David Law was fined on two occasions, in 1878 and 1879,  for not providing adequate ventilation, a candle not being able to burn in a upright position, being the tell tale sign. Mr Law was fined £5 and costs on both occasions.  He sold the mine and equipment in 1885. The workings from the mine broke through into the quarry  on the opposite side of Rooley Moor road., where the coal was once visible in the quarry face. Almost being hidden from view by falls of stone.Across the valley from Stacksteads pit there were five small mines, all working the Sandrock mine which is about fifteen to eighteen inches thick. These mines were the Helm Clough colliery, two Brandwood collieries , Bunkers Hill colliery,  and Intake pit. Helm Clough was worked by James Maden, for many years, then one Mr Greenhalgh worked it for a time. The pit was connected to a staithe by a long haulage road worked by ropes. The staithe was near to Frost Holes quarry. The two Brandwood collieries were owned by two separate companies. The oldest one was owned  in 1867 by one Edward Ashworth, and appears to have been a fairly extensive concern. The workings had a joint boundary with Intake pit on one side and the newer Brandwood on the other side. The newer Brandwood colliery was owned in 1879 by John Brierley and sons, and was a fairly large concern, getting both coal , and the fireclay which lies below it. The firm had it's own brick kiln by the pit head. The main entrance to the pit was by a stone arched tunnel and haulage appears to have been by drawers ( young lads ) pushing the full tubs of coal to daylight, and taking empties back in to the colliers. The tunnel was wide enough to accommodate a double track of rails. The tubs were lowered to the staithe from the pit head by a rope worked incline.  Old Meadows was the last of the old type drift mines operated by the National Coal Board the pit closed on 14th March 1969. In 1920 there were 13 Colliers working at Old Meadows and 4 at Old Clough. 13 Drawers at Meadows and 3 at Old Clough. 13 Day hands at Meadows and 0 at Old Clough. With 6 surface hands at Meadows and 1 at Old Clough. 2 Firemen at Meadows and 1 at Old Clough. The output from Meadows per days was about 30 tons whilst at Old Clough it was about 10 tons. March 27th 1920 - Edgar Shepherd received a compound fracture of the right leg while withdrawing with a Sylvester prop with drawer. August 29th 1920 A young woman by the name of E Ashworth aged 28 committed suicide in the pit lodge. Old Meadows was opend in 1848 by Hargreaves Ashworth and Company. the bounderies of Old Meadows, were Scarr End, High Wham, Stopes Hey and Todmorden Road.  The mine had its own Burial Society organised by the miners but this was disbanded in 1881.  The mine was taken over in 1947 by the National Coal Board. The first miners were farmers who got the coal from the various outcrops situated on the valley hills. Over the years mines were opend and closed due to lack of money. Some of the longest established mines were Gambleside, Stacksteads, Old Meadows which was also known as Scarr End, and Grimebridge. By the early 1900’s a lot of the small mines were worked out. When the mines first started they didnt go very far into the hillside, these mines were called drift mines, only a fewof the valley mones had shafts amongst these were Greave Colliery, Tooter Hill, and Grimebridge.  To get the coal to the top of th emine the miners used wicker baskets called wiskets, which were filled and dragged out of the mines, as the distances increased to the surface from the mine face wooden sledges were used.  The tools used by the early miners were quite primitive, made of  hickory wood tipped with iron. The sledges were more often than not pulled by drawers, normally women and children wearing a leather belt around thier waist which had a metal ring in it a short chain attached from the belt to the sledge, the chain passing between the woman or childs legs. Later rails were laid for the sledges to run on then cast iron rails were introduced, these rails were still in use at Old Meadows pit  when it closed in 1969.  Eventually the drifts increased further into the mines and a better way to get the coal to the surface was needed, and so the mines were enlarged and ponies began to be used to get the tubs to the surface.  As with other industries the horse power was replaced by steam power which drove endless chain haulage. Before the collier filled his tub he would put on a peg his tally this was a metal tag with his number on it, and he was paid for each tally taken off at the pit top. Black Damp was one of the main problems in the mines a gas made up of excessive carbon dioxide and nitrogen and was colourless and odourless with no oxygen lights wouldnt burn and it was impossible to breath. Another gas was firedamp a highly inflamable gas this was virtually non existent in Rossendale Mines, only Deerplay  colliery and a small pocket at Old Meadows in 1927 which caught the mine fireman unawares burning off his eyebrows and eye lashes. Because of the lack of firedamp in the valley mines candles could and were used,  the miner having four candles per shift, candles were replaced by carbide lamps. The temperature under ground was quite constant being about 54 degrees all year round. At the bottom of Booth Road was the coal staithe for Stacksteads Coal pit, or better known as th' Hile, Isle, or Hile coal pit which opened about 1834. The pit worked the lower mountain mine which was about three feet thick. The tramway from the pit mouth high on the hill near East Hile Farm, was built about 1873, by George Hargreaves & Co. The farmer at the time  who was a Mr Fletcher was paid damages of £5 3s 3d owing to the tramway cutting his land into two pieces.  