Pit Headman

[Pandabean]

I have been looking through sites relating to Bothwell Haugh in Lanarkshire but have found no mention of this type of job.

My Great Great Grandfather Alexander McDonald worked as a Pit Headman at Bothwell Haugh in the late 1800's to early 1900s. Prior to that he was just a coal miner.

Does anyone know much about what would he be involved with during the day to day running of a pit and is there likely to be any record of him in this position?



Andy

[ninatoo]

I got this from another site:

"The pit headman .... was in charge of offloading the cages at the surface and weighing the coal - he weighed it for the company and was in the employ of the company; the checkweighman was in the employ of the workers/union and checked that the weights were correct. ...there were others who worked on the pit head who may be employed as pit head workers - this would cover a number of different jobs."

Nina

[Jack]

Hi Andy,
Here are three online sites about mining - there are many more.
--
http://www.mcpitz.com/

http://web.ukonline.co.uk/members/tom.p ... mining.htm

http://www.cmhrc.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/
--
Jack

[AndrewP]

Hi Andy,

See also

http://website.lineone.net/~coalmining/DictionaryK.htm

All the best,

AndrewP

[Pandabean]

Thanks guys.

Thanks Nina for the definition. He changes from a coal miner to a pitheadman to a surface worker at colliery.

The amazing thing is he lived til he was in 90s. Was that common for miners?

[DavidWW]

......snipped........
The amazing thing is he lived til he was in 90s. Was that common for miners?

But he wasn't a miner, in the sense of working underground and liable to develop "brochitis" (pneumoconiosis) or "asthma" (emphysema) .....

David

[Tom-W]

Here is a pretty detailed description of the role of a pitheadman from http://www.mining-villages.co.uk/13.html

“The pitheadman shall have charge of the workers employed about the pithead, and who shall act under his directions. He shall also see that at all times there is in readiness, near the pithead, a sufficient stock of timber for props and other pit purposes, and saws, in proper order for being used by the colliers and other workmen in preparing the timber; he shall also superintend and direct the safe removal from the cage of all loaded hutches arriving at the pithead, and see to the safe replacing of return hutches on the cage. He shall be in attendance on the morning of each working day at the time the colliers' shift shall commence, and he shall regulate the number of men who shall descend at a time, taking care that no more than four shall ride on a cage, and none along with a hutch ; and he shall give the appropriate signal before allowing the cage to descend with men. He alone shall work the signal bell to the pitbottom, and he shall also attend to the signal made from the pitbottom.

The pitheadman shall carefully inspect the ropes and chains used in the shaft, which are under his charge, and if he shall discern or be informed of any flaw or weakness in them, so as to render them in the least dangerous, he shall stop the pit operations until such flaw or weakness shall be remedied ; he shall also be careful to prevent the fall of any stone, coal, or other substance, into the shaft from the surface, and he shall instantly communicate with the manager, or employer, and direct the descent of a skilled person to rectify any deficiency in the shaft.”

Regards
Tom

[JustJean]

Hi TomW

Thanks for sharing that description. I have a couple of Pitheadmen in the past but I guess never took the time to read that particular website. Very informative!

Best wishes
Jean

[Pandabean]

Thanks Tom. I really appreciate that.

[ninatoo]

I agree, thanks Tom. Somewhere in my tree I have a pitheadman. Maybe while I can't get onto Scotland's People, I should try to find him and add that wonderful description of his job!

Nina