The following is a roll of some of the miners living in the vicinity of Denton Colliery. Their names were obtained from the census, which was taken on the night of the 30/31 March 1851. This roll does not purport to be complete. Unless stated otherwise, the men were all coal miners, that is, they were hewers of coal working underground.
| Surname (Age) | Forenames | Address | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| INGHAM (20) | Alfred | Stockport Road | |
| INGHAM (14) | Samuel | Waggoner† | |
| INGHAM (12) | Thomas | Waggoner | |
| HARRISON (68) | John | Stockport Road | |
| HARRISON (16) | William | ||
| VICKERS (23) | Thomas | Stockport Road | Coal Proprietor's Clerk |
| ROWLAND (22) | John | Stockport Road | |
| COUNCIL (47) | Thomas | ||
| COUNCIL (17) | Thomas | ||
| BARDSLEY (25) | John | Stockport Road | Coal Carter |
| HARRISON (40) | John | Stockport Road | |
| HARRISON (17) | Thomas | Waggoner | |
| COUNCIL (42) | Richard | Stockport Road | |
| COUNCIL (20) | James | ||
| COUNCIL (18) | Moses | ||
| COUNCIL (16) | John | ||
| LANGTON (35) | Thomas | Stockport Road | Banksman |
| LANGTON (15) | James | Waggoner | |
| LANGTON (13) | Samuel | Gigger (correctly, Jigger) | |
| ROTHWELL (29) | Peter | Stockport Road | Coal Proprietor's Agent |
| MORRISON (49) | Henry | Burton Nook‡, Stockport Rd | |
| HARRISON (30) | Samuel | Burton Nook‡, Stockport Rd | |
| HARRISON (10) | John | Gigger (correctly, Jigger) | |
| LONGWORTH (24) | John | Stockport Road | |
| LONGWORTH (19) | Joseph | ||
| REDFERN (53) | Solomon | Stockport Road | Banksman |
| REDFERN (18) | Joseph | ||
| ATKINSON (64) | John | Stockport Road | |
| LONGWORTH (29) | Thomas | Stockport Road | |
| FIDLER (19) | John | Waggoner | |
| REDFERN (26) | William | Stockport Road | |
| HARRISON (26) | George | Stockport Road | |
| KEMP (45) | Henry | Stockport Road | |
| HARRISON (34) | James | Stockport Road | |
| HARRISON (13) | Samuel | Waggoner | |
| WILLIAMSON (43)* | James | Hulme's Lane | |
| SIDEBOTHAM (17)* | Luke | Hulme's Lane | Waggoner |
| REDFERN (35)* | Samuel | Hulme's Lane | |
| HODKINSON (26)* | Thomas | Hulme's Lane | |
| REDFERN (44)* | Joseph | Hulme's Lane | |
| REDFERN (14)* | John | Waggoner | |
| ARROWSMITH (25) | William | Town Lane | |
| BOWKER (19) | James | Town Lane | Waggoner |
| HARRISON (33) | John | Chapel Green | |
| HARDMAN (26) | Thomas | Chapel Green | |
| BROMLEY (55) | John | Chapel Green | Waggoner, formerly Winder |
| GRIMSHAW (27) | Joseph | Chapel Green | |
| ARROWSMITH (42) | Nathaniel | Chapel Green | |
| ARROWSMITH (15) | Robert | Waggoner | |
| BARNSLEY (30) | Godfrey | Chapel Green | Coal Carrier |
| SHACKFIELD (29) | Thomas | Mill Fold, Bredbury, adjoining Arden Mill | Weighing Machine Operator at Hulme's Pit |
| RYDIARD (25) | James | Burton Nook | Engine Driver |
| LEESE (61) | Samuel | Chapel Green | |
| WOLSTENHOLME (55) | James | South Street | |
| WOLSTENHOLME (29) | John | South Street | |
| STOPFORD (24) | John | South Street | Coal Carrier |
| BOOTH (33) | Robert | South Street | Waggoner |
| BOOTH (20) | Isaac | South Street | |
| HAGUE (40) | Jarvis | South Street | Coal Carrier (Blind, so dependent upon his horse) |
| TAYLOR (14) | John | Crownpoint | Coal Carrier |
| HAGUE (21) | James | Crownpoint | |
| HOPWOOD (30) | John | Crownpoint | Coal Carrier |
†Waggoners were usually youths and in Denton, and perhaps beyond, they operated in a relay team of four, the system of working being known as 'cod-waggoning'. A Waggoner pushed an empty coal tub for about 500 yards to a 'shunt' (passing place) where he passed his empty tub to another Waggoner and received a full tub in return. He then returned to his starting point with the full one.
Typically, there was about 4 inches of clearance at the sides and top of the tub and every so often there was a safety refuge (niche or manhole) cut into the side of the gallery. Tubs were moved in total darkness, being pushed on the level and up gradients and running with them down gradients. If this work was done too slowly then there was a tendency for tubs to become de-railed and whenever this happened a warning had to be shouted to other members of the team.
As a consequence of their work, and in spite of the coal dust they breathed while underground, Waggoners became good runners and it is said that they would sometimes hold races on nearby Ross Lave Lane where they challenged all comers to race.
‡The shaft was sunk in Burton Nook.
*These miners were probably working at Hulme's Pit, which was controlled by Denton Colliery.
Note: It seems that the hamlet of Beat Bank might have been missed during the 1851 census.