Old Monkland Colliery wood hall?

[RJ_Paton]

Had never come across this info previously, Falkryn. Sounds like slavery here, in the same period really, ....

Technically it was not slavery or even serfdom but to all practical intents it was.

Part of the 1606 Act of Parliament read :-
"That no person within this realm shall hire or induce any colliers or coal bearers without sufficient testimonial of their masters whom they last served and the said colliers and coal bearers are to be held as thieves and punished in their bodies for stealing themselves from their masters"

During this period when a mine was sold the miners and their families were included as part of the fixtures and fittings.

In the west of Scotland Mining really took off with the industrial revolution creating a need for coal and on many occasions the mine owners turned a blind eye to the law to induce miners to their properties from another as there was an acute shortage of skilled workers. That said when it suited them the mine owners were quick to apply the law as it stood, in 1770 the Carron Iron Company instructed their advocate to pursue warrants for 24 workers who had taken themselves off and also to pursue action against Masters at other coal works who were harbouring these "runaways" the fine was around £100 Scots per collier.

[MonicaL]

I had no knowledge about this at all, so thank you both for the detailed comments 

Monica

[RJ_Paton]

Other legislation which affected not only miners but all working people were the Masters and Servants Acts in the 19th Century which basically laid down in law the obligations of the working man towards his employer e.g. no worker could, amongst other things, leave his/her employment without giving suitable notice to the employer although the employer could terminate the employment and occupation of tied housing immediately without giving any reason. In the 1870's a miner was taken to court by his previous employer for this and was fined the equivalent of 2 months wages or 1 month imprisonment.

[sancti]

Map showing Woodhall

http://maps.nls.uk/view/74955784

[MarSkis]

paulpesda, I just found my great great grandfather in the 1871 Scottish Census and they were also living on Woodhall Square in Woodhall Colliery.  On the 1881 Census only his wife is listed (but still listed as married, not a widow) with the children.  I found the http://www.scottishmining.co.uk website and looked at the accidents tab, but don't see his name and can't find anything for his death on Scotland's People, so still looking, but the website it very interesting.  I wish they had some pictures of the houses or the people though.

[mosstrooper]

Pictures & info on Calderbank.

http://www.monklands.co.uk/calderbank/

James.

[Skoosh]

There was also an influx of Welsh workers into nearby Gartcosh to work in the steel work.

Skoosh.

[roman]

Woodhall Pits number 1 2 and 3 are in the grounds of Woodhall Policies ,Near Calderbank ,Airdrie. This was a huge and stunningly beautiful estate owned by the Campbells of Shawfield and latterly by others ending with the daughters of Lord Whitelaw. The houses referred to in the info you gave were not the kind of thing we would imagine today .In fact they were transient and built like a camp of tiny rooms of dubious quality .Some were on the edge of the once fine gardens of the Woodhall House which had almost been stripped of the rarest plants in order to provide space  for the miners and their families .The mineral here was the finest Black band Ironstone and in great demand at that time in the nearby Iron and Steel works. The nearby village of Calderbank had rows of a better quality, built on the slopes near the works. These were named.Scottish Row,Irish Row, Welsh Row and English Row. They were rented out ,payment taken from wages to Calderbank miners .After this the remnants of the Woodhall "houses" were swept away. Today this whole area is a sward of green ,the big house gone,the woods regrown. Luckily some rare plants survive from its heyday. A developer wants to bulldoze the lot.I walk there daily remembering the past and worrying about its future .We want to save it  Stop the europark development campaign has a Facebook page and an online petition .The latter will be taken off soon to be handed over to our MP and MSP ...Maybe people would like to sign it while it is still there. SAVE WOODHALL AND FASKINE.

[Rockford]

Robert Duncan's book "The Mine Workers" is excellent...

I'd recommend the book too.  My family were miners in Lanarkshire and West Lothian and I learned a lot from it.

There is still a street called English Row in Calderbank, although the houses there now are of a much more modern vintage!

Best wishes

Rockford