1986 - Page 11

Measham Closed After 93 Years

Measham in Leicestershire (South Midlands Area) sunk in 1893/94 as Measham Main by W Tate to the east of Measham village and taken over by Measham Main Collieries was closed on 27th June 1986.

• No1 shaft position 43/3411/977980
• No2 shaft 43/3411/985994
• No3 DC shaft sinking 1918-1922
• Minorca 43/3511/480400
• Drift 43/3411/872995 surface, 43/3411/541980 base or foot.
  The pit name was locally pronounced as Maysham.

Measham had been merged with Donisthorpe in 1984/85

Measham

In January 1986 Donisthorpe part was closed.

Pit head baths were opened in 1958 by Sir James Bowman (Chairman of NCB).

A new stockyard was built in 1957 and a McLane tip was still operational. Later the tip would be lowered and compacted following new Tipping Rules.

Timber impregnation for lagging underground was prepared by putting the cut wood into a drum of liquid.

An AB ranging drum shearer was installed in 1967 and nicknamed the ‘Flying Flea’ because of its cutting rates.

A conveyor mounted trepanner was introduced on 40s face in 1976.

A Kilburn bunker was operational in 1980.

In 1983 single entry working with steel air ducting was introduced at 37s. Wild Desford chocks were used on some panels.

Seams worked:

• Eureka 6/3/1975
• Stockings or 4 feet 31/12/1929 and 3/3/1978
• Stanhope 1907
• Little Woodfield 15/4/1983
• Woodfield, 15/4/1983
• Kilburn 27/6/1986.

Manpower: W Tate:

• 1894: 15 Main, 7 s/f
• 1895: 15 Main, 6 s/f
• 1896: 19 Main coal, 6 s/f
• 1897: stood

Executors of W Tate: 1898: 3 Main, 2 s/f

• 1899: Measham Main Collieries: 1900: 26 M, 32 s/f
• 1902: Measham Collieries Ltd: 155 Eureka, 12 Main, Woodfield standing, 52 s/f
• 1903: 190 E and M, 56 s/f
• 1904: 275 E and M, 633 s/f
• 1905: 306 E and M, 68 s/f
• 1906: 200 E, 61 s/f
• 1907: 263 E and Stanhope, 63 s/f
• 1908: 242 E and S, 88 s/f
• 1909: 230 E and S, 75 s/f
• 1910: 260 app, 80 s/f
• 1911: 300 app, 85 s/f
• 1912: 364 E and S, 90 s/f
• 1913: 335 E and S, 85 s/f
• 1914: 349 E and S, 101 s/f
• 1915: ?
• 1916: 372 E and S, 93 s/f
• 1917: 331 E, S and 4 Feet, 95 s/f
• 1918: 396 E, S, 4F,109 s/f, No3 – 25 sinking, 10 s/f
• 1919:
• 1920:
• 1921: 323 E, S and 4 F, 74 s/f and Eureka 2 s/f
• 1922: 337 u/g, 99 s/f
• 1923: 374 E, S, 4ft, 90 s/f
• 1924: 330 E, S, 4ft 112 s/f
• 1925: …
• 1926: 384 117 s/f
• 1927: Boundary altered, transferred to Leicestershire: 1928:…
• 1929: 614 S, E, 4ft, Main,167 s/f
• 1930:…
• 1931: 504 Stanhope, Eureka, Main, 169 s/f
• 1932: 544 S, E, M, 185 s/f
• 1933: 495 S, E, M and Stockings, 177 s/f
• 1934: 505 S, E, M, S, 183 s/f
• 1935: 372 S, E, M, S, 156 s/f
• 1936: 352 S, E, M, S, 151 s/f
• 1937: 354 S, E, M, S, 154 s/f
• 1938: 342 S, E, M, S, 159 s/f
• 1939:..
• 1940:
• 1941: 346 Woodfield, Stockings, Main, 168 s/f
• 1943: 360 W, S, M, 188 s/f
• 1944: 379 Woodfield and Stockings, 193 s/f
• 1945: app 590 W and S
• 1946:app 600 W and S.

Production and Manpower NCB: Measham: Tonnage and Manpower NCB: No7 Area EMD:

• 1947: 240,467 tons, total 636 men Woodfield and Stockings and surface
• 1948: 265,398 tons, 705 men
• 1949: 245,909 tons, 715 men
• 1950: 237,925 tons, 659 men
• 1951: 315,421 tons, 694 men
• 1952: 342,252 tons, 711 men
• 1953: 346,236 tons, 688 men
• 1954: 387,401 tons, 698 men
• 1955: 385,337 tons, 706 men
• 1956: including Minorca 398,181 tons, 719 men
• 1957: 403,893 tons, 720 men max
• 1958: 389,330 tons, 710 men
• 1959: 366,765 tons, 688 men
• 1960: 369,430 tons, 657 men
• 1961: 402,276 tons, 634 men
• 1962: 467,682 tons, 629 men
• 1963: 577,624 tons, 606 men
• 1963: 577,624 tons, 606 men
• 1964/65: 616,194 tons max, 585 men
• 1965/66: 446,131 tons, 592 men
• 1966/67: 432,939 tons, 570 men

