Can anybody help me? My friend Dave Ewart is looking for info on his Grandfather who emigrated from Scotland in the late 1800's to South Africa. He was a coal miner. Dave is also looking for any living relatives he might have in Scotland as he is planning a visit. Bob Blackwell Hoick South Africa [email protected]

I am new to this list so please bear with me I am searching, on behalf of a friend, for the origins of Walter BLACKIE probably born about 1833 in the Midlothian area. He is believed to have been in the mining industry. He married Margaret JACK and their son Andrew Jack BLACKIE was born in Gilmerten (I think that's how it's spelt). There was another son John BLACKIE(unsure of date or birth place). Mary BLACKIE was born 8 April 1855 in Lasswade and Elizabeth BLAIKIE (note spelling) was born 16 May 1857 in Newbattle. All these children had the same mother of Margaret JACK, although Elizabeth's father has been recorded as Walter BLAIKEY The family emigrated to New Zealand and later to Australia, all the while, continuing in various forms of mining. Any information much appreciated Regards Steve Westley

Hi all, Yes I will state the obvious my Scottish ancestors were coal miners. I have reviewed the past correspondence for the last three months and I wish to contribute the following information. 1. Surnames I am researching: BLACK - mined in the Shettleston, Neilston (Balliehouston Coal Mine), Cambusnethan, and Larkhall regions ADAMSON - mined in the Lanrk region NEILSTON - mining location unknown 2. A question was raised as to why our ancestors left Scotland. I would recommend this book "Colliers from Across the Sea" by John H. M. Laslett, ISBN 0-252-06827-0. It gives an excellent description of the living conditions that Scottish Miners endured and some reasons they left Scotland in the mid nineteenth century. I look forward to hearing form anyone who wish to exchange stories or information. Harrold H. Black Jr Dickerson Run Pa, USA [email protected]

My Scottish grandfather and family, and possibly his brother-in-law William Gillespie left Scotland sometime in 1846 to America. Came into Pennsylvania. Family lore has it they were miners in Scotland. At any rate, John ended up in Ohio working in coal mines. I had always assumed it was the Potato famine that impelled them to leave Scotland. But since joining the Scottish Mining list, wonder if there were mine closures that may have impelled them to leave . Name was John Carruthers, his father was James Carruthers, mother May Nichol. May died and James m. Janet Jardine. James father was also named James. ________________________________________________________________ YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET! Juno now offers FREE Internet Access! Try it today - there's no risk! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj.

Hallo Valerie I don't know how much you already know,but here goes. Cuilhill was a small mining community situated about two miles or so west of the town of Coatbridge and less than a mile north of the village of Bargeddie.From a map of 1899 Cuilhill appears to consist of three short rows of houses next to Heatheryknowe Colliery and Bartonshill Colliery. In 1864 mention is made of " Lochwood Pit at Cuilhill,owned by the Bairds". The houses would be the typical two and one room houses owned by the employer and let to the workers. They would have no indoor sanitation or piped water. There would be communal dry closets,water pipes and middens. The houses known as room and kitchens and single ends were small and had built in box beds. Some of this information comes from a publication called 'Coatbridge Three Centuries of Change' by P.Drummond and J.Smithand published by Monklands Library Service. I attended Bargeddie School but left the area many years ago so have no uptodate information, but almost certainly the old rows would be demolished just after the war and replaced by modern council housing occupied by the over spill from Glasgow. Cuilhill may now be within the Glasgow City area. If I can be of further assistance please let me know. I now live in the south of England but have family members still in Scotland. Peter Paterson [email protected]

There is a some mention of Cuilhill & collieries at the Monklands Online website: See: http://www.monklands.co.uk/bargeddie/ Cheers Jim Rouse <==============================<>=============================> I had seen mair than I hae eaten, else ye widnae hae been there. Genealogy Hamepage: http://homepages.go.com/~seimi/genes.html <============================================================> <==============================<>================================>

Apropos this memo I know there is / was a "Cuttlehill" with colliery not far from Crossgates, just east of Dunfermline, Fife. Any likelihood this could be it? Sounds like a literal transcription of what it might have been called verbally. Shows in the 1853 OS map of Fife. Rob Adamson >Hello, >does anyone have any information about the town Cuilhill? I have two >generations of my family living and married there(Great Grandparents and >Great Great Grandparents). What made the town disappear and how many >mines were there and would there be a list of workers for individual >mine sites, would be some of my immediate questions. Any and all >information greatly appreciated. I am now trying to put some meat on >the bones of my ancestors. Family names would be Wilkie, Leitch, and >McCartney or McCarthey. Adresses would be 28 Porch Row Cuilhill 1881 >and 17 Bairds Row 1902. Here's hoping some one out there knows more >that me. >Regards, >Valerie Montgomery-Bull > Rob Adamson Brisbane, Queensland Australia

