Andrew Knowles and Sons
Encyclopedia
Andrew Knowles and Sons was a coal mining
company that operated in and around Clifton
, Greater Manchester
, then in the historic county of Lancashire. England.
Robert Knowles who died 1780, started pits in Eagley Bank and Sharples
, north of Bolton. The pits were inherited by his descendants, Andrew (1735-1810), Robert (1756-1819) and Andrew (1783-1847), his great grandson. The family had an interest in this area until 1870.
Andrew Knowles was born in 1783 in a family whose mining interests began in Elizabethan times and whose descendants dominated the industry at the end of the Victorian era. Before 1810 Knowles operated in Bolton but bought leases in the Irwell Valley
near Clifton after that. In the late 1830s Knowles took his four sons into partnership. Andrew Knowles died in 1847 and a son, John, died in 1852 leaving Robert, Thomas and James Knowles to continue the business. The third generation joined the firm after a disagreement in 1872 and Andrew Knowles and Sons Limited was formed in 1783. The firm grew to be the largest on the Manchester Coalfield
by the end of the 19th century when it had almost 4,000 employees.
The company sank the first Agecroft Colliery
which operated until 1928. The output of Knowles' collieries was initially for local use and moved by road transport. Some of the collieries were close to the Manchester Bolton and Bury Canal and by 1850 some had access to the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
s Manchester to Bolton line. Clifton Moss Colliery employed up to 300 men before 1891 when it closed. Little Bolton Colliery on Slater Lane near the River Tonge
in Bolton was owned by the company between 1853 and 1863.
In 1896 the company owned Clifton Hall Colliery
in Clifton, Foggs Colliery in Darcy Lever
, Pendlebury Colliery
in Pendlebury
and Pendleton Colliery
in Pendleton
. By then Rivin Colliery in Little Lever
and Allens Green and Green Lane in Radcliffe
had been abandoned. In 1929 the company became part of Manchester Collieries
.
In 1866 all workers who had joined the fledgling Mining Federation of Great Britain were locked out of the Knowles pits and the Company defeated attempts to unionise the workforce. The company's intransigence towards unions continued up to 1891 when a strike left miners little better off but the firm was forced to negotiate with a union it had up to then refused to recognise.
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
company that operated in and around Clifton
Clifton, Greater Manchester
Clifton is a small town within the metropolitan borough of the City of Salford, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies in the Irwell Valley in the northern part of the City of Salford....
, Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
, then in the historic county of Lancashire. England.
Robert Knowles who died 1780, started pits in Eagley Bank and Sharples
Sharples
Sharples is a placename and may refer to:* Sharples, Greater Manchester* Sharples, West VirginiaAs a surname it may refer to:* Carrie Sharples, fictional character* Ellen Sharples, English painter* Ena Sharples, fictional character...
, north of Bolton. The pits were inherited by his descendants, Andrew (1735-1810), Robert (1756-1819) and Andrew (1783-1847), his great grandson. The family had an interest in this area until 1870.
Andrew Knowles was born in 1783 in a family whose mining interests began in Elizabethan times and whose descendants dominated the industry at the end of the Victorian era. Before 1810 Knowles operated in Bolton but bought leases in the Irwell Valley
Irwell Valley
The Irwell Valley extends from the Forest of Rossendale in North West England, through to the cities of Salford and Manchester. The River Irwell runs through the valley, along with the River Croal.-Geology:...
near Clifton after that. In the late 1830s Knowles took his four sons into partnership. Andrew Knowles died in 1847 and a son, John, died in 1852 leaving Robert, Thomas and James Knowles to continue the business. The third generation joined the firm after a disagreement in 1872 and Andrew Knowles and Sons Limited was formed in 1783. The firm grew to be the largest on the Manchester Coalfield
Manchester Coalfield
The Manchester Coalfield is part of the South East Lancashire Coalfield. Its coal seams were laid down in the Carboniferous period and some easily accessible seams were worked on a small scale from the Middle Ages and extensively from the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in the early 19th...
by the end of the 19th century when it had almost 4,000 employees.