South Midlands Area 1967/68: 376,699, 558 men

• 1968/69: 453,437 tons, 616 men
• 1969/70: 444,620 tons, 623 men
• 1970/71: 447,784 tons, 583 men
• 1971/72: 295,121 tons, 571 men
• 1972/73: 309,332 tons, 514 men
• 1973/74: 233,693 tons, 487 men
• 1974/75: 257,036 tons, 493 men
• 1975/76: 288,138 tons, 512 men
• 1976/77: 331,277 tons, 506 men
• 1977/78: 274,535 tonnes, 510 men
• 1978/79: 321,966 tonnes, 502 men
• 1979/80: 280,423 tonnes, 509 men
• 1980/81: 257,116 tonnes, 515 men
• 1981/82: 222,764 tonnes, 497 men
• 1982/83: 234,984 tonnes, 485 men
• 1983/84: 167,324 tonnes, 343 men
• 1984/85: 170,743 tonnes, 305 men. Merged with Donisthorpe 1985,
  Measham section closed 1986.

Agents:

• R Sinclair 1914-1922
• JE Stephens (3788) 1939-1941
• HE Moon (1327) 1942-1945
• John G Tebbs (3897) 1945-1947
• William Unsworth (2391) 1947-1949

Sub-Area Managers:

• William (Bill) Unsworth (2391) 1950-1951
• Jack E Chapman (1734) 1951-1953
• Harry Blakemore Bennett (2820) 1953-1956
• William C Statham (3660) 1956-1957
• Sam A McKee (3637) 1957-1966
• Arthur Summers (4896) 1966- died in post at his desk.

Managers:

• William Tate (974) 1894-1899
• CJ Jackson (957) 1899-1906
• Robert Millar (301) 1906-1912 (transferred to Worthington)
• Thomas Watson (3130) 1912-1913
• AH Williams (2972) 1913-1915
• Jas Colquhoun (1855) 1915-1916
• Robert Brodie (3357) 1916
• Robert Millar (301) (transferred back again) 1917-1924
• JE Stephens (3788) 1924-1939
• HE Moon (1327) 1939-1945
• John G Tebbs (3897) 1945-1951
• AE Colley (1234) 1951-1958
• Walter Lavin (6548) 1958-1962 (left to run his father’s Heath pit (Dominic Lavin’s, refer to Doe Lea drift mine abandoned in 1994)
• Ralph Rawlinson (5788) 1962-1964
• John Chris Boyle (5733) 1964-1966 (transferred to Cadley Hill)
• Alec Hindmarsh (5417) 1966-1971

Agent Managers: Roy Mallinder (7875) 1971-1973

• Harold J Durkin (6168) 1973-1977
• Barry A Finch (8614) 1977-1981
• Lewis Elverstone (9080) 1981-1985
• Barry A Finch (8614) 1985-1986.

Deputy Managers:

• Terry P Leader (8256) 1970-1982
• Derek Johnson (7696) 1982-1986.

Undermanagers:

• Thomas Tate (1372) 1894-1895
• A Jephson (977) 1895-1896
• T Jones (2nd) 1896-1898, nil
• T Petcher (3641 / 2nd) 1900-1906
• C George (3729 / 2nd) 1906-1907
• R Sinclair (5277 / 2nd) 1907-1914
• Robert Brodie (3357 / 1st) 1914-1916 (promoted to Manager)
• Robert Farquhar (7310) 1916-1917
• M Leckie (1872 / 2nd) 1917-1919
• Donald Ross (5701 / 2nd) 1919-1921
• William James Milburn (3630 / 2nd) 1921-1927
• L Colclough (8149 / 2nd) 1928-1931
• Thos Nix (575 / 2nd) 1928-1929
• William McKee (1795 / 1st) 1929-1931
• AE Bennett (1128 / 2nd) 1931-1934
• CA Leigh (1666 / 2nd) 1932-1950
• JW Webb (2932/2nd) 1932-1959
• CA Leigh (1666) again 1955-1958
• Peter Moulton (6364) 1959-1960
• John Chris Boyle (5733) 1960-1962
• W John Bond (6307) 1960-1964
• Mick E Skelding (7563) 1964-1966
• Len Edwards (7953) 1966-1968
• Norman Harvey (8469) 1968-1971
• Derek Massey (7960) 1971-1985
• Ken J Tunnicliffe (10450 / 2nd) 1981-1985
• John RE Leigh (11137) 1985-1986 (to Safety dept HQ).

Surveyors:

• Lewis and Lewis of Derby
• Harold S Shackleton (1775) 1920s-1940s to Area Surveyor 1947
• ......Ken Smith (4224) transferred to Ellistown c1970
• Peter B Arnold (4630)

Fatal Accidents Measham: included

• John William Lee (27) fall of roof 8/6/1906
• Albert Reagan (28) injured on 21/10/1903, died 19/12/1906
• George Wiggins (49) fall of roof 7/1/1909....n/a

Fatal Accidents At The Old Pit Included:

• John Usherwood, fall of coal, 5/5/1722
• Aaron Jones, fall of coal, 19/11/1732

Rawdon Closed After 165 Years