ABSTRACT
The Leen Valley pits were sunk in the 1860’s and 1870’s, most of them between 1871 and 1875 in response to the upsurge of demand which was so marked a feature of the early years of the decade. Newstead, sunk in 1875, completed this series of sinkings.1 There were few sinkings then until the 1890’s, when the first large collieries in the Mansfield area were developed: Kirkby Summit, Bentinck, Creswell and Warsop. These were completed (as was the comparatively small South Normanton Colliery) between 1890 and 1896, as a result of the profitable state of the industry between 1889 and 1892. The next series of sinkings: Gedling (1900-2) Mansfield No. 2 (19045) Sherwood No. 1 (1902-3) followed by the Boer War boom.
