History of Coasl Mining

To begin with, coal mining was done on a small scale, with coal mostly being collected close to the surface with methods including drift mining and bell pits, which were mostly shallow. Both of these techniques would leave a considerable amount of coal undetected. The earliest known use of coal was by the Aztecs, who used it for ornaments and fuel.

In Roman Britain, the Romans exploited all major coalfields by the late 2^nd century and developed a strong trade along the North Sea Coast, expanding into continental Europe. Coal was primarily used to heat baths and the villas of wealthy individuals, as well as the smelting of iron.

After the Romans left Britain, there is little evidence of coal being used again until the end of 12^th century. By the 13^th century, the coal trade had increased across Britain and a number of coalfields in England, Scotland and Wales were being worked on a small scale. Even back then, it was clear that coal smoke was bad for people’s health and that there was increasingly pollution in the cities, which led to a Royal Proclamation in 1306, prohibiting artificers of London from using coal in their furnaces, instead making them return to wood and charcoal. In the 14^th century, coal began being used for domestic heating in coal producing areas of Britain, with Edward III being the first king to take an interest in the coal trade, which allowed for an export of coal to Calais.

Deep coal mining is thought to have taken place as early as the 1500s, however, deep shaft mining began to develop with rapid expansion in the 18^th, 19^th and 20^th centuries. In Scotland, miners were bonded to their masters by an Act of Law, however in 1775, this was seen to be a state of slavery and it was formally abolished.

During the 17^th Century, a number of advances were made, including the use of test boring and chain pumps, driven by water wheels to drain the collieries. Women and children, who were paid a fraction of the cost of men, were commonly used as miners until this was abolished in 1842.

Coal mining in South Wales

One of Britain’s largest coal exporters were the mines of South Wales. In this area of the UK, miners often lived in isolated villages where there was a degree of equality in lifestyle and a Methodist based society. The Miners’ Federation was formed, which forged a community of solidarity among miners and they supported first the Liberal Party and then the Labour Party.

Mining from 1900 onwards

Technical developments as part of the Industrial Revolution led to improvements in the safety of colliers and their output. In more recent years, coal has been swapped for oil, natural gas, nuclear power and renewable energy sources.

Most of Britain’s coalmines were purchased by the government in 1947 and placed under the control of the National Coal Board, only a few smaller ones remained in private ownership. The mining unions had been campaigning for such a move for decades.

By the 1980s, most pits had been in production for over 100 years, so were considered unsafe and uneconomic. The National Coal Board (by then known as British Coal) was privatised by selling off a large number of pits to private concerns through the 1990s. Because of exhausted seams, high prices and cheap imports, the British mining industry disappeared almost completely. The final deep pit mine in the South Wales Valleys closed in January 2008. Until 2015, coal continued to be mined at places in South Wales and Kellingley Colliery was the last deep coal mine in operation in the UK, its last shift was in December of 2015.

Miner strikes

Coal was not only a way of producing energy that was needed, particularly during the World Wars, but was also a political issue. The working conditions and the way miners were treated were huge issues, much of the left leaning politicians and members of society came from mining areas. The main labour union for miners was the Miners’ Federation of Great Britain, which was founded in 1888. It had over 600,000 members by 1908 and later became known as the National Union of Mineworkers.

The treatment of miners was one of the causes of the UK General Strike in 1926, which lasted for nine days between 4^th and 12^th May. It was called by the General Council of the Trade Union Congress in an unsuccessful attempt at forcing the British government to act to prevent wage reductions and worsening conditions for 1.2 million locked out coal miners. It is thought that around 1.7 million workers walked out, especially in the more labour-intensive industries.