MineArchiveBlakey Colliery
| Also known as | Great Blakey Colliery, Little Blakey Colliery |
|---|---|
| Location | High Blakey Moor and Blakey Ridge north of the Lion Inn, between Farndale and Rosedale, North Yorkshire — 54.3884, -0.9559 (approximate) |
| Commodity | Coal |
| Type | Coal |
| Worked | By 1715–1893 |
| Maximum depth | Unknown. |
Overview
Some 270 moorland coal shafts on High Blakey Moor and north of the Lion Inn on Blakey Ridge, let by the Duncombes as Great and Little Blakey collieries in 1780 and worked for lime coal into the 1790s, with a last spell under James Green around 1890.
History
Blakey Colliery is a group of about seventy shafts on High Blakey Moor, between Farndale and the head of Rosedale, with a second group of some two hundred running north-north-east from the Lion Inn on Blakey Ridge. Many of the inn's patrons worked in the coal pits, which are still visible on the moor. Mathew Ford, who held a grant from the Duncombes of Helmsley in 1715, seems to have worked here as well as at Ankness. In November 1780 C. S. Duncombe let the farm of Great Blakey and Little Blakey collieries to John Featherston, who worked them until 1796 and then in partnership with Mathew Ryley until at least 1801. By 1791 the working pits were nearly exhausted except for some lime coal; the steward, Seaton, urged Featherston to try westward, but there the Red Rock lay right on the coal and water dripped constantly on the men. Output fell, and by 1793 Seaton called it a soft, bad coal left unworked in Ford's time, yet because Featherston burned it in his own lime kilns he raised the rent from £52 to £62 an acre. James Green held Blakey between 1888 and 1893, though it was standing from 1891.
Geology
Thin Jurassic coal of the North York Moors, a soft lime coal; to the west the Red Rock lay directly on the seam.
Workings
About 270 shallow shafts in two groups.
Closure
Listed under James Green from 1888 to 1893, standing from 1891.
What remains
Many pits remain visible on Blakey Moor.
Shaft mounds in two groups.
Redevelopment
Unknown.
Related mines
- Rudland Colliery — Both Duncombe estate collieries supplying lime coal, rated together by the steward Seaton in 1791 (NMRS).
Nearby mines
- Rudland Colliery — 4.3 miles (6.9 km) SW
- Rosedale Ironstone Mines — 5.8 miles (9.3 km) SE
- Warren Moor Mine — 6.6 miles (10.6 km) NW
- Commondale Quarry — 6.7 miles (10.8 km) N
- Glaisdale Ironstone Mine — 7.1 miles (11.5 km) NE
Straight-line distance, within 9 miles (15 km). Show on the map.
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- About 70 shafts lie on High Blakey Moor and some 200 more run north-north-east from the Lion Inn. 1
- In November 1780 C. S. Duncombe let Great and Little Blakey collieries to John Featherston, who worked them until 1796. 1
- By 1793 the coal was described as soft and bad, but Featherston used it in his own lime kilns. 1
- James Green held Blakey from 1888 to 1893. 1
- Many coal pits are still visible on Blakey Moor, and many of the Lion Inn's patrons worked in the coal industry. 2
Sources
- (secondary) Blakey Colliery — Northern Mine Research Society
- (secondary) Wikipedia: Lion Inn — Wikipedia
Record created: 16 October 2026 · Last researched: 16 October 2026