LANCASHIRE 1740-1850
The Orrell Coalfield, near Wigan in Lancashire, was an area of high-quality coal that was a colliery owner's dream, for the deepest seam was only 145yds below the surface.
Thus the coal was easy to extract, so when the River Douglas was made navigable and later the Leeds and Liverpool Canal was constructed, the business men from Bradford and Liverpool were eager to exploit the seams.
The author has combined documentary research, extensive fieldwork and an intimate knowledge of coalmining to produce a social, economic and technical history of the coalfield. There are personal details of the coalowners and speculators as well as an account of the river and canal navigations.
Despite the shallow depth of the seams there were the usual problems of prospecting and boring for the coal, drainage of the seams, extracting the coal and transporting it to the surface. One of Britain's earliest steam locomotives conveyed the coal from the pits to the river and canal. The techniques and machinery for these tasks are described and illustrated, and it is shown that improved mining techniques in the late-eighteenth century greatly increased output, so that by the middle of the nineteenth century the coalfield was virtually exhausted.
The social conditions of the miners at work, home and play are discussed and the book is well illustrated by maps, photographs and line diagrams.
Hardback, approx. 6 x 8 ins. 208 pages.
Price £12.95 plus p&p