MineArchiveWestfield Colliery
| Also known as | West Field Colliery |
|---|---|
| Location | Ossett, west of Wakefield, West Yorkshire |
| Commodity | Coal |
| Type | Coal |
| Worked | 1863–1908 |
| Maximum depth | Unknown. |
| Operators | Joshua Wilby (1863–?), Westwood and Co. (?–1908) |
Overview
A small Ossett colliery opened by Joshua Wilby in 1863 and worked by Westwood and Company until 1908, the target of striking miners in the Chidswell riot of 1893.
History
Westfield Colliery, also written West Field, worked coal at Ossett, west of Wakefield. Joshua Wilby opened it in 1863. By 1896 it belonged to Westwood and Company of Ossett, with J. Simpkin as manager and J. Wilkinson as under-manager, and employed 56 men underground and 11 at the surface. It worked the Beeston, Middleton and Haigh Moor seams.
In 1893 striking miners trying to reach Westfield to stop other men working there brought about the Chidswell riot. The colliery was working in 1897 and 1899, and it closed in 1908, though its working is also recorded as ending in 1872.
Geology
West Yorkshire coal measures: the Beeston, Middleton and Haigh Moor seams.
Workings
Unknown.
Closure
Closed in 1908.
What remains
Unknown.
Related mines
- Dewsbury Lane Colliery — Their Haigh Moor workings were abandoned under joint plans of 1878 and 1882, filed as Dewsbury Lane and Westfield.
What's uncertain
Points where sources disagree or the record could not be settled; both accounts are kept. All open questions in the archive.
- Westfield closed in 1908. (disputed) 2,3
- Westfield's working is listed as 1863 to 1872, with working again recorded in 1897 and 1899. (disputed) 1
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- Joshua Wilby opened Westfield Colliery in 1863. 1,2
- In 1896 Westwood and Company employed 56 men underground and 11 at the surface, working the Beeston, Middleton and Haigh Moor seams. 2
- The Chidswell riot of 1893 was caused by striking miners trying to reach Westfield to stop other miners working. 3
- Westfield closed in 1908. (disputed) 2,3
- Westfield's working is listed as 1863 to 1872, with working again recorded in 1897 and 1899. (disputed) 1
Sources
- (secondary) Yorkshire coal mines since 1854: W — Northern Mine Research Society
- (secondary) Ossett coal mining (Ossett - the history of a Yorkshire town) — ossett.net
- (secondary) Ossett — Wikipedia
Record created: 24 October 2026 · Last researched: 24 October 2026