Barber, Walker and Co
Barber, Walker and Co., of Staveley, Derbys., and of Eastwood, Notts.
One of the oldest mining companies in the Midlands, also owned collieries in Yorkshire.
c.1700 The Barber family seem to have started to become involved as coal masters, joining later in the 18th century in partnership with the Fletcher family to exploit mines at Greasley, Nuthall, Strelley and Bilborough.
c1790 the Walker family seem to have gone into partnership with the Barbers, when they set up new leasing agreements and initiated interest in canal building to improve the sale and transport of the coal they produced. After concentrating initially on pits using the 'Top Hard Seam', the company moved into coal seams further underground in the 'Deep Soft' and 'Deep Hard Seams', with collieries sunk at Eastwood and Cotmanhay.
1831 Dissolution of the Partnership trade of a Coal Master, heretofore subsisting between Thomas Barber, Thomas Walker, deceased, and Richard Cheslyn, and afterwards between the said Thomas Barber and Daniel Freeth, Samuel Freeth, since deceased, and John Smith (the Executors and Trustees named in the last will and testament of the said Thomas Walker), and the said Richard Cheslyn, and lately between the said Thomas Barber and Daniel Freeth, and John Smith (as surviving Executors and Trustees under the said will), and the said Richard Cheslyn and Sophia Campbell, trading respectively under the firm of T. Barber, Walker, and Co. at Eastwood, in the County of Nottingham, so far as concerned the said Daniel Freeth and John Smith. NB The Brinsley Company, at Brinsley, in the County of Nottingham, was similarly dissolved. [1]
1838 Claimed to have been the first colliery company to use the Watt "condensing winding engine" in the district at the Underwood Colliery.
The company contributed to the building of a private railway which was used to serve their collieries. This connection between mining and railway meant the company became part of the group who wished to set up the Midland Railway Company to transport coal to Leicester and further afield.
1867 The Hucknall colliery was on fire[2]
c.1870 Owned Eastwood Collieries and Brindsley Colliery which were near to each other[3]
By 1872 the company operated a network of collieries comprising Eastwood, Cotmanhay, Hill Top, Watnall, New Watnall, Beggarlee, Underwood, High Park, Moorgreen and Brinsley.
early 20th century: the depletion of the profitable Top Hard Seam coal meant that the company needed to expand its colliery base.
1905 A pit was sunk at Bentley near Doncaster - Bentley Colliery - as described in a paper given to the Inst. of Mining Engineers[4]
1917 the company took control of Harworth Colliery in Nottinghamshire.
1918 A new limited company was established.
1923 Sinking 2 pits at Harworth and Armthorpe[5]
1926 The Company (of Eastwood Collieries, Nr. Nottingham) owned seven collieries in Derbyshire (sic), with an output of 2,500,000 tons, and employed 7,000 men. It controlled the Doncaster Collieries Association, (of Bentley) with an output of 5,000,000 tons, and other coal property in South Yorkshire.
1927 See Aberconway Chapter II for information on the company and its history
1928 The company had built a model village of 1000 houses at Harworth but was having difficulty recruiting experienced miners; Major T. P. Barber was chairman of the company.[6]
1947 all the company's collieries were transferred to the National Coal Board; the collieries comprised Brinsley, High Park, Moorgreen, Selston, Watnall, Bentley and Harworth.
1954 The company itself was formally liquidated on 27 April.
See Also
Sources of Information
- [1] Derbyshire Record Office