October brought clouds and rain. It kept volunteer activity on site at bay, at times, but the hardy crew still managed to get some valuable maintenance work done, and even enjoyed an outing at the end of this most changeable of months.

Name dropping, storm tossing

In what would prove to be a month with more than twice as much rain as normal, the miserable wash-out weeks culminated in two named storms, officially known as Storm Babet and Storm Ciarán – following the quirky naming scheme shared by the UK Met Office, the Irish Met Éireann and the Koninklijk Nederlands Meteorologisch Instituut of the Netherlands.

Whatever the weather, the plants in Pump House Cottage garden continued to bloom and attract pollinators – very late buzzing bees busied themselves fleeing back and forth between the flowers in the garden and the nearby hives.

Tasks at hand

When we could actually get on site, through he door, the crew got stuck in: gardening and consolidating the rear retaining wall in the short stints of drier spells.

Elsewhere, we try and keep an eye outside and around the colliery. Sweeping up outside with the soggy harvest of autumn leaves, and looking down the hill towards Tingle Bridge nature seemed to be reclaiming the pavement.

Donning new bespoke FoHC hi-viz vests, volunteers took hedge clippers, a rake and a wheelbarrow, and walked down the hill.

Cue some late Saturday labouring, hacking back, clipping, snipping, raking, digging out, and having a pause for breath!

Wherever possible the various detrius and tossed rubbish hidden in the undergrowth was grabbed and bunged in the barrow.

Criminal stupidity

Very sadly, on one of the wettest weekends in October, the 21st, when volunteers were unable to attend, the site fell victim to a crime. The padlock on the main gate was cut and seemingly two small trucks entered the site, collecting metal in the form of a large bag of nuts and bolts, some scrap metal by the headgear, and, rather sadly, some historic flat iron sheets which also had tub rail lines cast into them.

This callous and clearly planned heritage crime is a great blow to our volunteer group, made somewhat worse by the thieves also kindly dumping some unwanted car tyres on site into the bargain.

Bruised but unbowed, our site is being further secured with additional cameras – an expense which we really should not have to be worrying about on top of the annual insurance needed just to keep the gates open…

Out on’t Tarn

Happier trails – on Thursday 20th October, some of the Friends group got togged up (i.e. put their big coats on) and headed out to Barnsley to attend a very interesting talk on the collieries of Barnsley.

The venue, the Miners Hall at the NUM offices off Huddersfield Road, was a spectacular setting for the talk, and everyone was given an exceptionally warm welcome.

Organised by the lovely folks from the Barnsley Civic Trust, the talk was prepared and delivered by the NUM’s volunteer archivist Paul Darlow.

The Miners Hall is a impressive space and holds a stunning display of miners banners – including ones closely connected to our own corner of the Barnsley coalfield.

A life on the waterways

On to some wet weekends of Octobers past…

Two hundred and twenty-nine years ago, on 2nd October 1794, a meeting was held at the Bull Head Inn [sic] in Brampton. Gathered there were the Committee of the Dearne and Dove Canal Company, including:

• Francis Edmunds (1738-1825), of Worsborough Hall, chairing the meeting

• Robert Cutforthay (1749-1799), wine merchant, of Aughton Hall, Rotherham (his widow later remarried William Hoyle (1742-1807), attorney and the first agent to the Canal company)

• Jonathan Walker (1757-1807), ironmaster, of Ferham House, Rotherham

• Charles Bowns (1753-1818), attorney and land agent to Earl Fitzwilliam (and others), of Darley Hall, Darley Cliffe, Worsborough

• Joseph Johnson, (1741-1805), Gentleman, of Goldthorpe in the Parish of Bolton upon Dearne

• Thomas Tuke (c.1727-1810), of Wath (whose Will left money to throw bread from the church for the poor, a tradition renewed and still observed)

• William Fenton (1739-1822), heir to Fenton lands at Wath, resident at Spring Grove, Huddersfield and Underbank, Penistone.

