Bolsover Colliery Company

Infobox Defunct company
company_name = Bolsover Colliery Company
company_
slogan =
company_type = Plc
fate = Nationalised
Predecessor =
successor = National Coal Board
foundation = 1899
defunct = 1947 (Nationalised)
location = Bolsover, Derbyshire
industry = Mining
products = Coal
key_people =
num_employees =
parent =
subsid =

The Bolsover Colliery Company was a major mining concern established to extract coal from land owned by the Duke of Portland. At its peak the business was a constituent of the FT 30 index of leading companies on the London Stock Exchange.

History

The company was founded in 1899 by Emerson Bainbridge, a Northumberland born mine owner, who secured a lease from the Duke of Portland over land at Bolsover and Cresswell in Derbyshire and started work to reach the coal at these two mines which he achieved in 1891 and 1896 respectively. [http://homepage.ntlworld.com/malcolm.marples/ColleryCo.html Bolsover Colliery history website] ]

The General Manager of the company at this time was John Plowright Houfton, who was knighted for his work for the local community in 1929.

In 1899 Bainbridge secured a second lease from the Duke of Portland this time over land at Crown Farm near Mansfield in Nottinghamshire: coal was reached in 1905.

Subsequent leases were secured from Earl Manvers and Lord Savile allowing further mine works to be established at Rufford, Clipstone and Thoresby in Nottinghamshire where coal was reached 1913, 1922 and 1928 respectively.

Demise of the business

The mines were all acquired by the National Coal Board on nationalisation in 1947. Bolsover Colliery closed in 1993 [ [http://www.derbyshireuk.net/bolsover_village.html Bolsover Village website] ] and Creswell Colliery closed in 1991. [ [http://www.youandyesterday.co.uk/articles/Cresswell_Colliery:_Eighty_men_entombed_in_coal_mine Eighty men entombed] ]

References

Footnote

* [http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/lss/services/mss/online/online-mss-catalogues/cats/port_londonple_minerals.html Papers relating to Duke of Portland's estate & Coal leases etc]