Women have long been recognised as the backbone of coal mining communities, supporting their men. Less well known is the role which they played as the industry developed, working underground alongside their husband or father, moving the coal which he had cut.
The Report of the Commission into the Employment of Children and Young People in Coal Mines (May 1842) included the revelation that in some mines half-dressed women worked alongside naked men.
This talk, given by historian and writer Denise Bates, examines the life of the female miner in the nineteenth century through to the outbreak of the Great War, both at work and away from it, drawing out the largely untapped evidence within contemporary sources - and challenging received wisdoms.
All talks will be offered in a hybrid format – with tickets either available for Zoom, or in-person allowing you to explore the museum at night.
If you wish book a Zoom ticket, please click here
