G'day Listers, from several years of reading Jim's postings for which I'm grateful I have a question - what is the difference between a Coalier, Collier, Coal miner and a Coal hewer? I can recall as a kid Coal Heavers, but they were wharfies. My Grandfather was a gold miner in Kalgoorlie and a Silver miner in Broken Hill, I can't ever recollect him calling himself a Goldier, or hewer or anything other than Boss (at work) at home Nan was boss. Col

On 10-Jan-10, at 11:05 PM, Col Paterson wrote: > G'day Listers, from several years of reading Jim's postings for > which I'm > grateful I have a question - what is the difference between a Coalier, > Collier, Coal miner and a Coal hewer? I can recall as a kid Coal > Heavers, > but they were wharfies. > My Grandfather was a gold miner in Kalgoorlie and a Silver miner in > Broken > Hill, I can't ever recollect him calling himself a Goldier, or hewer > or > anything other than Boss (at work) at home Nan was boss. > Col > > Perhaps this is useful but keep in mind that terms changed over the years. And likely different sets of terms apply to coal, gold and silver miners http://www.dmm.org.uk/educate/mineocc.htm In any case, google is your friend. Carolyn

Hello Col You asked 'what is the difference between a a Coalier, Collier, Coal miner and a Coal hewer? I can recall as a kid Coal Heavers, but they were wharfies. ' I have a file of early occupations listed alphabetically (sorry, no source!) and it gives these descriptions in relation to some coal mining occupations: COAL BACKER: A person employed to carry sacks of coal from the coal barge to the coal wagons COAL BURNER: A person who made charcoal COAL DRAWER: A person who worked in the mines pushing or dragging the coal carts the bottom of the pit COAL HEAVER: A person employed to move coal e.g. from boat to shore or from shore to boat COAL HIGGLER, COAL MERCHANT or COALMAN: A person who sold coal usually from a horse and cart, house to house COAL RUNNER: A person who attended the coal carts underground COAL WHIPPER: A person employed to unload coal from ships using baskets attached to a simple form of crane COLLIER: A coal miner, a coal merchant or a person who worked on the coal barges. Also a person who worked at the pit face and actually got the coal PIT BROW LASS: A female worker who worked on the surface of the mines PITMAN: A coal miner There is some overlap with some of these and maybe terminology varied from place to place Anyway, hope this helps! Kindest regards Julie NSW Aust

Thanks Julie, That is pretty much what Google told me. Col

Hi Col, A coal hewer is the man who is actually at the coal face chipping away at the seam. A collier / coal miner - general term for miners. The first URL is for the Durham mining site which is very informative http://www.dmm.org.uk/educate/mineocc.htm This is the Scottish mining website which gives a great deal of info on the different mines in Scotland. http://www.scottishmining.co.uk/3.html Regards Jenny PS you coming down to Sydney for the Edinburgh Tattoo in February?

G'day Jen, re the Tattoo unfortunately my missus is getting further incapacitated as she gets older and therefore our travelling days are gone, so we can't be there. Thanks to all the advice I have received from the list and my Dictionary gazing, Google searching etc. you may all now relax as it seems to me that it largely depended on those wonderful Record Clerks of yesteryear and their interpretation of what they were told. The term Collier and Coalier , Coal Hewer,seem to be interchangeable around the world even Cornwall. So before our list Administrator gets off his/her bike I would like to close the subject on the list. Please, if anyone has anything else to offer contact me off list. Col