Hi Valerie, My Gazetteer of Scotland shows Cuilhill, a village in Lanarkshire, 2 miles west of Coatbridge. There were lots of mines around that area, so perhaps this is the Cuilhill you want. -- Jill Smith on the beautiful North Coast of NSW Australia

Hello, does anyone have any information about the town Cuilhill? I have two generations of my family living and married there(Great Grandparents and Great Great Grandparents). What made the town disappear and how many mines were there and would there be a list of workers for individual mine sites, would be some of my immediate questions. Any and all information greatly appreciated. I am now trying to put some meat on the bones of my ancestors. Family names would be Wilkie, Leitch, and McCartney or McCarthey. Adresses would be 28 Porch Row Cuilhill 1881 and 17 Bairds Row 1902. Here's hoping some one out there knows more that me. Regards, Valerie Montgomery-Bull

unsubscribe -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] <[email protected]> To: [email protected] <[email protected]> Date: Sunday, 5 November 2000 16:01 Subject: SCOTTISH-MINING-D Digest V00 #28

My Grandfather Robert SINCLAIR b. 1881 Dysart Fife ( coal miner) last known address 17 Church Str Uddingston in 1921. Can anyone give me an idea of which mine he would have worked in, going by where he lived. He left my Grandmother and was never seen again. Allison NZ.

I'm interested in any info relating to a coalminer, William Adams, born in Ireland (probably Derry) around 1850 - 55 who married Esther Mulligan/Milligan in Camlachie Free Church, Glasgow, in 1873. William had a younger brother, Alexander, who is listed as a Pit head man, aged 22, in the 1881 Census, which lists William's age as 28. They lived in Barony at census time, but had lived in Holytown and possibly Bothwell, previously. Their father and mother were John Adams and Jane Allen, who also lived in Barony district. William & Alex's siblings were Catherine, John, James and Agnes. William & Esther's children were Sarah, Alexander, John, Jane, and James. Does anyone have any connections? Jim Adams

Thank you William Shepherd for the bibliography. I will try to locate some of the works you mentioned. I am descended from a long line of coal miners in Ayrshire. It appears that a family of Strachan men came to Ayrshire around 1700 to work in the mines and possibly started out in either Irvine or Muirkirk. I've no idea where they came from, except for knowing that Strachan is an Aberdeenshire or Kincardineshire name. During the 18th and 19th centuries they moved around Ayshire quite a lot, following the mines. Then in the early 1900s my branch of Strachans moved to Cambuslang in Ayshire. I was wondering whether there are any records available that name the employees of particular mines. Does anyone know if such records exist? By the way, the novel 'Docherty' by William McIlvanney is a wonderful description of coal miners' lives. It's set in Kilmarnock in the early 1900s. Regards Judy Strachan researching the coal mining families of STRACHAN, McCRAE, HADDOW, McINAIRNEY, MARSHALL, HAGGERTY, NEILSON, ALEXANDER, PATRICK

When we were children growing up in Ardrossan in Ayrshire we'd gather coal that had been washed up on the town's north shore. I remember going there to collect whelks and being told to keep my eyes open for *sea coal*. I'd often thought that the coal might have come from a reef near the shoreline. Read a book recently about wrecks on nearby Horse Island. The author said he'd seen coal washed up on the Island. So it would appear the coal we had collected was lost cargo from some stricken vessels that had foundered on leaving Ardrossan - there were a few. Coal was exported through Ardrossan to Ireland from the Stevenston Coal fields. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ _--_|\ http://www.threetowners.com "Ayrshire Folk" / \ email: [email protected] \_.--._/ __ Hugh McCallum in o Melbourne Australia ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Peter, You mentioned you'd searched the OPR but have you checked BDM's with Scots Origins? My understanding of it is that the OPR's are only of use (& even then very limited) before 1855 & the start of compulsory registration. I found my ancestor through Scots Origins & the death extract I obtained provided lots of useful information. See here: http://www.origins.net/GRO/ Considering the period when he died it's unlikely that records from the colliery still exist. Ian Winstanley has a database of those killed & injured in mining accidents (over 90,000 between 1850-1914) & his sources are from the official Inspectorate of Mines Records. His URL is: http://www.cmhrc.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/ It might be in your best interest to email Ian & have him search his database for accidents in that area. I had a quick squizz to see if there were any Peter Johnston(e)s listed & it didn't appear so, but his database isn't the definitive source as I have two mining ancestors deaths who are documented as having died in Pit accidents yet Ian was puzzled as to why their names don't appear on his official lists. No doubt it was in the coalmasters' best interests not to reveal the true figures. Hope this helps Cheers Jim Rouse <==============================<>=============================> [email protected] Genealogy Hamepage: http://homepages.go.com/~seimi/genes.html <============================================================> <==============================<>================================>

