NATIONAL SOURCES
Making the most of local and regional sources makes a great deal of sense but many national collections contain information not available elsewhere. Much can be achieved online via their respective websites but there is no substitute for a personal visit. Providing you are well prepared (and websites and/or curators/librarians/archivists will advise you on what is required) much can be achieved in one or a few sessions. In most cases you will need to make an appointment and/or register but this process is very straightforward. You can also keep up to date through respective social media sites, blogs, flickr (images) and by obtaining email/newsletter updates and apps.
You will certainly gain both information and experience from a visit to one or more of our excellent national mining museums. Other national museums and art galleries, with their gallery displays, website images and audio collections, should not be overlooked.
As we have seen, personal records of miners are hard to come by, but the facility to obtain official state-owned information about our more recent mining ancestors is available by request from the Iron Mountain document storage (and retrieval) service – a facility that is well known by solicitors working on miners’ compensation scheme claims; and the Coal Authority’s Mining Heritage Centre in Mansfield is worth visiting in order to access old mine plans and many thousands of digitised photographs.
The separate selections of online sources listed here, by no means exhaustive, should help with both researching background information and specific items of interest.
Moving image collections provide us with some of the most compelling insights into the life and times of miners, families and communities. They really should be viewed. The footage is twentieth century, of course, but often the images hark back to earlier periods. Alongside oral history archives, film is the most underrated of sources on coalmining history.
SCOTLAND
National Mining Museum Scotland
Lady Victoria Colliery, Newtongrange, Midlothian, EH22 4QN
t. 0131 663 7519 e. enquiries@nationalminingmuseum.com
e. keeper@nationalminingmuseum.com (for collections/library)
The museum, created in 1984, is based at the former Lady Victoria Colliery, which functioned from 1895 until closure in 1981. Exceptionally, most of the old surface buildings remain. Guided pit-head tours by ex-miners and self-guided audio tours. ‘Big Stuff’ machinery tour (Wed/Sun). The Old Power House is now a function room but contains original features. The ‘processing area’ : Tippler Floor, Picking Tables, Elevator Shed and Undercroft can be seen; and also the magnificent former steam winding engine (now electrically powered) and towering headstocks. Miles Oglethorpe’s article (from his excellent Scottish Collieries [RCAHM Scotland] book) about the colliery can be downloaded as a pdf file via the About the Colliery menu. The major exhibition themes are The Story of Coal and A Race Apart. Cafe and shop (some products available to purchase online). For museum entry fees see ‘Visiting’ menu of website.
For research, the Archives and Reference Library holds mining books, journals, trade catalogues, HM Inspector of Mines’ reports (1855, 1873, 1881, 1883, 1884, 1888, 1891–94, 1896–1906 and all years from 1910–1938 (and the single wartime volume covering 1939–1946); also some Scottish regional and special disaster reports 1850s-1880s and 1907 (copy). Records of the Lothian Coal Company, former owners of Lady Victoria Colliery also available. A useful family history/’mining ancestors’ information/research guide. There is a large and extensive image/picture collection. The library is open to researchers by appointment on Thursdays (for enquiries see contact details above).
Access the museum collection online is via the Collection menu under broad themes such as ‘photo collection’ (via mining equipment, coal industry, collieries, communities, underground scenes, unions, workers), ‘object collection’ (mining equipment and social history)’; and you can also get information relating to oral histories, exhibitions, new acquisitions, online exhibitions, the library, research papers etc. As well as sample images and information you can also search using keywords. Under the Learning menu, downloads, see: 1984 Miners’ Strike; Qualifications; Women and Mining Communities; Women and Children pre-1842; Early Mining; Housing; Mines Rescue; and Ponies. Also useful is the download information pack about Bevin Boys.
National Records of Scotland (NRS)
The new official body following the merger of National Archives of Scotland (NAS) and General Register Office for Scotland (GROS). Also incorporates ScotlandsPeople Centre for family history research.*
HM General Register House, 2 Princess Street, Edinburgh, EH1 3YY
t. 0131 535 1314 e. enquiries@nas.gov.uk www.nas.gov.uk
Historic Search Room (HSR)
t. 0131535 1334 www.nrscotland.gov.uk
ScotlandsPeople Centre
Room 28, New Register House, 3 West Register Street, Edinburgh, EH1 3YT
t. 0131 314 4300 e. enquiries@scotlandspeoplehub.gov.uk (or online enquiry form)
NRS holds the main historical records relating to coalmining in Scotland. A very useful research guide is available online (http://www.nas.gov.uk/guides/coalmining.asp) and there is an online public catalogue.
A major resource is their holdings of the National Coal Board records (CB), mainly from mid-twentieth century, but some pre-nationalisation (pre-1946) records of earlier coal companies (a dated list is shown on the guide referred to above) are available. Documents such as wage, pay and output books may be worth consulting for named workers and some of these may also be found within private (GD) collections. The latter will also include rules and regulations governing a pit, bonds binding colliers and their families to the mines. A source list of mining material found in private papers is available in the search rooms.
For HM Mines Inspectorate reports search the catalogue by entering ‘Inspectorate’ in the Search for box and ‘CB’ in the Reference box, but the post-NCB era reports have limited family history value.
Eminent mining engineer Robert Bald’s reports on various collieries (CB27) may be useful if your ancestor was a miner c.1800–25.
