• The early nineteenth century saw a dramatic rise of activity in the mining of the country's coal fields. Thousands of people were drawn off the land and from factories into the coal mines. A Royal Commission appointed Commissioners and they were dispatched to examine the conditions in the coalfields of the country, to take evidence and to report their findings back to Parliament. The Commissioners travelled round gathering their evidence from interviews with coal owners, mine officials, teachers, Poor Law officials, the Police and the men, women and children who worked in the mines. The Report provides a unique insight into the social and working conditions of those involved in coal mining in East Scotland in the mid-nineteenth century in the words that were spoken at the time. There are also contemporary illustrations that graphically illustrate the conditions of work in the mines.

Mr. Alexander Goodall, Owner of Cluny Colliery
(speaking for the Cluny and Carden area)

• " I have been 19 years connected with the management of my colliery, during which period no fatal accident, nor has any of a serious kind, taken place. In this part, very little disease exists amongst the men, as their habits and mode of life differ from most colliers. In the first place, very young boys have never been allowed to go below ground, and no females whatever work in our pits. I consider the keeping females out of the mines one of the most important points towards the improvement of the collier population, as it forces them to self-dependence, and as they are obliged to send their daughters into the fields, or to service, so they are compelled to seek wives from other trades than their own: and it is a singular fact that scarcely anyone of our colliers have married upon colliers' daughters, as also a large number of the daughters of colliers are married to millers, ploughmen, and other people. There is a school (Cluny) attached to the colliery, at which the majority of male and female children attend. They enter as early as 5 and 6 years, and continue till 12, when the boys go down, as they are of no use before that age, although our seams are very thin, not exceeding 28 inches high, and our roads 42 inches. The number of men employed is 40 heads of families, 22 under 18 years of age, and 4 above 12 years. Few men marry about this quarter till 22 or 24 years of age."

David Blair, 16 years old, putter
(Cluny and Carden area)

• "I have wrought between 3 and 4 years below. I am employed to putt and fill: have not yet been putting at the coal wall. (Does not care about the work, though it is 'gey sair work.') I work 10 hours daily, sometimes more, and make 11 days out of 12. I earn 15 pence per day. " Reads and writes well: well informed: very musical: plays exceedingly well on the violin.

Mrs Blair, mother of David Blair
(Cluny and Carden area)

• "I have been married 34 years, and have no recollection of any females, or young children, being employed to labour below ground. The guid wives have an objection to their children being wrought until they have strength: and when they are working, they require good wholesome food sent down. I have five sons working with my man, and they have the porridge and meat sent down, and get it as regular as when at home. My father was a miller, and my daughter is married to one. Ten children alive: all read and write."

William Herd, 12 years old, gin driver
(Cluny and Carden area)

• "I drive the horse round the gin: have done so 12 months. Could read and write before I was sent to work. My father is a collier: have 7 brothers and sisters: was 5 years at school. Father is an Episcopalian, and we go to Episcopalian Chapel. I knows the Church Catechism."

David Patterson, 15 years old, putter
(Cluny and Carden area)

• "I work 10 hours at wheeling the tubs: have done so 3½ years: I works on another's account. Father died some years since at Perth." Reads very well: writes badly: not very forward in Scripture knowledge.

Isobel Henderson, wife of J. Henderson, collier
(Cluny and Carden area)

• "I have lived at Clunie all my life. I have several daughters, who work in the fields: they get 1s. 6d. a week. We are very healthy, and can get work full 7 out of 12 months."

• When the Commission was sitting, there were employed at Dundownate (Dundonald) 47 males, 12 females. The Manager, Mr. Andrew Adamson, for Messrs. Grieve & Nasmyth, deponed: "Children and young persons are not directly employed by the pro-prietors, as a contract is taken by the men to do their own putting, and they generally employ those who do it quickest. Part of the work is done by winding coals from the workings by incline wheels; the winding is generally performed by strong females. As boys are of little use before 12 years of age, none ought to be allowed to descend until arrived at it. We have no school or sick-fund belonging to this work."

