Black Diamond's ~The Hartshorne Dynasty

The Hartshorne Family is well known in the Amber Valley, where it was involved in mining

for more than 70 years until the last pit closed in 1996. John Robinson has written a history of

the firm an extract of which is reproduced here.

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The name Hartshorne was synonymous with coal for more than 70 years. It was a mining dynasty , founded by Joseph Hartshorne ,

in the early 1920's which went on to span three generations and work about a dozen mines, all of which were sunk in the

ridge along the River Amber, stretching from Pentrich in the south to Stretton in the north. Joseph Hartshorne

was a lead miner in the Crich area when he decided to venture into coal. Small deposits of lead that remained in the Peak were

difficult to work and the import of this metal in vast quantities from Spain made it an uneconomical proposition.

There may have been a lack of demand for Derbyshire lead , but there was a huge market for the County's coal.

This was an era when coal really was king. Apart from the demands of industry and the railways,the need for

household coal was at its peak. It was essential for heating , hot water, cooking and in some cases lighting. To some extent ,

every abode depended on the black diamonds. Shaw Wood Colliery at South Wingfield , was the first of the Hartshorne Coal Mines.

It was opened out by simply driving two tunnels into the hillside and connecting them up underground. Planning Permission

was not the issue , in that day and age that it is today. Success of the mine was almost gauranteed.

To Be Continued...........................