Other ‘family history’ mining sources include those relating to Court of Session (CS) cases where coal companies appeared before the court, therefore some will relate to names in wage books and daybooks (and certainly concern colliery owners). Sheriff court records may also have personnel information relating to miners. The names of more than 200 mineworkers from Stirlingshire, for example, were recorded by the coal owners in Stirling sheriff court (SC67/63/6).
Friendly Society records (FS), especially the mineworker operated examples such as Kilmarnock Coal Cutters Society (FS1/2/41) and Carfin Colliery Friendly Society (FS1/16/29), are also held.
Coalmining plans (RHP) may also be useful for a particular colliery where your ancestor worked (see online guide to this source: topographical, architectural and engineering plans). Plans are mainly accessed (digitally) in the Historical Search Room (HRR), though some may be seen remotely on the ScotlandsPeople website. Certain plans may only be available by appointment with the HRR at Thompson House, for example those that are fragile or technically difficult to reproduce electronically.
Another useful online research guide concerns Fatal Accident Inquiries (FAI). Between 1861–1895 persons involved in mine accidents should be recorded in the Procedure Books in the Lord Advocate’s records (AD12/19–21) and also be included in the sheriff court (SC) accident inquiries and/or workmen’s compensation series; but there will be gaps.
Post-1855 death records can be viewed from the ScotlandsPeople website at a reasonable cost (full certificates only for deaths more than fifty years ago) and you can order an official extract (i.e. statutory register entry).
A large illustrated booklet, The Coalminers (1983), published by the former Scottish Record Office, is still valid for background information on Scottish mining and miners. It can be obtained from the ScotlandsPeople Centre shop (in person, email or post). Tristram Clarke’s Tracing Your Scottish Ancestors is the NCM’s official guide and is also available as an e-book. For coalminers see part 28, pp. 194–5. Try to obtain at least the latest, currently 6th revised, edition.
[*ScotlandsPeople allows you to view digital images of many NRS/Office of the Lord Lyon records either via pay-to-view (online) or by visiting the centre. Personal visits will be possible regionally when the SP resources become available in local family history centres around Scotland.]
The National Library of Scotland (NLS)
George IV Bridge, Edinburgh, EH1 1EW
t. 0131 623 3700 e. enquiries@nls.uk; or use Ask a Librarian online service.
Department email addresses include ils@nls.uk (document supply); manuscripts@nls.uk; maps@nls.uk; modernscottish@nls.uk (post-1900 publications); newsplanscotland@nls.uk (newspapers).
www.nls.uk
Online catalogue: very many results for keywords such as ‘colliery’, ‘mine disaster’, mine explosions etc or use a colliery name, colliery owner/company; event, person, coal-related subject etc. Helpfully, a selection of related names e.g. ‘collier’, ‘strike’, ‘lockout’ etc will also appear in the Discover menu.
The NLS manuscript collections include the Scottish Area National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) records (NRAS 4081); also items relating to several mineworkers’ associations e.g. Ayrshire, Fife & Kinross: see Trade Unions and cooperative societies (Scottish labour history collections: mineworkers’ listings) via http://www.nls.Uk/catalogues/labour-history/1. Papers of individuals connected to the mining industry include William Small, the Lanarkshire miners’ leader; and the miscellaneous papers of the Scottish labour history collections include ‘mining life’, transcripts from tapes of interviews with miners working in Lady Victoria Colliery (now National Mining Museum Scotland) and other Scottish pits (10801/37), though some are classified as restricted.
Online family history help includes ‘frequently asked questions’ (http://www.nls.uk/family-history/questions) and a menu of genealogical guides. Maps of Scotland images are via http://maps.nls.uk. The Licensed Digital Collections (LDCs) can be browsed by subject e.g. History, Biography and Genealogy; Newspapers; Pictures and Images (for Scottish Screen Archive, see below). LDCs can be freely consulted in the NLS library (register online) and many remotely if you live in Scotland. View examples of digitised material via the Digital Gallery. Very usefully, the NLS holds a complete run of the HM Mines Inspectorate reports from c.1854 onwards: try searching the catalogue under ‘mines inspection’ and/or consult a librarian for availability of particular reports.
Also very useful is the NLS’s Scottish Bibliographies Online, a huge database which allows you to search via a subject (e.g. coal miner), author, journal, keyword, and so on. Another outstanding source is the library’s searchable Scottish Post Office Directories – over 700 digitised examples (1773–1911). Search for coal companies/collieries, pit managers, agents, mining engineers etc by name and you can view pages and download; and see histories of places, lists of trades, businesses, shops and services in mining communities over time.
Scottish Screen Archive (SSA)
National Library of Scotland, 39–41 Montrose Avenue, Hillington Park, Glasgow, G52 4LA
t. 0845 366 4600 e. ssaenquiries@nls.uk www.ssa.nls.uk
The national moving image collection, part of the National Library of Scotland. A general search via the online catalogue using ‘coal’, ‘coal mining’, ‘colliery’ will find results, some will have viewable film clips and full videos, alongside a detailed description; others description only. Examples include: Coalmining in Central Scotland (ref. 3942 [1930s]); Industrial Stirlingshire (1956 [1950]; Scottish Coalmining (0496 [1953]); Hewers of Coal (2381 [1939]); New Day (Glenrothes New Town) (0307 [1959]); The New Mine (Comrie Colliery, Fife) (0297 [1945]); and Scottish Miners’ Gala Day (Edinburgh) (2022 [1953]). Wonderful footage here, well worth viewing. Subject to the usual copyright conditions you can buy or hire many of the films in a variety of formats, and view requested copies through the NLS’s General Reading Room at St George’s Bridge, Edinburgh (or by appointment on site at the SSA).
