The South Staffordshire Coalfield/Coal...

by Joseph Beete Jukes

Note on the Coal Raised and Iron made in 1858 in South Staffordshire. By Robert Hunt, F.R.S., Keeper of Mining Records.

The quantity of Coal raised in South Staffordshire was 4,995,780 tons; the present value of which may be regarded as 1,248,945l. sterling.

The quantity of coal required for calcining and for smelting the iron ore is at the rate of about three tons of coal for one ton of iron, or about 1,793,427 tons were employed in 1858 for that purpose. This is exclusive of the coal required for the manufacture of bar iron, &c.

The quantity of ironstone raised from the South Staffordshire coal measures, was about 959,000 tons; the average production of iron from this ironstone ore being about 33 per cent.

In addition to this ore, the following and some other ironstones were consumed in South Staffordshire:—

From North Staffordshire:—	Tons.
Sent by railway, iron ore, calcined	76,367
Sent by„ railway„ iorn„ ore„ uncalcined	5,797.
Sent by canal iorn„ ore„ calcined	135,861
Sent by„ canal„ iorn„ ore„ uncalcined - - 79,327
From Lancashire and Cumberland, about	30,000
From„ Forest of Dean, about	13,000
From„ Northamptonshire and other places, about	50,000
	400,352

The quantity of pig iron made in South Staffordshire for the last three years has been as follows:—

1856.	1857.	1858.
Tons.	Tons.	Tons.
777,171	657,295	597,809

The number of furnaces built and in blast is given in the first table; the number of mills and forges in the second.

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The Number of Iron Furnaces in Blast in South Staffordshire
and Worcestershire, 147.

No.	Names of Works.	Owners,	Furnaces built.	Furnaces in blast.	Furnaces in blast in District.
1	Bentley Heath	Riley and Co.	3	0
2	Birchills, New, Walsall	Henry Smith	5[1]	3
3	Birchills,„ Old Walsall„	F.C. Perry	2	2
4	Bloxwich, Green Lanes, Walsall.	T. and C. Highway	2	2
5	Bovereux, Bilston	Wm. Baldwin and Co.	2	1
6	Brettell Lane Bilston„	Hall, Holcroft, and Pearson	2	2
7	BroadwatersBilston„	S. Groucutt and Sons	3	3
8	Brook Bilston„	G. H. and A. Hickman	3	2
9	Caponfield Bilston„	John Bagnall and Sons	3	3
10	Chillington	Chillington Iron Company	4[2]	3
11	Coneygree,Tipton	Lord Ward	3	2
12	Corbyns Hall, Dudley	Wm. Matthews and Co.	4	3
13	Corbyns„ Hall„ New, Dudley„.	B. Gibbons	4	2
14	Coseley, Bilston	Jos. and Thomas Turley	2	2
15	Crook Hay	Geo. Thompson and Co.	4	2
16	Darlaston Green	Samuel Mills	3	3
17	Deepfields, Bilston	Benton and Pemberton	3	1
18	Dixon's Green, Dudley	W. Haden	1	1
19	Dudley Port	Hopkins and Son	2	2
20	Dudley Wood	New British Iron Co.	4	4
21	Ettingshall, Bilston	T. Banks and Son	2	1
22	Gold Hill, West Bromwich	John Bagnall and Sons	3	3
23	Hallfields	B. Gibbon, jun.	1	1
24	Hatherton	Highway, Brothers	2	2
25	Herbert's Park, Bilston	David Jones	1	1
26	Horseley, Tipton	Colburn and Sons	4	3
27	Ketley's, Dudley	B. Gibbons	3	3
28	Lays, Stourbridge	W. and G. Firmstone	3	3
29	Level, New, Brierley Hill	Lord Ward	3	3
30	Level„ Old, Brierley Hill„	Hall. Holcroft, and Pearson	2	1
31	Millfield. Bilston	B. Gibbon, jun., and Co.	3	3
32	Moseley Hall, Wolverhampton	Chillington Company	3	3
33	Netherton	N. Hingley and Sons	2	2
34	Netherton„	M. and W. Grazebrook	2[3]	2
	Carried forward		93	74
35	New Furnaces, Bilston	S. H. Blackwell and Co.	5	4
36	Oak Farm, Dudley	Oakfarm Furnace Company	2	2
37	Oldbury	William Bennit	4	4
38	Old Hill, Dudley	T. and J. Badger	2	1
39	Old Park	Lloyds, Foster, and Co.	3	3
40	Osier Bed	W. H. Sparrow and Co.	3	3
41	Park Head	Evers and Martin	2	2
42	Parkfield	Parkfield Iron Company[4]	5	4
43	Park Lane, Tipton	Thomas Morris	2	1
44	Pelsall	Davies and Bloomer	2	2
45	Priestfield	W.M. Ward and Sons	3	3
46	Priors Field	H. B. Whitehouse	3[5]	3
47	Rough Hay, Darlaston	Addenbroke, Smith, and Pidcock.	2	2
48	Russell's Hall, Dudley	S. H. Blackwell and Co.	5	4¾
49	Shut End, Stourbridge	John Bradley and Co.	4	3
50	Spring Vale, Bilston	Jones and Murcott	3	2¼
51	Stone Field	G. H. and A. Hickman	1	1
52	Stour Valley	B. Richards	2	0
53	Stow Heath	W. H. Sparrow and Co.	5	4
54	Tipton	E. Creswell and Sons	2	2
55	Tipton Green	Gibbons and Robert	4	4
56	Toll End, Tipton	Toll End Company	2	0
57	Union	Phillip Williams and Company.	3	3
58	Wednesbury Oak	Ditto	3	2
59	Willinghall	Fletcher, Solly, and Urwick	3	2
60	Wellingsworth	Haines and Company	3	3
61	Windmill End	Woodall and Smith	3	2
62	Withymoor	W. Dawes	2	2
63	Wolverhampton	Edward Poole and Co.	3	2
64	Woodside	Cochrane and Company	3	2
		Total	182	147

