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Entry TypeCorporate
Corporate NameBritain Colliery
Parent BodyGabriel Britain
Butterley Company
PlaceButterley Park
Epithetcoal mine
Dates1827-1946
HistoryThe colliery was named after Gabriel Britain who worked a small shallow mine there from 1827. It was located near to Butterley Park. The site where it once stood is close to what is now called Swanwick Junction Station, which is part of the Midland Railway Centre.
The first deep mine extended the original shallow shafts. This was sunk by the Butterley Company between 1845-1848. It worked the Deep Soft, Deep Hard and Low Main coal seams. In 1923, it employed 1031 men.
In 1874, the Butterley Company miners unanimously voted to go on strike because of rates being taken off the miners without the conciliation board’s permission. This board was meant to be a go-between during disputes with the company. Britain Colliery miners were particularly upset about a new screen which had been introduced. They said that this meant they lost out on at least 1 cwt. per ton of coal raised. Representatives from the company refused to meet for discussions and the miners gave up and returned to work. When eleven of the main strikers from Britain tried to return to their jobs, but the company said they were not allowed due to their involvement. Despite local campaigns, the men were not allowed to work for the Butterley Company ever again.
Abandoned shafts from other collieries were used as ventilation shafts. These included Brands Pit and Western Colliery, which both closed in 1906. There was also a powerhouse on site.
The site was finally abandoned in 1946.
Known managers:
• H. H. Holmes.
Key Events1827: Shallow mine first opened
1845-1848: Butterley Company took over and deepened the existing mine
1874: Employee strike; 11 of the strikers were not allowed to return to work
Source‘Documents relating to the Butterley Company’s Collieries, Derbyshire, 1871-3’, Society for the Study for the Study of Labour History Bulletin, 18 (1969), pp. 21-27
Butterley Co. Ltd., Promotional Guide for Colliery Department (early 20th century), in N5/399
Butterley Company through Nine Reigns (1953)
Codnor & District Local History and Heritage, Britain Pit, http://www.codnor.info/britain.php
Durham Mining Museum, Butterley Co. Ltd. http://www.dmm.org.uk/company/b1012.htm
Lindsay, J., ‘The Butterley Coal and Iron Works, 1792-1816’, Derbyshire Archaeological Journal, 85 (1965), p. 25-43.
Riden, P., The Butterley Company, 1790-1830 (1973)
Somercotes Local History Society, Mining in the Somercotes Area, http://www.somercoteshistory.co.uk/mining.asp
Authorised Form of NameButterley Park; Britain Colliery; 1827-1946; coal mine

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