Coal Miners Records

History

The Coalmining industry was privately run with many pits each employing a group of workers.

Official records start in 1850 when the first of the pit safety laws was passed but there is no central records of miners until nationalisation brought about the National Coal Board in 1946.

Where would you find information?

The national archives has information recorded by officials visiting the pits.

Whilst there are a few names there is comparatively little of value to family historians

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The National Coal Board employee  records are now held by a firm called Iron Mountain.

These records are not yet open to the public.

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Local Records Offices often have the records from local pits.

To see these check with the Records office for the county in which the pit is situated.

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Online

The Coalmining History Resource Centre has a great map with the locations of pits and a searchable database of 160,000 names of people killed or injured in pit accidents.

The National Coalmining Museum has a lot of facts and details of coalmining although there are few names to help family historians.