MineArchiveChickenley Heath Colliery
| Location | Chickenley, between Dewsbury and Ossett, West Yorkshire — 53.6915, -1.5979 (exact) |
|---|---|
| Commodity | Coal |
| Type | Coal |
| Worked | 1855–1908 |
| Maximum depth | Unknown. |
| Operators | Chickenley Heath Co. (?–1908), I. H. Greaves |
Overview
A small Dewsbury colliery at Chickenley Heath, between Dewsbury and Ossett, worked from 1855 to 1908 for gas and household coal from the Flockton and Joan seams.
History
Chickenley Heath Colliery lay at Chickenley, on the heath between Dewsbury and Ossett, in the West Riding coalfield. It opened in 1855 and worked until 1908, when it was abandoned. Its owners were I. H. Greaves and then the Chickenley Heath Company.
It was a small pit, employing between 89 and 134 people in the returns of 1894 to 1905, and it raised gas and household coal, from the Flockton and Joan seams in 1905. The surviving plans show workings in the Joan coal and the Flockton Thin.
Its accident record runs from its early years: in June 1857 a round wire pit rope broke and R. Ellis and a boy, W. Ellis, were killed, and firedamp killed a man in 1862. By the 1900s the pit was using electricity underground: a mechanic was killed by a shock from a switch box in 1901, and a deputy in 1903 while putting a pump in motion.
Geology
West Riding coal measures: the Flockton and Joan seams, with plans of the Joan coal and the Flockton Thin.
Workings
A shaft colliery wound by a round wire rope in the 1850s, with electric switchgear and pumps underground by 1901.
Closure
Abandoned in 1908.
What remains
Unknown.
Nearby mines
- Shaw Cross Colliery — 0.5 miles (0.9 km) N
- Low Laithes Colliery — 0.9 miles (1.5 km) E
- Chidswell Colliery — 1.1 miles (1.7 km) N
- Ingham Colliery — 1.6 miles (2.6 km) SW
- Combs Colliery — 1.7 miles (2.8 km) SW
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.
- Chickenley Heath Colliery worked from 1855 until it was abandoned in 1908. 1,2
- Its owners were I. H. Greaves and then the Chickenley Heath Company. 2
- In 1905 the colliery worked the Flockton and Joan seams for gas and household coal. 2,3,4
- It employed between 89 and 134 people in the returns of 1894 to 1905. 2
- A mechanic was killed by a shock from a switch box in 1901, and a deputy by an electric shock while starting a pump in 1903. 2
Sources
- (secondary) Yorkshire coal mines list, C — Northern Mine Research Society
- (primary) Durham Mining Museum: Chickenley Heath Colliery — Durham Mining Museum
- (primary) BGS mine plan: CHICKENLEY HEATH, Joan Coal — British Geological Survey / Mining Remediation Authority
- (primary) BGS mine plan: CHICKENLEY HEATH, Flockton Thin — British Geological Survey / Mining Remediation Authority
Record created: 24 October 2026 · Last researched: 24 October 2026