i've just been looking at a website on Rotherham pits and it keeps mentioning when a pit was sunk or sinkings.

What does this mean???

a lot of my relations were miners during there time and i know a few of you guys mention pits and pit disasters so if anyone could shed any light on this i would be very greatful

Martin

It's when it was 'dug'.

My Dad was a miner & he worked at Handsworth & Treeton & he was 1 of the last men at Handsworth.My brother was a miner & worked at Treeton

i used to be a coal miner at orgreave and the meaning of being sunk is when they started to dig the mine shaft :thumbsup:

A pit being 'sunk' simply means when the pit shafts were dug out for the cages that that took the miners down to the bottom.

My grandfather was the 'Under Manager' at Rotherham Main Colliery, (Canklow) and his son, (my father) was a 'Winder', the man that worked the lifting tackle of the cages that took the men down, my other grandfather was the foreman/joiner at the same pit.

This colliery closed down in 1954, I would be very interested if anyone else has anything to say about this colliery.

Originally posted by Gingerbarf
i've just been looking at a website on Rotherham pits and it keeps mentioning when a pit was sunk or sinkings.

What does this mean???

a lot of my relations were miners during there time and i know a few of you guys mention pits and pit disasters so if anyone could shed any light on this i would be very greatful

Martin In the old days when they sank a "Pit" or a "Well" they used to make a large circular wooden/ timber plate thing the diameter of the hole to be...This was layed on the ground over a dimple in the ground..and a couple of miners would work under this plate removing earth and sending it up through a hole in the middle of the plate in buckets. As they removed the earth the plate would sink into the ground.. while it was sinking, a bricklayer would build a wall around the edge of the plate like a chimney, this would descend into the ground
and produce the Well /Pit walls...I was told this by an old Nottingham Chap who's Grandfather used to own a Pit Sinking Business.

A pit being 'sunk' simply means when the pit shafts were dug out for the cages that that took the miners down to the bottom.

My grandfather was the 'Under Manager' at Rotherham Main Colliery, (Canklow) and his son, (my father) was a 'Winder', the man that worked the lifting tackle of the cages that took the men down, my other grandfather was the foreman/joiner at the same pit.

This colliery closed down in 1954, I would be very interested if anyone else has anything to say about this colliery.

researching my family history i have 5 family members living on Canklow working at Rotherham Main i live now less than 30 seconds away from the original site..

My mother's 5 brothers all worked at Treeton colliery at one time and another but a bit earlier than those already mentioned---------from the first World War era up until after the second World War. I'm a bit vague about the exact details but one or two also worked at the Orgreave Coke Ovens [?].
They lived in Catcliffe and I remember my mother saying that there was a little , "hole in the corner " shop in Catcliffe which sold rum and it was quite common for miners going on the morning shift or coming off the night shift to stop off for a quick gulp.
Two of the uncles , at least were still working at Treeton or Orgreave in the '40's and early '50's. I wish I knew more details about it all.

Originally posted by Timbuck
In the old days when they sank a "Pit" or a "Well" they used to make a large circular wooden/ timber plate thing the diameter of the hole to be...This was layed on the ground over a dimple in the ground..and a couple of miners would work under this plate removing earth and sending it up through a hole in the middle of the plate in buckets. As they removed the earth the plate would sink into the ground.. while it was sinking, a bricklayer would build a wall around the edge of the plate like a chimney, this would descend into the ground
and produce the Well /Pit walls...I was told this by an old Nottingham Chap who's Grandfather used to own a Pit Sinking Business.

The late Fred Dibnah demonstrated this technique on one of his programmes.
He was sinkinging a small shaft in his "back yard" and had steam-driven Winding Gear to go over it!
I'm not sure if it was ever finished and what will become of it now he's gone.

I live about one minute away from where Rotherham Main Colliery was Gingerbarf, it seems we both live in Brinsworth then right.

Do you have any pictures of the old pit? .. I have a good one I managed to find on the internet.

When you think about it there must be scores of people still living around the area that had relatives that worked at Rotherham Main, wonder where they all are and what stories they could tell.

My mum borrowed a book from Brinny library about Brinsworth and Canklow it had some great pics in it.
a few of Roth Main and some of old pub on Bonet Lane, The best was taken on the site of the 3 Magpies looking over Brinsworth you can see all the pit houses of Duncan & Ellis st even the ones on Bawtry rd opposite Wickes (obviously there's no Wickes) lol.

will find out the name of it because i would like a copy.

Yes if you do find out the name of the book, I would like to know and i'll go down and borrow it from the library if they still have it.

Originally of course there were only a few roads in Brinsworth and a few farms and that was it, the roads were, ....

The first I think was Bonnet Lane and Bawty Road at the top of Bonnet Lane.

Then came,
Duncan Street.
Ellis Street.
Atlas Street.
Brinsworth Lane, (also once known as 'Narrow Lane).

Brinsworth Manor school was built primary to take the Rotherham Main Colliery workers children.

(Sorry if you aready knew all this).

Originally posted by cgksheff
The late Fred Dibnah demonstrated this technique on one of his programmes.
He was sinkinging a small shaft in his "back yard" and had steam-driven Winding Gear to go over it!
I'm not sure if it was ever finished and what will become of it now he's gone. I understand the council stepped in and stopped him going any deeper a while ago on Health & Safety grounds,

Originally posted by Billy24
Yes if you do find out the name of the book, I would like to know and i'll go down and borrow it from the library if they still have it.

Originally of course there were only a few roads in Brinsworth and a few farms and that was it, the roads were, ....

The first I think was Bonnet Lane and Bawty Road at the top of Bonnet Lane.

Then came,
Duncan Street.
Ellis Street.
Atlas Street.
Brinsworth Lane, (also once known as 'Narrow Lane).

Brinsworth Manor school was built primary to take the Rotherham Main Colliery workers children.

(Sorry if you aready knew all this).

yes i did know but it's still good to post such info as other user's may not have known

still trying to find name of book