History
The Colliery
Sinking of the colliery shafts began in 1875, with a ceremony. It was the 13th October, and a lovely autumn day, the Union Jack fluttered in the breeze, a large marquee had been erected to entertain the visitors to tea; a number of villagers were present at the spot where the first sod was to be taken. A Mrs.Jaffray, the wife of the chairman of the Rothervale Colliery Company Ltd. was chosen to perform the ceremony, it was her duty to lift the first sod on a shining spade, place it in a wheelbarrow and take it along a plank of timber. A girl in her teens - Mrs 'Butcher' Batty had declined to attend because she resented the intrusion to the village where she was born. A banquet was held at The Royal Victoria Hotel in Sheffield to celebrate the beginning of the construction work. The dinner was attended by prominent people from around the district including the Master Cutler of Sheffield, and the company directors from the Rothervale Colliery Company
Owing to the poor state of trade and lack of capital in the Company, work was suspended in September, 1878. Colliery development resumed in March, 1882.
Rother Vale Collieries
The owner was Rother Vale Collieries Limited. The Company was set up in 1875 after a resolution was passed authorising the Directors of the Fence Colliery Company Limited to lease land in the area from the Duke of Norfolk. The Fence Colliery Company Limited was renamed Rother Vale Collieries Limited and owned Orgreave, Fence and Treeton collieries. The Company later became a branch of the United Steels Companies Ltd.Orgreave Colliery was sunk in 1851, in 1863 the Fence Colliery Company sank the Fence Colliery which worked the Barnsley, Swallow Wood and Parkgate seams. This company acquired Orgreave from the Sorby family in 1870.
When Treeton mine was first sunk in 1874 it worked the Barnsley Seam until 1965 and the High Hazels seam until 1966. After nationalisation in 1947 a scheme was developed to increase the output of the Wathwood seam (1963-1982) and the Swallow Wood seam (1900-1947, 1972-1990). The High Hazels and Swallow Wood seams produced house coal.
Mr. F. J. Jones came to Treeton from Staffordshire, bringing with him a number of workmen, some of whom were destined to become officials and some colliers. A number of these individuals made the journey on foot. Mr. Jones became Managing Director of Rothervale Collieries Ltd, he was also chairman of the Parish Council. There was obviously much co-operation between both when in 1897, Treeton was the first village in England to get Electric street lighting.
Housing
Rothervale also completed a scheme for house building accomodating miners and 8 officials, as well as Treeton Grange.The colliery was the main means of livelihood, indeed, coal mining was a valuable contribution to the nation.The number of inhabitants in Treeton rose from 383 to 900 in just under six years.
Between 1881 and 1903 about 234 cottages were built in Treeton to house the miners and their families. These houses were in four groups, one at each end of the village, one at Bole Hill Row , now Well Lane; and a fourth further north at New Bole Hill. The quarries at Bole Hill provided the stone for more than 100 of these cottages, the rest being built of brick. I understand that Colleys Yard, Wood Lane, was built for the miners
The colliery houses on Wood Lane, known as The Big Six, were built for senior officials, and there were two detached houses built, one for the colliery manager and one for the engineer. The Secretary of Rother Vale Collieries lived at Treeton Hall, and the Managing Director Frederick Jones lived at Treeton Grange.
The Gables on Front Street was at one time owned by Rother Vale Collieries and Charles Frost the Chief Buyer lived there.
Managers
When it first opened the Manager was W. Baxter, who lived at Wood Lane, and the Under-manager John Norton . There were 835 underground workers and 208 Surface Workers The Minerals worked were Coal - Household , Steam & Gas.
In 1879 the general manager of Rother Vale was Lionel. W. Bates, from Northumberland and Derby, he lived at Fence Cottage, Fence with his wife Suzanne.
In 1908 the manager of Orgreave was recorded as John Dutson and the Under managers Benjamin Jackson and Arthur Shaw. There were 1524 Underground workers and 563 Surface workers.
In 1908 , the manager of Treeton was recorded as R. Adkins and the Under managers, H. Richford and W. Bumpstead . There were 1091 Underground workers and 233 Surface workers.
In 1918 the Manager at Orgreave was was H. N.Earl and the Under manager F. G. Bryant.
In 1918 at Treeton , the Manager was T. B. Adkins and the Under managers were H. Utley and Thomas Cooper
In 1938 the manager was J. Piggin and under managers were W. Cox, H. Utley, and O.Houghton.
In 1945 the Manager was W. Cox and the under manager G. Brookes.
United Steel Companies
By 1919 the site along with Orgreave was acquired by the United Steel Companies, the director was Walter Benton Jones . who used the coal obtained to supply the new Orgreave Coking and By Products plant. This operation continued until 1947 when the coal industry was nationalised and the mining operations were separated. The collieries was incorporated under the banner of the National Coal Board. The coal processing and chemicals interests remained with United Steel Companies under their subsidiary, the United Coke & Chemicals Company.
The old laborious method of getting coal was replaced by modern machinery. In 1943, the old boiler plant was demolished, the smoky chimneys disappeared, to be replaced with electric winding equipment.
