History | Cockshead Colliery
“On 27 and 28 March 1771 John Hales and John Sparrow of Newcastle bought an estate at Smallthorne Hay in the parish of Norton from William Lowndes for £2,403 6s.8d.”
The Indenture of Lease being between;
- William Lowndes of Norton-in-the-Moors, Gent
- John Hollins of New Castle, Mercer
- John Sparrow of Newcastle, Gent
- John Hales of Cobridge, Potter,
- Hugh Henshall of Newchapel, Gent
The Cockshead Colliery Company was formed in 1773. Articles of Agreement were taken out between John Sparrow of Newcastle, John Hales of Cobridge, and William Lowndes, Francis Mare, John Repton and William Sherratt, all of Norton-in-the Moors, to mine below lands at Norton Green * (* Source; Memorandum book of the Cockshead Colliery Company, Norton Green, p. Norton in the Moors, Staffordshire Record Office - Doc Ref No 5583) (see SRO D1798/176 for the agreement)
There is also amongst the Adams papers a very formal deed, dated 1 December 1792, between James Watt of Soho in the county of Stafford, Engineer, and Matthew Boulton, of the same place, Engineer, of the one part, and John Sparrow of Bishton, Esquire, John Repton of Norton-in-the-moors, gentleman (two of the proprietors and partners of and in the Cockshead Colliery near Norton), and William Adams and Benjamin goodwin of Cobridge in the said county and Thomas Sparrow of Newcastle-under-Lyme also in the same county,
“gentlemen (trustees and executors in the last will and testament of John Hales, late of Cobridge aforesaid, gent, deceased, the remaining proprietor and partner in the Colliery) of the other part, for the erection at that colliery of a steam-engine, commonly called a fire-engine, of James watt's patent, for which Messrs Sparrow, repton, and the Trustees of John Hales have to pay Messrs Boulton and Watt £120 per annum until the patent expires in 1800, after running for 25 years; and on 1 June 1793 another agreement was entered into for a second steam-engine for the yearly payment of £135. ”
William Adams had apparently a greater interest in this colliery than merely as executor under his stepfather's will. He also seems to have been interested insteam-engines from their infancy, and encouraged a local engineer, Mr. G. Cope, of Milton, in his atmospheric steam-engines. Mr. Cope use to grind glaze at his mill and foundry on the bank of the canal at Milton, and cart it to Mr. Adams factories at Cobridge. (*Source: Stepfather and partner to William Adams - A History of the Adams Family of North Staffordshire - Adams, Percy W L, 1914)
Reverse general view of pumping engine for John Sparrow & Co., Cockshead Colliery, Norton in the Moors, nr Burslem, Staffordshire, May 1792 *
This drawing, of an engine with a 48½ inch cylinder, for Cockshead Colliery, in Staffordshire, shows just how elaborate and sophisticated Boulton & Watt’s pumping engines had become by the 1790s. Note that the air pump and the plug tree were worked by a second 'air pump beam' mounted on the back wall of the engine house.
6 horse crank engine for John Sparrow & Co. Cockshead Colliery, Norton in the Moors, nr Burslem, Staffordshire, August 1793 *
This was the second engine supplied to Cockshead Colliery in Staffordshire. It was a winding engine,and used a crank rather than James Watt ’s sun and planet wheels to produce rotative motion.The crank was the subject of a patent taken out by James Pickard, dated 23rd August 1780,which expired in 1794. Therefore this engine technically infringed the existing patent. (*Source Digital Handsworth)
Coal Selling Prices and Colliery Proprietors 1795
| Colliery Location | cwt | s. d. | Proprietors | Comments |
| Cockshead nr Norton | 20 | 6 0 | John Sparrow, Hales and Rippon | The principal coal is very clean, swift burning and hot. Not a good potters coal |
| Newhays between Burslem and Norton | 20 | 7 1 | Messrs Perry, Booth, Baddeley & Co.Rowhurst and Burnwood | More mild. Good Potters coal |
| Bycrofts near Burslem | 20 | 5 10 | Messers Caldwell and Wood Great Roe (Row) and Spencroft | Good for common use |
| Hammel near Burslem | 20 | 5 4 | John Gallimore | ditto |
| Sneyd near Burslem | 20 | 5 4 | James Wright | ditto |
| Sylvesters near Burslem | 20 | 5 4 | Timothy Daniel | ditto |
| Goldenhill, 3 miles north east of Burslem | 26 | 6 6 | Cartledge and Tunstal | Clean swift coal in general, so(l)ders a little |
| Sneyd Green near Cobridge | 26 | 7 6 | Col. Sneyd, Adams, Hollins & Co. Rowhurst, Burnwood and Bircheshead | Good potters coal |
| (*Source - Sutherland Collection) | ||||
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