Mines in Willington, Co Durham

[ludorabbit]

Hello, my husband`s family originate from Somerset where they worked in mines
Great grandad moved from here to Durham end of the 1800`s, why would that have been
better prospects etc, it seemed a long way to travel, I have just spoken to someone from
Crook, she says they probably walked would that be the case?
Grandad Alfred Lintern worked in a mine in Willington Co Durham
I am looking for information from here, thank you

[Waitabit]

Oh dear, I just asked Google to give me the distance between Somerset & Durham. How far can it be???
I think it's gone out on stress leave, ...It's just up the track for goodness sake!

ludorabbit, Men were strong back then, they WALKED places, if they wanted work or alife, that's probably what they did.

I'd like to find a couple travelling from Oxford or Berks. to Shropshire, just to connect the dots.

[notanotherminer]

Between 1850 and 1880 the number of mines nationally doubled from around 3000 to about 6000 with over a million miners employed.
Three quarters of coal production was concentrated in Wales and the North East of England.

Demand for coal was huge and a lot of it was exported making the mine owners very wealthy men. Experienced miners were in demand and an owner could attract the best workers if they thought he offered better pay and benefits.

Agents were employed by some of the regional consortiums to recruit miners from other areas and the second half of the 19th century saw a huge migration of miners enticed away by promises of better pay (promises which were often never kept in many cases).

One of my own families migrated en masse in the 1860's from Lilleshall, Shropshire where they were coal and ironstone miners to Wakefield, Yorkshire to work as miners there. Most of them were coal hewers which is the occupation most people would associate with mining but in reality they were only part of a much greater workforce. Theirs was a skilled job requiring speed and stamina and their services were in great demand

Your ancestors may have walked from Somerset but it's possible their transportation was arranged by the new employers. At the time they moved from Somerset the country was well served by the railways and all the major coal producing areas were reliant on the railways to transport their coal. The Stockton and Darlington Railway opened in 1825 with the specific purpose of transporting coal between the collieries in South West Durham and the markets at Stockton and Darlington and many mine owners would have had a financial stake in the rail industry.

[sharpy45]

People certainly travelled large distances for work, on foot if they had no other means. I have a family that travelled from Leeds to Rotherham and on to Middlesbrough for work in the potteries, whilst another travelled from Essex to Middlesbrough for work. My wife's side includes a family that travelled from Roxboroughshire to Manchester. All in the mid 1800s.

Further information on Willington Colliery can be found on the Durham Mining Museum website at
www.
dmm.org.uk/colliery/w048.htm

Jon

[Rodney Fox]

Depending on which Alfred Lintern you descend from, we are probably related.
My grandfather Henry Fox had two sisters who married Lintern men. Louisa married Alfred b 1865 and Eliza married Frank b 1868, both Linterns were from Camerton, Somerset.
The Fox family made a similar journey, Richard Fox's family was from Compton Pauncefoot, but moved to Hallatrow/High Littleton. Many of them made the move to County Durham around 1865-70. One branch subsequently moved to Pennsylvania.
Part of the reason I heard was that the coal seams in Somerset were very difficult to work as they were slanted.
Rodney Fox

[ludorabbit]

Hi there Rodney
My husband`s grandad was Alfred, son of Frank and Eliza Lintern, Was Eliza from Coxhoe, Durham?
Grandad Alf was born in Willington Co Durham
If so it looks like there is a family link there then?
It was interesting to read why they may have made the move from Somerset to Durham
it just seemed such a long way to travel especially in those days
Do you have any photos of the family?
take care for now
Sue

[Rodney Fox]

Sue, yes, Eliza was born in Coxhoe, she married Fran Lintern in 1888
I can give you a lot more info via direct email.
Send me an email at

rodney AT usfoxes DOT com

and I will respond
best regards
Rodney