The Forest of Dean: An Historical and Descriptive Account Part 17

The last of the "Orders" of the Miners' Court, dated October 22nd, 1754, provides that "none shall sink any water pit and get coal out of it within the limits or bounds of 1,000 yards of any level, and that the waterwheel ingine at the Oiling Green near Broadmore be taken to be a level to all intents and purposes, as all other levels brought up from the Gra.s.smoore;" meaning probably, that they also were to enjoy the protective distance of 1,000 yards in common with all "levels," otherwise that distance would be no more than twelve yards radius, according to the received custom. "The water-wheel engine," for working the pumps belonging to the work at Oiling Green, is considered to have been the first of the kind, and therefore marks the earliest of the successive steps made within the last 100 years in improving the methods of raising coal in this locality, by showing greater ingenuity in removing the water from the pits, which were now evidently sunk much deeper than formerly.

A minute examination {235} of the numerous papers recording the then ordinary proceedings of the Free Miners' Court, supplies the accompanying dates to the following coal-works:--

1706. "Stay and Drink," under Serridge; "Dark Pitt," in Coverham.

1718. "Hopewell," at Park End; "Speedwell," Ruerdean Hill.

1720. "Sally Pitt," Coleford.

1721. "Broad Moore Grout;" "The Holly Pitt."

1722. "New Charity;" "The 9 Wells;" "Stand Fast;" "The Dry Tump."

1723. "Go on and Prosper;" "Monmouth Hill Work."

1724. "The Old Colliery," near Coleford.

1725. "Shute Castle Pitt;" "The Oiling Quab," in Bromley.

1726. "The Staple Pitt;" "Short Standing."

1735. "Gentlemen Colliers," or "Harbourne Oake."

1736. "The Little Suff," Serridge.

1737. "Major Wade's Suff," near Aywood; "The Broomy Knowle;" "Pluck Penny," Nail Bridge; "Dowler's Chambers."

1739. "Bushes Pitt," at Berry Hill; "The Society."

1740. "Church way," or "Turn brook."

1741. "Cartway Pitt;" "Harrow Hill Pitt."

1743. "Mendall," at Yorkley; "True Blue," Ruerdean; "Littleworth;" "the Windmill," near Ruerdean.

1744. "Rain Proof."

1745. "Church Hill," Coal Work, Park End.

1747. "The Golden Pippin;" "Little Scare Pitt."

1749. "Long looked for," near Yorkley.

1753. "Prosper."

1755. "The bold Defiance;" "The Ginn."

1757. "Now found out;" "Standfast."

1758. "Pigg Pitt."

Several of the above names closely resemble those by which many of the existing coal-works are designated; as for instance--"Strip-and-at-it,"

"Winners," "Spero," "Prosper," "Never Fear," &c. One other interesting fact preserved in these records is that the coal seams were called then as now by the names of "Upper" and "Lower Rocky," the "Lower" and "Upper High Delf," the "Starkey Delf," and the "Lowery Delf."

The Appendix to the Fourth Report of the Dean Forest Commissioners relative to the mines, incidentally mentions the old coalwork called "the Oiling Gin" as originally galed in 1766, and transferred by agreement, dated 15th April, 1776, to a company, in consideration of 2,100 pounds, at whose cost the first "fire-engine," constructed, probably, on Watt's principle, patented in the previous year, is understood to have been put up in this neighbourhood. It also specifies the "Brown's Green Colliery"

near Lydbrook, opened in 1772; the "Moorwood Coal Works" in 1773; "Arthur's Folly" in 1774, begun in the "Thirty Acres," and brought up into "Little Cross Hill;" and also the undertaking called "The Gentlemen Colliers."

On the 26th August, 1777, the Court of Mine Law, by which the coal-works in the Forest had been ever regulated, sat, as it proved, for the last time, having been held according as business required three or four times a year, with some few exceptions, since 1668. A memorandum with which its last minute is endorsed is thus expressed:--"Mine Law Court, 26 August, 1777. There has been no Court holden for the miners since this day, which is a great loss to the gaveller, and causes various disputes amongst the colliers, which is owing to the neglect of the Deputy-Constables."

