MineArchiveGalawhistle Pit
| Location | Glenbuck, near Muirkirk, East Ayrshire — 55.5510, -3.9711 (approximate) |
|---|---|
| Commodity | Coal |
| Type | Coal |
| Worked | by 1884 |
| Maximum depth | Unknown. |
| Operators | Cairntable Gas Coal Company |
Overview
A Cairntable Gas Coal Company pit at Glenbuck, near Muirkirk, worked from at least the 1880s into the early 1900s, where a collier was killed in 1887 by a fall that injured two of his sons.
History
Galawhistle Pit lay at Glenbuck, near Muirkirk in east Ayrshire, and was worked by the Cairntable Gas Coal Company, later the Cairntable Gas Coal Company, Limited; the death indexes return it as Glenbuck, Galawhistle Pit. In June 1884 an engineman of 21 was killed when he became entangled in the pumping machinery, and in June 1887 a collier of 51, John Dunbar, was killed by a fall of roof that injured two of his sons, Alexander and David, working beside him.
Its other recorded deaths were falls of coal: miners of 27 in 1888, 29 in 1893 and 39 in 1894, the last at the stoops; a miner of 53 taking down coal in 1899; and in 1903 Robert Overand, 32, killed by a fall of roof in a working place not propped as the regulations required. That is the last recorded death at the pit.
Geology
Unknown.
Workings
Stoop-and-room workings, with a pumping engine.
Closure
The last recorded death is of 1903; when the pit closed is unknown.
What remains
Unknown.
Related mines
- Auldhouseburn Colliery — Both Cairntable Gas Coal Company pits in the Muirkirk district.
- Glenbuck Colliery — Pits at Glenbuck; Galawhistle is not named in the Glenbuck record.
- Grasshill Colliery — Neighbouring pits at Glenbuck.
Nearby mines
- Grasshill Colliery — 0.8 miles (1.3 km) W
- Glenbuck Colliery — 1.4 miles (2.3 km) SW
- Auchlochan Colliery — 2.3 miles (3.7 km) E, South Lanarkshire
- Bankend Colliery — 3.3 miles (5.3 km) NE, South Lanarkshire
- Kennox Colliery — 3.3 miles (5.3 km) SE, South Lanarkshire
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.
- Galawhistle Pit, Glenbuck, Muirkirk, was worked by the Cairntable Gas Coal Co., later Ltd. 1,2
- In June 1887 John Dunbar, a collier of 51, was killed at Galawhistle by a fall of roof that injured two of his sons. 1,2
- In October 1894 a miner of 39 was killed by a fall of coal at the stoops in Glenbuck, Galawhistle Pit. 3,2
- In August 1903 a miner was killed at Galawhistle by a fall of roof in a working place not propped as the regulations required. 2
Sources
- (secondary) Scottish Mining Website: fatal accidents 1887 — Scottish Mining Website
- (primary) Galawhistle Pit — Durham Mining Museum
- (secondary) Fatal accidents in mines in Scotland, 1894 — Scottish Mining Website
Record created: 20 October 2026 · Last researched: 21 October 2026