Moorside Colliery
Moorside Colliery, Arlecdon, near Whitehaven, Cumberland.
See also Collieries on the River Marron (pdf file)
Operated between about 1873 and 1950. A small colliery employing some 40 people and raising about 50 tons of coal per day.
A much more detailed listing with sources can be viewed at this link (to follow). In particular, maps and more information on the development of the colliery, its officers and managers have been included.
1873 Lease on the undeveloped Moorside coal royalty taken by William Baird and Co., iron masters of Lanarkshire who had iron ore mines nearby. The royalty belonged to the Lamplugh Hall Estate.
Although coal was raised in 1874, Bairds did not persist with this venture and the mine stood unused for a number of years.
1889 William Dalzell Whitehaven, in association with others (not named) took the lease to the Moorside royalty. Andrew Johnston, of Strongitharm and Johnston, mining engineers of Whitehaven, inspected the works and plans. William Dalzell died a few months later, and his interests were taken over by James Duffield, iron master of Workington, and the above Andrew Johnston.
1891 A fresh lease for the colliery was granted to Andrew Johnston and James Duffield, trading as the Moorside Coal Company.
1895 reassignment of the 1891 lease to Joseph Smith Peile of Parton, and Thomas Bowman and George William Wilkinson – merchants of Whitehaven. At some point the last two seem to have been replaced as co-owner by Andrew Johnston, but no specific record has been found.
1900 Andrew Johnston and J S Peile took the lease on neighbouring Asby Colliery and briefly refered to themselves the Moorside and Asby Colliery Company but soon afterwards Moorside seems to have been abandoned.
c1903 Lease on Moorside colliery taken up by the neighbouring Dean Moor Colliery Co and in due course worked under their name with the royalties effectively combined. See Dean Moor Colliery for continuation.