Miners

Possibly near Edinburgh  -  Where and When?

Three Miners

Miners, possibly from near Edinburgh  -  Where and when?

©  Reproduced with acknowledgement to David Bain, Rotherham South Yorkshire, England

 

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   Miners,possibly from near Edinburgh  -  Where and when? ©

  

Three  Miners

Thank you to David Bain for allowing me to reproduce this photograph of two miners.

David wrote:

Where and When?

"This is one of two photos taken from postcards that came from my late aunt's house.  Unfortunately, they  have nothing at all written on the back.

My assumptions are that some of the miners are Flockharts, my grandmother's side of the family.  They were miners in Gilmerton and Newton village.

Could the minimal height of the winding gear in the background be an indication of where the photos were taken?   I can't say that I've ever seen it that low before.

The clothes are no help in dating the photos, nor are the dumb-buffered wooden wagons.  I remember seeing those still in use in the 1960s.

What have the men got on their bunnets?  Daffodils?"

This is the other photograph of miners that David sent to me.

Miners, possibly from near Edinburgh  -  Where and when? ©

Acknowledgement:  David Bain, Rotherham South Yorkshire, England:  April 10, 2007

 

Reply

1

Patrick Hutton

New Town, Edinburgh

Thank you to Patrick Hutton who wrote

Where and When?

"I haven't (yet) been able to identify the miners and locations.  Dumb-buffered wagons were used on the main railway network until the early part of the 20th century.  Many survived as internal user wagons on colliery lines until (quite possibly) the 1960s, but I think these photos are old, as the miners have tallow lamps on their bunnets - not daffodils!"

Patrick Hutton, New Town, Edinburgh:  April 17, 2009

Thanks Patrick. 

I sent an email to the Scottish Mining Museum at Newtongrange, near Edinburgh,  asking for their opinion on when and where these two photos might have been taken.

Judith Rowlett replied saying that she had e not come across any pits with such unusual headgears, but that she would pass the photos around her colleagues and see if they had any ideas.

Peter Stubbs:  April 21, 2009

 

Groups of Workers

Around Edinburgh

 

 

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