57. Coal Mining in 1812

Mines had always had a large female element in their workforce; women were generally employed to carry coal to the surface. It was only in 1842 – with the Mines Regulation Act – that women and young children were banned from working below ground.The following passage is an extract of a book that was published by Robert Bald, a mining engineer at Alloa, in 1812.Robert Bald, A General View of the Coal Trade of Scotland, Chiefly that of the River Forth and Lothian, to which is Added an Inquiry ...