Miner Collection

73-year-old Jack Lisle strides back to his home in Chesnut Street, Ashington, after his shift at Woodhorn Colliery, where he is the oldest miner

Levant Mine, St Just in Penwith, Cornwall. 11th July 1894
Tramming with a pit pony at the 278 fathoms main tramming level. Pit ponies were rarely used in Cornwall and until they were introduced at East Pool Mine during the First World War they were unique

Miners working at the coalface, South Wales
Two miners, stripped to the waist, working at the coalface in a coal seam in South Wales

Dolcoath Mine, Camborne, Cornwall. 1890s
Dolcoath Spallers and Bal Maidens. The mine captain, sitting at the front on the right, is believed to be Mr Thomas. Photographer: Unknown

Coal miners in shaft lift, South Wales
Several coal miners with blackened faces stand in the shaft lift at the end of their shift in a coal mine in South Wales

Preparing for the third Royal Party descent of inclined shaft, Botallack Mine, St Just in Penwith, Cornwall
The Prince and Princess of Wales, later to become King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra, were in the first skip to descend the inclined Boscawen Shaft

The third Royal Party descends the inclined shaft, Botallack Mine, St Just in Penwith, Cornwall. 24th July 1865
The Prince and Princess of Wales, later to become King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra, were in the first skip to descend the inclined Boscawen Shaft

Royal Party descent of inclined shaft, Botallack Mine, St Just in Penwith, Cornwall. 24th July 1865
The Prince and Princess of Wales, later to become King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra, are pictured in the first skip to descend the inclined Boscawen Shaft down to the 235 fathom level

Dolcoath Mine, Camborne, Cornwall. Early 1900s
View of Williams shaft headgear built in 1894. Dolcoath Mine, Camborne, Cornwall. Photographer: John Charles Burrow

Markham Colliery, Mining
A group of miners at Markham Colliery (Markham no.1/4) near Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England. It was near here, on July 31, 1973

Captain Tom Gundry, champion Cornish wrestler. Probably early 1880s
A studio portrait photograph of the champion Cornish wrestler, Thomas Gundry, wearing a wrestling jacket and two championship sashes

A Miner Success by Bruce Bairnsfather, WW1 cartoon
" They must ave ad some good news or somethin, Alf; you can ear em cheerin quite plain." Two British Tommies, Bill and Alf

National coal strike - demands of miners 1912
National coal strike, to secure a minimum wage that lasted from February to early April 1912. This table shows how the wages differ per day in Great Britain and Ireland during 1910, of boys, youths

Arthur Scargill at home near Barnsley, Yorkshire. One of Arthurs possessions is a clock with a face made of coal. The painting was done by Margaret Burlton

Cornish wrestling group, Randfontein, Transvaal, South Africa. Around 1900
Cornish wrestlers, officials, trophies and prizes pictured outside what appears to be the Transvaal miners sports clubhouse

Coal Miner
A miner pushing a coal truck, 1878. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Two miners in a narrow coal seam, South Wales
Two miners, one of them quite young, working in a narrow coal seam in a mine in South Wales

Humphrey Jennings The Silent Village (1943)

Richard Arthur (Dicky Nine Lives), Edwyn Vincent (1858-1919)
Oil on canvas, English School, 1887. Primitive style full length portrait of man in mining clothes with Pednandrea Mine in the background of the painting

East Pool Mine Illogan, Cornwall. 1893
Clearing out ore from landing brace at surface. Photographer: John Charles Burrow

Iron Miner
5th June 1948: A miner pauses in a tunnel before starting a shift in Britains most modern iron ore mine, at Irthlinborough in Northamptonshire

South Condurrow Mine, Camborne, Cornwall. 1892
Four miners standing in the Cathedral, at South Condurrow mine. In 1897 part of the property was transferred to Camborne School of Mines as the (later) King Edward VII mine

