coal-mine

1) The OED has examples from 1613 and gives it the same meaning as coal-pit and colliery.

One of the earliest Yorkshire references is to a coal-mine near Rotherham: 1369-70 ‘all the coal-minein Cortworth’

1486 with due clensyng of the seid myne, Cortworth. Coal-mines are referred to frequently from the 1500s: 1538 the kings rent for the cole myne of Broume More, Manston

1541 the occupation of the coal myne, Horton

1548 my coyle myne in Beiston

1567 one colemyne in the tenure of Robert Beverleye, North Bierley. At this period in its history the ‘mine’ may more often have been a reference to the underground coal reserves in a certain territory, rather than to an individual pit. Mr Beaumont of Whitley listed a coale myne among his assets in 1543 at a time when coal was being extracted in more than one place on his estate. It became a relatively common alternative to coal-pit from the sixteenth century, possibly because it avoided ambiguity with ‘coal’ meaning charcoal, and a Bradford lease has: 1659 those pitts or mynes of Coales, North Bierley. Even as late as 1702, though, lessees in Shelf were expected to Leave two pitts belonging the said Coalemyne … open and fit to be entered into.

dates 1369-1370 1486 1538 1541 1543 1548 1567 1659 1702

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