The mine was worked for well over 150 years, the coal being brought to customers before the tramway was built by horse and cart. The underground workings being very extensive joining up with Grimebridge Colliery. After the building of the tramway haulage of the pit was by endless chains driven by a steam engine situated at the main pit buildings near East Hile Farm. This building in it's day was a familiar landmark to walkers on the hills and a time piece for people living in the area, for the pit whistle was sounded at 7.30 am, and again at 3pm the start and end of shifts. In 1934 the owners of the pit were Messrs. Hargreaves Collieries, Ltd. Employing 42 men.  The pit supplied coal to all the local mills, but during the summer of 1934 the pit closed  for a few months due to the slackness of trade and the colliers were dispersed to Old Meadows and Grimebridge. In 1913 the wages at the pit for miners was 9s 1.5d ( 46p) a dozen tubs, each weighing three and half cwt in coal, and on pillars were the coal was easier to get at 5s 11d (30p)  a dozen tubs. The colliers having to set and remove their own props as he worked. One old collier in the late 1930's was said to have filled 238 tubs of coal in one week equal to nearly 40 tons, all got with pick for which he was paid the princely sum of seven guineas. (£7.35p) In January for many years the workers at the pit , were given a treat by their employers, at the Commercial Hotel, Stacksteads, to an annual dinner and afterwards having a social evening of singing and games. One family who had connections with Stacksteads pit for many years. Samuel Feber and his son Joe had between them 113 years service. Stacksteads pit closed in 1946 after working more or less continually for 150 years. In 1947 the pit head buildings were demolished. These were the engine house, boiler house, cabins and smith and the local were Farholme mill, Stacksteads mill, Atherton Holme mill, Acre Mill Woollen mill, and Baxter's Brewery.   Intake Pit by the side of Rooley Road appears to have been the largest and longest lived of the mines on this side of the valley. It was being worked in 1820 , and at that time had at least four entrances. Little is known of it's early workings but  later in 1867 the mine was owned by John Woodhead, who ran it until 1873. In 1878 it was bought by David Law who ran it until the mine closed in 1885.On the 1st August 1867, the Overlooker Samuel Woodhead, was killed 550 yards in from the mouth of the drift, when a stone weighing 6cwt fell from the roof onto his back crushing him to death.  landmark the pit chimney. Higher up the hill from East Hile Farm was another small pit known as Top Pit and was connected to Stacksteads pit by an incline, part on the surface part underground. This pit worked the upper mountain mine which was only eighteen inches thick. Not many men worked at this mine, sending the coal down into Stacksteads pit to run it down tot he coal staithe at Booth Road. In 1933 a collier by the name of  Edmund Law Hacking of Blackwood was killed when he broke through into some unknown mine workings, the roof collapsed and he was smothered in the shaley ground. Two of the banksmen on the set were Sammy Morgan and Fred Mitchell. Mills supplied by the mine Old Broadclough Colliery Was situated on the west side of Burnley Road Bacup 100 yards from the Irwell Inn. Connected to Old Meadows on the opposite side of Burnley Road by a self acting chain jig that crossed the road by a wrought iron trellis. The Deerplay Mine, opened in 1895. John and Joshua Maden, owners of  New Line Colliery. The mine was linked to a sett near Greenhead by a single line tramway which crossed the River Irwell. When Joshua Maden went into business at another colliery the partnetship was dissolved.  In 1896 it was trading as the Deerplay Colliery Company employing ten miners underground and three above. The colliery was owned by the Brooks family at the beggining of the 20th century, with Joshua Maden as manager until the 1920’s. The colliery was tken over by the National Coal Board in 1947-1948 and reconstructed, with baths and other buildings being erected in 1956. The mine was closed in 1968. One pit that had its workings extending into Bacup and Stacksteads was Dean Pit, infamous as the pit where two young boys went missingduring the 1940’s. You can read the full story reported at the time by clicking the picture of the two Dean Boys. Other Mines In The Area Were: Lark Hill Colliery - Rochdale Road Sharney Ford Colliery - Sharneyford Hill Top Colliery - Sharneyford New Barn Colliery and Brickwork Lee Colliery Blue Ball Colliery Change Colliery Tooter Hill Colliery Bunkers Hill Colliery