Rosie Colliery

Overview

A Wemyss coalfield colliery between East Wemyss and Buckhaven, sunk from 1880 by Bowman and Company to the Chemiss seam at 600 feet, bought by the Wemyss Coal Company in 1905, which employed more than 600 men in 1911 and closed in December 1953.

History

The Rosie Nos. 1 and 2 pits stood between East Wemyss and Buckhaven by the A955, not far from Macduff's Castle. Bowman and Company, the Buckhaven coalmasters behind Muiredge, began sinking in 1880 to reach the Chemiss coal at 100 fathoms. In 1881 No. 1 had a downcast of 17½ by 9 feet and 600 feet deep and worked the Chemiss of 7 to 10 feet with 112 men underground and 19 on the surface under Archibald Bowman; by 1882 the Eight Feet was also worked and by 1890 290 men were underground, ventilated by steam pipes.

Employment was 396 underground and 55 on the surface in 1902, and the Wemyss Coal Company Ltd owned the colliery from 1905: 447 underground in 1908, 680 and 70 in 1911, 484 and 91 in 1928 and 565 and 94 in 1938. By 1927 conveyors had replaced most of the older rope haulage. Josiah Lyall managed in 1908, Alexander Ross in 1918 and R. C. Mercer from 1938, the last general manager. By 1945 the pit was mainly a blaes mine, working the Chemiss and Coxtool coals, and in 1947 the National Coal Board's 252 underground raised about 83,200 tons a year of household coal. Its electric power came from Wellesley and Michael collieries, and its ventilation was partly shared with Wellesley, Muiredge, Lochhead and Michael.

Canmore records an average workforce of 250 and a peak of 306 in 1947, and in 1948 291 workers, 248 of them underground, with a canteen and first-aid room but no pit baths or washery; a Bevin Boys hostel stood nearby. The colliery closed in December 1953. The Rosie Tavern, 200 yards east of the colliery entrance, was a busy pub, and the pit-head foreman Wullie Welsh from about 1938 to 1953 ran a dance band; the village declined after closure and its miners' houses were demolished.

Geology

Coal of the Wemyss field. The Chemiss seam (7 to 10 feet) at 100 fathoms, the Eight Feet (5 to 6 feet, splint and cherry) and Six Feet were worked, with the Coxtool and blaes in the later years.

Workings

Two pits: No. 1, 17½ by 9 feet and 600 feet deep in 1881, and No. 2 with a 600-foot upcast; Canmore gives No. 1 shaft as 183 m deep with an outlet to Wellesley Colliery. Haulage was by rope until conveyors were installed from 1927. Power was DC from Wellesley and Michael collieries.

Closure

The colliery closed in December 1953 and was abandoned in the same year.

What remains

Unknown.

Redevelopment

Unknown.

Related mines

• Michael Colliery — Michael supplied electric power to Rosie and its ventilation was partly shared with Rosie's.
• Muiredge Colliery — Bowman and Co built a mineral line from Muiredge to Rosie Pit, both collieries were owned by Bowman and then the Wemyss Coal Company, and their ventilation was partly shared.
• Wellesley Colliery — Rosie's No. 1 shaft had an outlet to Wellesley, which also supplied its direct-current power, and their ventilation was partly shared.

Recorded claims

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

• Sinking at Rosie began in 1880 to strike the Chemiss coal seam at 100 fathoms. ^1,2
• Bowman and Company owned the Rosie until the Wemyss Coal Company bought it, Canmore giving 1905 for the change. ^1,2
• In 1881 Rosie No. 1 had a downcast of 17½ by 9 feet and 600 feet deep, with 112 men underground and 19 on the surface. ¹
• Employment was 396 underground and 55 on the surface in 1902, 680 and 70 in 1911, 484 and 91 in 1928, 565 and 94 in 1938 and 252 and 54 in 1947. ¹
• Canmore records Rosie Colliery as opened in 1880 and closed and abandoned in 1953, with an average workforce of 250 and a peak of 306 in 1947. ²
• In 1948 Rosie employed 291 workers, 248 underground, with a canteen and first-aid room, no baths or washery, and power supplied from Wellesley and Michael collieries. ²
• Rosie's ventilation was partly shared with the Wellesley, Muiredge, Lochhead and Michael collieries. ¹
• Rosie Colliery was in operation until December 1953. ^1,2
• Fatal accidents reported at the Rosie Pit include William Cairns in November 1905 and Robert Herd, 60, in March 1906. ³

Photographs & further reading

Sources

1. (secondary) Fife Pits: Rosie Colliery, Buckhaven — Fife Pits
2. (secondary) Rosie Colliery (Canmore) — Canmore (Historic Environment Scotland)
3. (secondary) Fife Accidents 1901 to 1914 (Scottish Mining Website) — Scottish Mining Website

Record created: 30 September 2026 · Last researched: 30 September 2026