INDUSTRIES 



year 1549, which illustrates the customs attend- 

 ing the sale of coals at Wollaton pit. 23 Richard 

 Smalley, a collier of twelve years' standing, sued 

 John Parleby, who had carried away a roke of 

 coals valued at iSd. without paying for them. 

 Smalley had in consequence been forced to pay 

 himself, since he had delivered the coals to 

 Parleby, who was well aware of the existence 

 of an ancient and approved custom within the 

 manor that the collier delivering the coals also 

 gave with them ' a merke or token ' for each 

 whole roke, three-quarters of a roke, or half a 

 roke purchased. The buyer was thereupon 

 bound to deliver the token and pay the purchase 

 money to the ' gatekeeper of the coals ' (janitori 

 carbonutri). If, however, the customer made 

 default the collier was responsible, but his 

 right to recover from the dishonest or impecu- 

 nious purchaser does not seem to have been 

 recognized in this case at least, as the verdict 

 was for the defendant. But the grounds on 

 which it was based are not stated. 



It is possible that the rich returns derived from 

 the mines in the neighbouring manors may have 

 stirred the corporation of Nottingham to pro- 

 spect for coal beneath their own walls, since we 

 find 24 them early in March 1594-5 agreeing 

 with ' Robert Hancocke for lod. a daye and hys 

 too wurkemen iod. a pece to digge in the 

 Copyez (Coppice) for serche of coles and to be 

 provyded of yron wurke viz. 2 mattockes and a 

 shovelle, a herryng barrel, and to bcginne the 

 furthereste at Our Ladye Uaye.' Nothing of 

 any import seems to have issued from this, but 

 dreams of mineral wealth haunted the mayor 

 and his brethren five and thirty years after, 

 since on the minutes 25 of the Common Council 

 13 September 1630 it is recorded : 



This Companie are agreed that Maister Maior, 

 Maister James, Maister Nixe and Maister Greaves 

 thatt have nowe undertaken to sincke a pitt or pitts 

 in the tovvnes woods and wasts, in hope (by the 

 favour of God) to fynde coales there, and all others 

 that shall nowe before the worke begynne, adventure 

 a partt or proporcion of monie shall have oute of the 

 workes and coales for everie ^os, laieJ out, $, and 

 soe after thatt rate ; and thatt after the work begin 

 none shall be admitted to adventure in any wise. 



There is, however, no evidence of any exten- 

 sive demand for shares, nor do we read that the 

 promoters enhanced their substantial comfort 

 from the profits of the venture. Even the Puritan 

 regime did not restrain the speculative activity 

 of the Council, and ' Maister Cooper ' in Febru- 

 ary 1648-9 is instructed 26 ' to tamper and deale 

 with Mais er Jackson privately and not as from 

 the house how hee wold deale about it (i.e. the 

 Coppice) to suffer the towne to gett coale.' And 



M Stevenson, Rec. Bon. Nott. iv, 8 et seq. 

 " Ibid. 239. "Ibid, v, 144. 



* Ibid. 259. 



again about a year after it was resolved 27 ' that 

 Maisters Chamberlins with the assistance of 

 Maister Fillingham and Maister Hawkeings shall 

 confer with men of judgement and such as they 

 like of, and use indevors and meanes to discover 

 whether or noe there bee any coles in the Copies, 

 and to be allowed for their paines and charges 

 therein.' As the result apparently of expert 

 advice it was accordingly agreed 28 in May 1650 

 that ' the parties imploied by the towne proceed 

 further to try for coales by sincking a new pitt 

 and otherwise as shalbee fitt.' Unfortunately 

 the experts were too sanguine. In September of 

 the same year it was ordered 29 that ' in respect 

 of the force of the water and the greatnes of the 

 charge in sinckinge that the pitts be sunck no 

 deeper, and that soe soon as may bee they make 

 triall by boareinge, whether coales or no coales in 

 the coppice.' The curt phrasing of the last clause 

 of this resolution may possibly indicate a natural 

 impatience and some sense of hope unreasonably 

 disappointed. Two months later the city fathers, 

 as practical Englishmen, accepted the decrees of 

 destiny, and the minutes record : 30 ' Agreed the 

 pits to be covered : or else some to take the 

 wood for their labour to fill them upp and 

 Maister Jackson and John Herwood furst to have 

 notice hereof.' 



During the I 7th century the Nottinghamshire 

 coalpits continued their steady local trade de- 

 scribed 31 so accurately by the justices in 1620, 

 when they informed the judges of assize, Sir 

 Henry Hobart and Sir Edward Bromley, that 

 Nottingham needed no storehouse for corn, the 

 prices barley l8s. the quarter, wheat 26*., rye 

 24.5. , peas 16;., oats us. being not extraordi- 

 narily low, while they had no fear of future 

 scarcity, since other counties who send up the 

 Trent for coals bring in corn whenever it is 

 needed. Coal-mining was thus recognized as 

 one of the most significant industries of the shire. 



Some indication of the value of the Notting- 

 hamshire coal-mines lying within the honour of 

 Peverel is afforded by the Parliamentary Survey 32 

 of 1650, since it was then declared that 'all 

 those mines, delfes or pitts of coale now in 

 worke or sunke or hereafter to be digged, soughed 

 and putt in worke within upon and throughout 

 the comon and wast grounds of Trowell Moore 

 . . . which premisses are now in the occupacion 

 of Sir Francis Willoughby, knt., or his assignees ' 

 were of the annual value of 20. 



About the same time a survey 33 was made of 

 'certain coale pitts and delfes' lying on Fulwood 

 Moor where the herbage was claimed and taken 

 by the inhabitants of Hucknall under Hu- 

 thwaite, but ' the soyle thereof and mines with- 

 in the same belong unto the State.' The sur- 



" Ibid. 264. 2 " Ibid. 265. 



19 Ibid. 272. 30 Ibid. 



31 S.P. Dom. Jas. I, cxiii, 22. 



31 P.R.O. Aug. Parl. Surv.no. 21. 3S Ibid.no. 14. 



327 



