Coalworking - Horse Gins

Introduction | Coal Bearing | Putting | Stair Pits | Horse Gins

The Use of Scotch or Whim Gins at Coal mines in Scotland

Horse gins were one of the two main methods of bringing coal to the surface in the east of Scotland, the other being coalbearing.
There were two types of gin, the earlier type known as 'Cog and Run' and the type known as either a 'Scotch' or 'Whim' gin. The cog and run type had many disadvantages; the horse circled round the pit shaft and if cogs were missing or broken, winding could be very jerky. The whim gin had the advantage of the horse being sited away from the mouth of the pit and was easier and cheaper to build.
In both cases, the expence of buying a horse or horses and the cost of feeding was considerable; someone also had to be paid for looking after the horses and driving them round.
To compensate the colliery owner for the expences of building and running the gin, he would pay the colliers proportionally less for their coal than if it was brought to the surface by bearers.

This illustration from the 1842 Children's Employment Commision Report show a typical one horse scotch gin in action.
In this case the gin is not being used to raise coal but to lower coalworkers into the mine.

Another illustration this time taken from a map of Gilmerton Coalworks in 1786, shows a view at the foot of the shaft.Two men fill tubs with coal to be drawn up by the gin where they will be unloaded at the top by banksmen. A small boy sitting behind the man on the left holds up a candle for lighting.
(image © SCRAN - www.scran.ac.uk)  

At Gilmerton itself, there was an elaborate process to record the output of each collier to prevent fraud by those involved in raising the coal:

"it is our practice to make as many people concerned or interested about the quantity as possible, that no single person can cheat, as per example: the filler at the pit-bottom calls with an audible voice to the banksman at top, who repeats to the cheque the quantity or number of each tub, who marks down the number 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, to every man as it comes up. The grieve superintends the cheques, and pays the workmen according to his respective quantity, for which he receives a billet from the cheque, and gives to the grieve by which he is paid. The oversman takes up the number from each collier every day, for which he keeps a book, which must cheque with the grieve's; and to encourage every of these officers, besides a fixed salary, they have each a certain portion of the sales. The hole-bottom men, the banksmen, the cheques, the grieves, the oversmen, and then each collier, can cheque his own work. So that not one single tub can be embezzled without the knowledge of six sets of men."
(NAS Ref: GD58/7/2 p.168)