Busbiehead Colliery

Overview

J. and R. Howie's colliery at Crosshouse, west of Kilmarnock, a small working of up to 120 men raising coal and fireclay through its Nos. 2, 3 and 8 pits until about 1950.

History

Busbiehead Colliery lay at Crosshouse, two miles west-north-west of Kilmarnock. In 1893 it was listed under Robert R. Horne of Galston Colliery, with Alexander Goldie as manager; from 1894 it was returned under J. and R. Howie, later J. and R. Howie, Limited, the Hurlford coalmasters, raising household and steam coal and fireclay. It was a small working: 73 men in 1894, 123 in 1905.

In February 1903 a miner of 46, Laughlan Connolly, was killed at No. 2 by a fall of roof at the road head, put down to want of timbering. That August a boy of 15, Samuel Howie, was crushed between two waggons while trying to couple them; the inspector found he had evidently been helping to move the waggons illegally and doubted the pitheadman's word that he had not known the boy was there. By 1915 the colliery was working through No. 3, in the Ell and Ladyha' seams for manufacturing coal, and No. 8, in the Ladyha' and Linnbed for household and steam coal; No. 3 still had 34 men in 1940, and plans of the abandoned No. 3 workings are dated 1950.

Geology

The Ell, Ladyha', Linnbed, Splint and Kilwinning Main coals, with fireclay.

Workings

Nos. 2, 3 and 8 pits; railway sidings at the surface.

Closure

No. 3 employed 34 men in 1940; plans of its abandoned workings are dated 1950.

What remains

Unknown.

Related mines

• Annandale Colliery — Neighbouring collieries at Crosshouse; BGS files some plans jointly.
• Hayside Colliery — Neighbouring Kilmarnock collieries.

Recorded claims

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

• Busbiehead Colliery, Crosshouse, belonged to J. and R. Howie, later J. and R. Howie Ltd. ^1,2
• In 1893 Busbiehead was listed under Robert R. Horne of Galston Colliery, with Alexander Goldie as manager. ³
• In August 1903 a boy of 15 was crushed between two waggons at Busbiehead No. 2 while trying to couple them. ^1,2
• Plans of the abandoned Busbiehead No. 3 workings are dated 1950. ⁴

Sources

1. (secondary) Fatal accidents in Scottish mines, 1903 — Scottish Mining Website
2. (primary) Busbiehead Colliery — Durham Mining Museum
3. (primary) List of Mines in Scotland, 1893 — Scottish Mining Website
4. (primary) BGS / Mining Remediation Authority mine plan 21854029: Busbiehead No 3, abandoned 1950 — British Geological Survey

Record created: 21 October 2026 · Last researched: 21 October 2026