Legends of the Treacle Mines

 Welcome to the next Blog!

I love exploring local lore - and wow doesn't Pudsey have some crackers. It's not enough to be located in the Rhubarb Triangle for us Pudseyites, we also hold a rich heritage of myth and superstition. Today we are delving deep into the Legends of Treacle Mining, so hand your check to the lamp man and follow me down the mine...

 

Origins

It may surprise many to learn that Pudsey has a long and illustrious mining heritage. Sadly this part of our history has become forgotten along with the Pudsey v All England Cricket matches, the Knurr and Spell Championships and where the Park Roller really came from. Along with the very visible industries we had above ground (dominated by the Victorian Mills), the good people of Pudsey have also laboured long and deep underneath the Town in dark labyrinths that criss cross out under the valley.

Our mining industry traces its roots into the bowels of the earth, and the many useful things that can be found there such as: Coal, Ironstone, Fireclay and Elland Flagstone (I will cover these important subjects in future blogs). However it is Pudsey's abundant and valuable Treacle springs that have captured the imagination and been the source of many speculative rumours.

Speculative rumours??

Yes, many know Pudsey to be a regional centre for Treacle Mining, but its operation and location is shrouded in secrecy.
And those secrets are jealously guarded by THEM THAT KNOW. However I can share a fair bit about the history of our mines without breaching the trust that is placed in me.

'Treacle' is an old Anglo Saxon term for the thick oozy fluid that leaks out of some coal beds. Black unrefined treacle forms from beds of fossilised sugar cane, rather like oil or peat, it has a tendency to seep and rise from fissures in the ground. Pudsey has a particularly rich coal seam under the town and our treacle oozes out under it.

So what's it like down there? Like all mines, ours feel warm, the treacle mines are also sweet smelling and its not unlike being in the Quality Street factory at Halifax (but with all the lights switched off).

Stranger things 1: The truth about Treacle

• Treacle mines occur in only 5 regions of England, Yorkshire, Lancashire, Kent, The West Country and Cumbria. Folk living in these areas are particularly healthy, especially the miners themselves.

• It is said that Treacle mining dates back as far as the Roman occupation with Amphoras of rich dark treacle being shipped back to Rome, and was even prized at the Emperor's table.

• There is anecdotal evidence to support the theory that the wives of the Treacle Miners used to pull their husbands out of the mine, using long handled plungers that attached to the miner's bald heads.

• It is believed that there was a tributary of treacle running from the main source to Kirkstall Abbey. The monks developed the practice of “inspissation” which gave a thicker viscosity thereby widening its utility, which was a benefit to all.

• The whereabouts of the Pudsey Treacle mines are known only to a few people born and bred in Pudsey and keep it a closely guarded secret although Hough Side, Fulneck and Greenside are possible areas.

• The Greenside tunnel open from 1899 onwards helped with a new access route allowing for faster exportation of the treacle.

• Due to challenging working conditions, Treacle Miners formed the National Union of Treacle Miners or NUTS for health and safety reasons (and our mine proudly boasts the best safety record in the Country).

• There has been no significant Treacle Mining since the 19th century. Today a pipeline which is remotely monitored conveys the treacle, and miners only have to go down when there is a blockage (usually a Boggart). Whilst the old traditional mine shafts are all now closed up, our Treacle Mines still thrive albeit quietly and unseen.

• You can still meet the occasional Treacle Miner around Pudsey - they have firm but sticky handshakes. The last time an entire shift was above ground together was during the 1988 Pudsey Carnival.

• Several local locations are suggested as Treacle Mine entrances, these include the well on Bankhouse Lane (no - its a well), and the wellspring close to Nesbit Hall (see below, this is a ground water run off built by Treacle Miners but also helped drain the old Greenside Fireclay Pit). Pudsey in Bloom managed to open a temporary entrance in Library Square once but where the real one actually is we're not telling.  

Stranger things 2: Boggarts

Boggarts (alt: Boggards/Pad Foots/Bogeymen) are elusive shadowy creatures that have been scaring the wits out of the unwary for generations. In the old days they caused bother in the outdoor privies and middens, and lurked in the shadows upsetting people on their way home from the pub (there was more than one place called Boggart Lane, see also Boggart Hole Clough in Manchester). Some parents would even be mean enough to lock unruly children in the coal shed with a Boggart to 'teach em a lesson tha never forget'.

Yorkshire Boggarts on the whole are actually quite laid back, and nowadays prefer to hide down the mine. They are known to enjoy hot tubbing in the treacle vats, even if it does taint it a bit, it keeps them out of the way, unlike their Lancashire cousins...  

Yorkshire Boggarts just chilling out

Lancashire Boggarts - beware the difference

The 1899 Lancashire Boggart infestation

The opening of the Greenside railway tunnel had an unforeseen side effect for the mine: all the dynamiting of the bedrock allowed the larger and more aggressive Lancashire Boggarts access to the sweet dark warmth of the treacle mine, driving out the easier to manage Yorkshire creatures. With all the problems and snags this caused, it nearly forced the mine to shut. Luckily one experienced old miner who had worked the Barnsley fields, kept Long nosed Treacle Ferrets and suggested sending them down to "sort out the little Lancashire buggers". Thankfully the ferrets did the trick and the invading Boggarts fled, last been seen disappearing into the Middleton Colliery.    

Yes a Treacle Ferret...

So if you ever meet a Treacle Miner or encounter a Boggart, please "Have some sympathy and some taste".
 
Enjoyed the blog? Have an interesting Treacle Mine tale of your own? please leave some feedback in the comments.
Wait - there's more! Follow for future blogs - including: Queen Victoria's Children of the Mines, Hidden history of Fulneck, Stanningley - the lost Northern Powerhouse, and Back on the Pudsey Buses...  
 
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