Boghead No.15 pit

Pit in the Boghead estate, with shaft to Armadale Ball Coal at 34 fathoms and Boghead Gas Coal at 52 fathoms. It continued to be worked for ball coal until at least 1873. Post 1900, the bing was quarried to supply Boghead Fireclay and Brick Works.

PIT ACCIDENT - TWO MEN KILLED. - On Tuesday two men, named Robert Murray and James Brash, were killed at No. 15 Boghead Pit, Hardhill, belonging to Messrs James Russel and Son. It seems that the unfortunate men were, with others, employed at the above pit as shankers, and whilst following their avocation they had gone on to the scaffold on the top of the shank in order to remedy some detect. When there, from some cause or other, the spur wheel connected with the winding shaft got out of gear, and the consequence was that the two men were precipitated to the bottom, a distance of between fifty and sixty fathoms and instantaneously killed, On the alarm being raised, two fellow-workmen of the deceased named R. Marshall and Alex. Wardrop, descended the shaft and brought the bodies to the surface. The bodies were found underneath the rope used in lowering and raising the scaffold, and that itself was sufficient to have crushed them to death. The rope is 420 feet long, between four and five inches broad, and one and half inches thick. Murray leaves a widow and seven children, and Brash widow had one child. Murray had only commenced to work his first "shift" in the pit a few hours before he met his death. On Tuesday night, after inquiries being instituted relative to the accident, Campbell Middleton, engine-keeper at the pit, was apprehended on a charge of culpable homicide. It is alleged he had the engine out of "gear." at the time the catastrophe occurred. On Wednesday, he was conveyed to Linlithgow, and committed to prison. Middleton says the he was not aware that the unfortunate men were on the scaffold.

Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser, 7th April 1866

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Bathgate - Pit Accident - Two Men Killed.

On Tuesday, at No. 15 Boghead Pit, Hardhill, near Bathgate, belonging to Messrs James Russel Son, two men, named Robert Murray and James Brash, were killed. It seems that the unfortunate men were, with others, employed at the above pit as shankers, and whilst following their avocation they had gone on to the scaffold on the top of the shank in order to remedy some defect. When there, from some cause or other, the spur wheel connected with the winding shaft got out of gear, and the consequence was that the two men were precipitated to the bottom —a distance of between fifty and sixty fathoms -and instantaneously killed. On the alarm being raised, two fellow-workmen of the deceased, named R. Marshall and Alexander Wardrop, descended the shaft and brought the bodies to the surface. The bodies were found underneath the rope used in lowering and raising the scaffold, and that in itself was sufficient to have crushed them to death. The rope is 420 feet long, between four and five inches broad, and one and a-half inches thick. Murray leaves a widow and seven children, and Brash widow and one child. Murray had only commenced to work his first " shift" in the pit a few hours before he met his death.

Dundee Courier - 6th April 1866