Ladyshore Colliery

Ladyshore Colliery, originally named Back o' th Barn, was situated on the Irwell Valley fault on the Manchester Coalfield in Little Lever, then in the historic county of Lancashire, England. Founded by Thomas Fletcher Senior, the colliery opened in the 1830s and mined several types of coal. It became infamous as a result of the owners' stand against the use of safety lamps in the mines. Women and children worked in the mines, under poor conditions. Closed in 1949, it was the last colliery to remain in use by the canal. Only the colliery office (now a house) and the stables have survived. Terminology usedCoal mining had its own terminology, whilst some terms were common in all areas, some were used only in the Lancashire Coalfield. Following are some terms used in Ladyshore Colliery, taken from Weep Mother Weep. Balance – a slope with a pulley at the top where empty tubs pulled full tubs up the slopeBalancer – the person, usually a boy, who operated the balanceColliery – the site at the surface that includes all the buildings, railways and headgearsCoupler – a boy who worked on the haulage system coupling tubs togetherMine – the name given in Lancashire to a coal seamPit – the shaft from the surface down to the workingsTenter – a person who looked after something e. g. , furnace tenter, door tenter or pony tenterHistoryLadyshore Colliery was situated in the Irwell Valley, on two sides of the Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal. The colliery was opened in the 1830s and originally had three pits, Ladyshore, Victoria and Owl Hole. The deepest was Owl Hole, which reached 55fathom.

Ladyshore Colliery, originally named Back o' th Barn, was situated on the Irwell Valley fault on the Manchester Coalfield in Little Lever, then in the historic county of Lancashire, England. Founded by Thomas Fletcher Senior, the colliery opened in the 1830s and mined several types of coal. It became infamous as a result of the owners' stand against the use of safety lamps in the mines. Women and children worked in the mines, under poor conditions. Closed in 1949, it was the last colliery to remain in use by the canal. Only the colliery office (now a house) and the stables have survived. Terminology usedCoal mining had its own terminology, whilst some terms were common in all areas, some were used only in the Lancashire Coalfield. Following are some terms used in Ladyshore Colliery, taken from Weep Mother Weep. Balance – a slope with a pulley at the top where empty tubs pulled full tubs up the slopeBalancer – the person, usually a boy, who operated the balanceColliery – the site at the surface that includes all the buildings, railways and headgearsCoupler – a boy who worked on the haulage system coupling tubs togetherMine – the name given in Lancashire to a coal seamPit – the shaft from the surface down to the workingsTenter – a person who looked after something e. g. , furnace tenter, door tenter or pony tenterHistoryLadyshore Colliery was situated in the Irwell Valley, on two sides of the Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal. The colliery was opened in the 1830s and originally had three pits, Ladyshore, Victoria and Owl Hole. The deepest was Owl Hole, which reached 55fathom.