Colliery Strikes
The miners' strike of 1893 was caused by a threatened reduction of 25% on 1888 wage levels and affected 300,000 miners in the federated area of Yorkshire, Lancashire and the Midlands.
As a result of the disputes, the Army was called in during 1893, to man the boilers. The situation must have been desperate, it was reported that children were absent from school, picking coal from the dirt tip. Many children were ill and without boots.
Miners demanded a minimum wage in 1912 as a result a strike lasted for six weeks, and the minimum wage was adopted.
Coal for the Future
The Coal Board's Coal for the Future plan of February, 1977 allocated £7 million to Thurcroft this was for exploiting new reserves and £13 million for Treeton, and it was announced manpower would be a problem, an additional 3200 men would be required almost overnight for the Yorkshire area. The Parkgate Seam was closed in 1972 although the Haigh Moor seam, started in 1970 was still being worked.
Despite the opposition of the area leader of the National Union of Mineworkers, Arthur Scargill, to incentive schemes, miners at Thurcroft, along with those at Manton, Shireoaks and Treeton in South Yorkshire, declared in favour in January, 1978. Out of 66 pits in Yorkshire, the N.C.B. said that 20 were in favour and 6 others showing an interest. Read More
Colliery Closure
In the early 1990’s village life was to change for ever, the coal became uneconomic to mine,the pit was closed for good. Treeton Colliery ceased production on Wednesday 5th December 1990 and the process of erecting underground water dams, salvaging equipment and sealing the shafts and drift quickly followed. In common with many other closed collieries a great deal of equipment was left underground, it being too expensive to remove in terms of man hours and there being no market for surplus mining machinery. When the salvage works were completed in 1991 the land reverted back to the ownership of the Duke of Norfolk Estates from whom the land was originally released to the colliery owners.
After land remediation, a large housing development was started on the site
Further information on the history of Treeton Colliery can be found in T. O. Rossington's The Story of Treeton Colliery, 1875-1975 published by Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham Libraries, 1976.
Food
Treeton Relief Committee outside the Church Hall, 1940s. Sheila and Joan Bloom, bottom row 4th and 5th from right.
Extract from West Riding of Yorkshire
"Food and clothing generally good. The children as well as the adults, have bread and milk and porridge for breakfast, huge lumps of bread, and often bits of cheese and bacon, or fat for their luncheon in the pit, a hot meat meal when they come home at five or six, and often porridge, or bread and milk, or tea for supper.
The colliers take nothing but the best articles in the shops. They consume a great deal of animal food, milk, and beer or ale. Another section of evidence states that the children take a little milk or coffee and a bit of bread in the morning before they go to the pit, and they will take nothing with them but a little bread and perhaps a little tea, but oftener dry bread than anything else. The parents cannot often get them more, they do not have meat.
When they come out of the pit at night they may have a little meat or milk porridge, but a bit of dry bread and a cup of milk is the usual supper. I have known boys go to work all the twelve hours without more than a bit of dry bread to eat.
Extract from Sheffield Archives Reference: SY303/Z/1/18
Counterpart Lease 17 July 1880
John Moore Coupland, esquire, of Tinsley, to the Rother Vale Collieries Ltd.
The Top Hard Seam, under closes of land at Catcliffe (sketch map incorporated) for 37 years from 30 June 1872 at an annual rent of £5 per surface acre or twice the annual value should it exceed £5; also an annual acreage coal rent of £150 per acre payable twice yearly on coal actually mined, subject to a minimum rent of £173 5s. 11d. regardless of quantity mined.
Way leave rent to be paid £1 p.a. Schedule included.
Extract from Sheffield Archives Reference: 362/G/8/3/1 1945-1946
Mr Bernard Adkins was the General Manager of Collieries for the United Steels Companies Limited. He was Manager of Treeton Colliery between 1918 and 1922.
Folder contains correspondence between Mr Adkins and Colliery Managers from various coalmining companies within South Yorkshire. Among the topics discussed are a course on Continental Mining Methods at Sheffield University, the number of men enlisted and demobilised from Treeton Colliery in 1946 and issues raised at the Pit Production Committee. There is a small amount of correspondence re an underground fire at Treeton Colliery on 30 March 1944. The folder also contains questionnaires from the Mining Association of Great Britain and the Ministry of Fuel and Power in Leeds. Correspondence and questionnaires from the South Yorkshire Coalowners' Association on various topics including annual holidays, Essential Work Order payments, the Emergency Work Agreement, and the return of ex-miners from the Forces. Correspondence from the Ministry of Labour and National Service requesting information on the dispute which occurred at Treeton Colliery between 29 May 1943 and 1 July 1943.
List of Bevin Boys received at Treeton Colliery between February 1944 and January 1945 List of accident statistics for the period 30 June 1943 to 31 December 1943.
Letter from the British Colliery Owners Research Association, London, re investigations carried out by collieries on their own initiative. The findings were to be published in their new Quarterly Bulletin. Includes examples of research carried out by collieries in Lancashire, Yorkshire, Derbyshire and Scotland.
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