Bothwell Castle Colliery

Overview

A William Baird & Co. pit near Bothwell, also known as Priory Colliery, taken under direct government management during the Second World War over unsatisfactory output, and remembered for a shaft accident that killed five men descending its No. 2 pit.

History

Bothwell Castle Colliery, also known as Priory Colliery, was owned by William Baird and Company, later Bairds and Scottish Steel Ltd. Its Nos. 3 and 4 shafts were sunk in 1889 to 1,344 feet, alongside an earlier Nos. 1 and 2 pit pairing; all four worked household and manufacturing coal. Employment across the site grew from around 460 in 1894 to roughly 1,300 combined across both pit pairs by the 1920s. A shaft accident is recorded at the colliery's No. 2 pit in which five men were killed when an engineman failed to shut off steam in time and the cage struck its seat (see Disasters, below). In 1943, wartime demands led the government to take over direct management of the colliery, judging its output of around 650 tons a day as part of the 'war effort' unsatisfactory. Ownership passed to the National Coal Board at nationalisation in 1947. Upper coal working at the colliery ended in 1959, after which the site was retained purely as a pumping station.

Workings

Two shaft pairs (Nos. 1/2 and Nos. 3/4), the latter sunk in 1889 to 1,344 feet, working household and manufacturing coal.

Closure

Upper coal working ended in 1959; the site was retained afterward purely as a pumping station.

What remains

No specific present-day surface condition was established from the sources checked for this pass.

No specific surviving colliery structures were established from the sources checked for this pass.

Abandoned workings can be dangerous — unstable ground, uncapped shafts, flooding and bad air are common even where a site looks safe from the surface. This entry describes history and general location only; it is not an access guide.

Disasters & major incidents

• Bothwell Castle Colliery shaft accident, 1889
  28 June 1889 · Winding / Shaft Accident · 5 fatalities
  An engineman's failure to shut off steam in time sent a descending cage crashing into its seat at Bothwell Castle Colliery's No. 2 pit on 28 June 1889, killing five miners.

Recorded claims

Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.

• Bothwell Castle Colliery's Nos. 3 and 4 shafts, owned by William Baird and Company, were sunk in 1889 to a depth of 1,344 feet. ¹
• In 1943 the government took over direct management of the colliery, judging its wartime output of around 650 tons a day unsatisfactory as part of the war effort. ¹
• Employment across the site's two pit pairs grew from around 460 in 1894 to roughly 1,300 combined by the 1920s. ²
• Upper coal working at the colliery ended in 1959, after which the site was retained purely as a pumping station. ¹

Sources

1. (secondary) 1889 - The Priory Colliery — Blantyre Project
2. (secondary) Durham Mining Museum - Bothwell Castle Colliery — Durham Mining Museum

Record created: 27 August 2026 · Last researched: 27 August 2026