A group of eight old coal pits, probably very small
workings, in the fields just to the east of the site of the
ancient Rires Castle, and a more recent ninth, in the
northern grounds of Balcarres House, probably constituted
part of the very old Rires Colliery of this small coal-basin
in the parish of Kilconquhar, an area which saw coals worked
from the late thirteenth century until the mid-nineteenth
century.
The area worked by the pit in Mill Wood (name unknown) just
north of Lathallan Mill is recorded in abandonment plans for
Kilconquhar but no seam details are available. It is quite
possible that this coal-works was the property of Major
Lumsdaine of Lathallan in the late 18th century.
 |
 |
A record from 1293, which has been referred to as 'the Balcarres note' by Charles Brister, in his book 'This Is My Kingdom',"... lists the lands and appurtenances of the estates of Balnacrois in the Schyra de Ryras, held of the King of Scotland by Duncan, son of Colburn, late Earl of Fife, and which were at the time held by the King of England on behalf of Duncan, son of Duncan, then a minor. The estate was managed by Walter de Cambo and the coal pits were valued at 4s 5½ d per annum - a considerable sum in 1293."
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| Rires
coal-works - 18th C employee
(service dates unknown) |
|---|
| Andrew Nicolson, collier |
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From Statistical Accounts: Parish of Kilconquhar (1795)
"There is a considerable number of coal fields in
this parish, which have, in great measure, served the
adjacent country for some centuries past, and afford coal of
various kinds, as hard, splint, parrot, and soft, known here
by the name of cherry; and of a mixed nature, in many places;
all generally good of their kinds. The strata are subject to
many interruptions, as is the case with most of the coal in
the inland parts of Fife, being often broken off, or thrown
into different directions, by hitches as they are called,
which are of very different thicknesses, composed variously
of heterogeneous materials; the coal strata themselves also
differing in thickness, quality, stricking, and declivity;
seldom found to go much deeper than 30 fathoms from the
surface; whereas the coal strata, close by the sea, both
here, and in many other parts of our island, are said to run
for miles, almost in the same direction, and of the same
dimensions.
The coal fields in this parish that have been worked are
Balcarres coal, Kilbrackmont coal, the property of Miss Scott
of Scotstarvet, South Falfield coal, the property of Mr.
Bethune of Blebo. The above mentioned coals are not worked at
present but might afford more coal, were engines erected, or
mines driven deeper than formerly to carry off the water.
Reres coal, the property of Mr Bayne of Reres, worked by a
mine, affords both hard and soft coal, frequently of good
quality; employs at present 8 colliers, 2 windlace-men, and a
superintendent. The price of a cart load 75 stone weight, is
2s. 6d. ... The colliers of this parish are tolerably
regular and industrious."
... from Statistical Accounts: Parish of Kilconquhar (1837) ...
"The great independent coal formation characterises,
throughout, the length and breadth of this parish. ... Three
well marked divisions, at different levels and elevations ...
comprise separate and distinct coal fields, geographically as
well as physically distinguished from each other.
The first of these embraces the Grange or Earlsferry coal
field, which lies along the shore, and inclines towards the
sea; the second includes the Reres and Balcarres coal
district, inland about four miles, and elevated above the
former upwards of 400 feet. Lathallan, Largoward, and
Falfield coals, occupy the high tableland toward the northern
limit of the parish, the last attaining an elevation of about
700 feet above the level of the sea. These separations, and
elevations, of the once continuous beds of the coal measures,
have obviously been occasioned by the interposition of the
trap rocks, which occur so abundantly among them; the
principal of which are Kincraig Hill, Balcarres Craig,
Kilbrackmont Knock, Rires Craig, and Dunikier Law.
Dislocations, and shiftings, and upheavings, in every
possible form and variety, are exhibited in each of the coal
fields; but, as may be naturally expected, these curious
phenomena abound most in the upper or last division.
..."
" ... As we approach the Balcarres coal-field, some
very interesting sections may be observed, in the Den, of an
alternating series of sandstone, shale, coal, and ironstone,
and the manner in which these have been upheaved and altered
by the igneous rocks. ... Balcarres coal-field ranges
westward from the Craig, dipping partly under it, as well as
the Kilbrackmont ridge on the north. It consists of four
seams, two of which are splint, the one 6, and the other 2
feet thick. The third seam, which is 3 feet thick, consists
of common coal. The fourth is called "marl-coal",
from the circumstance of its being split up, or separated
into two seams by an interposed bed of that substance. A trap
dike of 60 yards thick traverses this field from east to
west, doing considerable injury to the minerals. The dip
varies from 11o to an angle of 20o.