National Museums Scotland
National Museum of Scotland (NSM), Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1JF t. 0300 123 6789 e. info@nms.ac.uk www.nms.ac.uk
Museum collections can be searched online. Image library: see http://www.nms.ac.uk/about_us/about_us/collections_reearch/picture_library.aspx, or enquire via 0131 247 4236/4026. The Scottish Life Archive is accessible via scran (see below). Coalmining forms a part of Trade and Industry gallery in the museum. There is also a waterwheel-driven pump and working Newcomen pumping engine, formerly used at Caprington Colliery, Ayrshire.
The Research Library (RL) at the NMS (Level 3) has many printed items and archives, searchable via the online catalogue. Use of generic keywords such as ‘coal’, ‘coal mining’, ‘colliery’ will generate many results; or try a more specific name search. Contact the RL on 0131 247 4137 or library@nms.ac.uk to enquire/arrange a visit.
Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS)
John Sinclair House, 16 Bernard Terrace, Edinburgh EH8 9NX
t. 0131 662 1456 e. enquiry form
Massive archive of photographs, maps, drawings about Scottish buildings and landscapes, browsable, copied or purchased online or in person. Search for digital images via Canmore or use the National Collection of Aerial Photography facility: http://aerial.rcahms.gov.uk/ for colliery sites. Related publication: Scottish Collieries, Miles Oglethorpe (RCAHMS, 2006).
Scottish Genealogy Society
15 Victoria Terrace, Edinburgh, EH1 2JL
t. 0131 220 3677 e. enquiries@scotsgenealogy.com
Provides volunteer-led help on Scottish family and local history, plus events/courses/talks. Library and Family History Centre with many useful resources and internet access.
ASGRA (The Association of Scottish Genealogists and Researchers in Archives)
Includes a list of professional researchers.
Ask Scotland www.askscotland.org.uk
Online information service provided by Scotland’s libraries. Customized response to any email request.
Gateway to Scotland www.geo.ed.ac.uk
Very useful introduction/starting point of internet information on Scotland.
Gazetteer for Scotland www.scottish-places.info
Online encyclopaedia featuring towns and villages. Search via maps and places or history timeline or pages. Check featured events, e.g. Udston pit disaster.
Genuki www.genuki.org.uk/big/sct/
Genealogical information relating to Scotland via county and subject and sources. Many useful links.
Scottish Archive Network (SCAN) www.scan.org
Online catalogue enables you to obtain contact details for Scottish archives and related organisations (and take a virtual tour of some); and search holdings of more than fifty Scottish archives. Digitisation programme of historic records ongoing: check website for latest information.
(BBC) Scotland on Film http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/history/scotlandonfilm/
Sound and vision archive with clips from historic film, television and radio programmes. Forum. Use ‘work’ theme and then ‘The Mines’ to access video and radio clips. Check the Forum for related posted comments.
Scottish Coal Collections www.coalcollections.org
This useful website provides an overview of Scotland’s coalmining collections held in museums, libraries and archives: names the collection, institution where held and provides a brief description of the records. Search the entire collection or via a subject menu or by location.
Scottish Mining Website www.scottishmining.co.uk
Excellent website containing a great deal of information on collieries, accidents and disasters, housing, strikes, official reports, unions, with useful FAQs and links. Indexes to fatal and non-fatal accidents. Barrowman’s glossary of Scottish mining terms. Site search facility. Also see Chapter 2.
Scran www.scran.ac.uk
Online learning resource base containing over 360,000 images and media items from museums, galleries and archives. Buy images or subscribe. There may be free access via a public library.
ENGLAND (& UK-WIDE)
National Mining Museum for England (NCM)
Caphouse Colliery, New Road, Overton, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, WF4 4RH
t. 01924 848 806 e. use online contact form for general enquiries
www.ncm.org.uk
Based on the former Caphouse Colliery site, the museum opened in 1988 as the Yorkshire Mining Museum, at a time when many local pits had recently closed, Caphouse itself having closed three years earlier. The British Coal Collection was absorbed into its collections in 1995 and the museum’s status and function became national. Surface buildings to see include the steam winding engine house, headgear, pithead baths, medical centre and administration block, lamp room, stables; and also the buildings associated with the adjacent Hope Pit complex. Underground tour (book on arrival) led by ex-miners includes 140m descent/ascent in the cage, after being kitted out with hard hat and battery lamp, to discover aspects of mining through the ages. The museum galleries contain wide-ranging exhibits, audio and visual displays and there are regular special exhibitions (see What’s On web menu). Shop and cafe. Online collection summaries include Paintings and Pictures, Lives and Voices and Tools of the Trade. Digitisation of the collection is ongoing: search via keywords or via menu e.g. ‘Accident & Recovery’, ‘Unions and Societies’, ‘Social History’, ‘Colliery Professions’ (http://ww.ncm-collection.org.uk). Useful ‘Starting Point’ printable guides: Statistics (1), Mining Words (2), Tracing Your Mining family History (3) and Bevin Boys. Entry is free to the NCM.
