Information Requested About A Nineteenth Century Colliery Livery Button from Cheshire.
Obverse and reverse views of a dated (1832) livery button from the POYNTON & WORTH COLLIERIES of Stockport in Cheshire. (Actual size 21mm diameter)
The above nickel (?) plated copper button is one of half a dozen similar convex type examples that have turned up recently. All bear the same legend "Poynton & Worth Collieries" plus the numbers "1832" which presumably is a date.
Poynton and neighbouring Worth are located in the County of Cheshire in north-west England. They are situated roughly half way between the towns of Stockport and Macclesfield. This area lies on the edge of the Lancashire coalfield. In 1841 The Poynton & Worth Collieries consisted of a dozen or so pits each employing between 8 and 130 men and boys. The company's mines included Anson, German, Albert, Dingle, Higher Canal, Lower Canal, Quarry plus the new sinkings of Lady, Lord Vernon, Towers Pits, Park Round, Park Oval, Lower Vernon, Nelson Higher and Lower
It is interesting
to note that the date on these buttons coincides exactly with the taking over
of the various pits around Poynton, Clough and Worth by Lord Vernon.
Poynton Collieries Livery Button - Obverse close-up of date plus side elevation views.
I have certainly never come across such buttons before and can't help wandering who they were made for and why. All I can think of is that they were used as a type of livery button by someone employed by Lord Vernon's coal company. Any further information regarding the above button would be greatly appreciated.
REPLY No.1
I have a photo of what I presume is the same set of buttons and have puzzled
over them for some time. I have not been able to find any definitive
information about them but do feel that they have to be for some official's
jacket. They are very reminiscent of railway company buttons.
I know that the taking the collieries back into direct control was something
that the Vernon family had very carefully researched before taking the final
step. Maybe they commissioned uniforms for certain employees to make a
statement.
