Dear List (Especially KEITH RAMSEY)

Previously on the list has been email traffic about the Monks family.  I have come across something else relating to this.  Below is an off list communication from Keith followed by my latest findings.  I hope Keith doesn't mind me sending this via the list but I thought others might also be interested.

Regards 

David,

KEITH'S BIT

There seems to be some connection between the Boult and Monks families, as the 
"Stock Exchange Year Book" lists William Boult Monks as one of the directors 
of Leonard Boult & Co Ltd up to about 1892. Although several members of the 
Leonard family were also directors, there was no one with the surname Boult.

According to the "List of Mines" for 1889 W B Monks senior was manager of 
Hanham and Pennywell collieries, whilst W B Monks junior was manager of Easton 
and Whitehall collieries - I don't know which of them was the director.

I've never been able to find out too much about the company as none of its records seem to have survived, but there's some more information about the on 
the Living Easton Website at

http://www.csm.uwe.ac.uk/~rstephen/Living.Easton.html

Keith Ramsey
University of Exeter



MY LATEST BIT

The name Keeling is connected to Pennywell colliery through the company Chick Keeling and Co.  I have yet to find any better connection .  The Keeling family were also involved at Yate and Cromhall (one of the names for the company running Yate was Long Keeling and Co.  By 1872 the name Keeling no longer appears on the Yate lease (although Long's widow does) The following are named among the Lesses names

Mary Monks
James R Monks
Edward N B Monks

A later document (16/3/79) gives the same names (the R in James Monks is Richardson) and also William Boult Monks.

Edward Wm B Monks was the manager at the time of the proposed sale of the colliery in 1877.  He also appears in latter correspondence and an Edward Monks is also listed in the 1881 census of Yate - 48 yrs old, Coalminer (boarding)

Edward W B Monks is listed as a "director" of the Yate Collieries and Lime Works Company Limited at a general meeting (Sept 1881)

Most of the above details are from information in the Wiltshire Record Office where there are a large number of documents which are still being worked through.

I also recently came across a document being notes taken from a note book (dated 1885) which refers to sinking a shaft in the Yate area and includes the names

Ponting Monks, Fishponds - (possible writer but it's not clear)
and
A P Monks

The same documents refers to a meeting with a Mr May who worked the "Cromhall pit" who describes the coal as "... supposed to be the same as Pennywell Road."  A strange comment when you consider the two sites are over ten miles apart with a large number of coal mines in between and (modern maps appear to show) in different geological conditions.  An explanation could be that there is a link between the owners/managers of Cromhall and Pennywell (i.e. the Keeling connection).  A Mr Jeffries is also quoted as having "helped to sink Monk's pit in the causeway".