Description:The North Staffordshire Mining History Group was established in 2004 born out of an idea by local historian Ian Bailey supported by Stoke-on-Trent City Archivist Chris Latimer. The aim of the group was to research mining history using Staffordshire’s archive material.
The group have produced a book of short stories including topics such as the 1912 miners strike in North Staffordshire. Following the success of this publication, the group began work on a website which has developed into the premier website on the modern history of the North Staffordshire coal industry. The group’s proudest achievement is the compilation of an index of over 4000 names of men who were killed in the local pits from as early as the 1820s.
Since 2006 the group have worked with the Sutherland Papers, indexing and transcribing documents from the extensive collection of mining papers which survivie in the archive. They have used their specialist knowledge of the history of mining in North Staffordshire to intepret these documents and produce webpages and articles for the Sutherland Collection Online Learning Resource. In January 2006 the group contributed to the Sutherland Papers Project Longton Study Day, designing an exhibition of documents which they had worked with and giving a number of presentations about their work with the collection throughout the day.
The group members (in alphabetical order) are:
Len Ball
Len worked in both the pottery and coal industries before retiring, and is a tireless contributor to the group's web site.
Dr Lloyd Boardman
Lloyd was senior geologist with British Coal and is the author of works including 'The Geological map of the North Staffordshire Coalfield' and a 'Glossary of Mining Terms'.
Kate Box
Local historian Kate recently completed the archiving of the Mcgowen papers.
Robert Burden
Bob is a retired policeman and the group’s webmaster.
John Burston
John is a retired mineworker. In his time he was a face worker and underground deputy.
John Lumsden
John is a retired miner and proud holder of the Mines Rescue Team silver medal.
Frank Moran
Frank is a retired mine worker who has published extensive works on many Staffordshire coalmines.
Geoff Mould
Geoff is a retired Industrial Chemist and expert on the older North Staffordshire collieries.
Eileen Paddock
Eileen has worked with the Mcgowan and Sutherland Papers and produced articles on Longton miners during the First World War.
Joyce Wilson
Joyce is a retired nurse who has written works including ‘The Sneyd Disaster' and 'Mining Diseases'.
Jim Worgan
Jim is a retired British Coal Administrative worker who was the last curator of Chatterley Whitfield Mining Museum. Jim was recently honoured for his work by the Mayor of Newcastle under Lyme.
To learn more about the North Staffordshire Mining History Group, follow the link below to visit their website.
The image above shows the North Staffordshire Mining History Group working with the Sutherland Papers in 2007