The company sank the first Agecroft Colliery
Agecroft Colliery
Agecroft Colliery was a coalmine on the Manchester Coalfield in the Agecroft district of Pendlebury that first opened in 1844 in the historic county of Lancashire, England. It exploited the coal seams of the Middle Coal Measures of the Manchester Coalfield....
which operated until 1928. The output of Knowles' collieries was initially for local use and moved by road transport. Some of the collieries were close to the Manchester Bolton and Bury Canal and by 1850 some had access to the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway was a major British railway company before the 1923 Grouping. It was incorporated in 1847 from an amalgamation of several existing railways...
s Manchester to Bolton line. Clifton Moss Colliery employed up to 300 men before 1891 when it closed. Little Bolton Colliery on Slater Lane near the River Tonge
River Tonge
The River Tonge is a short river flowing close to Bolton, in Greater Manchester, England.The Tonge is formed at the Meeting of the Waters, where Astley Brook, flowing from the Smithills area in the west, meets the southerly-flowing Eagley Brook...
in Bolton was owned by the company between 1853 and 1863.
In 1896 the company owned Clifton Hall Colliery
Clifton Hall Colliery
Clifton Hall Colliery was one of two coal mines in Clifton on the Manchester Coalfield, historically within Lancashire which was incorporated into the City of Salford in Greater Manchester, England in 1974....
in Clifton, Foggs Colliery in Darcy Lever
Darcy Lever
Darcy Lever is a township within the Metropoliton Borough of Bolton in Greater Manchester, England. Historically part of Lancashire, the village lies on the B6209 , between Bolton and Little Lever...
, Pendlebury Colliery
Pendlebury Colliery
The Pendlebury Colliery or Wheatsheaf Colliery was a coal mine operating on the Manchester Coalfield after 1846 in Pendlebury, Greater Manchester, then part of the historic county of Lancashire, England....
in Pendlebury
Pendlebury
Pendlebury is a suburban town in the City of Salford, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies to the northwest of Manchester city centre, northwest of Salford, and southeast of Bolton....
and Pendleton Colliery
Pendleton Colliery
Pendleton Colliery was a coal mine operating on the Manchester Coalfield after 1820 in Pendleton, then in the historic county of Lancashire, England....
in Pendleton
Pendleton
-Places:United States*Pendleton, Indiana*Pendleton, Missouri*Pendleton, New York*Pendleton, Oregon*Pendleton, South Carolina*Pendleton County, Kentucky*Pendleton, Texas*Pendleton County, West Virginia*Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Oceanside, California...
. By then Rivin Colliery in Little Lever
Little Lever
Little Lever is a large village within the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton in Greater Manchester, England. Historically a part of Lancashire, it is southeast of Bolton, west of Radcliffe, and west-southwest of Bury....
and Allens Green and Green Lane in Radcliffe
Radcliffe
- Places :England* Radcliffe, Greater Manchester, England** Radcliffe Tower, the remains of a medieval manor house in the town* Radcliffe, Northumberland, England* Radcliffe-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire, EnglandUnited States* Radcliffe, Iowa, USA...
had been abandoned. In 1929 the company became part of Manchester Collieries
Manchester Collieries
Manchester Collieries was a coal mining company formed in 1929 with headquarters at Walkdenfrom a group of independent companies operating on the Manchester Coalfield. The Mining Industry Act of 1926 attempted to stem the post-war decline in coal mining and encourage independent companies to merge...
.
In 1866 all workers who had joined the fledgling Mining Federation of Great Britain were locked out of the Knowles pits and the Company defeated attempts to unionise the workforce. The company's intransigence towards unions continued up to 1891 when a strike left miners little better off but the firm was forced to negotiate with a union it had up to then refused to recognise.