# Elsecar Collieries > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Elsecar_Collieries > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Elsecar_Collieries.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elsecar_Collieries > Source revision: 1233092462 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Former collieries in South Yorkshire, England [53°29′49″N 1°25′05″W / 53.497°N 1.418°W / 53.497; -1.418](https://geohack.toolforge.org/geohack.php?pagename=Elsecar_Collieries¶ms=53.497_N_1.418_W_region:GB_scale:10000) The **Elsecar Collieries** were the [coal mines](/source/Coal_mines) sunk in and around [Elsecar](/source/Elsecar), a small village to the south of [Barnsley](/source/Barnsley) in what is now [South Yorkshire](/source/South_Yorkshire), but was traditionally in the [West Riding](/source/West_Riding) of [Yorkshire](/source/Yorkshire). The last operating mine, Elsecar Main, closed in 1983 and with its closure ended 230 years of mining in the village ## Elsecar Old Colliery The colliery was started around 1750 by Richard Bingley but was taken over in 1752 by the [2nd Marquis of Rockingham](/source/Charles_Watson-Wentworth%2C_2nd_Marquess_of_Rockingham) and by 1757 comprised eight pits in and around Elsecar Green. The pits were sunk to a depth of 15 metres to exploit the [Barnsley Bed](/source/Barnsley_seam). The pits were described as three air pits or ventilation shafts, two open pits, one closed pit, one working pit and one sinking pit. They were worked using a horse gin – a horse powered winch. From 1750 until about 1795 the pits employed around nine men. In 1782 the 2nd Marquis of Rockingham died and his estates were inherited by his cousin the [4th Earl Fitzwilliam](/source/William_FitzWilliam%2C_4th_Earl_FitzWilliam). He expanded Elsecar Old Colliery and installed steam winding engines in 1796 and by 1848 the pit was employing 87 men and boys. The colliery was renamed Elsecar High Colliery in the same year. By now the colliery was centred on the Milton Foundry. The colliery closed when its reserves were exhausted in 1888.[1] ## Elsecar New Colliery Elsecar New Colliery was sunk around 1795 by Earl Fitzwilliam to the south of Elsecar Workshops and the site has its original Newcomen pumping engine.[2] It was sunk to allow the Fitzwilliams to expand coal production and exploit new transport opportunities presented by the Elsecar branch of the [Dearne & Dove Canal](/source/Dearne_%26_Dove_Canal) which was given parliamentary approval in 1793 and reached Elsecar in 1799.[2] Before the completion of the canal the coal was either sold locally or shipped by cart to Kilnhurst on the River Don.[3] The colliery had three shafts, two for coal winding and one pumping shaft. They were 120 feet deep where they reached the [Barnsley seam](/source/Barnsley_seam).[3] Steam winding engines were installed in 1796 and a pumping engine was added in 1823 when the shafts were deepened to reach the [Parkgate seam](/source/Parkgate_seam). The colliery was expanded in 1837,[2] with the addition of a new shaft at Jump known as the Jump Pit. By 1848 when the colliery was renamed Elsecar Mid Colliery and employed 121 men and boys. This colliery was abandoned in the mid-1850s as the Simon Wood Colliery started production. ## Elsecar Low Colliery or Hemingfield Colliery Work to sink Elsecar Low Colliery started around 1840 but took 6–8 years to complete and the first significant coal was mined in 1848 when 1000 tonnes a day was being extracted (4).[3] The major difficulty was the penetration of water into the workings[4] and dealing with large amounts of [firedamp](/source/Firedamp).[2] The colliery had two shafts, a winding shaft and a smaller diameter pumping shaft for draining the colliery. The colliery suffered a significant accident on 21 December 1852 when a firedamp explosion killed 10 miners and injured 12. The inquiry found that the explosion had been caused by reckless behaviour of the colliers; a ventilation door had been propped open which resulted in firedamp accumulating and some colliers using unguarded safety lamps. Earl Fitzwilliam's mine superintendent, Benjamin Biram was criticised by the inquiry for absence of printed rules in the colliery, inadequate maintenance of lamps and poor supervision of the workforce but the judge praised the ventilation arrangements in the pit which prevented extensive loss of life. ## Simon Wood Colliery Simon Wood Colliery was sunk to 85 meters to the Barnsley bed in 1853. The colliery with its two shafts replaced the Elsecar Mid Colliery and continued production until 1903 when it was replaced by Elsecar Main Colliery.