A careful perusal of the papers in which the proceedings of the Court of Mine Law are recorded from 30th April, 1706, supplies the following particulars ill.u.s.trative of the manner in which the miners of the first half of the 18th century conducted their works, together with the usages of the Court then in vogue. Nearly all the sittings were held at the Speech-house, under the supervision of the deputies for the time being of the Constable of St. Briavel's Castle, attended by the clerk of the court, and the gaveller or his deputy. Rarely more than twelve, but sometimes twenty-four miners const.i.tuted the jury; the suits they had to try being mostly for debts and trespa.s.ses between miner and miner, such as for leaving open dangerous pits, breaking "forbids," refusing to pay tax for defending the rights of the mine, loading "foreigners'" teams at the pits, for perjury, for keeping more than four horses in carrying coal, or for removing pit lamps, scores or cowls, &c. Copies of two such entries, with other proceedings of the Court as specimens, are given in the Appendix No. VI.

As early as the year 1718 the proceedings of the Court were occasionally disturbed by the persons attending it. Thus, on the 13th of May, the following amercements were made and recorded:--

John Davis, for talking in Court 2_s._ John Kear, for talking in Court 2_s._ Wm. Budge, for disturbing ye 2_s._ Court Nich. Whitstone, for the like 2_s._ Thomas Rudge, for the same 2_s._ John Griffiths, for disturbing 2_s._ the Court Thomas Rudge, for the same 2_s._ offence John Trigg, for the same offence 2_s._ Griffith Cooper, for talking in 2_s._ Court

Writing upon the subject of the Forest collieries, about the year 1779, Mr. Rudder remarks in his History of the county,--"The pits are not deep, for when the miners find themselves much incommoded with water, they sink a new one, rather than erect a fire engine, which might answer the expense very well, yet there is not one of them in all this division.

They have indeed two or three pumps worked by cranks, that in some measure answer the intention."

In the year 1788 we are informed by the evidence of the Gaveller, that, according to an account made out in the previous August, "there were then within the Forest 121 coal-pits (thirty-one of which were not actually in work), which pits produced 1,816 tons of coal per week; that there were 662 free miners concerned and employed therein; and that the annual compositions paid by them amounted to 215 pounds 8s. or thereabouts, although many of them were so poor that no money could be collected from them." "At this time," says the same officer, "house-fire coal, on the Mitcheldean side the Forest, is sold at the pit's mouth for 4s. 6d. per ton of 20 cwt., smith's coal 3s. 3d., lime coal 2s. per ton. When sold by the waggonload at the pit's mouth, and the purchaser brings victuals and drink for the colliers, the price of a waggonload was 10s. of house-fire coal, smith coal 6s. 6d., lime coal 4s. On the Coleford side the Forest, house-fire coal was sold at the pit's mouth for 3s. 9d. per ton of 20 cwt., smith coal 2s. 9d., lime coal 1s. 3d. By the waggonload at the pit's mouth, house-fire coal 8s. 6d., smith coal 5s. 6d., lime coal 2s. 6d."

In addition to the above, the a.s.sistant Deputy Surveyor of the same period reported,--"the parts of the Forest in which the princ.i.p.al collieries are situate are these:--The Level of the Fire Engine Colliery, which is one of the princ.i.p.al works, is in the bottom between Nail Bridge and Cinderford Bridge, and there are pits all along the Bottom. There are several Levels in the Bottom from Beechenhurst Hill along the Delves quite up to Nail Bridge. Another large field of coal from Whitecroft Bridge, at the back of White Mead Park along the Delves to Great Moseley Green, and from thence through Old Vallet Tuft and Aures Glow, almost up to Little Stapleage. These are the works which do the greatest mischief to the Forest. There are some others on the Coleford side, from which a great deal of coal is raised. Very little timber is growing in any of these Delves; and enclosures might be made in the Forest, so as to exclude all the princ.i.p.al coal-works. The coal-works in the Forest supply with fuel the lower parts of Gloucestershire beyond Severn, and some parts across the Severn about Berkeley, the greatest part of Herefordshire, the town of Monmouth, and part of the county of Monmouth."

The existing remains of the coal-works of this period, combined with the traditions of the oldest surviving colliers, enable us to form an accurate idea of the way in which the workings were carried on.

