1887 - Page 2

The Westfield Colliery Co and the Boythorpe Coal Co at Chesterfield were both wound up. Boythorpe Coal Co, Chesterfield was set up. Pilsley mine was purchased from Thos Holdsworth and now owned by the Pilsley Colliery Co.

In North West Derbyshire in 1887 there was a lease between the committee of Thomas Jodrell Phillips Jodrell of the Priory Roehampton of unsound mind and Joseph Hall of Buckstone, Lucy Ann Hall, Hannah Hall and Adelaide Ann Hall, all of Morlands near Hayfield for Fernilee, Taxal, Yeardsley and Whaley pits.

Heanor Common Side name was changed to Common Side (Gillott Bros), working Comb coal and at Salterwood, Denby, the company changed to Denby Iron Co from G and WH Dawes, West Hallam changed from Whitehouse and Son to West Hallam Colliery Co and the Earl of Carnarvon took over Newhall Park No3 from the Countess of Chesterfield. Blackwell Colliery Co purchased Shirland No1/No2 colliery from the Shirland Colliery Co in 1887-1888 who in turn had purchased it from Benton and Woodiwiss in 1886. The name Coates Park was changed to Cotes Park (Jas Oakes & Co).

The Stanton Iron Co had leased about 7,000 acres of mineral rights from Sir Harry Vernon Bart, the Countess of Carnarvon, the Marquess of Hartington and the Duke of Portland for their three mines. Opencast mining in the 1950s revealed ancient coal workings to the side of Stanley Lane and further down towards the Inn crossroads some of the old workings from Bess of Hardwick’s pits were uncovered.

On 19th November 1887, delegates from 64 collieries assembled at the Sun Inn, Chesterfield – they represented members of the future Miners’ Federation of Great Britain that was founded in 1888. It was based mainly on outright opposition to the sliding scale principle of wages. The National Miners’ Union survived however.

The NACM (National Association of Colliery Managers) was formed following the 1872 Act. The first National President was Sam Alsop (482) of Pinxton.

Water Broke In From New Inn Level Sough

At Teversall colliery (Stanton Iron Co), workings in the Top Hard seam to the rise side had approached too close to the New Inn Level Sough in 1885 and water had broken into the workings. The water in the sough was coming from the old pits in the Upper Meden Valley. Forever afterwards this water would have to be pumped or diverted to the pit bottom via a ricket gate, where it was pumped out of the pit via No2 Shonkey shaft 24 hours a day.

This may have contributed to the suicide of the Agent/Director William Clark (985) later in 1889. The water was collected in a deep cistern and pumped to the surface by a 3 throw ram pump, or eventually allowed to migrate to Pleasley, (as in the 1960s, and also by a different route to Pleasley when the mine closed in 1980). Water arrived at Pleasley pit bottom in 1986.

Collieries Opened or Sunk in 1887

• Boythorpe 3 (Boythorpe Colliery Co), Chesterfield, Tupton and Silkstone
  
• Burn’d Edge 3 (Aspenshaw Coal Co), Birch Vale
  
• Cowley (W Jackson and T Sayer), Dronfield, Mickley
  
• Church Gresley (Moira Colliery Co (Lord Donington), Burton, Little and Main
  
• Dolly or Barn (John Drinkwater) Bugsworth, (North West Derbyshire), Little Mine (seam)
  
• Gosforth (John Sheard), Dronfield, Silkstone
  
• Langar Lane
  
• Mapperley (Mapperley Colliery Co), Ilkeston, Deep Hard seam opened (see 1872)
  
• Newhall Field (Newhall Field Colliery Co), Swadlincote, Stockings and Eureka
  
• New Winnings Footrill (Butterley Iron and Coal Co), Langley Mill, above Bailey Brook, Soft coal
  
• Pingot (Aspenshaw Coal Co), Birch Vale
  
• Plumbley (J and G Wells), Eckington, Silkstone
  
• St John’s (Staveley Silkstone Colliery Co), Staveley, Yard seam
  
• Wingfield (West Hallam) No1 at 9 feet (2.74m) diameter to 385 yards (352m) deep to Kilburn seam.
  (13 Pits)

Colliery Closures in 1887

• Addys (Bennett)
  