Reres coal is nearly in the same line of elevation with
that of Balcarres; and has been compressed into a trough-like
form, stretching to about 800 yards across the edges of
outcrop. This curious figure into which the strata have been
thrown, terminating in a semicircular end, has unquestionably
been occasioned by the action of the trap rocks, by which it
is almost surrounded. It also consists of four seams of coal
of variable thickness."
In the parish of Kilconquhar, in 1837, 90 persons are recorded as having employment at coal works.
Kilconquhar
"Coal is abundant in the parish ... the inhabitants are weavers, fishers and colliers."
Descriptive Gazetteer of Fife 1857
Rires Colliery
| Source Date of Information (Owner) |
| 1795 (Mr Robert Bayne Dalgliesh) |
| 1842 (Mr Dalgliesh) |
| 1857 (Mr. D. Brown)
From Hunts "Mining Records" |
The 1842 parliamentary commission found no evidence of women and girls working underground although they were sometimes employed at the pit-heads. At Rires Colliery, for example, women unloaded the buckets of coal as they reached the surface, and sorted and stacked the contents. Such work could still prove dangerous and one woman was killed when she lost her footing and fell headlong into the mineshaft.
Information on coals worked at, or near, Rires Colliery
(Based on a report from 1900)
To the north of the Balcarres sheet of dolerite, a small coal-basin, which was probably long abandoned by the late nineteenth century, lay in the hollow bounded on the west by the continuation of the igneous ridge of Largo Law, on which stood the remains of Rires Castle, and on the east by the intrusive masses of Kilbrackmont.
It has been described as having the form of a trough not
more than 800 yds. broad with a semi-circular end to the
south-west, and extending north-eastwards in the direction of
Balniel Den.
It contained four seams of coal:
| COAL | 3 ft. |
| Strata | 87 ft. |
| COAL | 6 ft. 6 in. |
| Strata | 24 ft. |
| COAL | 1 ft. 6 in. |
| Strata | 6 ft. |
| MAIN COAL (with 14 in. of black shale) | 5 ft. 6 in. |
Coal was formerly worked to the north and north-east of the village of Colinsburgh, which lies less than two miles south of the Rires coal-works.
Four coal seams were described as striking in a north-easterly direction about a quarter of a mile beyond Colinsburgh, and dipping towards the north-west. Beneath them, the Hurlet Limestone was 14 ft. thick. It was formerly quarried in this area and could be seen in the ravine above Pitcorthie House.
The lowest coal, known as the Marl seam, consisted of a lower band 3 ft. thick separated from an upper band, which was 2 ft. thick and very soft, by a parting of "marl".
The second coal had a thickness of 3 ft., the third coal was named the 'Two-feet Splint', and the fourth coal the 'Six-feet Splint'.
The 'Two-feet Splint' was apparently worked under the dolerite sill of Balcarres Craig which is thought to have been injected between this seam and the Six-feet seam, the latter having its dip increased to 20o by the intrusive rock. The upper seam, lying on the north side of the sill and dipping under the Rires coal-basin, was also known to extend in a north-easterly direction, towards Gibliston, not exactly parallel with the other coals, as its course was interrupted by the igneous intrusion, and that it passed under the overlying trap of Kilbrackmont Knock and Kilbrackmont Craigs and was worked under it.
The other three coals were found to be greatly disturbed by intrusive material as they approached Balmakin, but beyond there they were followed with less interruption north-eastwards between the outcrop of the limestone and the great sill lying to the north. The 'Two-feet Splint' coal is said to have been worked under the sill at Baldutho, north-east of Gibliston, but beyond that point no information has been obtained as to the further course of these coal seams.
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"Fifeshire Journal"
6 & 20 July, 1848
COAL TO BE LET
THE COAL on FIRTH MUIR of RIRES, Parish of
Kilconquhar. Three SEAMS of SPLINT and CHERRY COAL have been lately
explored, and lie at a depth of from Four to Twelve Fathoms from
the surface - Coal Metals lying underneath.
Mr Seth, Rires Farm, will show the Boundaries;
and farther particulars may be learned from Messrs Aitken and
Horsburgh, Writers, Cupar.
July 4, 1848.
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