nualways
  • nualways
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  • Newbie Topic Starter
16 years ago
Morning

I am researching the social history of coalmining in parts of Pembrokeshire in the late 18th century onwards.

Mines with around 70 employees were few in number and large for the coalfield. A couple of commentators have pointed out that even these larger mines were small (when judged by the numbers of miners they employed) compared with operations in other parts of the country.

Is this correct? Were there many mines with more than 100 miners?

Jon
JR
  • JR
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  • Newbie
16 years ago
I suppose it depends on how late in the 18th. Century we mean. By the 1780's the beginings of industrial infrastructure had begun but at that stage most power was still water, animal or human. Derby had moved to Coalbrookdale and had begun to use coke instead of charcoal by 1710 ( see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coke_(fuel)  ) and the Savery/Newcommen 'atmospheric engine' patent was granted in 1698 http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blsteamengine.htm . But there was only limited demand for coal until the middle of the 19th century, but when the growth came it was exponential with demand soaring in the 50 years between 1825 and 1875.
I'm aware that I haven't really given an answer and perhaps others on this forum can point to better sources of information but my feeling is that , at the turn of the 18th/19th century 100 men would be a large mine in any area of the country.

sleep is a caffeine deficiency.

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