coal wain

1) A wain or wagon used for transporting coal.

1584 money and dewties ... to be paid to this corporacon for cole waynes coming thorowe Micklith barre, York. When Wetherby Bridge was in need of repair in 1614 the townsmen alluded to the decay of the pavement … with the continuall travell of cole waines over the same. The wains are likely to have been coming into the town from the south, from the region around Garforth and Swillington where there were numerous coal-pits, and the burial register for Aberford suggests that these heavily-laden vehicles could be very dangerous: 1620 Bryan Abbey of Bilton, slaine with a Coale wayne: in 1632 Ralph Beane who was a servant of Peter Matterson died in exactly the same way, as did Robert Wilson in 1646. A more explicit accident is recorded in Kirkburton parish in 1677 when Thomas Lockwood was buried. He was the son of Abraham Lockwood of Blackhouse, possibly a child, and he was slain by a waine snowt which was full of coals falling one him. The meaning of ‘snout’ used in this way is not exactly clear but it is likely to have been a projecting part of the wain, possibly iron-bound. The metal toes of clogs were said to be snout-banded.The inhabitants of Yarm in the North Riding were faced in 1624 with paying for repairs to their bridge. They were supplied with cole out of the county of Durham and alleged at the Quarter Sessions that the shaking of that bridge with the heavy cartes loden with cole had been a principall cause of the decaie thereof.

dates 1584 1614 1620 1624

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