> a throw-away line in a
>recent popular account of the Industrial Archaelogy of the Ironbridge
>area. This stated that "coal underwent its industrial revolution in
>the 16th and 17th Centuries".
David,
Much depends on how you define 'industrial revolution'.
In 1941 Carus-Wilson could talk about 'an industrial revolution of the
thirteenth century' focussed on the introduction of the water-powered
fulling mill and the subsequent reorganisation of that sector of the textile
industry (Econ Hist Rev, 1st series, xi). Few economic historians would use
that interpretation today.
The period usually referred to as 'the industrial revolotion' (circa
1760-1830) is characterised by rapid growth, the adoption of innovative
technology, and the marshalling of financial resources by entrepreneurs in
certain sectors of industry, primarily textiles and iron working. Coal
mining responded to the increased demand created by the growth in industrial
output, as it had to the increased demand from the domestic sector prior to
1700 and to the increasing use of coal in non ferrous metallurgy in the
early 18th century.
I cannot visualise recession in the coal industry as a whole between 1550
and the end of the 19th century. Overall output continued to grow, although
some minor fields were marginalised, and new technology was utilized to
maintain output. As new collieries opened in areas like the concealed
coalfields east of the Pennines and in the steam coal areas of the southern
part of the South Wales coalfield, new financial initiatives were required,
new forms of company organisation were adopted, but at what point do you say
that a 'revolution' had taken place?
For a large part of the coal industry a parallel might be drawn with
non-ferrous mining, outside the customary mining fields of Derbyshire,
Mendip, the Stannaries, etc., which, in an industrial sense, hit the ground
running. The intervention of the English Crown in a non-ferrous sector based
on the extraction of precious metals ensured that mining was organised on an
'industrial' scale from the late 13th century. Similarly the rapid growth
in demand for coal from the north-east of England, and those Midland
coalfields close to navigable rivers like the Trent, during the early modern
period soon sidelined the small producer. Collieries increased in size, were
centrally managed, employing full time miners, and utilizing the best
available techniques. Similar 'industrial' methods were taken up by
collieries supplying the metal industries. Not quite the large insensitive
company operations which characterised late 19th century developments, with
attendant alienation of the workforce, but nevertheless designed to maximise
production and profits.
Where then is the revolution in the coal industry. You might point to the
introduction of steam power or the limited liability company as turning
points, but to my mind those were just extentions of existing trends in the
industry and there was no 'industrial revolution' in the coal industry.
Peter
______________________________________________
Peter Claughton, Blaenpant Morfil, Rosebush, Clynderwen,
Pembrokeshire, Wales SA66 7RE.
Tel. 01437 532578; Fax. 01437 532921; Mobile 07831 427599
University of Exeter - Department of History
School of Historical, Political and Sociological Studies
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
Co-owner - mining-history e-mail discussion list.
See http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/files/mining-history/ for details.
Mining History Pages - http://www.exeter.ac.uk/~pfclaugh/mhinf/
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