women miners.....

[maceill]

Did women/girls ,work underground in the mines in the 1920-- 1930s ?
thanks
maceill

[LesleyB]

Hi Mceill
According to:
http://www.iknow-lakedistrict.co.uk/tou ... _women.htm

In 1970 the last eleven Screen lasses who worked at Haig Pit were made redundant, and the last two British pit women working in mines were at Harrington No 10, Lowca and they were made redundant on 1st July 1972.

However, this worksheet for kids says:
http://www.ncm.org.uk/supportimages/KS3%20Worksheet.pdf

This gallery looks at women and children working in the mines during Victorian times, and the 1842 Act, which prevented them from working underground.

So, not sure! Not an area I know much about, but the answer must be out there somewhere!
Best wishes
Lesley

[maceill]

Thanks for the reply bathgate,just won the argument with my hubby
maceill

[LesleyB]

Hi Mceill
But check the bit I've just added above... it may not be so clear cut. I think, from the little I've managed to look at in the last 15mins that the differenciating factor is the underground bit. The Screen lasses were perhaps working at a mine, but not I think, undergound. And "the last two British pit women working in mines" doesn't actually say they were undergound though "pit" would seem to suggest they were... we need someone who knows a bit about mining and its history....

Best wishes
Lesley

[sporran]

Hello maceill,


just to clear up any possible confusion. Screeners worked on the surface, and screened the coal to remove any stones from the coal (stones explode in fires). My father worked for the National Coal Board from 1935 and he says that women never went underground, presumably as a result of the 1842 Act.


Regards,

John

[Jack]

Hi Maceill and Lesley,
Here's another site - http://www.cmhrc.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/
A bit early though.
Jack

[LesleyB]

Hi all
reading the whole page at :
http://www.iknow-lakedistrict.co.uk/tou ... _women.htm

Attempts to Ban and Edge Women out of Mining
In the 1880s particularly, consecutive Liberal and Conservative governments proposed Mines bills to ban women from working in the pits. Deputations of women workers in mines across Lancashire and from Whitehaven in Cumbria went down to London to protest. Again in 1911 a further Mines Bill was proposed threatening women's jobs in mining.

Again a deputation went down. In 1970 the last eleven Screen lasses who worked at Haig Pit were made redundant, and the last two British pit women working in mines were at Harrington No 10, Lowca and they were made redundant on 1st July 1972.

...would seem to suggest there were various attempts to ban women from working in the mines but the last two were as stated above in the early 1970s.

Best wishes
Lesley

[maceill]

Thanks all for your replys, my mum said she worked down the pit in Ayrshire, as she:s long gone now,cannot verify this.Hubby[ex miner]
says no women were allowed down the pits.
regards
maceill

[DavidWW]

Thanks all for your replys, my mum said she worked down the pit in Ayrshire, as she:s long gone now,cannot verify this.Hubby[ex miner]
says no women were allowed down the pits.
regards
maceill

The work down the pit may still have been to do with screening, sorting or washing rather than at the coal face.

David

[Guest]

Maceill

Women in the 20th century did NOT work down the pit. Absolutely not allowed.

They worked on the surface, usually on the 'tables' where the coal from the pit was 'screened'. This involved examining every lump of coal, and removing the stone. Hand picks were used to seperate coal from stone, as required. If the lump was too big (often as much as one hundredweight!), it had to be broken down to a reasonable size. Allowing stone to pass through was a sackable offence.

This work was mainly done by women, or men who were too young or too old and infirm to work down the pit.
My mother worked on the tables at the Michael pit-head. If she gave you a 'clout' for misbehaving, she could really make it sting.

At age 50, she could bounce a lump of coal off her bicep in a form of keepie-uppie.

Dave