[3] ## Elsecar Main Coal extraction proper began at Elsecar Main between 1905 and 1908 when shafts were sunk to the [Parkgate seam](/source/Parkgate_seam) at 333 metres. Other seams worked were the [Silkstone](/source/Silkstone_seam), [Thorncliffe](/source/Thorncliffe_seam) and the [Swallow Wood seams](/source/Swallow_Wood_seam). The Haigh Moor, Lidgett and towards the end of the colliery's life, Kents Thick seams were also mined. The colliery closed in October 1983. ## See also - [Earl Fitzwilliam's private railway](/source/Earl_Fitzwilliam's_private_railway) ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** J Goodchild (2005), "The Earl Fitzwilliam’s Elsecar Colliery in the 1850s", *British Mining* **78** Memoirs ISSN 0308-2199 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Mee1975_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Mee1975_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Mee1975_2-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-Mee1975_2-3) Graham Mee, *Aristocratic Enterprise*. Blackie 1975 [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-216-90050-6](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-216-90050-6) 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-notes1901_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-notes1901_3-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-notes1901_3-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-notes1901_3-3) Notes on Elsecar 1901: The Godfrey Edition Published by Alan Godfrey Maps [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [1-84151-529-9](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/1-84151-529-9) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** NMMA Newsletter No.1, Summer 1996. © Frank Burgin v t e Coal mining in Yorkshire Coal mines in North Yorkshire Selby complex2 (Gascoigne Wood, North Selby, Riccall, Stillingfleet, Whitemoor Wistow) Tan Hill Coal mines in South Yorkshire1 Aldwarke1 Askern Barnburgh Barrow Bentley Brodsworth Brookhouse Bullcroft1 Birley Cortonwood Dalton Dinnington Elsecar Fence Harry Crofts1 Hatfield Hickleton High Hazels Huskar Kilnhurst Kiveton Park Maltby Manvers Markham Main New Stubbin North Staveley Nunnery1 Orgreave Rossington Rother Vale Rotherham1 Roundwood1 Silverwood Smithies Thorne1 Thurcroft Tinsley Park Treeton Waleswood Warren House Warren Vale Wath Wharncliffe Woodmoor Yorkshire Main Coal mines in West Yorkshire Caphouse Flockton Frickley Garforth Collieries (Isabella Pit, Sisters Pit, Trench Pit) Kellingley Killingbeck Middleton Shuttle Eye Prince of Wales Upton Waterloo Main Wheldale Woolley Incidents Allerton Bywater Colliery Explosion Cadeby Main pit disaster Lofthouse Colliery disaster Lundhill Colliery explosion Oaks explosion Peckfield Colliery disaster Coalfields and seams Coal seams of the South Yorkshire Coalfield Ingleton Coalfield South Yorkshire Coalfield Industrial relations UK miners' strike (1969) UK miners' strike (1972) UK miners' strike (1984–85) Battle of Orgreave South Yorkshire Miners' Association West Yorkshire Miners' Association Yorkshire Miners' Association Other articles Geology of Yorkshire List of collieries in Yorkshire (1984–2015) Monckton Coke Works National Coal Mining Museum for England British MPs sponsored by mining unions Notes 1 Pre 1974, most coal mines in South Yorkshire were actually in the West Riding of Yorkshire. Those annotated with a number 1, were closed before 1974. 2 The Selby Coalfield straddled the border of North and West Yorkshire --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Elsecar Collieries](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elsecar_Collieries) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elsecar_Collieries?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.