The topic of this thread is the sad death of 26 children in a Coal mine. Many may wonder why children were in a pit in the first place. It was of course so that they could “earn their keep” and contribute to the family income.
Most miners were literally self employed. A mine owner would pay them for the quality and amount of coal that they could (Get ) produce.
No coal, No pay. The wages paid to a miner was also dictated by Market demand. No demand, no pay.
The more family members working, the more the income into a family’s coffers. Alternative work was often in short supply and mainly in agriculture and weaving. The wages of these was often a lot lower than a miner could obtain. ( in agriculture a child would be of little use)
It wasn’t only the miners children who were employed. Workhouse children would be hired out to miners ( So called Apprenticed) A case was reported of a child, before the age of 5 years old, apprenticed to a miner in a thin seam colliery at Thornhill. Small children being particularly useful in very thin, cramped seams.
Tomkin
