Coal mining in Lanarkshire: hardship for the poor and wealth for the rich

‘Coal mining was exceedingly profitable for the Duke of Hamilton. His land was leased to the managers who employed the miners. Underground workers were paid four pence for each ton of the coal they dug. The Duke under whose land they laboured received one shilling and four pence for each ton of coal brought to the surface. Miners were serfs. They were advertised, bought, sold and punished. Except by agreement, leaving the industry was against the law…  At the end of his first month, Hugh declared that: “I hate the mine. I hate the manager. I detest the Duke. I want to be free.”’ This quote is from The Claudians: gardens, landscapes, reason and faith: John Claudius Loudon and Claudius Buchanan, Tom Turner (Kindle, 2024).

More about coal mining in Lanarkshire

Coal mining began in the 1200s and was run by monks. In 18th century Cambuslang it was marked by the harsh conditions faced by miners, including women and children, who toiled underground. In the early days, whole families could be found working in the mines, with a clear division of labour based on gender. Men were responsible for "hewing" or cutting the coal, while women and children were tasked with "drawing" or moving the coal to the surface. Young children, too small for other tasks, were often employed as "trappers" to operate ventilation doors. Life underground was perilous, especially in the bell pits where miners dug outwards into the coal seam until collapse. Working shifts in near darkness, illuminated only by candle or tallow light, added to the challenges faced by miners. The development of "pits" with vertical shafts allowed access to deeper coal seams. These collieries utilised rotating pithead pulleys operated by cables running from the colliery drum, which could be steam or horse powered. These innovations facilitated the transportation of miners and coal to and from the pit bottom in buckets or cages, streamlining the mining process but also introducing new safety concerns. Despite the dangers, coal mining played a vital role in the industrial development of Cambuslang and surrounding areas.