The true story of the winning of coal
The Family
The
colliery owners, mostly terraced houses, provided the housing for the miners
some of which are still standing to day. Most had two bedrooms a kitchen and a
front room, a small garden and a back yard with an outside toilet/ash middon and
coalhouse. The families tended to be quite large, so the parents would have had
one bedroom and the children would have had the other bedroom .The water tap
would be in the back yard, and bath nights would be held in front of the open fire.
A large number of pans would be boiled on the open fire. Bringing in the tin
bath, which was usually kept hanging on the wall in the back yard was the
first job. Modesty would
not count, not sitting in the bath in the middle of the kitchen. The whole family would use the same water, father would have a bath after
finishing his shift( there was no pit showers them days).
Mother would do all her own baking, from bread to filling dinners
using the cheapest cuts of meat. The potatoes and vegetables were from the small
garden. There would be few doors kept locked, and a warm welcome was made to
every one. There was a real community sprit; everyone was in the same boat with
very little money to spare.
Sunday was the day of rest, when people would dress up
in their Sunday best and then go off to the church or chapel.
In the 1881 census there were 54 houses in Railway Terrace.
Between
1881 and 1891 the last two was converted into one house for the colliery Manager
Mr. William Young and his wife Isabella (53 Railway Terrace).
The people of the
village found time to worship at the church or the two chapels in the village.
There was also a Recreation Club, and the Bridge Inn where in 1891 Hugh Ruddick
the landlord could serve you with a pint of your favourite ale. I wonder what he
was serving George Dixon who was in the pub when the census was being
recorded on the 29th April 1891. There was also the “Shoulder Of Mutton public
house to visit, and not forgetting the “Rose and Crown” at Herrington Burn or the
“Lambton Castle” at Philadelphia.
It was to be Some years later in 1905, that the working man’s clubs of
Northumberland and Durham decided to set up their own Brewery. It was calculated
that the aggregate membership was 10,000, and the company was to be called “The
North Of England Clubs Company “and was to be floated with a capital of £5000 in
£1 shares, at the outset 4000 shares would be offered for the subscriptions of
the clubs and the club members.
Herrington Recreation Club had a healthy membership with a bowling
section and a military brass band I am informed there was also a library in the
club for the members. At one time the club was situated in Fenton Terrace, but
was on the site of the now present in the early 1900’s.
The local “Picture House” was located at Herrington Burn it’s name was The
Tivoli or the “tiv”. There was also the Welfare Hall and the various chapels,
which put on entertainment.
A miner's wife
A life of drudgery from morning to night was often the case.
Her life once married would be of long hard days. From very early in the morning to late at night seven days a week fifty-two weeks a year. Very often the family was large, and it must have been a difficult task for her.
Lets start at the beginning of her day, if one or more of the men folk were starting work at four o' clock. The woman would be up to prepare the breakfast, make up the bait. At six o' clock another member of the family, might well be starting work or coming in from the night shift. In that case a hot bath would have been prepared, he would have something to eat then off to bed. Then of course the young ones will be getting up, the lucky ones would be going to school. Once the bairns were of to school, the housework would begin, she would do all her own bread and cake baking.
To have hot water she
would need to boil the water either in a large coal fired boiler in the
washhouse or on the kitchen stove. Once the water was hot she would begin the
washing by hand, which often took the full day. No modern labour saving washing
machines, electric irons, microwaves, just hard work. It is time to get the water
boiled again for the bath, the bairns will be in soon from school. The lads
returning from the pit will have a bath in the kitchen, getting out of the dirty water,
when "cleaner". Next get the bairns ready for bed. Filling the boiler
again for the next shift coming home, she is thinking of going to bed. She has
to get up at two o' clock and time to start again......... Never mind it will be
Sunday soon and she can have a bit of a lie in.
The children would often start work at the age of six years. The father would take them along to the pit where the little one would be enlisted to the miners bond. Alone in the dark a lad of 12 years or less was employed as a trapper; his job was to ensure the doors were kept shut to prevent firedamp, which could cause explosions. The lad would be down the pit for at least 12 hours
He was also expected to pay for his own candles. This alone was a hazard down a pit.