# Gibfield Colliery

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[Pit brow lass](/source/Pit_brow_women) from [Lancashire](/source/Lancashire) on the [Lancashire Coalfield](/source/Lancashire_Coalfield).

**Gibfield Colliery** was a [coal mine](/source/Coal_mine) owned by [Fletcher, Burrows and Company](/source/Fletcher%2C_Burrows_and_Company) in [Atherton](/source/Atherton%2C_Greater_Manchester), then in the [historic county](/source/Historic_counties_of_England) of [Lancashire](/source/Lancashire), England.[1][2]

A shaft was sunk at Gibfield to the [Trencherbone mine](/source/Trencherbone_mine) in 1829 by John Fletcher[3] next to the [Bolton and Leigh Railway](/source/Bolton_and_Leigh_Railway) line which opened in 1830.[4] The colliery was served by sidings near [Bag Lane Station](/source/Bag_Lane_railway_station).

On 11 February 1850, workers descended the pit and discovered the presence of gas which they tried to disperse with their jackets. The gas fired at the flame of a lighted candle causing an explosion which killed five men and burned several others.[5]

In 1872 the colliery was expanded when a second shaft was sunk to access the [Arley mine](/source/Arley_mine) at 1233 feet. A third shaft was sunk after 1904 accessing nine workable coal seams between the Arley and the Victoria or [Hell Hole mines](/source/Hell_Hole_mine) and the original Gibfield shaft was used for ventilation.[6]

In common with many collieries on the [Lancashire Coalfield](/source/Lancashire_Coalfield), women, known as *[Pit brow lasses](/source/Pit_Brow_women)* were employed on the surface to sort coal on the screens at the pit head.[7] The first pit-head baths in the country were built at Gibfield in 1913.[8] Gibfield closed in 1963 and the site was cleared.[9]

## See also

- [Glossary of coal mining terminology](/source/Glossary_of_coal_mining_terminology)

- [List of mining disasters in Lancashire](/source/List_of_mining_disasters_in_Lancashire)

## References

### Citations

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Collieries_1-0)** [*NW Division map*](https://web.archive.org/web/20110719174541/http://www.cmhrc.co.uk/site/maps/lnw_map1.html), cmhrc.co.uk, archived from [the original](http://www.cmhrc.co.uk/site/maps/lnw_map1.html) on 19 July 2011, retrieved 18 February 2011

1. **[^](#cite_ref-DMM_2-0)** [*Fletcher, Burrows & Co. Ltd.*](http://www.dmm.org.uk/company/f1002.htm), Durham Mining Museum, retrieved 18 February 2011

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1869list_3-0)** [*North and East Lancashire (collieries A-G)*](https://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cmhrc/lom69nel.htm), Coal Mining Heritage Resource Centre, retrieved 3 April 2011

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** [Hayes 2004](#CITEREFHayes2004), p. 46

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** [*CHOWBENT. Gib Field Pit. Atherton, Lancashire*](https://web.archive.org/web/20160303232829/http://www.cmhrc.co.uk/cms/document/1850_54.pdf) (PDF), The Coalmining History Research Centre, p. 48, archived from [the original](http://www.cmhrc.co.uk/cms/document/1850_54.pdf) (PDF) on 3 March 2016, retrieved 23 June 2017

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** [Hayes 2004](#CITEREFHayes2004), p. 48

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** [Davies 2009](#CITEREFDavies2009), p. 58

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** [*Gibfield Colliery Pithead Baths still open for business*](https://web.archive.org/web/20110313182053/http://www.wlct.org/Culture/Heritage/pf40.pdf) (PDF), wlct.org, p. 4, archived from [the original](http://www.wlct.org/culture/heritage/pf40.pdf) (pdf) on 13 March 2011, retrieved 18 February 2011

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** [Hayes 2004](#CITEREFHayes2004), p. 50

### Bibliography

- Davies, Alan (2009), *Atherton Collieries*, Amberley, [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-84868-489-8](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-84868-489-8)

- Hayes, Geoffrey (2004), *Collieries and their Railways in the Manchester Coalfields*, Landmark, [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [1-84306-135-X](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/1-84306-135-X)

[53°31′43″N 2°30′17″W / 53.5286°N 2.5048°W / 53.5286; -2.5048](https://geohack.toolforge.org/geohack.php?pagename=Gibfield_Colliery&params=53.5286_N_2.5048_W_region:GB_type:landmark)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Gibfield Colliery](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibfield_Colliery) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibfield_Colliery?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.