Banksman

The person in charge of the pit bank — the surface area at the top of the shaft — responsible for loading and unloading the winding cage and signalling the winding engineman, working as the surface counterpart to the underground Onsetter.

Historical usage

The role's exact duties shifted as winding technology developed. An 1825 definition describes the banksman as 'the man stationed at the bank or top of a pit who unhooked and emptied the laden corves into carts or wagons, from a frame or stage'; by 1849 he 'drew the full tubs from the cages at the surface, when wound up by the engine, and replaced them with empty ones,' also weighing and tipping the coal; by 1894 the role had narrowed toward its modern form, 'a person who controlled the unloading and loading of the cage at the pit top, and signalled the descent of the workmen.' In the Midlands and County Durham the role, and title, went back at least to the 16th century.

How it worked

The banksman stood at the pit bank to receive and dispatch the cage, loading and unloading tubs or men, and operated the signalling system — usually a coded sequence of bell or knocker signals — to tell the winding engineman when to raise, lower, or stop. He worked in direct coordination with the Onsetter below, who signalled up from the shaft bottom, and the winding engineman, who could see neither man and depended entirely on their signals to wind safely.

Why it was used

Winding was the single most dangerous routine operation at a colliery, moving men, coal and materials past each other at speed in a confined vertical space the engineman himself could not see into. A banksman gave the engineman eyes at the surface end of that blind operation, and the strict signalling code both men used was one of the few safeguards against a winding accident.

Risks & limitations

A banksman's own position was safer than most underground roles, but a missed, mistimed or misread signal from the bank could still be fatal for everyone in the cage — a class of accident recorded at collieries across the country whenever the signalling chain between banksman, onsetter and engineman broke down.

Regional variation

Recorded as 'Bankman' in some usage; both forms describe the same role.

Disasters associated with this term

Included only where MineArchive's own research gives a reasonable evidential basis, with the nature of the relationship stated — not every disaster where this term might plausibly apply.

• Deep Navigation Colliery shaft accident, 1902 (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…Pit, at 690 yards then the deepest shaft in the district, when the banksman heard a crash and saw the winding rope swaying violently. The…”

Sources

1. (secondary) Banksman — Wikipedia
2. (secondary) Local Mining Terms — Trimdon Snippets

Record created: 27 August 2026 · Last researched: 27 August 2026