This is a partial glossary of coal mining terminology commonly used in the coalfields of the United Kingdom. Some words were in use throughout the coalfields, some are historic and some are local to the different British coalfields.
A Adit An adit is an underground level or tunnel to the surface for access or drainage purposes.
Afterdamp Afterdamp is a mixture of carbon monoxide and chokedamp which replaces atmospheric air after an explosion.
Agent The agent was the senior colliery manager: the term "viewer", "captain" or "steward" also appeared in older regional terminology. Where the mine owner provided the capital and sank the shafts, the agent organised the development of the colliery, determined mining methods, advised the owner on the mine's commercial management and labour policy, and in later years was generally a trained mining engineer. In the management hierarchy the agent was superior to the colliery manager and under-manager, who had day to day operational responsibility. An agent responsible for several collieries and managers was termed a "general manager".Dictionary of Occupational Terms Based on the Classification of Occupations used in the Census of Population, 1921 ORDER III. MINING AND QUARRYING OCCUPATIONS Sub-order 1. In Coal and Shale Mines 040. Owners, Agents, Managers, accessed 9-10-18
Airway A roadway used for ventilation.
B Bank, pit bank or pit brow The bank, pit bank or pit brow is the area at the top of the shaft.
Banksman or banker A banksman, banker, hillman or browman works at the pit bank to dispatch the coals, and organise the workforce. He is in charge of loading or unloading the cage, drawing full tubs from the cages and replacing them with empty ones. The counterpart role at pit bottom is the onsetter.
Bell A bell, bell stone or pan was a loose, roughly bell-shaped stone in the mine roof, liable to fall without warning: the cause of many coalmine fatalities. Bells were usually found in shale, but rarely in sandstone.
Bevin Boys Bevin Boys were men conscripted to work in the collieries during World War II in a scheme introduced by Ernest Bevin.
Bell pit A bell pit was a type of coal mine in which coal found close to the surface was extracted by sinking a shaft and removing coal from around it until the roof became unstable. It was then abandoned and left to subside.
Bind A term used in various areas to refer to shale, mudstone, clay or sandstone overlying the seam.
Bituminous coal Bituminous coal is a type of coal found in the most coalfields. It is laid down in seams and varies in constituency and quality. It was used to produce town gas or coke, raise steam in industrial boilers or locomotives, to fuel power stations or for domestic heating.
Blackdamp Blackdamp is the name given to a mixture of carbon dioxide and nitrogen.
Blower A blower was a source of firedamp issuing into the mine from a fissure in the coal. The term "feeder" was used in some areas. The issue of gas was often audible, hence the name.
Brattice Brattice, strong canvas sheeting coated in tar to make it air-tight, is used to make partitions to deflect air into particular areas of a colliery or divide a shaft to improve ventilation and dilute flammable or noxious gases.
Bump A bump, pounce, thump or goff was a sudden movement in the strata while underground and occasionally gave warning of an imminent outburst.Lama and Bodziony (1996) Outbursts of Gas, Coal and Rock in Underground Coal Mines, p.189 They were often preceded by a characteristic noise, also in some areas called a bump. Trainee miners often found bumps a frightening experience.
Butterfly A butterfly is a safety link or detaching hook above the cage attached to the winding rope to prevent the cage from being over wound. It was invented by Edward Ormerod.
Butty A miner's name for a working partner (South Wales) or for their opposite number on another shift (N. England) but also in earlier times an alternative name for a charter master. The "butty system" was the contracting system used by charter masters.
C Cage The cage is the iron framework in which men and coal tubs are wound up and down the shaft. It could have one or more decks to increase its capacity.
Chargehand General term for a supervisory worker.
Charter master A charter master, butty or contractor was in the 19th century and earlier a man who contracted with a pit owner to work a colliery seam for a tonnage price, while arranging and paying for labour himself.Bulman and Redmayne (1906) Colliery Working and Management, Lockwood, p.402 While this labour system gradually fell into disuse except in small collieries, until nationalisation the term "charter master" was in a few areas still sometimes used to refer to the supervisory official usually called a deputy.Haynes (1953) Nationalization in Practice: The British Coal Industry, p.90
Chock A chock was originally a piece of timber used to support the face. In later years hydraulic chocks were used.
Collier In its most restricted sense, a collier is a worker who "gets" the coal, i.e. a hewer or coal getter.
Contraband Contraband was material banned from being taken down the mine, generally for safety reasons, such as matches and cigarettes. Miners were regularly checked for contraband.
Corf or corve A woven wood basket for carrying or transporting (called hurrying) coal to the surface.
D Damp Damp is gas, it derives from the German word dampf meaning vapour.
Dataller A dataller, day wage man or day-man was paid on a daily basis for work done as required. Datallers' work included building and repairing roadways.
Davy lamp A Davy lamp is an early type of safety lamp named after its inventor, Sir Humphry Davy. A similar lamp was designed by George Stephenson.
Day level A level driven from the surface.
Deep Workings and roadways at a level below the pit bottom.
