Manchester Collieries
Encyclopedia
Manchester Collieries was a coal mining
company formed in 1929 with headquarters at Walkden
from 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 order to modernise and better survive the economic conditions of the day. Robert Burrows of the Atherton company Fletcher Burrows proposed a merger of several independent companies operating to the west of Manchester
. The merger was agreed and took place in March 1929.
who owned the Howe Bridge
, Gibfield
and Chanters Collieries
in Atherton
, Andrew Knowles and Sons
, the Clifton and Kersley Coal Company
, John Speakman and Sons owners of Bedford Colliery
in Leigh
, Bridgewater Collieries
who operated pits in Little Hulton
, Walkden
and Mosley Common
and the Astley and Tyldesley Collieries
Company who had pits in Astley
and Tyldesley
.
Not all the companies in the area joined the new company. The Tyldesley Coal Company
remained independent until nationalisation in 1947 but other companies were acquired in the 1930s after the government introduced quotas in the Coal Mines Act 1930
. Ramsden's Shakerley Collieries
was taken over in 1935; its Wellington Pit
closed the same year and the Nelson
three years later. Bradford Colliery
, in Bradford, Manchester, owned by a subsidiary of Fine Cotton Spinners, was acquired in 1935. The West Leigh Colliery Company and the Coppull Coal Company were bought before 1939.
increasing its production of machine-cut coal from 17% to 98% in 16 years. The movement of coal underground was also mechanised, and pit ponies were no longer used for underground haulage after 1932.
Mining was a dangerous industry but Manchester Collieries aimed to make the job as safe as possible, and training was a major priority. Some entrants attended local technical colleges and after 1942 some were sent to university. The company was considered to be a generous employer; workers at its pits were on average 1s 6d per shift better off than miners working for other employers, and it built pithead baths and canteens at its pits.
, at Astley Green sidings on the Liverpool and Manchester Railway
, at Walkden Low Level on the line to Bolton, at Walkden High Level on the Manchester and Wigan Railway and at Linnyshaw Moss on the Manchester to Bolton Line. There were canal tips at Boothstown and Worsley on the Bridgewater Canal
.
. Some of the surface workers were women, known as pit brow lasses, who sorted coal on the screens at the pit head. As coal reserves were exhausted, the older collieries closed.
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 formed in 1929 with headquarters at Walkden
Walkden
Walkden is a town within the metropolitan borough of the City of Salford, in Greater Manchester, England. It is west-northwest of Salford, and west-northwest of Manchester....
from a group of independent companies operating 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...
. The Mining Industry Act of 1926 attempted to stem the post-war decline in coal mining and encourage independent companies to merge in order to modernise and better survive the economic conditions of the day. Robert Burrows of the Atherton company Fletcher Burrows proposed a merger of several independent companies operating to the west of Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
. The merger was agreed and took place in March 1929.
Constituent companies
The constituent companies of Manchester Collieries in 1929 were Fletcher, Burrows and CompanyFletcher, Burrows and Company
Fletcher, Burrows and Company was a coal mining company that owned collieries in Atherton, Greater Manchester, England. Gibfield, Howe Bridge and Chanters collieries exploited the coal mines of the middle coal measures in the Manchester Coalfield...
who owned the Howe Bridge
Howe Bridge Colliery
Howe Bridge Colliery was a coal mine which was part of the Fletcher, Burrows and Company's collieries at Howe Bridge inAtherton, Greater Manchester, then in the historic county of Lancashire, England....
, Gibfield
Gibfield Colliery
Gibfield Colliery was a coal mine which was part of the Fletcher, Burrows and Company's collieries in Atherton, Greater Manchester, then in the historic county of Lancashire, England.A shaft was sunk to the Trencherbone mine in 1829 by John Fletcher...
and Chanters Collieries
Chanters Colliery
Chanters Colliery was a coal mine which was part of the Fletcher, Burrows and Company's collieries at Hindsford inAtherton, Greater Manchester, then in the historic county of Lancashire, England.-Geology:...
in Atherton
Atherton, Greater Manchester
Atherton is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, in Greater Manchester, England, historically a part of Lancashire. It is east of Wigan, north-northeast of Leigh, and northwest of Manchester...
, Andrew Knowles and Sons
Andrew Knowles and Sons
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....
