History Extra Podcast: "Mining History: Everything You Wanted to Know"
Release Date: February 23, 2025
Host: Lauren Good
Guest: Professor Robert Coles, Research Professor of English History at De Montfort University, Leicester
Introduction
In the episode titled "Mining History: Everything You Wanted to Know," host Lauren Good engages in a comprehensive discussion with Professor Robert Coles about the intricate history of British mining. This episode delves into the evolution of mining practices, the socioeconomic dynamics of mining communities, safety advancements, and the profound impacts of labor movements and strikes.
The Genesis of Mining in the UK
Professor Coles begins by tracing the origins of mining in the United Kingdom. He highlights that while the Romans were the first recorded to dig for coal during Roman times, it wasn't until the 17th and 18th centuries that coal mining gained significant importance, supplanting wood as the primary fuel source.
Professor Robert Coles [03:12]: "There was a time when pieces of coal were everywhere. They got up your nose, they got in your fingernails, they were in every street, they were in every house... Now, my grandchildren don't know what coal is."
Beyond coal, the UK also mined other valuable resources such as gold in Wales, iron ore in the Pennines, and tin in Cornwall. The smelting of iron ore, crucial for industrial advancements, became feasible primarily due to the availability of coal, which provided the necessary heat.
Professor Robert Coles [04:22]: "The Welsh had a bit of a gold rush at one point... The other major mining activity was iron ore in the Pennines and tin down in Cornwall."
Key Mining Regions and Practices
The discussion moves to the significant coal fields across the UK, emphasizing the dominance of the northeast regions—Northumberland and Durham. By the mid-19th century, this area led the coal mining industry, setting the pace for other regions.
Professor Coles differentiates between various mining methods:
- Drift Mining: Excavating into the side of a hill or mountain.
- Bell Pits: Small, bell-shaped pits requiring minimal labor.
- Deep Mining: Involving extensive pit shafts and lifts, referred to as "cages" by miners.
Professor Robert Coles [06:31]: "Miners would love the idea of going down the mine in a lift. They called it a cage, I suppose. Lift makes it sound a bit fancier."
Deep mining represented a significant engineering milestone but also posed substantial risks and challenges, particularly regarding safety and labor conditions.
Wages and Working Conditions
A pivotal aspect of mining history is the remuneration and daily life of miners. Professor Coles explains that until the late 19th century, miners were primarily paid via piecework—earning based on the amount of coal they extracted rather than a fixed wage.
Professor Robert Coles [07:14]: "Nearly every kind of labor, you were paid for what you did. And if you didn't do anything, you weren't paid anything."
The earnings varied significantly, with miners in the mid-19th century earning approximately 15 shillings to a pound per week, contingent on the seam's difficulty and working conditions. Additionally, miners' livelihoods were heavily influenced by the management's whims, affecting their placement in different mine sections.
Despite the harsh environment, Professor Coles posits that miners were relatively better off compared to other laborers of the time, such as farm workers or factory operatives.
Professor Robert Coles [10:10]: "They were relatively disciplined, relatively well paid, relatively in control and relatively respected."
His personal reflections underscore the stark contrast between the miners' challenging lives and his contemporary comfortable existence.
Labor Unions and Strikes
The strength and influence of mining unions played a crucial role in shaping labor conditions. By 1914, mining unions had become formidable forces, capable of exerting substantial bargaining power to secure better wages and working hours.
Professor Coles delves into the history of miners' strikes, highlighting the 1984-85 strike as a significant turning point. Spearheaded by union leader Arthur Scargill, the strike aimed to prevent the closure of coal pits and preserve mining communities. However, internal divisions and the lack of a unified strike front led to considerable strife and long-term social ramifications.
Professor Robert Coles [27:53]: "Striking for a year must have had such an impact on people's livelihoods... the miners found themselves in a civil war village on village, family on family, man on man."
The aftermath of the strike left lasting scars within mining communities, fostering animosity and economic decline as the industry dwindled.
Safety Innovations and Challenges
Safety in mines was a perpetual concern, leading to several innovations over the centuries. Professor Coles discusses the introduction of pithead baths post-nationalization in 1947, which allowed miners to clean themselves before returning home, enhancing their dignity and reducing the burden on their families.
Professor Robert Coles [12:48]: "A miner could walk home looking like every other person on the street... It was also really important for their wives and families who life was really an endless round of washing and drying."
Another critical safety advancement was the invention of safety lamps by Sir Humphry Davy and George Stephenson. These lamps prevented gas explosions, although they inadvertently led to deeper and more hazardous mining operations.
Professor Robert Coles [18:44]: "Safety lamps did not make mining more safe because it allowed the owners to put miners into more dangerous areas of the pit."
The implementation of dual shafts in mines post-1863 significantly reduced accidents by ensuring proper ventilation and providing escape routes in emergencies.
The Role of Women and Children in Mining
Initially, women and children were integral to mining operations. However, the 1842 Mines Act prohibited women from working underground, reflecting societal shifts towards more regulated labor practices.
Professor Robert Coles [22:49]: "They were called putters or pushers of the tubs... until they were banned from going underground in 1842."
Children, often as young as seven or eight, worked alongside their families, pushing coal and assisting in sorting. Gradually, legal reforms increased the minimum working age, easing the exploitation of child labor but also impacting family incomes.
Socioeconomic Impact of Mining Communities
Mining fostered tight-knit communities characterized by strong social bonds and cultural richness. Professor Coles laments the loss of these communities, which were centers of sports, music, and collective identity.
Professor Robert Coles [32:13]: "We might have been a bit bleak in our discussion... I also regret the end of true community and communities that were bound together by hard work and togetherness."
Notably, mining communities produced notable figures such as novelist D.H. Lawrence and David Storey, illustrating the profound cultural contributions stemming from these challenging environments.
Lessons from Mining History
Professor Coles emphasizes the importance of contextualizing historical labor practices within their time, cautioning against judging past communities by modern standards. He highlights the resilience, solidarity, and cultural vibrancy of mining communities, advocating for a nuanced understanding of their legacy.
Professor Robert Coles [32:13]: "Don't judge the past in the way that you judge the present. It would be so easy to dismiss all that carboniferous capitalism as a mistake when in point of fact, for those who lived through it and achieved it, it wasn't."
He also reflects on the environmental and community losses resulting from the decline of mining, underscoring the need to preserve and learn from these histories as society navigates contemporary challenges.
Conclusion
The episode sheds light on the multifaceted history of British mining, exploring its economic significance, technological advancements, labor struggles, and enduring social impacts. Professor Robert Coles provides a balanced perspective, acknowledging the hardships faced by miners while recognizing their contributions to industrial progress and community building.
For more insights into the history of mining and other compelling historical narratives, visit HistoryExtra.com.
This episode was produced by Jack Bateman.