Coal mining in Britain began long before the invention of steam engines, particularly in the South Wales area. Before steam engines, pits were often shallow and followed a seam of coal along the surface and were abandoned once the coal had been extracted.
The introduction of the steam pump enabled shafts to be made deeper and enabled more coal to be extracted. This had begun prior to the Industrial Revolution but output increased with the rest of the nation’s industry in the period after.
Coal mining was a dangerous activity, in 1816, a safety lamp was invented by Humphrey Davy and George Stephenson, however, they became very unsafe quickly and provided weak light. Casualties grew during the 19th century and conditions of work were very poor with a high casualty rate.
The history of coal mining goes back thousands of years with evidence of mines in ancient China and the Roman Empire. It became particularly important during the Industrial Revolution of the 19th and 20th centuries when more coal was needed to power steam engines and generate electricity.
Since 1890, coal mining has been a huge political and social issue. Coal miner unions were powerful from the 20th centuries and environmental issues have shown an increasing need to be aware of the health of the miners, destruction of the landscape and the contribution to global warming.