Sheriff-Hall and Somerside colliery 1841

[wilcoxon]

I have a family in 1841 living in Lugton.
1841   Lugton , Dalkeith. all born Midlothian
Robert King  35 coal miner
 Margaret Clarkson  King  35
William King  son 14 coal miner
John King  son 12 coal miner
Robert King  son 10
plus 3 younger.

Is it possible that John may be the lad in this report. The ages certainly fit.
 Would these mines be in the right district. I can`t locate them and all searches bring me back to the same report.
 R F Franks to the Children's Employment Commission on the East of Scotland District published in 1842
Sheriff-Hall and Somerside - parishes of Newton, Dalkeith, and Liberton.
John King, age 12 years, coal-hewer:-
I have been four years in the Sheriff-hall and Somerside pits; work with father and brothers; one is 10 years of age, and been down 12 months; the other 14, and been below 6 years.

[Forfarian]

The Sheriffhall junction on the Edinburgh City Bypass (A920) is a perfect pest, because it is a roundabout instead of a flyover and can be a horrendous bottleneck at busy times. The reason they built a roundabout is because there are mine workings underneath it and it would have been too expensive to make it safe to build a flyover. Summerside is just north-west of the roundabout. (Don't worry about the spelling!)

See
http://www.geograph.org.uk/gridref/NT3168 and
http://www.geograph.org.uk/gridref/NT3167

See also the First Edition of the Ordnance Survey six-inch map at
http://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16&lat=55.8990&lon=-3.0851&layers=5&b=1
which shows Summerside and Sheriffhall in the mid-19th century, though oddly it doesn't mark them as mines. Slide the blue button in the menu box to the left to compare with the satellite view. Or 'Select a Map Series' to see the later six-inch and the 25-inch maps. You can also see where Lugton is, towards lower right of the map.

From the ages, it does look as if this is the same family. I suppose there could be another 12-year-old John King with a 14-year-old and a 10-year-old brother.

[wilcoxon]

Thanks you very much for that, as I`m in Wales I know nothing about areas in Scotland.

As young  John states , I go down at three in the morning, but leave home at two, and come up about four and six in the day. Was crushed by a piece of coal some two or three years and laid idle two months. Dr Steel attended; he was paid out of the medical money which the men have stopped from them at the counting table.

 I suppose it would just  take a short  walk to get there.   This is quite awful,  but it happened down here as well.

Thanks again.

[Hibee]

Hi wilcoxon

Check out cottages 6, 18, 21 and 38 for Kings, in this nearby mining settlement.

http://adams-of-adamsrow.com/page8.htm

Hibee

[wilcoxon]

http://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16&lat=55.9199&lon=-3.0806&layers=5&b=1

Thanks for that, is looks like King`s were as common as Jones are in Wales.
I found Adamstown on a map, and the closest colliery is Edmonston , so I suppose these mining families worked there.

I`m curious about the addresses, in 1861 John is as  7 Row No 65 Newbattle.
Were these  rows of houses built for the miners.

Also can I ask is the 1851 census missing for this area as I can`t find any of the family then.

Congratulations on your site, it`s very interesting.

http://newspapers.library.wales/view/4588337/4588343/44/
My own ancestor was killed in a mine,
4th  column from left, Mold section. Fatal accident at Coppa colliery .  Thomas Foulkes.

[Hibee]

Have you looked in FreeCen?  I see 41 Kings living in Dalkeith in 1851.

Hibee

[wilcoxon]

Wonderful - I have found them.
 I thought this Freecen site was only for 1881 so thanks again.