Beeston Hall or Beeston Hill Pit

Judith S · Post by **Judith S** » Sat 14 Apr, 2012 8:16 pm

While doing some family history research we have come across an ancestor, Benjamin Burnley, who owned some rights to a mine in Beeston which was variously described as Beeston Hall and Beeston Hill.....I live in Beeston and I know two things 1. there were shed-loads of mines in Beeston2. Beeston Hall and Beeston Hill are completely different places...but I can't find any definite references to mines called either of these things.....Can anybody help?

grumpytramp · Post by **grumpytramp** » Sat 14 Apr, 2012 9:29 pm

Judith Both pits are recorded on the Northern Mines Research Society database of Yorkshire Collieries and mines of other stratafied minerals working from 1854 (developed by the excellent mining historian Mike Gill).Mine: Beeston HillLocation: Beeston, LeedsSinking: 1878Abandonment date: 1881Note: Sinking from 1878 to 1880In the 1880 report of the Mines Inspectorate Beeston Hill Colliery is recorded as being worked by William MorrisMine: Beeston HallLocation: Beeston, LeedsSinking: 1898Abandonment date: 1899They do not sound like the most succesful of ventures!It is possible that Benjamin Burnley's interest might have been worked from other collieries working in the area of Beeston Hill and Beeston Hall that may not have carried the respective names. Do the dates tie in with your own records?I cannot pinpoint their locations at the moment, though there will probably be some records of these workings at least in the form of abandonment plans held by the Coal Authority where the location of those pits could be identified.

Post by **cnosni** » Sat 14 Apr, 2012 9:32 pm

grumpytramp wrote: Judith Both pits are recorded on the Northern Mines Research Society database of Yorkshire Collieries and mines of other stratafied minerals working from 1854 (developed by the excellent mining historian Mike Gill).Mine: Beeston HillLocation: Beeston, LeedsSinking: 1878Abandonment date: 1881Note: Sinking from 1878 to 1880In the 1880 report of the Mines Inspectorate Beeston Hill Colliery is recorded as being worked by William MorrisMine: Beeston HallLocation: Beeston, LeedsSinking: 1898Abandonment date: 1899They do not sound like the most succesful of ventures!It is possible that Benjamin Burnley's interest might have been worked from other collieries working in the area of Beeston Hill and Beeston Hall that may not have carried the respective names. Do the dates tie in with your own records?I cannot pinpoint their locations at the moment, though there will probably be some records of these workings at least in the form of abandonment plans held by the Coal Authority where the location of those pits could be identified. You cannot ask for a better quality answer than that.Thats the quality of SL

Judith S · Post by **Judith S** » Sat 14 Apr, 2012 11:32 pm

Brilliant! Thank you!The dates seem right and a short duration is quite possible, I shall toddle off and look this up.(Burnley did make some good money out of this apparently, but the next generation spent it on alcohol, which explains why I still live in Beeston!)