Mormons cutting stone for their temple, Utah
Quarrying stone for the Mormon Temple in Salt Lake City, Utah, 1870s. Hand-colored woodcut of a 19th-century illustration

Coal miner filling truck, South Wales mine
A coal miner (Billy Hurland) filling a dram (coal truck) at Baldwins Level (nicknamed Clog and Legging) in a coalmine near Pontypool in South Wales

Miner riding drams, Tirpentwys Colliery, South Wales
A miner riding a journey of drams (coal trucks) at Tirpentwys Colliery near Pontypool in South Wales. Date: 1910

Pednandrea stamps and mine dressing floor at Wheal Sparnon, Redruth, Cornwall. 1865
The area in the photograph is now covered by Clinton Road, Park Road and Albany Road, Redruth. According to the Ordnance Survey Six Inch map Cornwall LXIII

WEST VIRGINIA: COAL MINE. The next trip. Coal miners sitting in a mining car, ready to go into the mine shaft at Maidsville, West Virginia. Photograph by Marion Post Wolcott, September 1938

South Condurrow Mine, Camborne, Cornwall. June 1908
Mill at the 130 level. Miner guiding ore into trolley from above. Carpenters saw hanging from the side of chute framework. Pieces of loose timber standing nearby

South Condurrow Mine, Camborne, Cornwall. September 1898
Student setting a fuse using a candle. In 1897 the Camborne School of Metalliferous Mining took over the north-east part of South Condurrow mine for training purposes

New Cooks Kitchen, Illogan, Cornwall. Early 1900s
Chappels (engine) shaft at the 406 level. This shows a typical Cornish kibble, with curved sides to prevent snagging, which has been hoisted from below by an air winch

Unemployed coal miners demonstrating at Jarrow, England, in 1936
ENGLAND: COAL MINERS, 1936. Unemployed coal miners demonstrating at Jarrow, England, in 1936

Miners from Fernhill Colliery, Glamorgan, South Wales
A black-faced miner, carrying his small daughter, his wife shielding her face, at Fernhill in the Rhondda. He has just emerged from 292 hours underground in a stay-in miners strike at Fernhill

Coal miners relaxing after a shift. This is a coal mine in Donetsk, Ukraine. Photographed in May 1987 when Ukraine was still part of the USSR

Picking coal from waste tip during 1921 strike, South Wales
Three men picking coal from a local colliery waste tip during the 1921 strike, South Wales

Painting by Lesage
Painting by French coal miner Augustin Lesage who was told by the spirits that they would see to it that he became a famous artist

Dolcoath Mine, Camborne, Cornwall. March 1904
Drilling at the 375 level. Photographer: John Charles Burrow

England, Northumberland, Woodhorn Colliery Mining Museum. Pit Head Winding Gear at the Woodhorn Colliery Mining Museum near Ashington - Once a former coal pit

Miner statue, Tonypandy, Rhondda Valley, Glamorgan, Wales, United Kingdom, Europe

Australian Gold Rush prospectors, 1850s
Australian prospectors panning for gold, 1850s. Hand-colored woodcut of a 19th-century illustration

Leadville, a Colorado boom town, 1870s
Chestnut Street in Leadville, Colorado, during the mining boom, 1870s. Hand-colored woodcut of a 19th-century illustration

Disused Tin mine, Cornwall
The ruins of a disused Cornish tin mine

Markham Colliery, Mining
Markham Colliery near Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England. A smiling coal miner stands in front of a production table notice, which states target, and actual outputs

Haulier and assistant, Baldwins Level, South Wales
A haulier and his assistant, with a pit pony pulling a truck, at Baldwins Clog and Legging Level, near Pontypool, South Wales

Miners at the pit bottom, Tirpentwys Colliery, South Wales
A group of miners at the pit bottom of Tirpentwys Colliery, near Pontypool in South Wales

MOLLY MAGUIRES, 1874. Holding a clandestine meeting during a strike in the Pennsylvania coal fields. Wood engraving from an American newspaper of 1874

