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Shropshire
History |
Clee Hills Coalfield |
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Coal mining on the Clee Hills started in
medieval times. Between 1260-3, Walter
de Clifford granted a license to Sir John de Halston to "dig coles
within the forest of La Clie to sell or give away". This mining was by means of adits and
bellpits, the latter being shallow shafts with short passages at the
bottom. As soon as there were problems
with stability or ventilation, the bellpit was abandoned and another sunk
next to it, spoil from the new one being tipped down the old one. On
Titterstone Clee Hill, mining continued in this way until the 18th
Century, with the coal mostly being used for local lime burning. From the 16th Century onwards,
ironstone was mined as well and several furnaces were built in the
surrounding area, although charcoal was used as a fuel instead of coal until
the late 18th Century. The
area was a source of iron and coal in the 18th Century for the
Knight family, who were a major force in the British iron industry at that
time. Iron workings were similar to
the coal pits with primitive technology, relying on hand windlasses or horse
gins for winding. Iron smelting
continued on the hill until 1851 when the last blast furnace at Knowbury
closed.
In the 19th Century, most of the
mineral rights were acquired by the ironmaster families of Lewis and Botfield
and they began to develop the mines to supply coal to south west
Shropshire. By 1839, the sale area had
expanded to include north Herefordshire, Radnorshire and a great deal of
Wales. Technology was introduced
underground and proper collieries were developed, with steam power to allow
deeper working. Drainage adits were
driven to unwater the workings into the Cornbrook and elsewhere. By the 1840s, there were about 250 miners
producing an average of 25,000 tons of coal per year. In an attempt to ease transport of coal off
the hill, a railway was built to Ludlow in the mid-1860s. This reached the top of the hill by a rope
worked incline. By this time, however,
the coalfield had passed its peak and the mines of Lewis and Botfield passed
to a series of small private companies. There was a brief revival during the
Second World War for local use but all working had ceased by 1945. Brown Clee
Hill was the highest coalfield in England but operations were on a much
smaller scale than its neighbouring hill.
By the 19th Century, the deposits were almost exhausted and
workings consisted of primitive pits with two or three men. Abdon Burf Bellpits,
Abdon (SO5986) Coal Thomas Childs and Edward Duce leased the
mines in 1850 and John Blunt operated a combined coal and lime works at Abdon
Burf. By the end of the century,
however, the industry had ceased for good. Barn Colliery, Cornbrook
(SO600759) See Cornbrook Bluestone Colliery, Cleeton St Mary (SO619783) Coal Medieval bellpits and the remains of
an 18th Century colliery.
Bottom Trout Colliery,
Whatsill (SO6076) Coal Brown Clee Bellpits,
Abdon (SO5986) Coal, Iron Catherton Colliery, Cleeton St Mary
(SO61007735) Coal Operated by Summers and Garbett until 1889.
Catherton Common Bellpits,
Cleeton St Mary (SO620780) Coal Chimney Colliery,
Cornbrook (SO6076) Coal Church Colliery, Knowbury
(SO5875) Coal Clee Burf Bellpits, Clee
St Margaret (SO5984) Coal, Iron Clee Hills Colliery,
Cornbrook (SO600759) Coal Collybrook Green Colliery,
Knowbury (SO5875) Fireclay Cornbrook Colliery,
Cornbrook (SO600759) Coal Operated by Cornbrook & Knowbury Coal
& Stone Company. They had
abandoned it by the end of the 19th Century, however, as the coal
began to run out. The Clee Hill Mining
& Development Co Ltd were operating Barn Pit (the re-named Cornbrook
Colliery), using Trout Pit for ventilation, until it closed in 1927. Cornbrook Sough,
Cornbrook (SO603756) Drainage Level Entrance has collapsed. Craven Colliery, Foxwood
(SO621778) Coal Cumberley Colliery,
Knowbury (SO5874) Fireclay Cutley Colliery, Doddington (SO61307629) Coal Dumplings Colliery,
Knowbury (SO5875) Coal Fair View Colliery, Abdon
(SO5987) Coal, Iron Farden Colliery, Farden
(SO5775) Fireclay Fault Colliery, Whatsill
(SO6076) Coal Gibbet Colliery,
Cornbrook (SO607760) Coal Gorstley Rough Mine,
Cleehill (SO591746) Limestone Green’s Colliery,
Knowbury (SO5775) Coal (aka Treen) Green Lea Colliery,
Burwarton (SO6085) Coal, Iron Gutterworks Colliery,
Cleehill (SO5975) Coal Hill Houses Colliery,
Lubberland (SJ6378) Coal Horseditch Colliery,
Titterstone (SO5977) Coal Jewstone Colliery,
Doddington (SO609764) Coal Kilkenny Colliery,
Whatsill (SO6176) Coal Knovers Mine, Knowlegate
(SO59637372) Limestone
Knowbury Colliery,
Knowbury (SO572751) Coal (aka
Old Penny, Windsor) Level Colliery, Whatsill
(SO6076) Coal Lower
Gutter Colliery, Knowbury (SO5875) Coal Lubberland Bellpits,
Cleeton St Mary (SO6278) Coal Moor Edge Colliery,
Knowbury (SO5875) Coal New Colliery, Knowbury
(SO5875) Coal (aka New Level) New Level, Knowbury
(SO5875) See New Colliery Novers Mine, Knowlegate
(SO59637372) See Knovers Old Penny Colliery, Knowbury
(SO572751) See Knowbury Penny Pit, Knowbury (SO58957465) Coal Sunk in
1895 by the Knowbury Colliery Company and provided
coal for a short while to a nearby brickyard owned by Edwin Askey. It was
abandoned due to faulting. There is a brick domed cap to a
shaft that is 8ft in diameter and 180ftdeep to a blockage. Pole Colliery, Knowbury
(SO5875) See Pool Colliery Pool Colliery, Knowbury
(SO5875) Coal (aka Pole) Rein Colliery, Cornbrook
(SO604761) See Rhin Colliery Rhin Colliery, Cornbrook
(SO604761) Coal (aka Rein) Sand Pit Colliery,
Whatsill (SO6076) Coal Shirley Colliery,
Titterstone (SO5977) Coal Tinkler’s Colliery,
Knowbury (SO5875) Coal Top Trout Colliery,
Whatsill (SO6076) Coal Top Whatsill Colliery,
Whatsill (SO6176) Coal Treen Colliery, Knowbury
(SO5775) See Green’s Trout Colliery, Cornbrook
(SO601764) Coal The Clee Hill Mining & Development Co Ltd
were operating Barn Pit (the re-named Cornbrook Colliery), using Trout Pit
for ventilation, until it closed in 1927.
Upper Gutter Colliery,
Knowbury (SO5875) Coal Water Colliery, Whatsill
(SO6076) Coal Watsall Colliery, Doddington
(SO61157689) See Whatsill Whatsill Colliery,
Doddington (SO61157689) Coal (aka Whatsall) Operated by
Cornbrook & Knowbury Coal & Stone Company. They had abandoned it by the end of the 19th
Century, however, as the coal began to run out. Then re-worked until about 1917. The shaft
collapsed in 1987 leaving a crater 20ft across. Whitton Level, Knowbury
(SO5875) Coal Windsor Colliery, Knowbury
(SO572751) see Knowbury Winthills Colliery,
Knowbury (SO5875) Coal Wooler’s Wood Colliery, Burwarton
(SO6086) Coal, Iron Further Information |
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