1889 - Page 2

Fatal Accidents 1889 Included

• Teversal, William Clark Managing Director of the Stanton Iron Co., suicide, jumped down Teversal shaft.
• Cinderhill, Samuel Hallam (20) suicide 1 Feb 1889
• Coleorton No3 (Bug & Wink) (Checkland & Co) Frederick Curtis (20) whilst swimming with other workmates after leaving work drowned in the colliery reservoir
• Eastwood colliery, William Naylor (47) killed on 6 Jan 1889
  
• Langley Mill colliery, Thomas H Davis (18) was killed on 7 Aug 1889
  
• New London, William Clarke Lowe (38) 3 Oct 1889
  
• Wollaton, John Castle (46) 23 Aug 1889.

The average pithead price of coal had now risen to 6s 4d (31½p).

Old South Normanton Colliery

Old South Normanton Colliery (To the North of the A 38) South Normanton, Winksbank, Winterbank or Wincobank, (South Normanton Colliery Co) - Winks Bank pit (South Normanton Colliery Co) (Messrs Swann and Stocks), South Normanton, (Derbyshire)  Top Hard 4’ 10” (1.47m) at 90 yards deep (82m) met old workings, and was abandoned in January 1887, for want of capital. Nearby the Berrister Hard coal level lead from an Engine pit. 

Another pit near Swan Inn had been sunk on old hollows. This colliery, not to be confused with the later South Normanton colliery sunk in 1896, was also known locally as Winterbank, South Normanton 1840-1874, Winksbank -1879.

Winkcobank -1882, Winks Bank 1883-1888. This old mine had a wooden headstock and was to the north of the later mine, and was sunk about 1840 just over the border from Nottinghamshire into Derbyshire. It was close to the Winterbank Farm from which the mine got its name. The owner was Hugh Browne Esq of Nottingham and the mine known as South Normanton.

South Normanton was leased to James Hanson of Hoyland, Barnsley who had tried to re-work the mine 1888-1889, but the workings hit water in quantity. The previous owners Swann and Stocks’ old workings had finished in Jan 1887 for want of capital. A roadway on the surface led from the Upcast Winding shaft to a loading stage at the Midland Railway. The DC pit was termed the Water pit.  Small’s heads to the south had finished in Nov 1883.  The gradient of the coal was 2½” to the yard (0.06m to 0.91m), about 1in15.  The pit was closed in 1889.

Manpower: Winks Bank (South Normanton Colliery Co)
 1884: probably less than 50 men and boys
 1886: standing
 1887: standing
 1888: colliery ceased production.

Owners: W Swann 1862-1868
 Joseph Swann 1868-1873
 South Normanton Colliery Co 1873-1888
 (South Normanton Colliery Co, James Hanson) 1888.

Managers at old Winterbank (Winkcobank or Winksbank or Winks Bank or South Normanton): 
 Jos Swann 1840s
 Fred Flint (1288) -1883
 J Kenneth Guthrie 1883-1887
 William Braddock 1887
 William Minnikin (474c) 1888-1892.

Undermanager: George Holdsworth (2nd class service cert 1269) pre 1887 to 1892.

Surveyor: James I Canon.

Fatal accidents: Sam Carlin (74) May 1862.

Winks Bank: The pit was kept open for pumping after coal production ceased and 2 men were employed underground and 2 on the surface. Eventually this pumping ceased and the pit was abandoned. The wooden headgear was allowed to rot away I remember and was only dismantled in the late 1950s. The shafts were covered over. I do not know whether the shafts were filled and capped with concrete.

This array of names for one colliery is most confussing as one can see but as previously mentioned usually a colliery name was changed when taken over by a new owner.

This was the colliery where my Great Grandfather Robert White worked,
called Winkcobank in 1879/1880.

Barber Walker Co Output

Barber Walker Co output rose to almost 996,000 tons produced by 3,040 men in full time working. Colliers wages had advanced by 40% since 1888 and in addition a gratuity of 10% upon salaries was given to Managers, engineers, foremen and clerks. A new headgear was built at High Park colliery, and at Brinsley a new screening plant for Bright coal was commissioned.   6 cottages were built at Wellington Place, Eastwood.