James Mitchell, coal grieve, Dundonald

• " We have few colliers here who get the length of 50 years: more die off near 40. From the bad breath those who go earliest in life get touched with it soonest. We have had no accidents at this pit, but some people suffer from Rheumatism, as much water is below at times, and they get it from damp work. Very young children are of little use, but the contractors take down who they like."

Mary McKinlay, 12 years old, putter, Dundonald

• " I work for Andrew Nichole, who contracts for our work. I make a shilling a day, and work 11 days in the fortnight. We are sorely worked by contractors, but obliged to do so, as work is uncertain hereabouts. Has a rest of half an hour at porridge time."

TORRY or INZIEVAR COLLIERY, parish of Saline, county of Fife
HENRY CADELL, Esq., Lessee, No. 330.

• " I employ 55 males and 20 females, most of the latter are adults, and four children only under 13 years of age and I think they, the latter, would be more beneficially occupied in receiving education than in working. An attempt has been made to establish a school but from the smallness of the work and its being scattered, it has not been very successful. Drinking whisky and discontent are the two evils which prey upon the comfort and happiness of our colliers: if these were removed and they were educated, they might be as happy as princes."

HILL OF BEATH COLLIERY, township of Inverkeithing, county of Fife.
Robert Wilson, Esq, No.372
Males employed, 26; females, 9.

• " Colliers in this work their children at eight and nine years of age, and it would be a prudent step not to allow male nor female to enter a pit until the age of 12 years, that by keeping them at school they may have a little more knowledge of the right and wrong. As miners find use for young persons of nine, or even younger than nine years of age, it will be a difficult task to induce them to educate their children; nothing but compulsory steps will effect it. "

Janet Gumming, an 11 year old who bears coals

• "I gang with the women at five and come up at five at night; work all night on Fridays, and come away at twelve in the day. I carry the large bits of coal from the wall-face to the pit-bottom, and the small pieces, called chows, in a creel. The weight is usually a hundredweight; do not know how many pounds there are in a hundredweight but it is some weight to carry; it takes three journeys to fill a tub of 4 cwt. The distance varies, as the work is not always on the same wall; sometimes 150 fathoms, whiles 250 fathoms. The roof is very low; I have to bend my back and legs and the water comes frequently up to the calves of my legs. Have no liking for the work; father makes me like it. Never got hurt, but often obliged to scramble out of the pit when bad air came in."

Two of the ways by which coal came to the surface

Robert Welsh, 11 years old hewer, Wemyss Colliery worker

• He works with his father; has done so one month; learning to hew coals; has no dislike to the work, only finds it very inconvenient to get porridge down; has been five years at school and learned to read and write. (Reads and writes very well.) Two brothers work below with me - Alexander, 13, has been two years down, and George, 15, has been four years down; both read and write well.

Elizabeth Lister, 15 years old, putter*, Wemyss Colliery worker

• She has wrought three years below; works from six in the morning to six at night; works for contractors; has to make 14 races before porridge time; the distance is 300 fathoms from incline to pit bottom; and 14 and 15 races between porridge and the time we take our pieces of bread; 14, 15 and 16 races afterwards; we get 15d. a day, but only employed nine sometimes ten days in the fortnight. When I wrought on day's wages for master, was not so hard worked; the work is more sair, as the men drive us more, for they do the work cheap. Many girls have left, not liking to be driven, and gone into the fields. (Reads and writes very well; clever and ready in replies.)

* A person whose job it was to push a loaded hutch from the coal-face to the pit-bottom.

Isabella Read, 12 years old

• I am brought with sister and brother; it is very sore work. Cannot say how many rakes or journeys I make from pit-bottom to wall-face and back, thinks about 30 or 25 on the average; distance varies from 100 to 250 fathoms. I carry a hundredweight and a quarter on my back, and am frequently in water to the calves of my legs. When first down, fell frequently asleep while waiting for coal from heat and fatigue. I do not like the work, nor do the lassies, but they are made to like it. When the weather is warm there is difficulty in breathing, and frequently the lights go out.

