Housing Conditions of Miners

Extracted from “The Housing Condition of Miners” Report by the Medical Officer of Health, Dr John T. Wilson, 1910

Carnwath Parish

The mining industry in this parish has passed through many vicissitudes. In the northern part of the parish coal and ironstone were worked in the latter part of the 18th century. Shale has been worked more or less continuously since about 1870.

Table 1 shows that there are four mines at present in operation and that they give employment to 1177 workmen. Shale and coal are the minerals presently worked. The totoal number of houses in the parish is 1236, while the number occupied by miners is 525, or 42.47% of the total. The population of the parish at each dicennial census since 1851 was as follows:-
1851 - 3551
1861 - 3584
1871 - 5709
1881 - 5831
1891 - 5324
1901 - 5837

Coltness Iron Co Ltd, Newmains

Climpy Mine - situated near Forth and Wilsontown, and at an elevation of 1020 feet O.D.
Persons employed - underground 178, above ground 33, total 211

The employees reside in the following localities:-
In rented houses, situated at Climpy, Forth, Wilsontown, Haywood, Braehead and Fauldhouse 207
In houses owned by miners situated at Wilsontown and Braehead 4

There are no houses owned by the company, but near the mine there are some fifteen houses privately owned, and described as follows:- Slate Row - 4 houses
Thatch Row - 3 houses
Climpy House - 4 families
Lodge House; Old Sables; and Tilework House

Slate Row
3 one-apartment houses Rental £3 5s
1 two-apartment houses Rental £5 17s

  • These houses are stone built - no damp-proof course - plastered on solid - wood floors, unventilated - wood ceilings - houses seem comfortable
  • Gardens not cultivated
  • No wash-houses
  • No coal cellars
  • No privy - ashpit consists of hole in the ground
  • Water supply from well in field
  • Scavenged at owners' expense

Thatch Row
2 one-apartment houses
1 three-apartment houses

  • Conditions similar to above

Tilework House

  • House in fair condition
  • No wash-houses
  • No coal cellars
  • No privy
  • No ashpit
  • Water supply from spring

The villages of Forth and Wilsontown were recently formed into a special water supply district, but the water supply has not yet been introduced, although works are being proceeded with. Most of the houses in Forth are privately owned. They are almost all ancient construction and have a small valuation. The houses in Wilsontown are mostly owned by the mining company.

William Dixon Ltd, 1 Dixon Street, Glasgow

Wilsontown Mine - situated near Forth
Persons employed - underground 293, above ground 129, total 422

The employees reside in the following localities:-
In mine owners' houses, situated at Wilsontown 120
In rented houses, situated at Forth, Wilsontown, Haywood, Braehead, and Carstairs 281
In houses owned by miners situated at Braehead, Forth and Wilsontown 10

The mine owners' houses, 65 in number, may be described in groups as follows:-

Quality Row - 31 houses
26 two-apartment houses Rental £4 11s
2 three-apartment houses Rental £6 10s
3 four-apartment houses Rental £7 16s

Store Row
4 two-apartment houses Rental £4 11s

Red Row - 9 houses
1 three-apartment houses Rental £7 16s
1 two-apartment houses Rental £5 4s
7 one-apartment houses Rental from £3 5s to £3 18s
Rentals include occupiers’ rates and taxes

  • These houses were erected about 100 years ago - stone-built - no damp-proof course - plastered on solid walls - wood floors, some being in need of repair - internal surfaces of walls and ceilings generally good - houses comfortable
  • No overcrowding - apartments good size
  • Gardens, some cultivated
  • No proper wash-houses
  • Coal cellars, but a number without doors
  • Eight privy middens with 13 doors. Some privies without doors.
  • No sinks - surface channels
  • Water supply from spring some distance off, gravitation water supply (for special district) under construction. There are also rain-water barrels for each house.
  • Scavenged weekly at owners' expense
  • Many of the houses are not in a good state of repair, but the owners are about to carry out improvements and provide better sanitary conveniences.

Pleasance Row
16 two-apartment houses, in four blocks Rental £5 4s

  • Houses erected about 35 years ago - stone-built - plastered on solid walls - wood floors, not ventilated - internal surfaces of walls and ceilings generally good - houses comfortable
  • Gardens for every house, some cultivated
  • No wash-houses, although one tenant has erected a wooden arrangement
  • Coal cellars at back of the dwellings
  • Three privy middens, with six seats, at rear of dwellings. The privies are brick built with doors.
  • One sink for every two houses placed in front of the houses, connected with underground drainage system.
  • Water supply from spring in glen. Rainwater barrels for each houses
  • Scavenged at owners' expense