• Aspenshaw (Aspenshaw Coal Co), Glossop, near Aspenshaw Hall, Mountain 2’ 6” (0.76m) seam, clay or lumb floor, angle of mine about 10º, worked out, and worked through lots of old workings, old pits and outcrop surrounding, 2 areas, 1 Day eye or adit, 16th June, James F Booth ME, Oldham, 18th Aug and Arthur H Stokes (1505)
  Mines Inspector 30th Aug 1887
  
• Alma No1 shaft 11 ft (3.35m) dia, 510 ft (155.5m) deep to Hard Ell, 3 feet thick (0.91m), No3 shaft 11 ft (3.35m) dia to 1st Silkstone
  
• Brinsley (Earl of Mexborough) start 1868, finished 30 Jun 1887, Surveyors George H Bond and Son
  
• Bugsworth (Thomas Bennett), New Mills, Mountain
  
• Burn’d Edge (Levi and Elijah Hall) at Hamlet of Ollersett, Glossop, No1 pit Little Mine 10” (0.25m) to 16” (0,40m), 30 yards (27m) deep, 1in6, met old works (staggered stalls in 1884)
  
• Burn’d Edge No2 pit Yard seam 28” (0.71m), UC and Blind pit, Sep 1887, Surveyors Cross and Eagle
  
• Campbell (Staveley Coal and Iron Co), Staveley, Silkstone
  
• Clinton colliery (Brinsley Brick and Tile Co), Comb coal, start 1875, finished Lady Day 1887, unprofitable, however Arthur H Stokes Inspector signed the abandonment plan 7th Apr 1890
  
• Dolley Tunnel (Thos Bennett)
  
• Granby (Butterley Co) Waterloo, Deep Soft, Deep Hard, Brown Rake and Black Rake ironstone, closed, see 1888
  
• Grassmoor (Grassmoor Co Ltd) Tupton Threequarter or Lees 2’ 10” (0.86m), dark sloom (0.09m), clunch 7” (0.18m), 1’ 2” (0.47m) dark blue bind above seam, 392 yards (358.5m) deep, unprofitable, abandoned 28th Mar 1887
  
• High Moor (Senior and Worrall)
  
• Moorhole (included Prince Albert pit 158 yards (145m), Victoria pit 160 yards (146m) (Richard Barrow), Parkgate pit and Water pit 164 yards (150m) Jos and George Wells 1882 then WE Wells 1887
  
• New Langley (Butterley Co Ltd) Deep Hard, Jay 1’ 3” (0.38m), scud 5” (0.13m), hard coal 2’ 8” (0.81m), total 4’ 4” (1.32m) was abandoned Sep 1887, Main Soft 3’ 5” (1.04m) temp abandoned also Sep 1887, pillar left for Police Station and part of Heanor town, Fitz Herbert Wright, one of owners of Butterley Co. There was a connection from
• Old Langley through a fault to North of Heanor Church
  
• Newlands (…?)
  
• Portland No2 (Butterley Co) after 70 years
  
• Reservoir (Gregory and Sharratt), Chesterfield, Tupton seam stood, Manager and Agent William Frederick Howard (1297)
  
• Rutland No4 (Rutland Colliery Co and James Bonsall) Ilkeston, Roof Soft and Deep Soft, exhausted, old hollows around, some bad ground and pillar left to Hall, 25th Mar 1887
  
• Shallcross New colliery (Levi and Elijah Hall) sunk 72 yards (66m) in 1873 near Whaley Bridge was closed, old works to South all round, ancient workings under the route of the Cromford and High Peak Branch railway, Yard mine 60” (1.52m) worked out, inc
  Far end old pit 39 yards (36m) and Ladder pit 30 yards (27m). The section in the shaft revealed
  Red Ash seam 18” (0.46m) thick at 15 yards (13.75m) deep, White Ash 13” (0.33m) at 35 yards (32m), Cannel mine 9” (0.23) at 55 yards (50m), Surveyors Cross and Eagle
  
• Speedwell (Digby Colliery Co) stood and closed
  Butterley Iron and Coal Co closed Stoneyford sunk in 1853 in Codnor Park, near to the River Erewash, after 34 years
  
• Stoneyford (Earl of Mexborough) Deep Hard and Deep Soft 30 Jun 1887, Surveyor George H Bond and Son
  
