Pits operated by James Wood & Co.
Coalmasters with collieries in the Armadale area and also Shields . In 1902 they were proprietors of:
and also operated the following pits that closed prior to 1902:
- Barbauchlaw No.7 pit
- Barbauchlaw No.11 pit
Other pits encountered during research
IMPORTANT MINERAL “FIND” NEAR BATHGATE
In the early part year number of Glasgow formed the Boghead Gas Coal Company secured a trial lease of between 500 and 600 acres of mineral property in the district including lands of Boghead, their aim being to work deeply-situated minerals which they expected to find, one of which was a cannel quite as rich in illuminating hydrocarbons as the well-known Lesmahagow coal, if not even the same geologically as that celebrated coal. Messrs Ronald Johnstone & Rankine, mining engineers, Glasgow were instructed to proceed to prove the underlying or cannel coal by boring and for that purpose entered into with John Vivian CE Whitehaven of the Cumberland Diamond-Boring Tunnelling Company bore was put down Boghead point between one and two miles from station and within a whort distance of a colliery where the same coal is actually being wrought. Work began in the month of May and the expectation was that a bore to depth of 240 fathoms or thereby would determine the presence or absence of coal at that particular spot. A period of nine months or so was allowed for completion the but before long the lapse of time the depth mentioned was reached with the result, we regret to say, that coal for not found. For a time therefore the Boghead Gas Coal Company resolved in course to suspend operatons, and in due course the rods and tubes were withdrawn from the bore Doubtless the company will by-and-by renew their efforts, although it may be time to proceed another tack.”
This want of success on the Boghead lands did not deter awell-known colliery firm who as owners of Bathville collieries who already have a stake in district. in addition to that which they have elsewhere. We refer to Messrs James & William Wood, of 40 St Enoch Square Glasgow who are largely engaged in working gas coal in two or three counties They secured a lease of about 600 acres the Earl of Hopetoun’s estate which is immediately contiguous to the Boghead estate and in terms of contract entered into with Mr Vivian they had the same of diamond boring machinery removed to a spot about three-quarters of a mile almost due north of the former bore. With it they commenced operations early in the month October which they prosecuted with much vigour both night and day until the last week when their perseverance was abundantly rewarded. Within a period of about ten weeks Mr Vivian’s representative was successful in running his diamond-armed boring tool through the Balbardie seam of cannel coal and its accompanying blackband ironstone house coal all of which occurred at depth of rather less than 170 fathoms. The news of such an excellent could not on becoming known fail to excite the liveliest interest amongst the people of the district as well as the landowners colliery-owners indeed within the past few days Messrs Wood have been receiving hearty congratulations from very many persons and especially from such are interested in the long-established fame of Scotch cannel for gasmaking purposes both at abroad. It may be worth while if we now give for the benefit of both of the technical and the general reader, a few details as to the information obtained from an inspection which we have been permitted to make of the “journal” of their successful boring. We should mention the fact that between the two bores already spoken of there is known to occur great slip or downthrow of the mineral strata to the south. It is known as the “Sixty Fathom Slip” and such a slip or fault could not fail to cause a violent disarrangement of the minerals from their normal position. At the commencement the boring the core of mineral brought out when the boring tool was withdrawn was 5in in diameter in course of time the tool was changed so as bring out a 4in-core and the last stages of the boring were characterised by the cutting and drawing of 3in cores. The “journal” as the entries are from week to week shows that in their general character the mineral strata passed through are similar to those found in various other mining districts being a succession of shales, sandstones, black and grey fireclays, thin seams of coal here and there, shaly limestone and so forth. But there are in addition well marked mineral deposits at certain stages of the boring. One of these is a very characteristic “calmy limestone” of local geologists, its thickness in this instance being 4ft 6in, while in depth is about 440ft from the surface. The same limestone occured in the Balbardie sinking at depth of rather over 300ft, and its position in the Boghead boring was at depth of 694ft from the surface Another limestone 4ft in thickness was found a depth about 600ft in Messrs Wood’s boring and what seems to exactly same mineral occurred of 478ft in the Balbardie sinking.
During the two weeks ending 21st and 28th November a deposit of whinstone was through whose whole thickness was 115ft. It varied in colour from light and dark grey to dark green and brown The tool first struck it depth of 689ft the same whinstone occurs the Balbardie sinking at depth of 586ft In the course of last week another “milestone” so as to speak, was struck and passed through – namely a dark grey shaly limestone which local geologists and mining engineers will recognise as the representative of very characteristic “Cowglen limestone” thickness which is 5ft 4in and its depth 928 ft. This followed by 1ft 9in black shale and then is dark green whinstone fully 44ft thick which is immediately followed by a grey shale 3ft l0in thick. Next comes the important “find” for which the bore was down The Balbardie of cannel coal 11in in thickness was struck when the boring tool reached a depth of about 979ft Immediately adhering to its lower surface there seam of about 4in of very superior blackband ironstone underneath which there 15-in seam of fireclay which is in its followed by a 15-in seam house coal known as the “wee coal” which will compare favourably with the ell coal of the Hamilton district. The cannel coal is of very superior quality quite equal it is said to that of Lesmahagow the yield of which is nearly 11500 cubic ft of gas per having an illuminating power of 34 standard candles the sperm value being equal to 13501b per ton ,while the ash in the coke is only about 55 per cent. We have already said the ground leased by Messrs Wood from the Earl of Hopetoun extends to about 600 acres and there is good reason to believe that valuable economic minerals found in the boring will extend to the westward all through Armadale If that should fortunately prove to be the case it will doubtless lead to an important future for the district. It is understood that Messrs Wood will yet down at least one additional trial bore before incurring the great expense of sinking an ordinary shaft to depth of 170 fathoms to win the materials mentioned. It will have been noticed that in the mass of dark green’whinstone mentioned there is provided excellent roof for the roadways and other levels while in case of a deposit of 6 or 7ft of grey sandstone under the “ wee coal ” there is an equally good “pavement” We should mention conclusion that at a depth of 25 fathoms below the level of the cannel coal there is the position of the “jewel coal” about 4ft in thickness and that 35 fathoms from the same level there the Bathgate main coal. Let us hope that Messrs Wood’s enterprise and success will in due course lead to other equally successful enterprises in the same district
West Lothian Courier, 26th December 1885
...until 1874, when the (Bathville) estate was put into tho market and bought by Mr Jas. Wood, coal merchant at Paisley. Mr Wood had but a short time previously acquired Nos. 7 and 11 pits of Barbauchlaw from Messrs Barr and Higgins, and was in a position to weigh up the coal resources of the district. On the entry of Mr Wood to Bathville, the dark cloud that was hanging over the trade affairs of Armadale began to lift Many houses had been emptied, and grass was growing before the doors. Houses were offered 9d and 1s week, but still they stood without tenants, until Mr Wood commenced to open up the coal seams, and at once Armadale renewed its activity, and gained ground every year. On the Shotts Company finishing their lease of the Polkemmet minerals, Wood entered into possession of the coal field, which had hitherto been little touched. Several old pits on the north-east side of Barbauchlaw were also re-opened by Mr Wood. Even Colinshiel was re-opened by him, after three companies had given it up, and, indeed, all these old pits seemed to yield more profit and employ more men under Mr Wood’s operations than at any other time.
Armadale Past and Present – R Hynd-Brown, in the Linlithgowshire Gazette, 6th July 1906