19th-century tin mine, Cornwall. Artwork of miners and walkways at the Botallack Copper and Tin Mine at St Just, Cornwall, England. This mine, under various names, dates back to 1721

Miner working in a coal seam, South Wales
A miner, stripped to the waist, with a pick resting across his shoulder and a lamp in his hand, in a coal seam in South Wales

Winching men up from the coalface - Wales. Note the Davy lamp hanging off the belt of the man in the centre. Date: circa 1910s

Morris Minor driving through English village
The modern Morris Miner driving through the village of Bibury, Gloucestershire

Glapwell Colliery, Mining
A miner from Glapwell Colliery, north east Derbyshire, black and dirty from the pit at the end of his work shift. A group of cleaner looking miners wait, possibly to start their shift

View of Tirpentwys Colliery, Pontypool, South Wales
View of Tirpentwys Colliery near Pontypool in South Wales

ENGLAND: COAL MINERS. Coal miners at the Tilmanstone mine in Kent, England, early 20th century

Under Tilmanstone
A miner working underground in Tilmanstone Colliery, in Kent. Photograph taken using Sashalite lighting equipment

Miners coming off shift at the end of a hard day at the coal face. Circa 1960s

King Edward VII Mine, South Condurrow, Camborne, Cornwall. Around 1903
Students working at the 90 level, King Edward VII mine, South Condurrow, Camborne, Cornwall. Photographer: John Charles Burrow

East Pool Mine, Illogan, Cornwall. 1893
Two miners working above the bridge at the 170 fathom level. A third miner pushes a tub of ore/rock along the tramway across the bridge. Photographer: John Charles Burrow

East Pool Mine, Illogan, Cornwall. Around 1892
The tram road at the 70 fathoms level where the lode has been extensively mined. The hanging wall is fairly secure but three large props of Norway pine support part of the roof

Welsh miner in coal mine pushing truck
A Welsh miner, stripped to the waist, pushing a truck in a coal mine

Surface buildings, possibly one of the Basset Mines, Illogan, Cornwall. Around 1906
Reginald Colwell James (1890-1974) of St Columb Major, with mine buildings in the background (thought to perhaps be one of the Basset Mines)

Wirral Colliery at Neston, just before the general strike. Wirral miners were the first to come out when the employers cut their wages. 10th April 1925

Retired coal miner Blaenavon, South Wales
A retired coal miner sits with his mongrel dog at Blaenavon, South Wales. Behind them is the redundant Blaenavon coal mine

Surface workers at Wheal Sparnon dressing floor, Redruth, Cornwall. Around 1865
The engine house and two chimneys can be seen in the background. The area in the photograph is now covered by Clinton Road, Park Road and Albany Road, Redruth

Balloting for the coal strike, Wheatsheaf Colliery, Pendlebury, January 1912, (c1920). Artist: Topical Press Agency
Balloting for the coal strike, Wheatsheaf Colliery, Pendlebury, near Manchester, January 1912, (c1920). Illustration from Story of the British Nation, Volume IV, by Walter Hutchinson, (London, c1920s)

Fossil trees in coal mine
Fossilised trees and plants found in a coal mine. Date: C.1870

19th-century gold mining, Australia. Artwork of Chinese workers excavating and washing gold ores at a gold mine in Australia

19th-century coal mining. Historical artwork of a coal mine worker igniting methane gas in a coal mine. This gas (also called fire-damp) is formed naturally by coal

Cornish tin mining, 19th century
Cornish tin mining, 19th-century artwork. Miners working in a shaft in a tin mine in Cornwall, UK. Many such excavations were near the coast and extended out under the sea for nearly a kilometre

Panning for gold, California
Reenactor panning for gold on the American River, where the Gold Rush started, Coloma, California. Digital photograph