Thomas Campbell, 10 years of age, a hewer from Dundonald, Fife

• Am learning to hew coal at Dundonald with my father; went down first with him; goes down now with brother who is 18 and been 10 years below, and sister. Father is 46 years; he has long been gone with the breath, he has been idle three months with it so no able to work at all. Brothers and sisters all read a little and so do I. Am wrought at the reading by John Ewan at Shawmill about a mile away.
  [John Ewan, teacher, is listed in the 1841 Census as residing in Shawmill.]

Children pulling barrows of coal.

Agnes Moffat, 17 years of age

• Began working at 10 years of age. Work 12 and 14 hours daily. Can earn 12s. in a fortnight if work be not stopped by bad air or otherwise. Father took sister and I down; he gets our wages. I fill five baskets; the weight is more than 22 cwt, it takes me five journeys. The work is hard and sair for females. Had my shoulder knocked out a short time ago and laid idle some time. It is no uncommon thing for women to lose their burthen (load), and drop off the ladder down the dyke below. Margaret McNeil did a few weeks since, and injured both legs. When the tugs, which pass over the forehead break, which they frequently do, it is very dangerous to be under a load. The lassies hate the work altogether but they canna run away from it.

• The evidence of Jane Peacock Watson, aged 40, coal-bearer (No. 117) shows yet more painfully the suffering of women following this laborious employment.
  
  I have wrought in the bowels of the earth 33 years; have been married 23 years, and had me children; six are alive, three died of typhus a few years since; have had two dead born; thinks they were so from the oppressive work; a vast of women have dead children and false births, which are worse, as they are no able to work after the latter.
  I have always been obliged to work below 'till forced to go home to bear the bairn, and so have all other women. We return as soon as we are able; never longer than 10 or 12 days; many less, if they are needed. It is only horse-work and ruins the women: it crushes their haunches, bends their ankles, and makes them old women at 40.

• The evidence also of Isabel Hogg (No. 131), aged 53, discloses an equal testimony to the same horrible system; and Elizabeth McNeil (No. 136), aged 38, states that she knew a woman who came up, and the child was born in a field next the coal-hill. Women frequently miscarry below, and suffer much after. Vast of women are confined before they have time to change themsel.
  
  In fact, said a very intelligent witness, Mr. Wm. Hunter, the mining foreman of Ormiston Colliery, where Mr. Maxton has issued an order to exclude women and children from the colliery:
  
  In fact, women always did the lifting or heavy part of the work and neither they nor the children were treated like human beings, nor are they where they are employed. Females to work in places where no man, or even lad, could be got to labour in; they work in bad roads, up to their knees in water, in a posture nearly double. They are below till the last hour of pregnancy. They have swelled haunches and ankles, and are prematurely brought to the grave, or, what is worse, a lingering existence.
  
  Now, when the nature of this horrible labour is taken into consideration, its extreme severity, its regular duration of from 12 to 14 hours daily, which, and once a week at least, as in the instance of J. Gumming, is extended through the whole of the night; the damp, heated, and unwholesome atmosphere in which the work is carried on; the tender age and sex of the workers; when it is considered such labour is performed not in isolated instances selected to excite compassion, that it may be truly regarded as the type of everyday existence of hundreds of our fellow-creatures, a picture is presented of deadly physical oppression and systematic slavery, of which I conscientiously believe no one unacquainted with such facts would credit the existence in the British dominions.

• In surveying the working of an extensive colliery under ground, says Robert Bald, Esq., the eminent coal-viewer, a married women came forward, groaning under an excessive weight of coals, trembling in every nerve, and almost unable to keep her knees from sinking under her. On coming up she said, in a plaintive and melancholy voice, "Oh Sir, this is sore, sore, sore work. I wish to God that the first woman who tried to bear coals had broke her back, and none would have tried it again".