Mining

This indenture relates to Peter Millington from Shifnal who is to work for George Price, a miner from Oakengates for 12 years. The document is dated 21st January 1811.

Indentures are the contract between an apprentice and his master for a certain period of time, during which the apprentice will learn all about his master's trade.

Indentures are an interesting way of learning about the young people who worked in the mines.

The wage book shows the wages and details of boys working at different winding engines.

It was not just boys who worked for mining companies, girls did too. Opportunities for girls to work after finishing school were limited. They often worked as pit girls picking out coal or iron stone from the pit banks and carrying it in iron boxes on top of their head.

Miners were rarely well paid, as mine owners often paid them for the amount of coal that they brought up to the surface, rather than by the number of hours or days that they worked. Generally, conditions for miners in the nineteenth century were poor; they were paid basic wages and no sick pay.