Amongst agreements to purchase land for the then newly-cutting canal, Mr Charles Bowns reported that he had met Mr William Storey of Hemingfield, to negotiate with him for the quarrying of stone from Storey’s farm. The stone to be used in the locks and bridges and other purposes, and charged at the rate of 120 Guineas [£126, roughly worth £9,600 per acre] for the land quarried, as measured on the surface. The canal company to cover the expence of fencing the quarry separate to the rest of the farm.

Two years later, 28th October 1796, the Committee meeting again at Mr Crossley’s inn, the Bull Head, present were Messrs:

Joseph Johnson, Robert Cutforthay, Joshua Walker (1750-1814), Thomas Tuke, with Charles Bown, chairing.

Mr Bowns reported, acting as agent for Earl Fitzwilliam, the Earl’s request that the Cobcar Ing branch of the Dearne and Dove Canal be extended from Cobcar Ing to Elsecar Colliery. The meeting ordered that the local surveyor and engineer Thomas Wright of Wath draw up a plan of the said extension and make an estimate of the expense of making the same to present to the next general meeting of the canal company to be held at the Red Lion inn in Rotherham on 1st December 1796, at 4pm.

At the December meeting the resolution to extend the canal was defeated, largely due to the need for more money to be found to finish the existing canal, let alone extending one of the two coalfield branches (at Worsbrough and Elsecar). However, a further resolution was moved by Rev. Henry Watkins (1743-1829) of Conisbrough, and Mr Robert Cutforthay that:

“it will be for the benefit of this undertaking that the canal be continued from Cobcar Ing to Earl Fitzwilliam’s colliery at Elsicar by the Company, and that application be made to Earl Fitzwilliam for his consent to the continuation of the said canal thro’ his land and also that his Lordship be requested to advance and lend to the company, upon Mortgage of the Dearne and Dove Canal undertakings as much money as may be necessary for making the said branch or extension from Cobcar Ing to his colliery”

Resolution of the Dearne & Dove Canal Company, 1st Dec 1796 (WYAS, Wakefield C299/8/4/1)

The motion passed unanimously. Rev Henry Watkins, Mr Jonathan Walker, Mr Robert Cutforthay and Mr Thomas Tuke were tasked with waiting upon Earl Fitzwilliam.

At a meeting at the Bull Head on 31st August 1797 Jonathan Walker and Robert Cutforthay reported that, with several stipulations, Earl Fitzwilliam had agreed. A further, special meeting was called at 11am on Thursday 21st Sept 1797 at the Red Lion in Rotherham. A resolution agreeing the deal was passed 112 votes for versus 30 against.

At 10am in the Brampton Bull Head inn, on 3rd October 1797, Charles Bowns, chaired a Dearne and Dove Canal Committee meeting joined by Jonathan Walker, Robert Cutforthay, Joseph Johnson, Thomas Tuke and William Fenton at which the details of the Elsecar Colliery extension were formally agreed. The full details are for another time, but a couple of essentials allow us to see how the branch came to arrive nearer to the modern day Heritage Centre.

Mr Bowns on behalf of Earl Fitzwilliam, and Mr Whitworth, consulting engineer on behalf of the canal company, reported that they had agreed upon and set forth the line or direction of the proposed extension of the branch of the canal from Cobcar Ing to Elsicar Colliery, and that:

…as the uppermost pond of the said intended branch is of such a level or height as to admit of the water drawn by Earl Fitzwilliam’s engine out of his coal works, being turned into it, which it may be of advantage to the Dearne and Dove Canal Company his Lordship having no immediate occasion for the said engine water, permits the company to take the same into the said upmost pond, for the better supply of their canal…

Minutes of the Dearne and Dove Canal Company, 3rd October 1797 (WYAS, Wakefield, C299/8/4/1)

Note the engine is the Newcomen type engine which survives to this day in its original position. The canal company’s early workings developed slowly as the full cutting took several further years to complete, even after the Elsecar branch had been opened for traffic late in 1798.