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COAL MINING AT HIGH HOYLAND 1790
During the eighteenth century there was an ever increasing demand for coal, not only for household fuel but
also for use in the mills. Dyeing, brewing and soap boiling had always been run on coal but the new steam engines now appearing called for large quantities.
The coal at High Hoyland was fairly close to the surface and easy to mine. Before the NCB made a survey
of all mine shafts, one could find at least half a dozen shallow mine shafts on the Greenland side of the village.
The earliest reference to coal mining at High Hoyland is in 1768 when Sir Thomas Wentworth of Bretton, who
had acquired the lordship of the village, allowed John Thwaites and John Dyson to win coal from a coal mine for one year at a rent of £9 per annum payable half yearly, on July 1st and January 1st. If for any
reason the partners were unable to pay the rent they- would yield up the mine to Sir Thomas Wentworth.
It had been the usual practice for a long time to allow coal mining leases to be for one year only. In
1659 there had been a coal mine at Bilham Grange which was leased on a yearly tenancy.
On 23 January 1790 a lease was granted to Richard Stringer and William Dyson of Winterhill to work a
colliery at High Hoyland and to employ four men only. It was estimated that four men could mine 25 doz of coals to be sold for £3.l5/0d. The weight of coal was about 130 tons a year.
It was estimated that the cost of getting the coal would be; £1.11/3d for 25 doz. Wood supposed to cost
for getting 25 doz would be 6/3d. Wear and tears for the 25 doz 4/2d.
Winding was undertaken by means of a horse ginn and a banking horse. The cost of keeping two horses for
this work was 14s a year. For 25 doz Fenton coals at the rate of £12.l2/0d yearly was 5/21/2d.
The cost of sinking the pit with damages and strait. The clear profit after deducting £3.5/0d cost was
9/11 1/2d per week for 25 doz
The yearly rent due to Sir Thomas Blackett was £12.12/0d a year.
Four years later Colonel Beaumont, who had succeeded Sir Thomas Blackett at Bretton Hall, granted a lease to
William Field, village constable, Stephen Green, landlord of the Cherry Tree, and William Dyson, farmer of Winterhill, to mine coal on certain conditions.
1. To, leave all air gates, water gates and works open and supported so that a man could pass through to
view the coal.
2. Keep the roads to the colliery in good repair with a railed. fence on the east side. If this were
not done the colliery would be stopped until it was.
3. The lessees could sell coal at 5/- a dozen to Colonel Beaumont's tenants to William Jackson, William
Milnes and Joseph. Thackra in Clayton and also to Mr Roger Hodgson, rector of High Hoyland for consumption at their dwelling and at no other place. This was customary practice at this date.
4. They can use the coal to exchange for supplies of lime and to burn stone for the repair of the roads in
High Hoyland only. The old quarry at the end of' the land was used for road stone where there is evidence of burning.
5. They are to keep a gate at the entrance to the colliery and this to be locked. They are not to allow
coals to be led away from the colliery by carts before Lady Day March 25) nor after Michaelmas except there be hard frosts.
Then we get a clause that is very unusual and shows that the Beaumonts were following the practice of their
predecessor where the poor were concerned.
6 the poor and labouring people of High Hoyland were to have coal at all times carried away on horseback or
asses through the small gate paying for this five shillings a dozen and no more.
7 In return for allowing coal to be mined Colonel Beaumont was to receive 7d per dozen as an acknowledgment.
In order to keep a check on production and sales records had to be kept.
8 They were to keep tallies of coal mined and to produce on demand the details of the coal got and to whom
it was sold together with the expenses of operating the colliery.
Lastly the matter of distribution of profits was laid down.
9 Any profit to be paid to the consumer was to be in proportion to the profit made. If, however the
price of 5/0d a dozen was insufficient then the deficiency was to be made up by those who consumed the coal with the exception of the poor and labouring folk who were to pay no increase in price.
It is very rare to find such detailed information for small village like High Hoyland but the archives at
Bretton which I have been listing and classifying are full of extremely interesting detail on the Bretton Estates since 1200.
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