 

Mills and Forces in South Staffordshire District, with the Number of Puppling Furnaces.

1	Jno. Bradley and Co	Stourbridge Works	Stourbridge	23
2	Ditto	Brierley Works	Kingswinford	38
3	Ditto	Shut End	Ditto	34	=	95
4	Jno. Bagnall and Son	Imperial Works	Wednesbury	26
5	Ditto	Lee Brook	Ditto	28
6	Ditto	Gold's Hill	Tipton	31	=	85
7	G.B. Thorneycroft and Co.	Shrubbery Works	Wolverhampton	40
8	Ditto	Swan Gardens	Ditto	30	=	70
9	Barrows and Hall	Bloomfield Works	Tipton	56
10	Ditto	Factory Works	Ditto	22
11	Ditto	Tipton Green	Ditto	11	=	89
12	Chillington Iron Company	Chillington Works	Wolverhampton	56
13	Chillington Iron Company	Lee Brook	Wednesbury	23
14	Ditto	Bradley	Bilston	14
15	Ditto	Capponfield	Ditto	16	=	109
16	Walter Williams	Albion Works	West Bromwich	50
17	Ditto	Great Bridge	Tipton	12	=	62
18	British Iron Company	Corngreaves	Dudley	56
19	Ditto	Brierley Hill	Ditto	18	=	74
20	Jones and Murcott	Spring Vale	Bilston			68
21	John Dawes and Son	Bromford Works	Oldbury			51
22	W. and J. Sparrow and Co.	Osier Bed	Wolverhampton	26
23	Ditto	Bilston Works	Bilston	32	=	58
24	Phillip Williams and Sons	Wednesbury Oak	Tipton			32
25	J. Walker and Co.	Patent Shaft Company.	Wednesbury			48
26	Lord Ward	Round Oak	Brierley Hills			45
27	Corbyn's Hall Iron Company	Corbyn's Hall Works.	Kingswinford			40
28	Brothers Solly	Lee Brook	Wedensbury	25
29	Ditto	Great Bridge	Ditto	18	=	43
30	W. Riley and Son	Highfield Works	Bilston			26
31	Rose, Higgins, and Rose	Bradley Works	Ditto			33
32	Browning and Jackson	Deepfields Works	Ditto			10
33	Brown and Frere	The Lays	Dudley	28
34	Ditto	The New Lays	Ditto	10	=	38
35	J. and E. Walker	Old Church and Gospel Oak.	Tipton			27
36	Atlas Iron Company	Atlas Works	West Bromwich			13
37	Sir S. Glyn, Bart.	Oak Farm	Kingswinford			38
38	R. Jeffries	Hart's Hill Works	Brierley Hill			30
39	E. Cresswell and Sons	Tipton Works	Tipton	20
40	Ditto	Moxley Works	Wednesbury	10	=	30
41	Thomas Wells	Moxley	Ditto			25
42	Hickman and Co.	Groveland Works	Tipton	18
43	Ditto	Stonefield	Bilston	10	=	28
44	Davis and Bloomer	Pelsall Works	Walsall	12
45	Ditto	Gold's Hill	Tipton	11
46	Ditto	Greet's Green	West Bromwich	20	=	43
47	David Jones	Herbert's Park	Darlaston	15
48	Ditto	Bilston Brook	Bilston	8	=	23
49	Plant and Fisher	Dudley Port Works	Tipton			20
50	E. Page and Sons	Roway Works	West Bromwich			23
51	S. Mills	The Green Ironworks.	Darlaston			2
52	Lee and Bolton	The Hyde Works	Stourbridge			21
53	S. Groucutt and Sons	Bankfield Works	Bilston			20
54	Fletcher, Rose, and Co.	Albert Works	Moxley			21
55	Daniel Rose	Bull's Bridge	Ditto			10
56	Wm. Rose	Batman's Hill	Bilston			10
