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Roll of Denton Coal Miners in 1841

Chapelry of Denton, Enumeration District 1

Background
The date of the sinking of the main shaft of Denton Colliery is uncertain but possibly it was in 1841. Prior to the sinking of this shaft, there were a number of shafts in the vicinity of which the most important was possibly Hulme's Pit on Hulme's Lane, beside the river Tame. It became an integral part of Denton Colliery and eventually it was mainly used for mine drainage purposes.

The site of Denton Colliery (initially called Ellis Pit) was on Stockport Lane (by 1851 this was Stockport Road) in the hamlet of Burton Nook. There may have been and earlier shallow shaft at Burton Nook, which was abandoned when the main shaft of Denton Colliery was sunk.

In 1841, a number of coal miners were living in Enumeration District 1 but it is not possible with any confidence to determine which coal mines they actually worked in. Nevertheless, those miners living in the hamlet of Beat Bank (Beet Bank) and on Hulme's Lane would almost certainly have been working at Hulme's Pit.

The 1841 census was taken on the night of the 6/7 June 1841. It was the first 'modern' census as it was the first to record details about every member of the household and it was administered as a single event under government control. This census recorded people's name, age, sex, occupation and whether they were born in the county. Ages over 15 were rounded down to the nearest 5 years, for example, someone aged 49 would be recorded as 45. Some enumerators did not follow this instruction and in some instances an exact age was recorded and it is believed that some ages may have been rounded up. Ages below 15 were generally recorded as the exact age. The limitations of the 1841 census are that relationships between members of the same household were not recorded and people's places of birth were recorded as being within the census county or not. The place of birth could also be recorded as Wales, Scotland, Ireland or as 'N.K.', meaning 'Not Known'.

Enumerator's Schedule for Denton
County of Lancashire
Hundred of Salford
Parish of Manchester
Chapelry of Denton
Superintendent's District: Denton and Haughton
No. of Enumeration District: 1

Description of Enumeration District 1

All that part of the township of Denton which is bounded on the north side by Town Lane, commencing at Chapel Green and the road leading down to Reddish Mills on the south by the river Tame, from the Old Mill, Denton, to the Hulmes, on the South East by Hardy Brook from the Hulmes to Two Trees Lane and the township of Haughton, and on the east by Denton Lane to Chapel Green.

Notes

1. Chapel Green refers to the neighbourhood of Denton Chapel (St Lawrence's Church) on Stockport Road.
2. The road leading down to Reddish Mills refers to Town Lane and Ross Lave Lane.
3. Reddish Mills were alongside the river Tame in Reddish Vale and the reservoirs (mill ponds) are still extant.
4. 'Old Mill' was the neighbourhood Reddish Mills.
5. 'The Hulmes' (Hulmes End, Hulme's Lane, Hulme's Pit) is in Hulme's Wood alongside the river Tame, east of Stockport Road on the Denton/Bredbury border.
6. Hardy Brook flows through Hardy Wood before entering the river Tame and this wood adjoins Hulme's Wood.
7. Denton Lane is now Stockport Road between Three Lane Ends (junction with Two Trees Lane) and Crown Point in the centre of Denton.

The roll of miners given below does not purport to be complete. Unless stated otherwise, the men were all coal miners, that is, they were hewers of coal working underground.

‡The shaft of Ellis Pit (Denton Colliery) was sunk at Burton Nook.

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