Office Row
1 three-apartment houses Rental £6 10s

Peasweep Row - 3 houses
1 one-apartment houses Rental £3 18s
2 two-apartment houses Rental £4 11s and £5 4s

Stable Row
1 three-apartment houses Rental £7 16s

  • Houses erected about 60 years ago - brick built and cemented outside - no damp-proof course - plastered on solid walls - wood floors, not ventilated - internal surfaces of walls and ceilings generally good - houses comfortable
  • No overcrowding - apartments good size
  • Gardens
  • No wash-houses
  • Coal cellars
  • Privy midden
  • No sink - open channel
  • Water supply from spring, new supply under construction
  • Scavenged at owners' expense


Some of the houses privately owned may be described as follows:-

Wilsontown House - Old mansion house divided into 5 houses:-
2 one-apartment houses Rental £3
3 two-apartment houses Rental £3 18s

  • This houses was erected about 100 years ago - stone-built - no damp-proof course - lathed and plastered - wood floors, not ventilated - internal surfaces of walls and ceilings generally good - houses comfortable
  • No overcrowding - apartments good size
  • No gardens
  • Wash-house on ground floor
  • Privy middens with two seats
  • Drainage, surface channels
  • Water supply from spring in glen adjacent
  • Scavenged at owners' expense


Two lots of new tenement property have been erected under the Building Bye-Laws, on the left bank of the Mouse Water, near Wilsontown, and there are prospects of more being constructed near Quality Row, where ground can be acquired by the mining company. The two lots of new tenement houses may be described as follows:-

Rootpark
Two storey tenement, privately owned
10 two-apartment houses Rental £7

  • Brick built - hollow walls - outer surface cement faced
  • No gardens but have common wash-house and each a coal cellar
  • Five pail privies are situated to the rear, on sloping ground beneath the wash-house. These privies are kept in excellent order, but the occupiers require to empty the pails into the ashpit, which is also situated to the rear. The surface of the ground at the front of the houses requires finishing off.
  • No slop sinks or proper drainage.
  • The slops are discharged at the side of the plantation
  • Water supply from pump well in plantation


Glenview - 50 yards or more beyond last house in Rootpark. A two storey tenement, privately owned.
4 one-apartment houses Rental £7 10s

  • Brick built - hollow walls - outer surface cement faced
  • Gardens in front- a common wash-house - and coal cellars
  • Pail privies and ashpit
  • No slop sinks or proper drainage. The slops are discharged at the side of the plantation
  • Water supply from spring


Another tenement is in course of erection

Wilsontown Terrace - 26 houses
2 one-apartment houses Rental £5
18 two-apartment houses Rental £6
6 three-apartment houses Rental £8

  • Tenants of this row work at Wilsontown and Climpy Mines
  • These houses were erected about 40 years ago - brick built - no damp-proof course - plastered on solid walls - wood floors, not ventilated - one-apartment houses said to be damp
  • No overcrowding - apartments good size
  • Some with gardens
  • No wash-houses
  • Coal cellar for each house, one without a door
  • Thirteen pail privies and one ashpit
  • No slop sinks - drainage by surface channels
  • Water supply from spring, gravitation water supply under construction
  • Rain water barrel for each house
  • Scavenging done at owners' expense
  • The privies are emptied once a week into the ashpit, and the ashpit emptied whenever it gets full. Tenants complain about the smell caused by the emptying of the contents of the privies into the ashpit


Beveridgehall - 4 houses - 2 thatched and 2 slated
3 one-apartment houses Rental £3
1 two-apartment houses Rental £6

  • Stone-built - no damp-proof course - plastered on solid walls - wood floors, not ventilated - internal surfaces of walls and ceilings generally good - houses comfortable
  • Gardens
  • No wash-houses
  • Coal cellar for each house
  • No privy
  • No sinks- surface channels connected with underground drainage system
  • Scavenged at owners' expense


Heather Row, Forth - Slated houses (4) - 3 one apartment, rental £3 18s; 1 two apartments, rental £7 1s 4d. Thatched houses (8) - 4 one apartment, rental £3 18s; 4 two apartments, rental £7 1s 4d

  • Some of the tenants work at Wilsontown Mine, and some at Climpy Mine.
  • Stone-built - no damp-proof course - some wood floors, not ventilated, and some cement floors
  • Houses not in good repair
  • No gardens
  • No wash-houses
  • No coal cellars, coal kept under the bed
  • No privies - one ashpit
  • Water from well in field
  • Scavenged at owners' expense


Hailston Green - 4 houses - 2 one apartment, rental £3 18s; 2 two apartment, rental £7 1s 4d

  • Stone built - no damp-proof course - some wooden floors, not ventilated and some cement floors - houses not in good repair
  • Gardens - no wash house - no coal cellars
  • No privy - one ashpit