Holtermanns Life Preserving Drops, 1880s (colour litho)
6257116 Holtermanns Life Preserving Drops, 1880s (colour litho) by Australian School, (19th century); 61.5x49.5 cm; Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales; Mitchell Library

Oliver Kilbourn of Ashington, with one of his paintings. 2nd July 1991

A. J. Cook led the Miners and the miners led the strike, c1926, (1938). Arthur James Cook (1883-1931), known as A. J. Cook, was a British trade union leader who was General Secretary of the Miners

Hydraulic mining at Michigan City (later Michigan Bluff) in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California
CALIFORNIA: MINING, 1850s. Hydraulic mining at Michigan City (later Michigan Bluff) in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California. From a daguerreotype, 1850s

Miners at the pit bottom, Tirpentwys Colliery, South Wales
A group of miners at the pit bottom of Tirpentwys Colliery, near Pontypool in South Wales

Miners at the Coal Face Victorian period

Coniston Copper Mine Lake District Victorian period Date: 19th century

Colliery Lasses (colour photo)
3103953 Colliery Lasses (colour photo) by English Photographer, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Colliery Lasses)

The Collieries Strikes and Riots (engraving)
1627405 The Collieries Strikes and Riots (engraving) by Prior, Melton (1845-1910) (after); Private Collection; (add.info.: The Collieries Strikes and Riots)

Collieries, c1805. Pithead scene at a coal mine. At the bottom a horse whim is raising coal from the pit and a man is breaking coal with a pick

Underground scene in a coal mine in the Newcastle-upon-Tyne area of England, 1823. Miners hewing coal and carrying away in corves (baskets). From Scenes of British Wealth by the Rev Isaac Taylor

Pitmen encamped - evicted coal miner and his dwelling
A miner on strike sits despondently outside his makeshift home, his crutch and dog at his side. Due to lengthy strike action resulting from a wage dispute

Industrial Revolution. England. Mining. Nineteenth-century engraving

SUTTERs MILL, c1850. James Marshall, prospector, standing in front of Sutters Mill, where he discovered gold, Coloma, California. Photograph, c1850

EVNT2A-00012
Prospectors panning for gold in the California Gold Rush. Hand-colored woodcut of a 19th century illustration

Alfred Onions, Welsh Labour MP
Alfred Onions (1858-1921), Welsh Labour MP for Caerphilly and Treasurer of the South Wales Miners Federation

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"Unearthing the Depths: A Glimpse into the Lives of Miners" Coal miners in shaft lift, South Wales: Descending into darkness, these brave souls embark on a treacherous journey to extract black gold from deep within the earth. Miners working at the coalface, South Wales: Covered in soot and sweat, their unwavering determination fuels their tireless efforts as they chip away at solid rock to provide energy for countless lives. Levant Mine, St Just in Penwith, Cornwall. 11th July 1894: Amidst rugged cliffs and crashing waves, Cornish miners risk life and limb to harvest valuable minerals that shape industries far beyond their coastal haven. Captain Tom Gundry, champion Cornish wrestler. Probably early 1880s: Strong both underground and above it; this formidable miner showcases his prowess not only in wrestling rings but also amidst the grueling conditions of mining life. Richard Arthur (Dicky Nine Lives), Edwyn Vincent (1858-1919): These names echo through history as tales of resilience and survival; miners who defied death time after time while delving into perilous depths beneath our feet. South Condurrow Mine, Camborne, Cornwall. 1892: A hive of activity where men toil relentlessly against nature's forces; each swing of their pickaxe brings them closer to uncovering precious minerals that fuel progress. Markham Colliery Mining Disaster - Remembering Tragedy & Heroism: In a somber moment etched forever in memory, we honor those who lost their lives while pursuing an honest day's work deep within the bowels of Mother Earth. Coal miner filling truck, South Wales mine: With muscles strained and lungs filled with dust-laden air, these resilient workers tirelessly load trucks with coal—fueling the world's hunger for energy.