Wigan Coal and Iron Company
Encyclopedia
The Wigan Coal and Iron Company was formed when collieries on the Wigan Coalfield owned by John Lancaster were acquired by Lord Lindsay, the Earl of Crawford and Balcarres
, owner of the Haigh Colliery in 1865. The company owned collieries in Haigh
, Aspull, Standish
, Westhoughton
, Blackrod
, Westleigh
and St Helens
and large furnaces and iron-works near Wigan
and the Manton
Colliery in Nottinghamshire
.
The company operated Bercune pit, an iron ore mine near Dalton in Furness until 1898.
Collieries belonging the Wigan Coal and Iron Company in 1896 were the Alexandra, Bawkhouse, Bridge, Lindsay and Meadow Pits were in Haigh. The largest, the Alexandra Pit employed over 650 workers and the Lindsay Pits employed over 350. The Crawford, Kirkless, Moor and Woodshaw Pits in Aspull employed over 1,000 workers. Eatock Pits in Westhoughton employed 484 underground and 89 surface workers whilst the Hewlett Pits in Hart Common
employed 981 underground and 182 on the surface. Ladies Lane Colliery in Hindley employed 282 underground and 40 surface workers. The Westleigh Pits were Priestners which employed 387 underground and 70 on the surface,
Snapes, and Sovereign which had 180 underground and 68 on the surface. The King Coal Pit at Blackrod was a pumping pit, retained to drain the colliery workings. In Standish the company owned the Broomfield, Giants Hall, Gidlow, John, Langtree, Robin Hill , Swire and Taylor Pits. The largest of these was the Langtree Pit with over 540 employees.
Wigan Coal and Iron Company was the biggest colliery owner on the Lancashire Coalfield
and in the 1920s employed 9,000 workers. The shafts of Parsonage Colliery
in Leigh
, sunk by the company between 1913 and 1920, were at the time the deepest in Britain.
James Lindsay, 24th Earl of Crawford
James Lindsay, 24th Earl of Crawford and 7th Earl of Balcarres was an Earl in the Scottish peerage.James Lindsay was born on 24 April 1783 at Balcarres, Fife to Alexander Lindsay, 23rd Earl of Crawford and inherited the title of 7th Earl of Balcarres on his father's death in 1825...
, owner of the Haigh Colliery in 1865. The company owned collieries in Haigh
Haigh, Greater Manchester
Haigh is a village and civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan in Greater Manchester, England. Historically a part of Lancashire, it is located next to the village of Aspull. The western boundary is the River Douglas which separates the township from Wigan. To the north a small brook...
, Aspull, Standish
Standish, Greater Manchester
Standish is a village within the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, in Greater Manchester, England. It is located on the A49 road between the towns of Chorley and Wigan, a short distance from Junction 27 of the M6 motorway....
, Westhoughton
Westhoughton
Westhoughton is a town and civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton in Greater Manchester, England. It is southwest of Bolton, east of Wigan and northwest of Manchester....
, Blackrod
Blackrod
Blackrod is a settlement and civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, in Greater Manchester, England. It is north-northeast of Wigan and west of Bolton and, according to the United Kingdom Census 2001, has a population of 5,300....
, Westleigh
Westleigh, Greater Manchester
Westleigh, a suburb of Leigh, Greater Manchester is one of three ancient townships, Westleigh, Bedford, Greater Manchester and Pennington, that merged in 1875 to form the town of Leigh.-Toponymy:...
and St Helens
St Helens, Merseyside
St Helens is a large town in Merseyside, England. It is the largest settlement and administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens with a population of just over 100,000, part of an urban area with a total population of 176,843 at the time of the 2001 Census...
and large furnaces and iron-works near Wigan
Wigan
Wigan is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It stands on the River Douglas, south-west of Bolton, north of Warrington and west-northwest of Manchester. Wigan is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its administrative centre. The town of Wigan had a total...
and the Manton
Manton, Nottinghamshire
Manton is a former mining village and suburb of south-east Worksop, north Nottinghamshire. Manton Colliery was one of the few pits in the county to generally support the strike in 1984-5...
Colliery in Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
.
The company operated Bercune pit, an iron ore mine near Dalton in Furness until 1898.
Collieries belonging the Wigan Coal and Iron Company in 1896 were the Alexandra, Bawkhouse, Bridge, Lindsay and Meadow Pits were in Haigh. The largest, the Alexandra Pit employed over 650 workers and the Lindsay Pits employed over 350. The Crawford, Kirkless, Moor and Woodshaw Pits in Aspull employed over 1,000 workers. Eatock Pits in Westhoughton employed 484 underground and 89 surface workers whilst the Hewlett Pits in Hart Common
Hart Common
Hart Common is a village located on the outskirts of Westhoughton, in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England.Historically part of Lancashire, it lies mainly along the A58 road. The name is believed to have derived from the area being a common spot for deers many years ago...
employed 981 underground and 182 on the surface. Ladies Lane Colliery in Hindley employed 282 underground and 40 surface workers. The Westleigh Pits were Priestners which employed 387 underground and 70 on the surface,
Snapes, and Sovereign which had 180 underground and 68 on the surface. The King Coal Pit at Blackrod was a pumping pit, retained to drain the colliery workings. In Standish the company owned the Broomfield, Giants Hall, Gidlow, John, Langtree, Robin Hill , Swire and Taylor Pits. The largest of these was the Langtree Pit with over 540 employees.
Wigan Coal and Iron Company was the biggest colliery owner on the Lancashire Coalfield
Lancashire Coalfield
The Lancashire Coalfield in north-west England was one of the most important British coalfields.-Geography and geology:The geology of the coalfield consists of the coal seams of the Upper, Middle and Lower Coal Measures, layers of sandstones, shales and coal of varying thickness, which were laid...
and in the 1920s employed 9,000 workers. The shafts of Parsonage Colliery
Parsonage Colliery
Parsonage Colliery was a coal mine operating on the Lancashire Coalfield from 1920 in Leigh, then in the historic county of Lancashire, England. The colliery, close to the centre of Leigh and the Bolton and Leigh Railway was sunk between 1913 and 1920 by the Wigan Coal and Iron Company...
in Leigh
Leigh, Greater Manchester
Leigh is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, in Greater Manchester, England. It is southeast of Wigan, and west of Manchester. Leigh is situated on low lying land to the north west of Chat Moss....
, sunk by the company between 1913 and 1920, were at the time the deepest in Britain.