Deputy A "deputy overman", deputy, fireman (North Wales and parts of Lancashire) or examiner (South Wales) was an underground official who had supervision of a district and the men working in it.Church and Outram (2002) Strikes and Solidarity: Coalfield Conflict in Britain, 1889-1966, CUP, p.23 Deputies were designated as the competent person directly responsible for the safety of their district and inspection of its roadways. The role developed as an amalgamation of several earlier roles: in early mining, deputies were responsible for timbering, while a "fireman" was originally responsible for testing for firedamp: an "examiner" was originally the supervisor on a non coal turning shift, earning less pay than a deputy. Deputies were promoted from amongst experienced miners: from 1911, the role required certification of competence, but gradually changed so that supervision of production was added to safety responsibilities. Deputies carried a yardstick, originally a measuring stick but later adapted to raise a safety lamp to test for gas, and later still to mount a gas testing bulb. Deputies like other officials also carried a relightable version of the standard safety lamp.
Dip Declivity of the strata. A heading or roadway following the dip of the strata was called a "dip road" or (in the North and Scotland) a "dook".Barrowman, J. Glossary of Scotch Mining Terms, scottishmining.co.uk, accessed 06-10-18
District A district is a specific, usually named area of the coalface where particular seams are worked.
Doggy A doggy, also known as a corporal in the Midlands, was an underground supervisor with responsibility for the haulage men; the role was similar to that of the deputy at the face, and later sometimes included the responsibility of the deputy to test for gas.Griffin (1977) The British coalmining industry, Moorland, p.33
Downcast, downcast shaft The downcast is the shaft by which fresh air descends into the mine. After a disaster at Hartley Colliery in 1862, legislation decreed that collieries should have two means of entering the coal workings. In effect this meant two shafts which aided ventilation.
Downthrow A fault, when approached from the higher side.
Drawer A drawer, putter (Northumberland), hurrier (Yorkshire), or waggoner is a person, usually a boy or young man who pushes tubs of coal from the coal face to the pit eye. Before 1842 women did this type of work in some coalfields.
Drift A drift is an underground road between seams; to be distinguished from drift mining.
Dudley A metal container to hold drinking water.
E Engine pit The shaft where the pumping engine was located was often termed the "engine pit"; the second shaft sunk, during development, was termed the "bye pit". In practice the bye pit usually served as the upcast or air shaft.
Engineer In traditional terminology a mine engineer was a senior person responsible for all boilers and machinery and for supervision of the enginewrights. In Scotland the word "engineer" referred to a surveyor.
Engineman An engineman drove a haulage engine; a winding engineman or winder drove the winding engine.
Eye or pit-eye The eye or pit-eye is the area at the bottom of the shaft.
F Face or coal face The coal face is the place where coal is cut from the coal seam either manually by hewers or mechanically by machine.
Fire boss A fire boss is a certified underground coal mine safety official who inspects work areas for hazards like methane, oxygen deficiency, and roof instability before each shift. They are usually the first to enter the mine to ensure safety, often required to perform these checks within 3 hours of the crew's arrival.
Firedamp Firedamp is explosive, flammable gas consisting predominantly of methane.
Fitter A fitter is a worker responsible for the maintenance of underground machinery.
Furnace, furnace pit Furnaces were used in the 19th century instead of fans for ventilation. The furnace was usually at the bottom of the upcast shaft which acted as a chimney, creating airflow throughout the workings.
G Gannister Gannister is siliceus fireclay which can be used to make firebricks.
Garland A garland was a water channel or gutter in the lining of a mine shaft.
Gate A gate is a tunnel serving the coal face, the maingate is where fresh air enters and the tailgate is where spent air exits.
Goaf, gove or gob The goaf, gove, gob, shut or waste is the void from which all the coal in a seam has been extracted and where the roof is allowed to collapse in a controlled manner.The term possibly comes from Welsh language ogof, gof, "cave".
H Headframe, headstocks or headgear The headframe, headstocks or headgear is the framework holding the winding wheel over the shaft.
Heading A roadway generally; more specifically, a roadway in the process of development.
Heapkeeper, heap keeper, keeker or heap inspector A person responsible to the mine manager for the work done by the men and boys engaged in cleaning and screening the coals at the pithead and loading them into waggons. The heapkeeper keeps a wages book showing the shifts worked by those under him and makes daily reports to the mine manager stating quantity of coal drawn and how it has been disposed of. The heapkeeper may also be responsible for recording goods received by rail.Heave Heave or floor heave refers to the floor of a roadway lifting as a result of ground stresses, reducing the roadway height. Soft floors can also bubble up; this was called "creep".
Hewer A hewer is a coal face worker who digs coal, loosening the coal with a pick.
Hurrier, putter, drawer or waggoner A hurrier (Yorkshire), putter (Northumberland), waggoner or drawer (Lancashire) was the person who brought empty coal tubs up to the coal face and took loaded tubs to the pit bottom.
I Inbye Inbye means going away from the pit shaft towards the coal face (Opposite of outbye).
Inset An inset is an opening part way down a shaft giving access to intermediate levels of a mine.
Intake An intake airway is one along which fresh air travels into the mine.
J Jenkin