, the Clifton and Kersley Coal Company
Clifton and Kersley Coal Company
The Clifton and Kersley Coal Company or Clifton and Kearsley Coal Company was a coal mining company that operated in Clifton and Kearsley in the Irwell Valley, then in the historic county of Lancashire, England. Its collieries exploited the coal mines of the middle coal measures in the Manchester...
, John Speakman and Sons owners of Bedford Colliery
Bedford Colliery
Bedford Colliery, also known as Wood End Pit, was a coal mine on the Manchester Coalfield in Bedford, Leigh, Greater Manchester, England. The colliery was owned by John Speakman, who started sinking two shafts in about 1874 on land at Wood End Farm in the northeast part of Bedford, south of the...
in Leigh
Leigh, Greater Manchester
Leigh is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, in Greater Manchester, England. It is southeast of Wigan, and west of Manchester. Leigh is situated on low lying land to the north west of Chat Moss....
, Bridgewater Collieries
Bridgewater Collieries
Bridgewater Collieries originated from the coal mines on the Manchester Coalfield in Worsley in the historic county of Lancashire owned by Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater in the second half of the 18th century. After the Duke's death in 1803 his estate was managed by the Bridgewater...
who operated pits in Little Hulton
Little Hulton
Little Hulton is a village—effectively a suburb—within the City of Salford, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies south of Bolton, west-northwest of Salford, and west-northwest of Manchester...
, Walkden
Walkden
Walkden is a town within the metropolitan borough of the City of Salford, in Greater Manchester, England. It is west-northwest of Salford, and west-northwest of Manchester....
and Mosley Common
Mosley Common Colliery
Mosley Common Colliery was a coal mine originally owned by the Bridgewater Trustees operating on the Manchester Coalfield after 1866 in Mosley Common, Greater Manchester, then in the historic county of Lancashire, England...
and the Astley and Tyldesley Collieries
Astley and Tyldesley Collieries
The Astley and Tyldesley Collieries Company formed in 1900 owned coal mines on the Lancashire Coalfield south of the railway in Astley and Tyldesley, then in the historic county of Lancashire, England...
Company who had pits in Astley
Astley, Greater Manchester
Astley is a settlement within the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan in Greater Manchester, England, variously described as a suburb or a village. Astley lies on flat land to the northwest of the city of Manchester, and is crossed by the Bridgewater Canal and the A580 "East Lancashire Road"...
and Tyldesley
Tyldesley
Tyldesley is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, in Greater Manchester, England. It occupies an area north of Chat Moss near the foothills of the West Pennine Moors, east-southeast of Wigan and west-northwest of the city of Manchester...
.
Not all the companies in the area joined the new company. The Tyldesley Coal Company
Tyldesley Coal Company
Tyldesley Coal Company was a coal mining company formed in 1870 in Tyldesley, on the Manchester Coalfield in the historic county of Lancashire, England that had its origins in Yew Tree Colliery, the location for a mining disaster that killed 25 men and boys in 1858.-History:Yew Tree Farm covered...
remained independent until nationalisation in 1947 but other companies were acquired in the 1930s after the government introduced quotas in the Coal Mines Act 1930
Coal Mines Act 1930
The Coal Mines Act 1930 was an Act of Parliament which introduced a system of quotas in the coal industry of the United Kingdom. Under the legislation companies were only allowed a certain market share of the coal industry in order to restrain competition....
. Ramsden's Shakerley Collieries
Shakerley Collieries
Ramsden's Shakerley Collieries was a coal mining company operating on the Manchester Coalfield from the mid 19th century in Shakerley, Tyldesley in the historic county of Lancashire, England.-History:...
was taken over in 1935; its Wellington Pit
Wellington Pit
Wellington Colliery was a coal mine operating on the Manchester Coalfield before 1869 in Tyldesley, Greater Manchester, then in the historic county of Lancashire, England....
closed the same year and the Nelson
Nelson Pit
Nelson Pit was a coal mine operating on the Manchester Coalfield from the 1830s or 1840s in Shakerley, Tyldesley, Greater Manchester, then in the historic county of Lancashire, England....
three years later. Bradford Colliery
Bradford Colliery
Bradford Colliery was a coal mine on the Central Manchester Coalfield in Bradford, Greater Manchester, then in the historic county of Lancashire, England. Although part of the Manchester Coalfield, the seams of the Bradford Coalfield correspond more closely to the Oldham Coalfield...