The library contains many printed items including rare books and journals. There is a full run of HM Mines Inspectors’ Reports for 1878–1987 and 1992–1993; and whole/part reports for 1855 and 1871–1877. Coal News (from 1961), Mining Journal (from 1835), Colliery Guardian (c.1878s onwards), Guide to the Coalfields (Colliery Guardian, 1948 onwards [not 1950]), Mining Year Books (annual), Transactions of the Institute of Mining Engineers; and the now digitised NCB magazine Coal (later published as Coal News [see above]) can be searched online (1947–1956) via www.ncmonline.org.uk. This is very useful for family historians as keywords such as a colliery name or event or personal name will obtain results. You can print and save or download extracts. Also available is Ian Winstanley’s 7-volume Mining Deaths in Great Britain (1850–1914) and parliamentary select committees’ reports, most notably the 1842 ‘women and children in mines’ (Employment Commission) report. Information lists include recipients of colliery manager qualifications; Albert, Edward and Empire medal recipients and Order of Industrial Heroism awardees; and students at Royal School of Mines, 1851–1920, 1947, 1958, 1960. Online library catalogue: http://lib.ncm.org.uk/liberty/libraryHome.do. The museum’s excellent oral history collection can also be accessed via the library. Extensive photographic and picture collection. The library is open Wednesdays (1–4pm), Thurs/Fri (10am–12.30pm & 1–4pm (and first full weekend in every month: times as per Thurs/Fri). Book beforehand or enquire via 01924 848806 or curatorial.librarian@ncm.org.uk.
The British Library (BL)
St Pancras, 96 Euston Road, London, NW1 2DB
t. 0843 2081144 (switchboard) e. Customer-Services@bl.uk www.bl.uk
A vast amount of mainly background information relating to coalmining is available. You will need to register and obtain a reader pass, then references, information and many images can be viewed online.
The long-established and world famous newspaper library based at Colindale is likely to be closed by 2014, most of the collection accessed via microfilm and digitally in a new News Reading Room at St Pancras (and increasingly digitally online). Hard copies of newspapers will be stored in the new Newspaper Storage Building (NSB) at the BL’s Boston Spa site. For the latest information contact newspapers@bl.uk or see the BL’s Collection Moves News Bulletin.
It is best to familiarise yourself with the main website via the Quick Links menu in order to search for information. The Contact Us link provides a detailed list of telephone/email contacts. The most useful research areas are British Printed Collections; Moving Image; Picture Library and Images Online; Prints, Drawings and Photographs; Social Science, Law and Official Publications; Newspapers: and Sound Archive.
Online catalogues include main catalogues (search the British Library, but excludes archives/manuscripts); manuscript catalogues; other catalogues of printed materials; photographic catalogues and union catalogues. Using general keywords such as ‘colliery’, ‘coal mine’ etc will obtain many thousands of results via the main catalogue. Using more specific words and places will narrow your search, e.g. ‘Oaks Colliery, Barnsley’ will obtain just three hits. The searchable Sound and Moving Image catalogue includes recordings of coalminers and interviewees whose fathers or grandfathers were miners. There are content summaries, e.g. for Joe Wills (1938-), last member of the National Miners’ Union, who recalls his work in North Staffordshire mines. The online image Learning facility is very good, for example ‘Drawing of a child miner, 1842’ under ‘Dickens in Context’.
Help for researchers includes a useful ‘coal mining bibliography’ that you can download as a PDF file, a Social Science Collection Guide (http://www.bl.uk/reshelpsubject/socsci/topbib/coal/coal.html); and you can email ‘ask the reference team’ online. Genealogical reference sources are in the Humanities reading room and a select list plus guide can be seen online under Help for Researchers (Genealogy: reference sources).
Use the Online Gallery to search and print many thousands of items such as colliery ephemera, adverts, views etc.
The Coal Authority (Mining Heritage Centre [MHC])
200 Lichfield Lane, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, NG18 4RG
t. 0845 762 6848 e. online form
http://coal.decc.gov.uk/en/coal/cms/services/records/records/records.aspx
Government organisation now part of the Department of Energy & Climate Change. No personnel records are held but the MHC holds two very useful major types of historical coalmining records. There are over 100,000 Coal Abandonment Plans and they can be digitally viewed on site; and prints or digital copies can be purchased. Viewing is free (for half a day a week), by appointment: 01623 637 255; or you can pay for a search. Plans were required to be deposited from 1872. This, therefore, may be a very relevant family history resource if you wish to see a plan of a particular colliery where your ancestor worked. But bear in mind that many earlier plans are lost or deposited in other archives.
The other important source is the MHC’s huge Photographic Collection, c.120,000 images from the former NCB/British Coal Corporation, which are now fully digitised and available for purchase. Again, these can be viewed free of charge on site by appointment (t. 01623 637 235). You can search via a colliery name or activity e.g. ‘working on the coal face’ or ‘pit top’ or by machine name, etc; staff will advise.
The Coal Authority produces a useful downloadable ‘mining records brochure’ in a pdf format and there is a small onsite library.
Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE)
1 Birdcage Walk, Westminster, London, SW1H 9JJ
t. 020 7973 1274 (library) e. library@imech.org or archive@imech.org
If your ancestor was a mining engineer the library at ImechE may well be a useful source for general background, and possibly specific information, as it is one of the most extensive of its kind in the UK. Open to the public, it houses the papers of many engineers. Online library catalogue and archive ‘historical records’ catalogue (http://www.imeche.org.uk/ils/catalogues.asp). Virtual library for members. Search the archive for specific events e.g. Hartley Colliery disaster will obtain results, or try a place-name or personal name.
Iron Mountain (UK) Limited
Central Enquiry Service, PO Box 3238, Stafford, ST16 9LS
t. 0844 2641 486 e. onlineform or britishcoalrecords@ironmountain.co.uk
Staffordshire-based Iron Mountain manages personnel records of former National Coal Board (NCB) and British Coal (BC) employees, on behalf of the Government (for the Department of Energy & Climate Change). If your relative worked for one or both of the nationalised mining industries (post-1946) you can request a form in order to access their employment records. For a deceased person you will need to include full name, date of birth and ideally the National Insurance Number and name of last colliery. There is scope to provide additional information, which will always assist document retrieval. You can also access an accident report if relevant (so include the month/year if possible). For a living person two pieces of evidence of your identity are required and you need to obtain a covering letter from the individual concerned giving permission for you to access his/her records. The form and procedure is not complicated and is a free service. You can request either a printed or electronic ‘record pack’. The access to miners’ employment records facility originated following the process of the miners’ compensation scheme and associated claims by individuals and solictors after 2003, but of course will continue to be valuable for family history research. For background information see http://www.ironmountain.co.uk/resource/casestudies/berr-case-study.pdf and/or http://www.ironmountain.co.uk/resource/casestudies/DepartmentofTradeandIndustry.pdf.
Kew, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 4DU
t. 020 8876 3444 e. online contact form and Live Chat www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
Using generic keywords such as ‘coal mine’ in the ‘all collections’ in the ‘discover our collections’ catalogue will result in many thousands of hits; but a much more manageable number will appear in the growing ‘online collections’ option. Use more specific keywords to narrow your search and take note of the comments set out below.
Don’t be daunted. The best starting point is TNA’s guide Mines and mining (http:www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/research-guides/mines-and-mining.htm). This will take you through the main sources and their references from medieval to modern times. This includes industrial diseases and accidents, colliery records and NCB/British Coal records. Do bear in mind that there are no personnel records (see Iron Mountain, above and/or regional former coalfield record offices and libraries, referred to in Part I). The guide is not exhaustive – you will still be able find other mine-related items via the collections as well.
Another tip is to make use of one or more of the Information Sheets that you can pick up on site or by request. The most useful examples under ‘Domestic Records Information’ are No11 (Family History in England & Wales); No. 30 (Coroners’ Inquests); No. 35 (Coal Mining Records in The National Archives); and No. 131 (An Inventory of Photographic Series). Although somewhat out of date, but still quite relevant for its overview of coalmining records and appendix of POWE class records (Ministry of Fuel & Power, formerly Home Office and Board of Trade records), try ‘Your Archives’ at http:yourarchives.gov.uk/index.php?title=Coal_and_Coal_Mining.
For images, TNA’s photographic collections include Rev. F.W. Cobb’s photographs (mainly Nottinghamshire): COAL 13 and a very useful collection of NCB/British Coal photographs, c.1890–1990. The latter – arranged in albums – include buildings and people (but also see the Coal Authority’s own and far greater photographic collection, above).
You can now use TNA’s ‘looking for a person’ online guide, though unfortunately the ‘workers and employees’ menu does not yet include mineworkers.
When using the TNA’s website it is easy to set up a ‘MyPage’ facility so that you can park document references etc for future use.
You will need a reader’s ticket before consulting original documents; otherwise access to the reading rooms is free and there is no need to book. Full details are shown via the Before you visit menu.
National Register of Archives – see Archon in online section, below
National Union of Mineworkers
2 Huddersfield Road, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, S70 2LS
t. 01226 284006 www.num.org.uk
Official headquarters and website of the Britain’s main mining union. Regional NUM officials and contact details are also posted on the site under Contacts. The union records, mainly post-1947 printed material, books, photographs and ephemera, are not yet catalogued. The most useful family history source is the NUM’s collections of annual HM Mines Inspectors’ reports and special disaster reports. Earlier miners’ association (union) records are held at the national and regional archives identified in this research section. For research enquiries contact the head office in Barnsley in the first instance.
Working Class Movement Library (WCML)
Jubilee House, 51 The Crescent, Salford, Lancashire, M5 4WX
t.0161 736 3601 e. enquiries@wcml.org.uk www.wcml.org.uk
Based on the collection of Ruth and Edmund Frow, the WCML holds a huge collection of material (from 1760s) relating to the lives of ordinary men and women, particularly their trades, trade unions, politics (Labour & Communist parties), working-class leaders, co-operative movement, art and culture, some of which will include items of coalmining interest.
