Derbyshire Coal mining history – Derbyshire had so many collieries and small mines that it is beyond the limited scope of this website to discuss them in depth. Therefore only a brief history of coal mining is given and a few of the unusual mines are presented.
Coal mines mentioned here represent an important element of local history.
There is evidence for coal being used as a fuel in Britain which dates back to the Roman occupation. After the Romans left Britain there is little evidence of coal in use until the 1100s, although it was probably still used by blacksmiths in places where it was close to hand.
The emergence of coal mining becomes apparent in Tudor times.
Prior to that wood was the major source of fuel and industries such as the smelting of iron and lead with known origins back to Roman times and beyond relied on wood charcoal as a fuel for smelting.
A growing population caused pressure on woods and forests as they were progressively cleared for agricultural purposes, demand for wood for ship building, house building and charcoal production. This exceeded the available supply making it necessary to import timber.
Thus an increase in supply of an alternative fuel was required.
During the 16th and 17th centuries coal was becoming the main fuel in coal mining districts. There are also early records of the use of coal in lime burning.
In some areas lime burning was prohibited due to fumes produced.
Coal was used for lime burning for major buildings such as Cathedrals.
As early as 1640 a shortage of coal caused a serious crisis in the building trades of London through a shortage of lime.
Two traditional uses of lime in agriculture and building work became dependent on the availability of coal supplies and it is estimated that by the end of the 17th century lime burners used tens of thousands of tons of coal annually.
In different parts of a coalfield various types of coal were mined depending upon the proximity to different geological horizons, all with varying quality.
These different coals had a host of local names and even within a short distance the same coal seam changed its name.
Bell Pits Bell-pits
These were sunk to reach coal in shallow seams, up to 10 metres below the surface. A vertical shaft would be dug down to the level of the seam, and coal extracted around the shaft. When the risk of the roof falling or lack of ventilation became too great, the shaft was abandoned and a new one sunk.
Open Cast Mining
Thick coal seams that lie not too far beneath the surface can be mined by removing the layers of rock above. These mines are called opencast or surface mines. In Britain, surface mines often mine the coal remaining from earlier, less efficient mining methods.
Drift Mines
Coal was first used where it was exposed at the surface Coal seams may lie horizontally, or lie at an angle. In places the seam might meet the surface. Drift mines reach the coal by driving a roadway at a slope from the surface, rather than using a shaft. Drift mines might follow the seam from the surface or cut down at an angle through rocks to reach it. Some coal seams are still accessed by drift roadways, and they have continued to be used as a way in or out of mines.
Deep Mining
At one time most coal mines in the UK were deep mines, but now there are more surface mines. Deep mines use a vertical tunnel called a shaft to get to the layers of coal beneath the surface. In advance mining, the coal closest to the shaft (excluding the shaft pillar) is removed first. As a mine is developed, the coal further from the shaft will be removed. Miners, equipment and coal are transported underground along horizontal tunnels called roadways. In retreat mining roadways are driven out to the furthest reach of the mine, and then coal is mined out on the return to the shaft.
Modern deep mining in the UK uses the longwall method. Large, coal-cutting machines remove coal from a long coal face. The coal face is the section of the seam that is being worked. Coal is sliced away from the face, drops onto a metal conveyor (panzer) and is transferred to a belt conveyor to be carried back to the shaft or surface.
As coal is removed from the face, the face advances and at the same time all the equipment has to move forward also. When the roof supports at the face move forward, the unsupported rock behind is allowed to drop down. Only the stone above the face and in the roadways is kept supported. Advancing faces need roadways at either end to allow men, equipment and coal to be transported, and to provide a free flow of air. Once a face has been worked as far as it can go, the equipment is removed. This equipment is then taken to be used elsewhere. At big coal mines, there may be several faces open at one time, with a system of new faces being set-up as those that have finished are closing down.
Pillar and Stall
This technique used pillars of coal to support the roof, and coal was extracted around the pillar. Known as pillar and stall, bord and pillar, or stoup and room mining, once the coal in the stalls had been excavated, the pillars continued to support the rocks above. Miners would sometimes return to the workings to take coal from the pillars, a dangerous practice which often caused accidents.
