Yes indeed, the deputy's stick had a number of functional uses as well as
being a badge of office, Typically, in the north east, they were used for:
1. Testing the soundness of the roof, but a brass ferrule was needed on the
end for this - your rubber foot is almost certainly an addition.
2. Gas testing in the roof of workings, the testing flame lamp being hung
from the handle end of the stick, via a leather thong or piece of string
tied in a loop through a hole drilled in the handle end.
3. Measuring advances made in headings etc - the stick was of a particular
length from end to end,
eg 3 feet.
4. Checking tubway gauge - a groove cut round the stick at say 2 feet 6
inches from the handle end.
Can't explain your spiral groove I'm afraid.
I have two examples, from my late father who was a deputy, one of which was
cut down from a billiard cue, the other hand made, presumably by the pit joiners
>Some close friends recently gave me a colliery deputy's or under-manager's
stick as a birthday present - it was apparently the result of a lengthy
search through antique shops across South Yorkshire, and I really appreciate
the gift.
>
>Unfortunately, we know practically nothing about it, other than that it is
believed to date from the 1930s. I'm told that the carving on the main shaft
of the stick (a sort of double, tapering spiral) is a clue to its origins.
Can anyone help, or point me in the right direction?
>
>I'm aware that these were both "badges of office" and practical tools, in
that they were used for testing the soundness of roofs and walls and
pit-props. I've also been informed that deputies would hang a lamp from the
end to hold it up to high roofs to test for pockets of gas, and this one
comfortably accommodates the handle of a flame safety lamp, if you remove
the rubber foot. (Is this original or a later addition?)
>
>My cousin, who was a hewer in a South Wales coal mine until he was badly
crushed in a fall about 10 years ago, tells me that one of their deputies
would also use the stick to give them a crack over the head or on the back
if they were felt to be slacking, skimping on the props or generally messing
about!
>
>I'd be grateful for any advice or information.
>
>Thanks in advance.
>
>John
><!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
><HTML><HEAD>
><META content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1" http-equiv=Content-Type>
><META content="MSHTML 5.00.2919.6307" name=GENERATOR>
><STYLE></STYLE>
></HEAD>
><BODY bgColor=#ffffff>
><DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Some close friends recently gave me a colliery
>deputy's or under-manager's stick as a birthday present - it was apparently
the
>result of a lengthy search through antique shops across South Yorkshire, and I
>really appreciate the gift. </FONT></DIV>
><DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
><DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Unfortunately, we know practically nothing about
>it, other than that it is believed to date from the 1930s. I'm told that the
>carving on the main shaft of the stick (a sort of double, tapering spiral)
is a
>clue to its origins. Can anyone help, or point me in the right
>direction?</FONT></DIV>
><DIV> </DIV>
><DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I'm aware that these were both "badges of
>office" and practical tools, in that they were used for testing the
>soundness of roofs and walls and pit-props. I've also been informed that
>deputies would hang a lamp from the end to hold it up to high roofs to test
for
>pockets of gas, and this one comfortably accommodates the handle of a
flame
>safety lamp, if you remove the rubber foot. (Is this original or a later
>addition?)</FONT></DIV>
><DIV> </DIV>
><DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>My cousin, who was a hewer in a South Wales coal
>mine until he was badly crushed in a fall about 10 years ago, tells me that
one
>of their deputies would also use the stick to give them a crack over the
head or
>on the back if they were felt to be slacking, skimping on the props or
generally
>messing about!</FONT></DIV>
><DIV> </DIV>
><DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I'd be grateful for any advice or
>information.</FONT></DIV>
><DIV> </DIV>
><DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Thanks in advance.</FONT></DIV>
><DIV> </DIV>
><DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>John</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>
>
Stafford M Linsley
Lecturer in Industrial Archaeology
The University
Newcastle upon Tyne
England
NE1 7RU
Tel. 0191-222 6795
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