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Miners

Entrance to Hanham Court

Francis Creswicke, an old friend: visiting Hanham Court Gardens Open Day, 9 June 2024.

When I was a stripling of about 40, I first came across Francis Creswicke aged eighty-nine on a gravestone at Bitton, my paternal home parish.[1] Now I am rapidly catching up with him, though...
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DP Lindegaard down Hopewell Colliery

A Trip to Hopewell Colliery, Forest of Dean

On 27 July 2022, my son Kevin took me for a grand day out to celebrate my 85th birthday. The venue chosen was the Hopewell Colliery at Coleford in the Forest of Dean. We...
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Coal miner with miners candlestick

Killed in a Coalpit – revisited

  I was recently contacted by Andrew Plaster, a fellow member of Bristol & Avon FHS who, via the Facebook Group (Bitton, Hanham, Longwell Green & Oldland Memories, (administered by Julie Johns) discovered a...
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Brislington Coal

There are references to coalmining in Brislington from the early 17th century: the first being in 1614 when Anthony son of William Roache, collier, of Brislington was apprenticed to Chris. Powell, a Bristol weaver....
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Ram Hill Colliery

‘Killed in a Coalpit’ – Ram Hill – seeing the place where it happened

Years ago when researching my paternal family I came upon hitherto unsuspected connections with an ancient industrial history. From that time I became obsessed (not too strong a word) with the lives of coalminers,...
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Bristol is a village……or…….Who will I find next?

It has been said often enough that “Bristol is a village”; you will generally meet someone you know, or if you were my Dad, you would “get talking, and know their Auntie Fanny” or...
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Ram Hill Colliery – Heritage Open Day Sunday 19th Sept, 10.30-4pm

Visit this 19th century mine site, with the remains of the mine shaft, horse-gin, bunkers and Dramway. Take a walk through the woodland area and enjoy this fine example of local history. Find us...
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Five Collier Boys

On pages 126 -127 of my book, ‘Killed in a Coalpit’ there is a picture of five young colliers named Stephen Hill, Daniel Poole, George Garland, Charles Lewis and Isaac Britain. They were entombed...
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Harvey Jar

George HARVEY, Bailiff at Easton Colliery, Bristol, and the ‘Harvey Jar’

I first heard the story of the Harvey Jar from Becky Bull.  The Jar is a treasured possession of the Harvey family of New Zealand. Becky saw it when she visited relatives in Wellington...
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The CookFamily, Killed in a Coal Pit

Killed in a Coal Pit – Tragedy at Golden Valley, Bitton 1882

On Sunday 26 March 1882, smoke was seen billowing from the top of the New Pit, in Golden Valley, Bitton. Abraham Cook, 55, the bailiff, insisted on going down the pit, against the better...
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