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Post by bertsgranddaughter on Mar 27, 2009 6:46:10 GMT -5
I've been looking into the early days of Yorkshire Main, when the land was sold, when the sinking started, 1909, and the building of Stavely Street, which started in 1910. In the census of 1911 there are people living in these houses from all over the country - someone from Northampton was living in 56 Stavely Street. My grandad's family walked there from Oxfordshire, and my grandmother's from retford.
My question is - How did these people know about the sinking of this new pit while they were living so far away? Was it advertised? If so, where?
Any ideas? thanks.
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Post by John on Mar 27, 2009 8:14:07 GMT -5
From what I read, most mining jobs were advertised by word of mouth at that time.
I doubt too many miners in the 1800's could afford to waste money on newspapers, let alone know how to read either.
How word traveled so far from a major mining area, I have no idea, but it did.
I know such as Kirkby in Nottinghamshire to Nottingham pits, word seemed to get around easily, and remember back then, few people traveled far from their home villages.
Maybe by the turn of the century more miners were literate and had access to newspapers, again I doubt they would have spent their hard earned money on one. Food and rent came top priority to a family man, very little left over for luxuries.
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Post by bertsgranddaughter on Mar 27, 2009 9:50:14 GMT -5
Thanks - yes I did wonder about newspapers but as both sets of great-grandparents were illiterate I assumed they wouldn't be able to respond directly to adverts. But, it only takes one literate person to be able to read something out to others.... It is a helluva risk to hike yourself and family halfway across England not knowing (presumably) that they'd get a job at the end of it. I wonder if sometimes the men went on their own first with the family to follow? Family rumour says that my grandad walked with his dad from Bicester, and he was only 6. They must have acted quickly because of where they lived in the street, first come first served, and both sets of great-grandparents were on Stavely Street. My grandma was 6 months old when they moved there, and the houses weren't finished, they had sacking up to the windows. It must have been hard!
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Post by John on Mar 27, 2009 10:22:33 GMT -5
This was at the peak of the coal mining industry and during that period there would be a shortage of men available to work the pits.
At that time owners worked through the summer months building stockpiles of coal up for winter at the larger collieries. Then come winter, they'd short time the men to three days a week at best.
The best and most skilled workers would be retained full time, 6 days a week, for road drivages and any production needed through the winter months.
Smaller pits, usually owned by large "gentry" farmers would use most of their farm labourers during the winter months, then they would go back to working the farms during summer.
Times were tough back then right up until 1947 when the industry was nationalised. This gave a guaranteed working week of six days, a decent wage and safer working conditions.
How soon people forget what times were like for the working man and women just 70 years back.
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