Is it just a busy roundabout? Sheriffhall is more than that. It holds a grim past. This place saw child labour and wretched conditions.
At the end of the 18th century, the Dukes of Buccleuch owned this land. One of the city’s largest mines lay beneath Sheriffhall. It significantly contributed to Edinburgh’s economy in the 1800s. Working in these mines was unpleasant. It wasn’t just men enduring grim conditions. Women and children worked long hours too. Most miners lived in nearby Danderhall.
Accidents were unavoidable. In June 1844, a 27-year-old miner started his 12-hour shift. He never returned. William Bennet reportedly fell to his death. His family was told it was a fatal accident.
Children gave chilling testimonies about working in the Sheriffhall mine. The Children’s Employment Commission recorded many of these accounts. In 1842, Janet Cumming was eleven years old. She described bearing coals in the mine. Her days were gruelling. She spent 12 hours carrying heavy loads of coal. She worked alongside her family. Janet said the roof was very low. She had to bend her back and legs. Water often reached her calves. She had never been hurt but often scrambled out because of bad air. Her father was crushed by falling coal and was out for seven weeks.
Alexander Reid was twelve. The commission described him as delicate from overwork. He spoke of wet cramped conditions. Alexander worked all day. Then he went to night school. He worked two years at Sheriffhall coal mine. He went below at two or three in the morning. He hewed till six at night. After that he filled carts and put them on the rails. The pit was very wet. They often worked in slush over their shoe-tops. He used to fall asleep when he first started.
The Sheriffhall mine continued to run despite awful conditions. It employed many locals. In 1844, William Bennet suffered a terrible fate. On June 27, William headed into the pit for another 12-hour shift. He leaned too much to one side while descending the shaft. Another lift caught him. William fell 126 feet to the bottom of the pit. He died instantly. The incident was ruled a fatal accident. His family received no compensation. They lost their home because they no longer had a family member working in the pit.
Conditions improved in Edinburgh mines over the years. But they were still very poor compared to today’s standards. The last mine in the area closed in 1966. The UK began to move away from coal mining.
There was also a Sheriffhall railway station. It served the village of Sheriffhall. It was on the Waverley Route. The station opened in March 1844. It closed in 1849 when the North British Railway took over the line. The station’s exact location is unknown. It was likely near Sheriffhall. The Edinburgh and Dalkeith Railway was the first to serve Edinburgh. It carried coal from Lothian mines to St Leonards.