balls) 1895 —— 1912 (28) Rock (Groucotts) 1895 -— 1900 (28) Rose & Crown (3 —- 1929 Round Oak, Ketley —— 1930 St. Leonard’s, Wombridge C3<3 1928 —— 1930 (3 "U Shrubbery, Ketley 0 1924 — 1‘95? (129) Station, Ketley (3 —— 1894 Station Road, Lawley C3 —- 1928 Sunneyside, Wombridge (3 — 1928 Sutherland, Oakengates 1924 only 13 Sutherland, Wombridge —-— 1928 Town, Ketley .._, 1902 Victoria, Ketley COO , F 1905 -— 1929 0 Wombridge Colliery - 1901 (7, 59, 60) Boundary, Bunters Row, Bye, Cote, Deep Granville, Hill, Middle, Nobb- side, Omnibus, Partons, Quarry, Round House, Rose & Crown, Station, Water, Water Engine Old, Wharf, Woodfinch (6‘1, 86, 111) Wombria'ge Colliery C - 1929 Church, Pear Tree, Rose & Crown, Upper Farm, Walkers, Wombridge Nos. 2 & 3 C —— 1925 Woodwell, Ketley 1923 —— 1924 Woodwell, Wombridge —~ 1925 MADELEY AREA (Madeley, Ironbridge, Coalbrookdale) Madeley Court Colliery C, Fe 01840 —— 1911 Nos. 1—17 inclusive (Water Pit No. 1, Platform or Gypsy Lane Pits 2 & 3, Holmes & Dainties 5 & 6, Fur- nace 7 & 8 (or Bowens & Buckleys), T. Guys 11 & 12, Guests 16 & l7, Hopleys 9 & 10 and Blackstone Pit) Madeley Wood Colliery C, Fe, F, R, 01750 —— 1967 Blests Hill Upper R 01830 —— 1941 (34, 129) Brick-Kiln Leasow (Lane Pits); Blests Cherry Tree Hill R 1931 —— 1933 Hales New (Halesfield) C, Fe c1870 —— 1967 (I9) Hales Old (Tom Rose) C, Fe c1820 —— 1912 (19, 116, 129) Hill Lower 1799 ——cl870 14 Hills Lane C, Fe c1805 — 1912 (103) Kemberton C, Fe, F 1864 —— 1967 (19, 111, 124, 125) Lincoln Hill L —— 1907 (103, 129) Lloyds C c1760 —- 1912 Lodge Pit Meadow C, Fe 1808 —- 1921 (103, 129) New Hill C, Fe New Tracks Pits (Sunk in the New- neys 1834) Shaws (Shawfield) C, Fe c1840 —(_1941_2) ,3, a Styches (Crostan) - C, Fe —— 1912 (129) Woodlands (Legges, Lodge) c1910 Woodside 1927 — 1947 (I29) DAWLEY AREA (Dawley, Coalmoor, Lightmoor, Stirchley Malinslee, Old Park) Black Hill, Dawley C —c1910 Botany Bay Colliery, Dawley C, Fe — 1900 Barkers Yard, Black Hill, Botany Bay, Castle, Castle Yard, Deepfield, Hinks Hay, Mill, Paddock, Parish, Portley, Southall, Top Yard. Brandlee 1 & 2 C 1933 — 195? Brandlee Colliery, Dawley C —— 1925 (129) Nos. 1—8 Lower, Tunnel, Yard Coalmoor Farm C 1928 —— 1929 Coalmoor 2, 4 & 5 ' F _ (125) Coalmoor Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, l3, l4 -——- 1920 Coalmoor C —— 1918 15 Coalmoor Grenfield (Prices No. 1) 1945 —- 1949 Coppice, Dawley —— 1927 Council, Dawley —— 1923 Dark Lane Colliery C, Fe —- 1908 (129) Jerry, Langley Field, Lawn, Little Eyton, Lodge, Old Dark Lane, New Dark Lane, Moor Farm Dawley Colliery, Dawley C, Fe —— 1900 (103) Balls, Banks, Burds, Charles Hay, Dablers, Fair View, Heath Hill, Phillips, Spring Village, Worralls Dawley Parva Dawley Road 00 1926 —— 1929 Doseley Bridge 1923 ~—— 1927 Ercall View — 1910 Fair View "1'1 — 1948 Gas Works ——- 1923 Gonna "TJ Good Hope, Madeley .