Bridgewater Collieries
Bridgewater Collieries originated from the coal mines on the Manchester Coalfield in Worsley in the historic county of Lancashire owned by Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater in the second half of the 18th century. After the Duke's death in 1803 his estate was managed by the Bridgewater Trustees until the 3rd Earl of Ellesmere inherited the estates in 1903. Bridgewater Collieries was formed in 1921 by the 4th Earl. The company merged with other prominent mining companies to form Manchester Collieries in 1929.[1]
History
Small scale
Bridgewater Trustees
In order to acquire the mineral rights, in 1810 Robert Haldane Bradshaw, Superintendent of the Bridgewater Trustees bought the Chaddock estate in Tyldesley and the Booths estate in Boothstown which extended to 50 Cheshire acres (43 ha).[5] He also bought the Garrett Hall estate in Tyldesley in 1829. The Duke had sunk the Queen Anne and Chaddock Pits in the 18th century and by about 1820 they were linked to the Bridgewater Canal at Boothstown Basin by an underground level. In 1838 Chaddock Pit was the biggest colliery in Tyldesley and was still working in 1848.[6]
By 1830 over 300 shallow pits had been sunk including some at Wardley near the
During the 1860s deep pits were sunk at Sandhole and Linnyshaw Collieries.
See also
- List of Collieries in Astley and Tyldesley
- Glossary of coal mining terminology
References
Citations
- ^ Bridgewater Collieries Ltd, Durham Mining Museum, retrieved 3 January 2011
- ^ Challinor 1972, p. 261
- ^ Townley 1995, p. 387
- ^ Townley 1995, p. 340
- ^ Lunn 1953, p. 105
- ^ Lunn 1953, p. 111
- ^ Hayes 2004, p. 28
- ^ Townley 1995, p. 339
- ^ Townley 1995, p. 341
- ^ Lunn 1953, p. 117
- ^ Hayes 2004, p. 29
Bibliography
- Challinor, Raymond (1972), The Lancashire and Cheshire Miners, Frank Graham, ISBN 0-902833-54-5
- Hayes, Geoffrey (2004), Collieries and their Railways in the Manchester Coalfields, Landmark, ISBN 1-84306-135-X
- Lunn, John (1953), A Short History of the Township of Tyldesley, Tyldesley Urban District Council
- Sweeney, D.J. (1996), A Lancashire Triangle Part One, Triangle Publishing, ISBN 0-9529333-0-6
- Townley, C.H.A. (1995), The Industrial railways of Bolton, Bury and the Manchester Coalfield, Part Two, The Manchester Coalfield, Runpast, ISBN 1-870754-32-8