, in Bradford, Manchester, owned by a subsidiary of Fine Cotton Spinners, was acquired in 1935. The West Leigh Colliery Company and the Coppull Coal Company were bought before 1939.
Manchester Collieries
Up to 1929 most coal was cut by hewers, men using picks and shovels, but Manchester Collieries began a program of mechanisationincreasing its production of machine-cut coal from 17% to 98% in 16 years. The movement of coal underground was also mechanised, and pit ponies were no longer used for underground haulage after 1932.
Mining was a dangerous industry but Manchester Collieries aimed to make the job as safe as possible, and training was a major priority. Some entrants attended local technical colleges and after 1942 some were sent to university. The company was considered to be a generous employer; workers at its pits were on average 1s 6d per shift better off than miners working for other employers, and it built pithead baths and canteens at its pits.
Central railways
The collieries were linked by an extensive system of mineral lines linked to workshops at Walkden Yard. The collieries were linked to mainline railways at Ellenbrook and Sandersons Sidings on the Tyldesley LooplineTyldesley Loopline
The Tyldesley Loopline was the London and North Western Railway's Manchester and Wigan Railway line from Eccles to the junction west of Tyldesley station and its continuance south west via Bedford Leigh to Kenyon Junction on the Liverpool and Manchester Railway. The line opened on September 1st 1864...
, at Astley Green sidings on the Liverpool and Manchester Railway
Liverpool and Manchester Railway
The Liverpool and Manchester Railway was the world's first inter-city passenger railway in which all the trains were timetabled and were hauled for most of the distance solely by steam locomotives. The line opened on 15 September 1830 and ran between the cities of Liverpool and Manchester in North...
, at Walkden Low Level on the line to Bolton, at Walkden High Level on the Manchester and Wigan Railway and at Linnyshaw Moss on the Manchester to Bolton Line. There were canal tips at Boothstown and Worsley on the Bridgewater Canal
Bridgewater Canal
The Bridgewater Canal connects Runcorn, Manchester and Leigh, in North West England. It was commissioned by Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater, to transport coal from his mines in Worsley to Manchester...
.
Nationalisation
At Nationalisation in 1947 Manchester Collieries employed 14,868 workers on the Lancashire CoalfieldLancashire Coalfield
The Lancashire Coalfield in north-west England was one of the most important British coalfields.-Geography and geology:The geology of the coalfield consists of the coal seams of the Upper, Middle and Lower Coal Measures, layers of sandstones, shales and coal of varying thickness, which were laid...
. Some of the surface workers were women, known as pit brow lasses, who sorted coal on the screens at the pit head. As coal reserves were exhausted, the older collieries closed.
| Colliery | Location | Underground workers | Surface workers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Astley Green Colliery Astley Green Colliery Astley Green Colliery was a coal mine in Astley, Greater Manchester, then in the historic county of Lancashire, England. Sinking commenced in 1908 by the Pilkington Colliery Company, a subsidiary of the Clifton and Kersley Coal Company, at the southern edge of the Manchester Coalfield, working the... |
Astley Astley, Greater Manchester Astley is a settlement within the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan in Greater Manchester, England, variously described as a suburb or a village. Astley lies on flat land to the northwest of the city of Manchester, and is crossed by the Bridgewater Canal and the A580 "East Lancashire Road"... |
1,375 | 561 |
| Nook Colliery Nook Colliery Nook Colliery was a coal mine operating on the Manchester Coalfield after 1866 in Tyldesley, Greater Manchester, then in the historic county of Lancashire, England.... |
Tyldesley Tyldesley Tyldesley is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, in Greater Manchester, England. It occupies an area north of Chat Moss near the foothills of the West Pennine Moors, east-southeast of Wigan and west-northwest of the city of Manchester... |
1,365 | 355 |
| Gin Pit Colliery Gin Pit Colliery Gin Pit was a coal mine operating on the Lancashire Coalfield from the 1840s in Tyldesley, Greater Manchester then in the historic county of Lancashire, England... |
Tyldesley | 362 | 158 |
| Bedford Colliery Bedford Colliery Bedford Colliery, also known as Wood End Pit, was a coal mine on the Manchester Coalfield in Bedford, Leigh, Greater Manchester, England. The colliery was owned by John Speakman, who started sinking two shafts in about 1874 on land at Wood End Farm in the northeast part of Bedford, south of the... |