Hello List, I am re-posting a question about my gt-grandfather Peter JOHNSTON. He was born 1805 in Gladsmuir, East Lothian and was married to Jane BENNET in Newton, Midlothian in 1832. He was a coal miner and worked in various mines in Midlothian in the Newton, Pathhead, Cousland and Edgehead areas. His last address, in the 1861 census, was at No. 5 Sauchenside, Midlothian and we believe he was then working at a mine in Edgehead. By 1881 he was dead and his wife, Jane, is described in that census as an Annuitant. What I would like to know is, did he die in an accident at work or was his death natural?. I haven't, as yet , found any trace of his burial in the OPRs. If any one has any knowledge of any mine accidents at Edgehead about this period and any information of fatalities I would be pleased to hear from them. TIA Regards, Peter Johnstone

Hello, I am new to this list and suspect most of the other members are from the coalminers listserv. If so, you are familiar with me and my ever growing bibliography of the history of coal mining in Scotland. This list of works reflects material that, in most cases, I have read. I am currently looking for mining novels and will compile a list of those as well. W. John Shepherd. From: CUAVAX::SHEPHERW "WILLIAM JOHN SHEPHERD, SR." 24-MAY-2000 11:11:58.75 To: SHEPHERW CC: Subj: Scottish Coal Mining History Bibliography - May 2000 SCOTLAND: Aiken, Robert L. NOT MANY NOBLE: A STORY OF THE LANARKSHIRE COALFIELD. Brawber, West Sussex, England: Old Museum Press, 1998. ISBN: 184042026. Anderson, John. COAL!: A HISTORY OF THE COAL-MINING INDUSTRY IN SCOTLAND WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE CAMBUSLANG DISTRICT OF LANARKSHIRE. Glasgow: R.E. Robertson, Ltd., 1943. Campbell, Alan B. 'Honourable Men And Degraded Slaves: A Comparative Study Of Trade Unionism In Two Lanarkshire Mining Communities, c. 1830-1874,' INDEPENDENT COLLIER: THE COAL MINER AS ARCHETYPAL PROLETARIAN RECONSIDERED. Harrison, Royden (Ed.), Sussex, England: Harvester Press, 1978, pp. 75-113. Campbell, Alan B. THE LANARKSHIRE MINERS: A SOCIAL HISTORY OF THEIR TRADE UNIONS. Edinburgh: J. Donald, 1979. Campbell, Alan B. and Reid, Fred. 'The Independent Collier In Scotland,' INDEPENDENT COLLIER: THE COAL MINER AS ARCHETYPAL PROLETARIAN RECONSIDERED. Harrison, Royden (Ed.), Sussex, England: Harvester Press, 1978, pp. 54-74. Duckham, Baron F. A HISTORY OF THE SCOTTISH COAL INDUSTRY: A SOCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL HISTORY. Newton Abbot: David and Charles, 1971. Duckham, Baron F. 'Life of Laborers in a Scottish Colliery, 1698-1755,' SCOTTISH HISTORICAL REVIEW (47), 1968, pp. 109-128. Duckham, Baron F. 'The Emergence of the Professional Manager in the Scottish Coal Industry, 1760-1815,' BUSINESS HISTORY REVIEW. (43:1), 1969, pp. 21-38. Duckham, Baron F. 'Serfdom in Eighteenth Century Scotland,' HISTORY (LIV), 1969, pp. 178-197. Hassan, John A. 'The Landed Estate, Paternalism And The Coal Industry In Midlothian, 1800-1880,' SCOTISH HISTORICAL REVIEW. (59), 1980, pp. 73-91. Houston, Rab. 'Coal, Class And Culture: Labour Relations In A Scottish Mining Community, 1650-1750,' SOCIAL HISTORY (8:1), 1983, pp. 1-18. Hutchinson, James. WEAVERS, MINERS AND THE OPEN BOOK: A HISTORY OF KILSYTH. Cumbernauld, Scotland: Kelvinprint, 1986. ISBN: 0951136208. Hutton, Guthrie. LANARKSHIRE'S MINING LEGACY. Cumnock, Ayrshire, Scotland: Stenlake Publishing, 1997. ISBN: 1840330155. Laslett, John H.M. '"A Parting of the Ways": Immigrant Miners And The Rise Of Politically Conscious Trade Unionism In Scotland And The American Midwest, 1865-1924,' THE UNITED MINE WORKERS OF AMERICA: A MODEL OF INDUSTRIAL SOLIDARITY? John H.M. Laslett (Ed.) University Park, PA: Penn State University Press, 1996. ISBN: 0271015373. Laslett, John H.M. COLLIERS ACROSS THE SEA: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF CLASS FORMATION IN SCOTLAND AND THE AMERICAN MIDWEST, 1830-1924 (The Working Class in American History), University of Illinois Press, 2000. ISBN: 0252068270. Laslett, John H.M. NATURE'S NOBLEMEN: THE FORTUNES OF THE INDEPENDENT COLLIER IN SCOTLAND AND THE AMERICAN MIDWEST, 1955-1889. Regents of UCLA, 1984. ISBN: 089215120X. Munnoch, Betty. 'In Bondage,' THE HIGHLANDER. (36:2), March/April 1998, pp. 36-38. Reid, Fred. 'Alexander MacDonald And The Crisis Of The Independent Collier, 1872-1874,' INDEPENDENT COLLIER: THE COAL MINER AS ARCHETYPAL PROLETARIAN RECONSIDERED. Harrison, Royden (Ed.), Sussex, England: Harvester Press, 1978, pp. 156-177. Stevens, Bob. 'The Rise and Fall of the Fife Salt Industry,' THE HIGHLANDER. (38:2), March/April 2000, pp. 26-29. Whatley, Christopher A. 'Salt, Coal and the Union of 1707: A Revision Article,' SCOTTISH HISTORICAL REVIEW (66), 1987, pp. 26-45. Whatley, Christopher A. '"The Fettering Bonds Of Brotherhood": Combination And Labour Relations In The Scottish Coal Industry c. 1690-1775,' SOCIAL HISTORY (12:2), 1987, pp. 139-154.

