A HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND 



From 1837 to 1845 the output of coal at 

 Workington Colliery was from Buddie Pit, 

 where a small area of Main Band, left to the 

 dip of Church Pit, was worked. 



The sinking of Jane Pit near Buddie Pit 

 was commenced in 1843, and the Hamilton 

 Seam was won in 1846, at 73 fathoms. 



In 1851 the output of coal from the Yard 

 and Hamilton Seams at Jane Pit, and the 

 Main Band at Buddie Pit, was 20,000 tons. 



The Jane and Buddie Pits worked until 

 1853, when Buddie Pit was abandoned, the 

 gravel feed liberated by pillar workings proving 

 to be too much for the old engine and pumps. 



In 1854, Hope Pit, Ellerbeck, was sunk to 

 the Four Feet Seam, a depth of 30 fathoms to 

 the rise of Banklands Colliery. The pit 

 turned out to be unprofitable and was aban- 

 doned in 1858. 



A small output of coal was kept up at Jane 

 Pit until 1864 from the Yard and Hamilton 

 Bands. 



In 1 864 Mr. Curwen leased the Working- 

 ton royalty at Jane Pit to Mr. William Irving, 

 who afterwards sank Annie Pit 72 fathoms to 

 the Hamilton Seam, which he worked until 

 his death in 1872, whereupon Mr. H. K. 

 Spark, Darlington, took a lease of the colliery. 

 In 1875 coal work ceased at Annie Pit and 

 pumping was discontinued at Jane Pit. 



In 1875 the Workington Collieries Com- 

 pany acquired Mr. Spark's interest, but after 

 pumping the water out of the pits the com- 

 pany collapsed. 



Later Mr. W. A. Wooler, Darlington, be- 

 came the lessee of Workington Colliery ; but 

 he did nothing in the way of development. 

 The lease was surrendered in 1893. 



In the manor of Harrington, in 1673, the 

 two coal pits, one of which supplied the salt 

 pans with fuel, were valued at ^100 per an- 



num. 



For nearly 100 years afterwards there is no 

 information respecting coal mining at Harring- 

 ton, though it may be taken for granted that 

 coal was worked in a small way during that 

 time for use at the salt-pans of Parton and 

 Harrington. 



Near Lowca, the Bannock and Main Bands 

 outcrop along the shore and were worked a 

 little before 1750. 



In 1 770 and long afterwards, ironstone was 

 worked by Mr. Curwen along the shore and 

 sent to Seaton, Clifton, Backbarrow and 

 Netherhall Furnaces. 



Coal on the upthrow side of Micklam fault 

 was worked from the Three Feet, Four Feet, 

 and Udale Seams, from a dozen or more pits, 

 between 1750 and 1790 ; and was conveyed 

 along wooden railways to Harrington Har- 



bour. These pits were drained by the ' Snout 

 Brow level,' which extended from the sea to 

 Hodgson Pit. 



In 1796 coals were drawn at Bella, Udale, 

 Old Basket, Fox, Natty, Laybourne, Henry, 

 and John Pits, on the upthrow side of the 

 Micklam fault. 



From John Pit a long drift, set over several 

 faults, won the Udale Seam, which was worked 

 towards the Micklam fault ; and from Bella 

 and Hodgson Pits the Four Feet Seam was 

 worked close up to that fault. 



In 1804 Harrington Colliery consisted of 

 Udale, Tarn, Jane, Bella and Henry Pits, 

 where 41,420 tons of coal were raised and 

 about 70 hewers employed. Hodgson Pit 

 was sunk during that year. 



About 1825 Mr. Curwen began the sinking 

 of Micklam Pit to win the upper seams west 

 of Micklam fault. The pit was sunk on the 

 upthrow side of the fault, through the Three 

 Feet, Four Feet, and Udale Seams to a depth 

 of 90 fathoms, at which level the Main Band 

 was cut by a short drift over the fault in 

 1830, and a large feed of water liberated. 

 Nothing further was done until 1865. 



In 1838 John Pit was the scene of the 

 most terrible explosion of firedamp that has 

 ever been chronicled in the annals of Cum- 

 berland coal mining, by which no less than 40 

 men and boys were killed. 



Mr. Curwen worked John and Hodgson 

 Pits until 1864, when Messrs. Bain, Blair, 

 and Paterson (the predecessors of the present 

 firm of Messrs. James Bain & Co.) entered 

 upon the Harrington Ironworks and Harring- 

 ton Coal royalty. 



The lessees re-opened Micklam Pit and 

 worked a little coal from the lower seams on 

 the east side of the Micklam fault. But the 

 chief use to which Micklam Pit was ulti- 

 mately put was for draining the unwrought 

 field of coal on the west side of the fault. 

 For that purpose, in 1867, a pumping engine 

 was established there. 



At this time No. 3 Pit was sunk north of 

 Micklam Pit, and there the coal remaining in 

 the Three Feet and Four Feet Seams, between 

 Mr. Curwen's old workings and high water 

 mark, was worked till 1879. 



In 1871 No. 4 Pit was sunk to the Four 

 Feet Seam, a depth of 49 fathoms, and from 

 it the coal remaining in that seam between 

 the old Hodgson Pit workings and Lowca 

 Beck on the east side of the Micklam fault 

 was worked up to 1879. 



About the same time No. 6 Pit was sunk 

 near Lowca Point, on the west side of the 

 Micklam fault, to the Bannock and Main 

 Bands. It was discontinued in 1874. 



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