	Knockshinnock Castle Colliery	Index	Knockshinnock Castle Colliery

Knockshinnock Castle Colliery

Location:	New Cumnock 18 miles [28 km] ESE of Ayr
Map Ref:	(Sheet 71 Lanark and Upper Nithsdale) NS609125, 55° 23' 12" N, 4° 11' 42" W
Opened:
Closed:	1968
Owners:	New Cumnock Collieries Ltd.
	1947 - National Coal Board (N.C.B.)
Output:	1915 - Coal: Gas, Household, Manufacturing, Steam. Fireclay.
	1920 - Coal: Gas, Household, Manufacturing, Steam.
	1947 - Coal: Gas, Household, Industrial. (278,000 tons)
	1954 - Coal: Household, Industrial.
Employment:	1915 - 139 (101 below, 38 surface)
	1920 - 234 (165 below, 69 surface)
	1923 - 226 (165 below, 61 surface)
	1933 - 268 (222 below, 46 surface)
	1940 - 326 (280 below, 46 surface)
	1947 - 605 (457 below, 148 surface)
	1954 - 651 (514 below, 137 surface)
Seams Worked:	1915 - Eight Feet, Four Feet, Three Feet, Upper Two Feet
	1920 - Eight Feet
	1954 - Main, Turf
Notes:	Current Status - Page under construction! and is far, far from complete!

Description

Disasters (5 or more killed)

7th

Sep

1950

Inrush of liquid peat or moss from surface, 13 lives lost (Show Names)

Those entries marked with , signify a disaster for which a memorial has been erected or for which we have images concerning the disaster, alternately their name may be mentioned on a memorial plaque. Click on the symbol next to the name to see the appropriate web page for the memorial.

Names of those killed at this colliery

Please note that this collection of names is by no means complete!

						Carruthers, Robert, 30 Jul 1924, 11.30 a.m., 5th hour of shift, aged 21, Miner, Deceased was starting to take a "rance" off a "stoop" when a fall of roof occurred which killed him almost instantly — at the time of the accident deceased was holing coal. The fall came away from between a roof break and a lype running parallel to each other. The fall knocked out two trees. The place was inspected by the fireman about half an hour before the accident and was thought by him to be safe and well timbered. The timbering rules were not contravened
						Dalziel, John, 07 Sep 1950, aged 50, Loader Attendant [More information ...]
						Hammond, Alexander, 28 Feb 1922, 3.30 p.m., 2nd hour of shift, aged 48, Miner, He was engaged extracting a small pillar of crushed coal 9 ft. by 5 ft. and intersected by lypes. He fired a shot in the coal but as it did not do very well he commenced to hole it. In a few minutes a piece of coal 3 ft. by 2 ft. by 2 ft. rolled over from off a "lype" without any warning and, striking his head, caused such injuries that he died about an hour later. The only witness of the accident was a son of deceased, who declared that two sprags were set to the coal that came away. Careful searches made a few minutes after the accident and several times subsequently failed to discover these sprags. The investigation into the accident disclosed the fact that the inspection before commencing work had not been made and that the place had not been visited by a fireman for 3½ hours.
						Houston, James D., 07 Sep 1950, aged 46, Coal Miner [More information ...]
						Houston, Thomas, 07 Sep 1950, aged 40, Coal Miner [More information ...]
						Howat, William, 07 Sep 1950, aged 61, Switch Attendant [More information ...]
						Lee, William, 07 Sep 1950, aged 48, Coal Miner [More information ...]
						Love, James, 07 Sep 1950, aged 48, Coal Miner [More information ...]
						McFarlane, William, 07 Sep 1950, aged 36, Coal Miner [More information ...]
						McLatchie, John, 07 Sep 1950, aged 48, Shotfirer [More information ...]
						Murray/Taylor, John, 07 Sep 1950, aged 33, Coal Miner [More information ...]
						Rowan, Samuel, 07 Sep 1950, aged 25, Coal Miner [More information ...]
						Smith, John, 07 Sep 1950, aged 55, Coal Miner [More information ...]
						Strachan, Daniel, 07 Sep 1950, aged 38, Fireman [More information ...]
						White, John, 07 Sep 1950, aged 26, Coal Miner [More information ...]

						15 names found

If you know of any fatalities missing from the above list then please contact us with the details and we will add them to our database.

For those names marked the text of the Mines Inspectors report into the incident is available online. Click on the icon to display the report.

Those names marked with , were killed in a disaster for which a memorial has been erected or for which we have images concerning the disaster, alternately their name may be mentioned on a memorial plaque. Click on the symbol next to the name to see the appropriate web page for the memorial.

Those names marked with , have a web page providing individual details of the accident, the page may also include a photograph of the deceased. Click on the symbol next to the name to see the web page.

more information on some of the fatalities shown above

Collieries and Pits within 5 miles (8km)

a simulated map showing the immediate vicinity of Knockshinnock Castle Colliery

list of collieries/pits etc. near to Knockshinnock Castle Colliery

Memorial Images:

Memorial: 1950 Knockshinnock Castle Colliery Disaster

Credits

Sources:

1915 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department
1920 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department
1922 Mines Inspectors Report
1923 Colliery Year Book and Coal Trades Directory. Published by The Louis Cassier Co. Ltd., from a copy held in the Scottish Mining Museum, Newtongrange, Midlothian
1924 Mines Inspectors Report, Scotland Division (No. 1) by J. Masterton, H.M. Inspector of Mines [DMM Ref: L-01624 - Tom Bainbridge Collection]
1933 Colliery Year Book and Coal Trades Directory. Published by The Louis Cassier Co. Ltd., from a copy held in the Scottish Mining Museum, Newtongrange, Midlothian
1940 Colliery Year Book and Coal Trades Directory. Published by The Louis Cassier Co. Ltd., from a copy held in the Scottish Mining Museum, Newtongrange, Midlothian
1947 Colliery Year Book and Coal Trades Directory. Published by The Louis Cassier Co. Ltd., from a copy held in the Scottish Mining Museum, Newtongrange, Midlothian
1954 Guide to the Coalfields published by the Colliery Guardian