"Levels," or slightly ascending pa.s.sages, driven into the hill sides till they struck the coal seam, appear to have been general. This was no doubt owing to the facility with which they effected the getting of the coal where it tended upwards into the higher lands forming the edge of the Forest Coal Basin, since they required no winding apparatus, and provided a discharge for the water which drained from the coal-beds. The usages observed at the works ent.i.tled the proprietors of their respective levels to so much of the corresponding seam of coal as they could drain, extending right and left to the limits awarded by the gaveller. So far this mode of procedure was satisfactory enough, and would no doubt have long continued to go on amicably, had not the principle, highly judicious in itself, that no workings were ever to intersect one another, but always to stop when the mattocks met, been abused by driving "narrow headings" up into different workings, whereby the rightful owner of the coal was stopped, and the other party enabled to come in and take it from him. Timber of considerable strength was required throughout the underground excavations to support the roof, hence proving a serious source of spoliation to the woods. Large slabs of it were also needed for the flooring, in order that the small coal-trams might be the more readily pushed forward over it, a s.p.a.ce being left beneath for air to circulate, and for the water to run out.

If the vein of coal proposed to be worked did not admit of being reached by a level, then a pit was sunk to it, although rarely to a greater depth than 25 yards, the water being raised in buckets, or by a water-wheel engine, or else by a drain having its outlet in some distant but lower spot, such as is found to have led from the Broad Moor Collieries to Cinderford, a mile and upwards in length. The shaft of the pit was made of a square form, in order that its otherwise insecure sides might be the better supported by suitable woodwork, which being constructed in successive stages was occasionally used as a ladder, the chief difficulty being found in keeping the workings free from water, which in wet seasons not unfrequently gained the mastery and drowned the men out. The skips appear to have been always rectangular in shape, similar to the shafts.

Intermediately between the date of the above coal-works and the present most approved collieries, Mr. Protheroe, in his evidence before the Dean Forest Commissioners, in 1832, relative to his thirty-two coal-pits, stated that "the depth of my princ.i.p.al pits at Park End and Bilson varies from about 150 to 200 yards; that of my new gales, for which I have engine licences, is estimated at from 250 to 300 yards. I have 12 steam engines varying from 12 to 140 horse power, 9 or 10 of which are at work, the whole amounting to 500 horse power; and I have licences for four more engines, two of which must be of very great power. The amount of wages paid by me, in the last twelve years, to colliers, hauliers, and labourers, is upwards of 150,000 pounds, giving constant employment on the average to from 400 to 500 individuals."

The coal-pits were now lined throughout with stone walling, leaving a clear diameter of from 7 to 9 feet; greater regard was paid to their drainage and ventilation, both of which required particular attention, owing to the watery nature of the coal measures, and the abundance of "choke-damp," although happily "fire damp" never appears. Horses were now used underground for bringing the coal-trams to the foot of the pit, and all the workings were accurately surveyed and recorded, agreeably to the regulations inst.i.tuted by the Dean Forest Mining Commissioners, under the judicious Act of 27th July, 1838, to the effect that "the quant.i.ty of coals sent daily from each colliery should be duly entered, and plans made of the workings, for the information of the Gaveller, who might also inspect any underground operations at all reasonable times," the whole undertaking being required to be carried on according to the best and most improved system.

[Picture: Light Moor Colliery]

In accordance with which excellent rules, each of the 105 re-awards of coal seams applied for during the years 1838-41 were so ably set out by Messrs. Sopwith, Buddle, and Probyn, as effectually to check the numerous disputes which formerly arose, and ere long so to develop the coal-works of the Forest of Dean as to render them worthy to be compared with some of the finest collieries in the kingdom. As an instance of their present excellence, Messrs. Crawshay's colliery at Light Moor may be mentioned, for its great extent, completeness, powerful machinery, and size of its pits. These last, four in number, are 291 feet deep, one of which, measuring 9 feet 6 inches by 14 feet, contains pumps raising 88 gallons of water per minute.

The number of coal-works in the Forest at the close of 1856 was 221, yielding in that year to the public use upwards of 460,432 tons; the ten largest collieries each producing as follows:--

Tons.

Park End Colliery 86,973 Light Moor ,, 86,508 Crump Meadow 41,507 Bix Slade 26,792 The Nelson 24,539 Hopewell in Whimberry 18,858 Valletts Level 17,918 Bilson 17,395 Arthur and Edward 12,857 New Strip and at it 11,502 ------- 344,849

Probably a twentieth part of the above total should he added to the amount charged, in consideration of the quant.i.ty consumed by the colliery engines, thus making the gross annual produce a third of a million of tons.