Leigh Leigh, Greater Manchester Leigh is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, in Greater Manchester, England. It is southeast of Wigan, and west of Manchester. Leigh is situated on low lying land to the north west of Chat Moss.... |
704 | 252 |
| Chanters Colliery Chanters Colliery Chanters Colliery was a coal mine which was part of the Fletcher, Burrows and Company's collieries at Hindsford inAtherton, Greater Manchester, then in the historic county of Lancashire, England.-Geology:... |
Hindsford Hindsford Hindsford is a suburb of Atherton in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. It is situated to the west of the Hindsford Brook, an ancient boundary between the townships of Atherton and Tyldesley cum Shakerley, and east of the Chanters Brook in the ancient parish of... |
945 | 429 |
| Gibfield Colliery Gibfield Colliery Gibfield Colliery was a coal mine which was part of the Fletcher, Burrows and Company's collieries in Atherton, Greater Manchester, then in the historic county of Lancashire, England.A shaft was sunk to the Trencherbone mine in 1829 by John Fletcher... |
Atherton Atherton, Greater Manchester Atherton is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, in Greater Manchester, England, historically a part of Lancashire. It is east of Wigan, north-northeast of Leigh, and northwest of Manchester... |
530 | 178 |
| Howe Bridge Colliery Howe Bridge Colliery Howe Bridge Colliery was a coal mine which was part of the Fletcher, Burrows and Company's collieries at Howe Bridge inAtherton, Greater Manchester, then in the historic county of Lancashire, England.... |
Howe Bridge Howe Bridge Howe Bridge is a suburb of Atherton in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. It is situated to the south west of Atherton town centre on the B5215, the old turnpike road from Bolton to Leigh... |
312 | 136 |
| Mosley Common Colliery Mosley Common Colliery Mosley Common Colliery was a coal mine originally owned by the Bridgewater Trustees operating on the Manchester Coalfield after 1866 in Mosley Common, Greater Manchester, then in the historic county of Lancashire, England... No. 1 & No. 2 |
Mosley Common Mosley Common Mosley Common is a suburb of Tyldesley at the far-eastern edge of the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, in Greater Manchester, England.It was anciently a hamlet in the east of the township of Tyldesley cum Shakerley, in the ancient parish of Leigh... |
978 | 406 |
| Mosley Common Colliery Mosley Common Colliery Mosley Common Colliery was a coal mine originally owned by the Bridgewater Trustees operating on the Manchester Coalfield after 1866 in Mosley Common, Greater Manchester, then in the historic county of Lancashire, England... No. 4 |
Mosley Common | 853 | 221 |
| Newtown | Clifton Clifton Clifton is an English surname, place name or given name. It means "settlement by a cliff" in Old English. It may refer to:-Australia:*Clifton, Queensland, town and Shire south of Toowoomba*Clifton Beach, Queensland... |
570 | 240 |
| Brackley | Little Hulton Little Hulton Little Hulton is a village—effectively a suburb—within the City of Salford, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies south of Bolton, west-northwest of Salford, and west-northwest of Manchester... |
761 | 271 |
| Sandhole Colliery Sandhole Colliery The Sandhole Colliery or Bridgewater Colliery was a coal mine originally owned by the Bridgewater Trustees operating on the Manchester Coalfield in Walkden, Greater Manchester, then in the historic county of Lancashire, England. The colliery closed in 1962.-History:The Bridgewater Trustees began... |
Walkden Walkden Walkden is a town within the metropolitan borough of the City of Salford, in Greater Manchester, England. It is west-northwest of Salford, and west-northwest of Manchester.... |
725 | 335 |
| Wheatsheaf 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.... |
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.... |
659 | 274 |
| Bradford Colliery Bradford Colliery Bradford Colliery was a coal mine on the Central Manchester Coalfield in Bradford, Greater Manchester, then in the historic county of Lancashire, England. Although part of the Manchester Coalfield, the seams of the Bradford Coalfield correspond more closely to the Oldham Coalfield... |
Bradford Bradford, Manchester Bradford is a district and electoral ward in the city of Manchester, England, two miles north east of the city centre. Bradford was for many years an economically deprived area but has undergone regeneration with the building of the City of Manchester Stadium which hosted the 2002 Commonwealth... , Manchester Manchester Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater... |
690 | 223 |