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Research by James Clements - former Stevenston Mayor The Stevenston Friendly Society was formed on Tuesday, 23rd August, 1819 with a membership of fifty-seven. Members, it was stated, 'Must be of good and sound constitution, free of all bodily disease and of good moral character, and required to be well recommended'. Contributions were four shillings per annum, paid quarterly, but new members were charged double this amount during the first year of membership, There is a death grant of £I. 5s to cover funeral expenses, and elaborate arrangements were made for the proper conduct of the society. Members were obliged to act as Managers in rotation to defray certain expenses out of their own pockets. A refusal to accept office or negligence In the performance of that office meant a fine. There was provided a small chest, securely hinged, with two outside locks and keys, with a small drawer in one end, with a lock and key, into which shall be deposited the money and bills belonging to the society; the other part of the chest to hold Books or other necessary writings. Any money lent on interest required to be on good and proper security at least two securities on each sum. Regards, Hugh ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ _--_|\ http://www.threetowners.com "Ayrshire Folk" / \ email: [email protected] \_.--._/ __ Hugh McCallum in o Melbourne Australia ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I found this an interesting read some time ago. These details are from the State Library of Victoria in Melbourne. Their catalogue is on line. There's no IBSN number given. Title: A history of the Scottish coal industry: a social and industrial history. Author / Creator: Duckham, Baron Frederick. Imprint / Date: Newton Abbot, Eng.: David & Charles, 1970- Physical Description: v. : Contains: illus., maps ; Size: 22cm. Subject: Coal trade --Scotland--History. Coal mines and mining --Scotland--Hist. Contents: v.1. 1700-1815. Regards, Hugh ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ _--_|\ http://www.threetowners.com "Ayrshire Folk" / \ email: [email protected] \_.--._/ __ Hugh McCallum in o Melbourne Australia ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~