A HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND 



gon-ways to all their pits. The length of the 

 main waggon-way from Workington harbour 

 to Goodly Croft Pit, in Muncaster Close, was 

 nearly 3 miles, and there were branches to 

 the other pits. Goodly Croft Pit, the termi- 

 nus of the waggon-way, was in Seaton Banks 

 near Kirklands. 



Seaton Colliery consisted of two groups of 

 pits, one at St. Helens and Moorhouse Guards ; 

 and the other, in Seaton Banks, on the north 

 bank of the Derwent. To the pits at St. 

 Helens a waggon-way proceeded from the 

 north side of Workington harbour through 

 Fullock Meadow. A branch up Hazell Gill 

 brought the coals from High Seaton pits down 

 to the harbour. 



In 1741 the output of coal at Seaton Col- 

 liery from Muncaster, Holden, Cragg Close, 

 Pearson Close, Wales, Murra Cards, and 

 Loaning Head Pits was 34,566 tons ; in 

 1748, from Stephen, High, Low, Falcon, 

 Well, Crag and Pattinson Pits, 32,188 tons ; 

 and in 1753, from Hill, Pearson, Muncaster 

 and Moor Pits, 39,328 tons. 



The seams worked were called the Murra 

 Cards, Smithy and Crow Bands. 



After 1760 Sir James Lowther carried on 

 Seaton Colliery alone. 



In 1781 Robinson Pit, in Seaton Banks, 

 produced daily 18 tons of coal from a 5 ft. 

 seam at 24 fathoms ; and two pits in Kirk- 

 lands, 28 tons from a 26 in. seam. In 1781 

 Sir James Lowther stopped his pits at Seaton 

 for reasons already given. In 1800 Lord 

 Lonsdale was again working two pits in Kirk- 

 lands and supplying coal to Seaton Iron 

 Works. Since then little has been done in 

 Kirklands until Dr. Mutch began operations 

 in 1883. 



About 1825 Mr. John Fletcher, Seaton 

 Green, became lessee of Mr. Ralph Cook's 

 Camerton Colliery and sank Greengill Pits, 

 completed to the Ten Quarters Seam, 30 

 fathoms, in 1829. His tenancy lasted until 

 1840. 



Mr. William Thornburn, Papcastle, then 

 took Camerton Colliery, being succeeded in 

 1857 ty Messrs. Cook & Co. 



In 1873 Mr. Joshua Mulcaster became 

 lessee. Since 1876 Dr. Mutch has carried 

 on the colliery, which consists of two pits 

 and a drift in Israel Gill, where the Little 

 Main, Potash and Lickbank Seams have been 

 worked. 



From 1840 coal and fireclay have been 

 worked continuously at Moorhouse Guards, 

 Seaton, from seams above the Ten Quarters, 

 by successive lessees, the present being the 

 Seaton Firebrick Co. 



About 1850 Messrs. Buckham, Mulcaster, 



Nicholson and Harris sank Mary or Buckham 

 Pit, No. i, Seaton Moor Colliery, in the 

 eastern part of Seaton to the Ten Quarters 

 Seam, 32 fathoms. This pit was abandoned 

 in 1869. 



In 1 86 1 Messrs. Mulcaster, Nicholson, 

 Cook, Bell and Westray reopened and en- 

 larged two of Sir James Lowther's old pits 

 at St. Helens and continued them to the 

 Cannel and Metal Band. These pits were 

 called Nos. i and 2, St. Helens Colliery ; and 

 there the Rattler, Ten Quarters, and Cannel 

 and Metal Bands were worked until the col- 

 liery was stopped in 1887. 



In 1870 Messrs. Mulcaster and Bell be- 

 came the lessees of St. Helens Colliery, and 

 in 1877 began the sinking of No. 3 Colliery, 

 Siddick, which was completed by their suc- 

 cessors, the St. Helens Colliery and Brick 

 Works Co., Ltd., to the Ten Quarters Seam 

 in 1880, and to the Cannel and Metal Band, 

 a depth of 119 fathoms, in 1882. In 1889 

 the shafts were put down to the Lickbank 

 Seam, a depth of 170 fathoms. 



The Ten Quarters, Cannel and Metal, 

 Little Main and Lickbank Seams have been 

 worked extensively from this colliery under 

 the land, and the workings in the two upper 

 seams have now entered the under-sea area. 



In 1888 an explosion of firedamp occurred 

 in the Cannel Band workings in No. 3 Col- 

 liery, causing the loss of 30 lives. 



In 1901 Nos. I and 2 shafts at St. Helens 

 were reopened, enlarged and deepened to win 

 the coal over the faults that had stopped the 

 former lessees. The Carboniferous Limestone 

 was reached, but, owing to faults, its position 

 below any known seam of coal could not be 

 determined. 



Coal mining in the parish of Flimby be- 

 gan at Flimby Park or Woodside Colliery, 

 which was worked by Sir James Lowther in 

 1781. At that time it must have been an old 

 colliery, because a level had then been driven 

 from the Ellenborough boundary for a dis- 

 tance of i,2OO yards to the south for the 

 drainage of the rise coal, in which had 

 been sunk seventeen pits, of which Wren Pit, 

 the most important, was 58 fathoms to the 

 Cannel Band. The Colliery was stopped in 

 1781. 



In 1802 Mr. John Walker entered upon 

 the Flimby Park Colliery and worked it until 

 1825. In 1802 it had a daily output of 70 

 tons, and gave employment to 23 men. 



From 1839 to 1842 Mr. John Fletcher 

 worked the Cannel and Metal Band at a pit, 

 near Risehow. About 1850 Messrs. John 

 Harris, Darlington, and Robert Wilson sank 

 John and Risehow Pits. The Cannel Band 



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