Tarbrax Oil Co., Ltd, 135 Buchanan Street, Glasgow

Tarbrax Shale Mine - situated between Cobbinshaw and Auchengray Stations, distant about 2 miles from Woolfords, and at an elevation of about 900 feet O.D.
Persons employed - underground 309, above ground 130, total 439

The employees reside in the following localities:-
In mine owners' houses, situated at Tarbrax 403
In rented houses, situated at Auchengray, Woolfords, Polkelly, Southtown, and Cobbinshaw 36



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Pumpherston Oil Co Ltd, 135 Buchanan Street, Glasgow

Woolfords Coal Mine - situated between Cobbinshaw and Auchengray Railway Stations
Persons employed - underground 94, above ground 11, total 105

The employees reside in the following localities:-
In mine owners' houses, situated at Woolfords 45
In rented houses, situated at Woolfords, Polkelly, Tarbrax, and Haywood 60

The mine owners' houses are described as follows:-

Tarbrax - This village contains 241 houses, owned by the Tarbrax Oil Company. They are occupied mainly by persons engaged at Tarbrax Shale Mine, but there are a few workmen from Woolfords Coal Mine. The houses may be divided into two groups. Those erected many years ago by a former company, when shale mining was commenced, numbering 121, and those erected in 1905 by the present company, numbering 120. The old houses have been greatly improved in construction, and have been provided with modern domestic and sanitary conveniences. Thus almost all one-apartment houses were converted into two apartment houses. The privy middens were abolished, and water closets provided in the proportion of one for every two houses, placed in an annex to the dwellings, where there is also a combined scullery and wash-house, with gravitation water supply. The external walls have been rough cast. The internal walls are strapped and lathed. The drains were all reconstructed, with a sewage outfall on to an irrigation field. The houses were reoccupied towards the close of 1905.

The old houses are partly in two storey blocks and partly in one storey rows. They may be classified according to rental as follows:- 10 one apartment and scullery, rental, £5 4s; 37 two apartments and scullery, rental, £7 3s; 56 two apartments and scullery, rental £7 16s; and 18 two apartments and scullery, rental, £8 4s 8d. The rentals include occupiers' rates and taxes.

The new houses, built since 1905 under the Building Bye-laws, number 120. 118 are of two apartments, rental £10 8s; 2 four apartments, rental, £12 2s8d, includes occupiers' rates and taxes. Each house is provided with a combined scullery and wash-house - walls strapped and lathed - floors wood, ventilated - internal surfaces of walls and ceilings in good condition.

  • No overcrowding - apartments good size
  • Many have garden ground - coal cellars
  • Water closets for every two houses except in one lot, where there is a closet for every house.
  • Slop sinks in the scullery with gravitation water - drainage underground
  • Movable bins for household refuse emptied daily


New Woolfords Row - 24 houses of two apartments, rental £10 8s

  • These houses are similar to the above, except that there is no garden and there are three ashpits for the 24 houses. The scavenging is done weekly or as required


Old Woolfords Rows - leased by Tarbrax Oil Company
Consists of 12 one apartment, rental £3 0s 8d
16 two apartments, rentals from £5 17s to £6 10s
12 of the one apartment and 4 of the two apartments are back-to-back houses

  • These houses were erected 70 years ago - brick built - slate roof - no strapping and lathing - ceilings plastered - traces of dampness - no damp-proof course - floors wood, not ventilated
  • No overcrowding - apartments good size
  • No gardens, but bleaching green - no wash house - no coal cellars
  • Three privies for the 28 houses
  • No sinks - surface channel
  • Water supply from tank 250 yards distant
  • Scavenged weekly


Haywood has the remains of a mining village, situated about midway between Wilsontown and Auchengray. The mine ceased working about ten years ago, when the houses fell into private ownership, and for many years very few of the houses were occupied. Originally the houses numbered about 240. In June 1901, there were only 114, and of these 50 were occupied. Now about 81 are occupied - 57 by miners. One apartment, rental £3 18s; two apartments, rental £6 1s 4d

The houses may be described as follows:-

  • Erected about 40 years ago - brick built - slate roof - no damp-proof course - walls not strapped & lathed - wood floors, not ventilated - internal surface of walls and ceilings broken down in some places - some ceilings are wood-lined
  • No overcrowding
  • A few with gardens, cultivated - empty houses are used for wash houses in most cases - all have coal cellars
  • Privies in broken down condition; are situated in the courtyard
  • No sinks - surface channel
  • Gravitation water supply
  • Scavenging as required at owners' expense
  • Many of the roofs are without rhones or conductors for rain water, and the ceilings are in need of pointing