The WCML online collections catalogue: search via keywords such as ‘colliery’, ‘pit disaster’ etc for results. There is also a separate online library catalogue. Click on ‘family history’ menu via the main Our collection heading for very useful background information and many links. The ‘protest’ menu includes items on Chartism, Communism, Lancashire Women Against Pit Closures and the Pit and Factory papers.
Of particular family history interest are the WCML’s holdings of the Lancashire and Cheshire Miners’ Federation annual reports c.1896 onwards; South Wales miners’ minutes, Yorkshire Miners’ Association (1916, 1917, 1935–40; Northumberland Mineworkers’ Federation reports 1935; Miners’ Federation of GB annual reports 1893, 1895, 1898, 1900–17, 1920 onwards. Lodge books include William Pit Lodge Rooms minute book 1890–96; Maestreg (S. Wales Miners’ Fed) minute book 1944–51; Llynfr Valley Free Church Federation Council minute book 1944–51. Individuals will be mentioned in specific circumstances, e.g. accident facilities, compensation claims.
The display galleries are located on the ground floor and there are online samples of banners, trade union emblems, posters.
Admission to the WCML is free but book an appointment beforehand in order to access research material; opening hours and visitor facilities are posted online.
Online
Adit Now www.aditnow.co.uk
Very user-friendly and useful site relating to mine exploration, also containing a huge photographic (searchable) database, reference articles and historical document resource. Free registration. Forum. Lists of collieries and OS map locations. Events and meets.
ARCHON http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/archon/
Contact details for record repositories in the UK (and overseas) which have substantial manuscript collections under the National Register of Archives indexes. Browse A-Z by region/country.
Archive Images www.archive-images.co.uk
High quality scans to purchase or download. Under industrial search for collieries e.g. Kent Coalfield section will show images of surface workings, buildings, screens, underground scenes, groups of miners etc.
BBC Nation on Film http://www.bbc.co.uk/nationonfilm/topics/coal-mining/
‘King Coal’, film clips of mining and mining life, especially in North East England.
BBC Film Archive: Coal Mining in Britain www.bbc.co.uk/archive/mining/
Includes interesting viewable film clips relating to coalmining.
Britain From Above www.britainfromabove.org.uk
Growing (over 20,000) digital (and zoomable) archive of historic aerial images from 1919 to 1950s, taken mainly from the Aerofilms Ltd collection. A search by place-name, map or year will reveal some very useful pit village/town and colliery site images. Online guide. Memory sharing. Best to keep checking site for new images.
British Film Institute www.bfi.org.uk
Includes the National Archive of film and television collections. Also useful is the BFI screenonline (www.screenonline.org.uk) online encyclopaedia. Many mining clips and films. Also see Search Your Film Archives, below.
British Pathé www.britishpathe.com
Film clips of mining can be accessed and purchased via the search facility. View clips and stills on line. Footage includes several disasters, e.g. Bickershaw (1932), Cresswell (1950), Knockshinnock (1950). This is an excellent site that enables you to view rare coalmining films.
Coal Mining History Resource Centre www.cmhrc.uk
Excellent extensive and detailed site originated and developed by the former Lancashire miner and teacher Ian Winstanley over many years. The site is now owned by Raleys, the Barnsley-based solicitors, long associated with miners’ compensation and the NUM.
Main menu includes history of mining disasters in the UK, national database of mining deaths in Great Britain (compiled by Ian Winstanley), mines location maps, mining poems, 1842 Royal Commission reports, colliery scrapbook; and day in the life of Tommy Shotton, a Greenside, near Newcastle, miner in 1939. Literary features also include books on mining history, glossary of mining terms and women and coal mining. The photo gallery is also well worth visiting. The accidents and deaths database is searchable (by surname/colliery) and disaster reports can be downloaded: also see Chapter 2.
Durham Mining Museum www.dmm.org.uk
Although the site is based on northern England, there is some information on other mining regions and a very handy links section. Also see Part I of this guide.
English Heritage Archive www.english-heritage.org.uk
Search the archive collection, Britain from Above (see separate entry, above) and Library for coal-related images and information. Formerly part of the National Monuments Record. Searching regionally, via a relevant county, should obtain many results: colliery sites and monuments especially; or try using a keyword such as a colliery name. Obtain reference number, see or print the reference image and order online or by phone: 0870 333 1181. Viewfinder will also let you search through historic photographs of England dating from the 1850s; and also useful is Images of England for listed colliery buildings and/or The National Heritage List for England database. For queries use the online form via the About Us/Contact Us facility or try customers@english-heritage.org.uk.
Gettyimages www.gettyimages.co.uk
Searching the archive by mining area place-name or coal-related theme (or via their keyword guide) will obtain some results from this world-famous commercial picture archive. Costly but some superb images.
Mine Explorer www.mine-explorer.co.uk
This site is excellent for anyone interesting in visiting and exploring old mine sites throughout Great Britain. Discussion forum. Free registration provides access to photographs/documents.
Heroes of Mine www.heroes-of-mine.co.uk
Philip Clifford’s informative site relating to mines rescue, accidents and disasters, awards and medals,
Miners’ Advice www.minersadvice.co.uk
Ex-Durham and Yorkshire (Hatfield) miner, NUM branch representative and author Dave Douglass’s (‘Danny the Red’) excellent site to help miners/former miners regarding their compensation claims and rights also includes a great deal of useful historical information. Book reviews and further reading list. News. Photographs. 1984/85 miners’ strike. Colliers of Wales. Guestbook may be useful for family history requests.