• Stoneyford (Jas Oakes and Co), sunk by M Royston prior to 1853, Deep Hard Gees 3” (0.08m), scud 10” (0.25), hard list 10” (0.25m) coal 1’ 1” (0.30m), holing sloom 6” (0.15m), 3’ 9” (1.14m), 93 yards (85m) deep Low Main or Furnace 166 yards (152m) deep, finished 30th June 1887, and Deep Hard worked nearby by
  Stoneyford Wallow pit (formerly owned by J Woolley) 170 yards (155m) deep, and Main soft bats 3” (0.08m), coal 3’ 9” (1.14m) at 78 yards (71m), line of dip South 49½º East
  
• Stubley (E Lucas and Son), Dronfield, Silkstone
  
• Sutton (William Arkwright), Sutton Scarsdale, Top Hard, 27 yards (24.5m) deep
  
• Wash house (John Blair) Silkstone
  
• Whaley Bridge (Levi and Elijah Hall) White Ash mine. (23)
  
• Sutton mine (William Arkwright) at Scarsdale, North of Heath, Derbyshire was abandoned 23rd April 1887. Mining had started in the area in 1294 with the sinking of Bell pits at Sutton Common (northwest of the Hall and west of Sutton Lane). Up to Mar 1859 around 6 acres 1 rood and 18 perches had been worked. Prior to 1880 27 acres or roods 3 poles of coal had been worked at Sutton (Sutton cum Duckmanton) (Derbyshire), started 1852 app, (Richard George Coke (547) Surveyor 12th July 1862), 27 yards (24.5m) deep to Top Hard, - gas coal 8½” (0.22m), hard coal 2’ 6” (0.76m), soft coal 2’ 0” (0.61m), total 5’ 2½” (1.59m) with warrant or fire clay floor, and between June 1880 to Apr 1887 a further 4 acres 1 rood and 10 poles making a total of 31 acres 2 roods 4 poles, one shaft and another UC shaft, Air pit and adit, basset, Surveyor WA Benson ME, of Silverdale, Staffs, plan received by Arthur H Stokes Inspector 3rd Sep 1887.
• New Langley, Heanor. Butterley Iron and Coal Co closed the Deep Hard and Deep Soft seams
  The Aldercar Estate purchased by the Butterley Co in 1852. Areas of land showed...Pit Meadow at 28ac 3r 1p to the west of Aldercar Hall and Pit Meadow 21ac 1r 38p to the north west of Aldercar Hall. Deep Hard worked by Wallow pits in 2 areas. Section of seam, Gees 3” (0.08m), scud 10” (0.25m), hard list 10” (0.25m), coal 1’ 0” (0.30m), holing sloom 6” (0.15m). Also Pit ? (Messrs Oakes and Co) in Parish of Codnor and Loscoe Deep Hard finished 1887
• Stoneyford Main Soft finished Michaelmas 1878
  
• Stoneyford (Messrs Oakes and Co) Main Soft bats 3” (0.08m), coal 3’ 9” (1.14m) finished 30th June 1887
  
• Stoneyford (Messrs Oaks and Co) Low Main, 30th June 1887
  
• Stoneyford (The Earl of Mexborough) Deep Soft, start 1877, finished Mix 1887, worked under the Cromford Canal
  
• Stoneyford (The Earl of Mexborough) Deep Hard, start 1872, finished and abandoned Mix 1887, Surveyor George H Bond and Son.

Forge at Dronfield renamed Wreaks Lane (Forge) (Lucas and Son). Bridge Lane Whittington changed hands from Lowe and Osborne to Sanford and Osborne.

At New Langley (Butterley Co – Fitzherbert Wright one of the owners) the Main Soft 3’ 5” (1.04m) at 97 yards (89m) deep was temporary abandoned in Sep 1887. The Deep Hard 4’ 4” (1.32m) at 113 yards (103m) deep was abandoned 10th Dec. The pit bottom was at 120 yards (110m).

Fatal Accidents in 1887 Included

• Richard Evans (31) who was killed at Stanley in December 1887
• Edward Turner (18), an office boy was killed on his way to work on 8 Oct 1887 by a shunting engine on the Glapwell Branch line of the Midland Railway.

By 9th December 1887 all workmen in stalls and headings at Rawdon (Leicestershire) were using Marsaut flame safety lamps.

Frank Clowes was appointed first Principal of University College, Nottingham a post held 1887-1890. He invented the Clowes Hydrogen Flame Safety Lamp which could detect small concentrations of methane gas.

(Click here for more information)

Nailstone colliery was taken over by the Nailstone Colliery Co on the death of Fitz Hall. Sam Wheatley was appointed as the new Manager.

Production at Lindridge Colliery ceased.