Source: The Quarries: ironstone, limestone and sand, H.B, Hewlett, 1935
p. 43 plate of Dale sand quarry
p. 44 map showing tramway route
Northern half of Stanton built on millstone grit, known as Farewell Rock because it’s goodbye to coal when a miner strikes it.
Lower Coal measures outcropped between Stanton Gate and Dale – coal and iron ore. Chief coal seam Kilburn coal and iron ores known as Dale moor rake, Civilly rake and Honeycroft rake – layers or courses of rounded and flat cakes of ironstone, embedded in shale, and these cakes frequently enclosed ferns, cones or shell fish round which the mineral substance had accumulated. The ironstone had to be picked out by hand from the shale. Lower Coal Measures 1000’ thick.
New red sandstone non-pebbly at Dale, worked for pig-bed or building purposes. Worked for over 50 years. ‘Operations are entirely by hand and haulage from the quarry to a tipping dock at the termination of the Company’s Dale Branch is by horses on a tramway of a gauge of 1 foot 4½”. The face is now 40 feet in height and the overburden reaches about 13 feet.’ (p. 45)
Source: Susan Ball, Aspects, 1969
1778 whole property belonged to Earl Stanhope (p.46).
1912 Stanton ironworks bought all but the church lands and 2 schools. Earl appointed vicar ‘for the parishes of DA and S by D’ (p.47)
1968 death of last earl; line extinct
Map of extent of state of Stanton Ironworks 1955, included all Dale, Boyah and quite a bit of Hagg Farms area
Returned to mixed farming, mainly dairy. 2 poultry farms (Messrs Cross and Smedley). Others work at Stanton. (p.10)
Blacksmith’s shop at Dunnshill with a well in the quarry (Hall, p. 258)
Report by a Government body in 1842 has a conversation with Thomas Hallam, a collier at Dale Pits. His 9 year old son was one of two under 13 year olds working at the colliery and had worked there since he was 8. (GREC)
Shop run by John Peet (Pioneer 24 Mar 1860)