57	Wright and North	Monmore Green	Wolverhampton			11
58	Isaac Jenks	Minerva Works	Ditto			13
59	Hall, Holcroft, and Pearson	The Level	Brierley Hill			17
60	Budd and Co.	Tividale Ironworks	Tipton	9
61	Ditto	Brockmoor Works	Dudley	6		15
62	Thomas Silvester and Son	Spon Lane	West Bromwich			12
63	Beasley and Farmer	District Forge	Smethwick			20
64	Millington and Co.	Summer Hill	Tipton			15
65	F. Giles and Co.	Dudley Port Works	Ditto			14
66	Badger and Co.	Ditto	Ditto			14
67	Evers and Sons	Cradley Works	Dudley			17
68	N. Hingley and Sons	Netherton Works	Ditto			15
69	John Wheeley and Co.	Brettel Lane	Stourbridge			16
70	Corkley Iron Company	Corkley	Kidderminster			12
71	Lloyds, Foster and Co.	Old Park	Wednesbury	12
72	Ditto	King's Hill	Ditto	6	=	18
73	Deaken and Dodd	Monmer Lane Ironworks	Willenhall			11
74	Eagle Coal and Iron Company.	Greet's Green	West Bromwich			14
75	J. Whitehouse	Ridge Acre	Ditto			19
76	Crange and Holden	Great Bridge	Ditto			10
77	John Stones and Son	The Grove	Smethwick			10
78	Granager and Powers		Ditto			10
79	Keep and Watkin	Swin Works	Stourbridge			13
80	Geo. Thompson and Co.	Crook Hay Works	West Bromwich			18
81	Gilpin and Sons	Wedge's Mills	Walsall			6
82	J. Marshall	Monway Works	Wednesbury			6
83	Johnson and Co.	Church Lane	West Bromwich			7
84	Bissell, Kay, and Bissell	Hill Top	Ditto			10
85	Hipkins and Co.	Great Bridge	Ditto			5
86	J. Gregory	Spon Lane	Ditto			6
87	Hartland and Co.	Smethwick	Ditto			8
88	Wm. Marshall		Ditto			3
89	J. Hodgetts		Ditto			3
90	Wm. Morris		Tipton			4
91	J. Haines and Co.	Sheep Wash	Ditto			10
92	Hunt and Sons	Brade's Works	Oldbury			8
93	E. B. Whitehead		Tipton			9
94	Wm. Baldwin and Co.	Bovereux Works	Bilston			6
95	Wm. Banks	Ettingshall Works	Ditto			11
96	Thompson and Burford	Bradley Hall Works	Ditto			10
97	Hampton and Brereton	Pot House Bridge Works.	Ditto			7
98	Baldwin and Co.	Horseley Fields Works.	Wolverhampton			3
99	Whittington Company	Whittington Works	Stourbridge			5
100	Banks and Morgan	Broadwaters	Kidderminster			5
101	Baldwin Brothers	Wildon Works	Ditto			5
102	Edmund Page		Smethwick			12
	⁠Total					1,945

The number of collieries enumerated in the Mineral Statistics for 1858 is 415 in this coal-field. Each of these collieries will have at least two shafts, and many of them more.

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1. 4 furnaces were in blast for a short time. The average of the year was 3 furnaces.
2. During a portion of the year the Chillington Company had 4 furnaces in blast.
3. These furnaces are entirely cold blast.
4. 3 furnaces in blast for 3 months, and 4 for 9 months.
5. 2 only in blast one half the year.