Mining History Network http://projects.exeter.ac.uk/mhn/
An information resource for mining historians by Professor Roger Burt (of Exeter University), the site contains much useful bibliographical as well as background/contextual information; and there’s a discussion forum.
My Learning www.mylearning.org
Website created to allow access to free leaning resources from museums, libraries and archives. Although targeted at schools, the subject menu includes family history, local studies and oral history. Search the site using ‘coal mining’ for many interesting and useful items, e.g. glossary of mining words, Victorian mining, women in mining (mainly from resources of National Coal Mining Museum for England (see above).
National Association of Mining History Organisations (NAMHO)
The national body for mining associations in the UK and Ireland. Online newsletter and useful links. Forum.
National Mining Memorabilia Association www.mining-memorabilia.co.uk
UK-wide site for collectors of mining memorabilia contains information on items such as pit checks, tokens, medals and awards, badges and mine lamps; and commemorative items; useful mining articles arranged by region.
Northern Mine Research Society (NMRS) www.nmrs.org
Its records relate to most coalfield regions. Publishes Memoirs and Monographs under its ‘British Mining’ imprint that can be ordered or accessed via membership subscription (online form). Run by enthusiasts. Field meetings. Newsletter (quarterly) and library. Online site search facility.
Old UK Photos www.oldukphotos.com
Free-to-view site, which displays old photographs of places and people throughout the UK. Contains many family history and coalmining images, e.g. Senghenydd disaster images.
Oral History Society www.oralhistory.org
The national organisation for oral history research, guidance and projects. Regional network contacts. Handbook and bibliography listings. Regular training courses. Online membership subscription facility. Journal.
Pitwork www.dmm-pitwork.org.uk
Ex-miner Bill Riley’s very useful and informative site, hosted by the Durham Mining Museum (see above). Browse Bill’s menu for disasters, heroes, history, stories, pictures, memories, songs/poems, jokes etc. Contains a great deal of mining information and links. Well worth visiting.
Search Your Film Archives http://unionsearch.bfi.org.uk
This very useful site enables you to do a UK-wide search for coalmining films via the British Film Institute (BFI) and regional film archives.
Subterranea Britannica www.subbrit.org.uk
‘Sub Brit’ is a specialist and enthusiasts’ site which includes a UK directory of 250 UK mine sites open to the public, along with background information.
Trade Union (TUC) Library Collections
http://www.londonmet.ac.uk/sas/library-services/tuc/
London Metropolitan University/TUC site on working lives. Also see The Union Makes Us Strong (http://www.unionhistory.info/index.php) and Chapter 2.
Comprises several museum sites, some of which are of interest for mining family history research (see below). The main website (www.museumwales.ac.uk) also contains useful background information and the collections can be browsed and searched via Rhagor (Welsh for ‘more’ (also see below)).
(1) Big Pit : National Coal Museum
Big Pit, Blaenafon, Torfaen, South Wales, NP4 9XP
t. 029 2057 3650 e. use online form www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/bigpit
Opened in 1983 as Big Pit Mining Museum (after NCB closed Big Pit), but was taken over by the National Museum of Wales in 2001 and re-named Big Pit: National Coal Museum. Since then has undergone much redevelopment, winning the prestigious Gulbenkian Prize for Museum of the Year in 2005. Entry is free.
The old mine has a complex history but the former Kearsley Pit was renamed Big Pit following shaft widening and deepening in 1880. Surface buildings include headstocks, winding house, fan house, tram circuit, lamp room, medical centre, pithead baths, blacksmiths’ shop, explosives magazine, canteen etc, but the highlight for most visitors is the realistic underground tour in the care of a former miner-guide. The mining galleries include simulated underground workings and a multimedia presentation not to be missed. Exhibition spaces in the pithead baths include children in mines, health and welfare and life and work of the miner; also information and exhibits relating to trade unions and nationalisation, along with mining memorabilia. Cafe and shop. For events check the What’s On menu on the National Museum Wales website.
Excellent published visitors’ guide to Big Pit includes much background information on Welsh mining. Also very useful is the ‘people’s history’ magazine GLO, containing information on Welsh miners and mining life.
Big Pit provides a wonderful experience for anyone with mining ancestry, mining and social history interests and is a superb educational resource; but family history researchers should (apart from the local and regional archives and libraries described in Part I of this research guide) use the National Waterfront Museum and other national sources referred to below.
(2) National Waterfront Museum (NWM)
Oystermouth Road, Maritime Quarter, Swansea, SA1 3RD
t. 029 2057 3602 e. via website www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/swansea
This modern museum, located in the historic maritime quarter of Swansea, close to Swansea city centre, opened in 2005 and is devoted to the story of industry and innovation in Wales. There are limited coalmining exhibits and information on display; and related items, for example Truck shops, though the main in situ interpretation by the National Museum of Wales is at Big Pit (see above).
The Industry Reference Library (http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/205) at the NWM contains a very large and extensive range of books and periodicals relating to the Welsh industry and transport, including c.3,000 relating to coalmining. Amongst the most important for family history research are their complete holdings of Welsh (and many English and Scottish) HM Inspectorate of Mines annual reports from 1856–1914, as well as the earlier reports (1851–1855). (For background and more detailed information see Chapter 2.) The later, less useful (post-1914) statistical reports are also available. Almost all Welsh (and many English and Scottish) special reports relating to specific colliery disasters are also held.
