	Polbeth (Oil Shale)	Index	Polbeth (Oil Shale)

Polbeth (Oil Shale)

Location:	West Calder 15 miles [24 km] SSW of Dunfermline
Map Ref:	(Sheet 65 Falkirk and Linlithgow) NT026639, 55° 51' 33" N, 3° 33' 19" W
Opened:
Closed:	May 1947
Pits:	No. 11, locn: (Sheet 65 Falkirk and Linlithgow) NT020641
	No. 21, locn: (Sheet 65 Falkirk and Linlithgow) NT024638
	No. 26
	No. 27, locn: (Sheet 65 Falkirk and Linlithgow) NT027644
Owners:	Young's Paraffin Light and Mineral Oil Co., Ltd.
Output:	1894 - Coal: Manufacturing. Oil Shale.
	1896 - Oil Shale.
	1899 - Oil Shale.
	1900 - Coal: Gas, Manufacturing, Steam. Oil shale.
	1905 - Oil Shale.
	1910 - Oil shale.
	1915 - No. 26 - Oil shale.
	1920 - No. 26 - Oil shale.
Employment:	1894 - 186 (166 below, 20 surface)
	1896 - 363 (313 below, 50 surface)
	1899 - 234 (199 below, 35 surface)
	1900 - 289 (247 below, 42 surface)
	1905 - 143 (120 below, 23 surface)
	1910 - 20 (13 below, 7 surface)
	1915 - No. 26 - 49 (35 below, 14 surface)
	1920 - No. 26 - 78 (59 below, 19 surface)
	1923 - No. 26 - 55 (35 below, 20 surface)
	1933 - No. 26 - 226 (187 below, 39 surface)
	1940 - No. 26 - 151 (108 below, 43 surface)
	1948 - No. 26 - 0 [Abandoned May, 1947]
Seams Worked:	1905 - Addiewell, Broxburn, Shale
	1910 - Dunnet
	1915 - No. 26 - Dunnet
	1920 - No. 26 - Dunnet
	1948 - No. 26 - Middle Dunnet
Notes:	Current Status - Page under construction! and is far, far from complete!

Description

Disasters (5 or more killed)

None Found

Names of those killed at this colliery

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

						Forrester, William, 19 Feb 1890, 10.50 a.m., 5th hour of shift, aged 14, Fan boy, Drowned by inundation of mine
						Kinsman, Alexander, 26 Oct 1922, (accident: 25 Aug 1922, 1 p.m., 6th hour of shift), aged 35, Shale miner, He was sitting at the face drilling a shot-hole when a piece of top shale fell and struck him on the hip. He walked home, pneumonia supervened and he died on 26th October.
						Martin, Robert, 08 Jan 1877, aged 41, Brusher, By breaking of incline rope
						Martin, Thomas, 11 Jan 1877, aged 42, Miner, Fall of shale
						McKenzie, John, 31 Oct 1899, aged 33, Miner, Deceased was breaking up some shale at a heading face, when a stone, 4 ft. 9 ins. by 2 ft. 9 ins at extreme, and 9 ins thick at centre, suddenly fell upon him from between two props, causing internal injuries which terminated fatally on the following day
						Peden, Thomas, 12 Apr 1932, Miner, Platform gave way

						6 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.

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 Polbeth (Oil Shale)

list of collieries/pits etc. near to Polbeth (Oil Shale)

Credits

Sources:

1877 Mines Inspectors Report (C. 2003), Scotland East District by Ralph Moore, H.M. Inspector of Mines Where to find this report
1890 Mines Inspectors Report (C 6346), East Scotland District (No. 1) by J. B. Atkinson, H.M. Inspector of Mines Where to find this report
1894 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department
1896 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department, also available online at Peak District Mines Historical Society Ltd
1899 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department
1899 Mines Inspectors Report (Cd 134), East Scotland District (No. 1) by J. B. Atkinson, H.M. Inspector of Mines Where to find this report
1900 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department
1905 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department
1910 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department
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
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
1948 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department