The annual reports Hugh Seymour Tremenheere, Commissioner appointed to inquire into the operation of the Act 5 & 6 Vict. c99, (Mines and Collieries Act 1842) and into the state of the population in the mining districts contain many references to Scotland. Although the viewpoint is rather biased towards the owners, the descriptions of strikes, education, housing etc still provide useful insight into conditions for the ordinary miners and their families in the 1850s.
The subjects of the extracts are summarised below:
| 1844 | This report deals with Lanarkshire, The Lothians, Stirlingshire, Clackmannan & Fife. |
| 1845 | Topics include violations of Act in Clackmannan, Fife, Shotts, situation in Lothians, condition of Lanarkshire population, housing, reduction of “darg”, housing & education in Ayrshire |
| 1846 | Prosecutions under Act in Clackmannan |
| 1847 | Education in Dalkeith, Lanarkshire, Miners Association, Forth Iron Company, Kinneil, Ayrshire ironworks |
| 1848 | Colliery plans. Lanarkshire including strikes, restriction of labour. Ayrshire |
| 1849 | |
| 1851 | 1850 strike in Ayrshire & Lanarkshire, Gartsherrie (housing and education), Dundyvan, Omoa Ironworks (education), Female Education |
| 1852 | Arrestment of wages in Scotland, Working age and population in Gartsherrie, Gartsherrie Band |
| 1853 | Dundyvan ironworks, housing & education in Gartsherrie, Monklands Ironworks, Coltness & Dalmellington, arrestment of wages in Scotland |
| 1854 | Housing including Rosehall |
| 1856 | Deals with the strike in Lanarkshire, Ayrshire, Clackmannan & Stirlingshire at length, including issues such as who was to blame, characters of the mining population, difficulties between the masters & men, system of “Justice -men”, situation in Fife & Lothians, aspects of workings of Mr Dixons Colliery at Govan, practice of restricting the “Darg”, Truck system, Intimidation and measures to prevent it, probability of further strikes and thr Scottish Iron and Coal Miners Association.
The 1856 extracts have been split into 2 pages – |
| 1859 | Glasgow Mining School, Schools of Cookery at Gartsherrie & Eglington Works, Gardens at colliers houses & Colliers houses. |