Lists of working coal mines in Wales can be accessed via the library’s incomplete run of Hunt’s Mineral Statistics (1854, 1856, 1858–60 1860, 1861, 1863–65, 1869–81) and in HM Inspector of Mines annual reports 1872–82 (referred to above), continued in the complete run of of Mining and Mineral Statistics 1883–87, incomplete run of List of Mines and partial run of Colliery Yearbook & Coal Directory, near complete run of Guide to the Coalfields (Colliery Guardian publications); and complete for the recent era (post-1997) International Guide to the Coalfields and British Geological Survey Directory of Mines and Quarries (1984 onwards).
There is also a very large picture collection which includes c.10,000 coal-related images, searchable via a geographical card index.
The Reference Library and photographic collection are open to the public by appointment weekdays only. Contact information: 029 2057 3602 or email by website.
(3) National Museum Cardiff
Cathays Park, Cardiff, CF10 3NP
t. 029 2057 3500 e. use online form www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/cardiff
An outstanding part of Cardiff’s civic complex, Wales’s national museum is open Tuesdays–Sundays. It is well worth visiting, to see at first hand coalmining-related paintings in the art collection.
The collections of National Museum Wales can be searched online through Rhagor (htttp://www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/rhagor) and particularly useful is the Images of Industry theme, where you can browse the ‘Coal Industry’ category. Information is also provided on ‘coal miners’ badges’ and there is a related article about the 1984 miners’ strike; and features on the Senghenydd and Tynewydd disasters.
For St Fagans National History Museum see the Coalfield Regions (South Wales) reference section above.
National Library of Wales (NLW)
Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, SY23 3BU
t. 01970 632 800 e. enquiry@llgc.org.uk w. www.llgc.org.uk
Family history research facilities in the South Reading Room. Online guide. Searchable online databases via the main website include ‘genealogical source’ headings for maps; pictures, photographs, sound and moving image; estate and personal. The library’s excellent Digital Mirror contains e-copies of books, manuscripts, pictures, photographs etc and this resource can be used remotely if you register as a reader. It includes Welsh Biography (searchable). Ongoing digitisation projects e.g. journals, historic newspapers.
Searching online using general terms such as ‘coal mining’ will result in very many results and a window will also open with suggested related keywords such as disaster, accident, strike, miner, colliery and lockout. Try searching using a more specific word such as a colliery name, event or personal name. Archives collections mainly available through their ISYS:web (http://isys.llgc.org.uk/)
The NLW houses the national collection (over 800,000) of mainly Welsh photographs.
Enquire via online form, email or instant chat service. Also see the National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales (below). Remote access to some e-resources may have rersidential (Wales) restrictions.
National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales (NSSAW)
t. 01970 632 828 e. online enquiry form www.archif.com
Part of the NLW (address as above). The national collection of film, television programmes, videos, sound recordings and music. Search the entire database using general or specific mine-related terms. A search using ‘coal miner’ under ‘film’ included twenty-seven items with detailed content summaries. You can save your search and request the item (using your reader number/password), allowing 24 hours notice. Remote access to e-resources may have residential (Wales) restrictions.
Online sources
Archives Wales www.archivesnetworkwales.info
Online catalogue/database enables you to search through historical records in the holdings of twenty-one archives in Wales. Part of the National Archives Network.
BBC Wales History Archive http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/history
Contains many interesting coalmining features. Use online index for specific coalmine related items; or themes (e.g. nineteenth and twentieth century mining, dangers of coalmining, miners’ strike); or conduct a keyword search. History blog. Family history advice.
Welsh government’s historic environment service. Includes conservation areas, monuments and listed buildings. Photographic library: Blaenavon Industrial Landscape. Also see RCHM below.
Gathering the Jewels http://www.gtj.org.uk
Features of over 30,000 images of objects, books, letters, aerial photographs and other items from museums, archives and libraries throughout Wales.
Library Wales www.librarywales.org
Useful online resources for Welsh libraries. Many features including Newsbank which allows you to search popular local and national newspapers for past/present articles; Ask a librarian service. Free online resources if registered with a Welsh public library.
Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales (RCHMW)
Investigation body and national archive for the historic environment of Wales. The National Monuments Record of Wales (NMRW), which includes many images (drawings, photographs, aerial views, maps) can be searched online via their Coflein database: either by the mapping facility or a text search. Search using text, for example ‘colliery’ for many results or define by a colliery name, e.g. Abernant Colliery. There is a growing digital archive. Also see Cadw, monument and listed building database, above.
Welsh Coal Mines www.welshcoalmines.co.uk
Excellent site run by a former miner and covers the whole of Wales. Browse menu for Introduction, Collieries, Poems and Stories, Glossary, Web Links and use the Forum.
Welsh Mines Society www.welshmines.org
Mining enthusiasts’ site containing many interesting features.
Welsh People’s History Society (Llafur) www.llafur.org
Llafur (journal), 1972 onwards, includes many excellent mine-related items, contents viewable online and some back copies purchasable. Online newsletter. Events. Downloadable membership form.