Oilwick Lamps/Young's Patent Face Lamp LSide Marking

Oilwick Lamps

Young's Patent Face Lamp LSide Marking.jpg - YOUNG'S PATENT FACE LAMP - Rare marked Scottish-style steel Young’s Patent lamp, 2 1/4 in. tall to top of domed lid, 1 5/8 in. base dia., copper wick tube that continues into font with holes in the wick tube, vent holes in the outer spout shroud, and holes around the wick tube at the outer spout shroud, hookattached to fine wire mesh soldered to font, marked on font YOUNG’S PATENT on left side and MINERS’ OR GETTERS’ LAMP on right side (This lamp came from St Austell, Cornwall, England and was found in a box of assorted items at an auction in Cornwall. It is thought to have been used locally in the tin mines; this lamp is one of three marked varieties reportedly known; see Dave Johnson's article on the Young's Patent lamp in Eureka #45, pp 37-39; The term “getters’ lamp” is an unusual marking on this lamp not seen on any other oil wick with which I’m familiar. With some help from the National Coal Mining Museum of England, the getters’ lamp is put in the perspective of the mining family of the early to mid-nineteenth century. On August 4, 1842, the Coal Mining Act was passed that stopped women and children under ten years of age from working underground in mines in Britain. Before this law was passed, it was common for whole families to work together underground to earn enough money for the family to live on. At this time, many working class parents saw child labor as a normal part of working life. Some children started work underground when they were just five years old, but the majority started when they were eight. They would work the same hours as adults, sometimes longer, at jobs that paid less. The jobs included the trapper, hurrier, thruster and getter.The Trapper - The trapper was often the youngest member of the family working underground. Their job was simple - to open and close the wooden doors (trap doors) that allowed fresh air to flow through the mine. They would usually sit in total darkness for up to twelve hours at a time, waiting for the door to open and let the coal tub through. It was not hard work but it was boring and could be very dangerous. If they fell asleep, the safety of the whole workings could be affected.The Hurrier and the Thruster - The older children and women were employed as hurriers, pulling and pushing tubs full of coal along roadways from the coal face to the pit-bottom. The younger children worked in pairs, one as a hurrier, the other as a thruster, but the older children and women worked alone. Hurriers would be harnessed to the tub, and thrusters would help hurriers by pushing the tubs of coal from behind with their hands and the tops of their heads. The tubs and the coal could weigh over 600kg, and would have to be moved through roadways which were often only 60-120cm high. The Getter - Getters were the oldest and strongest members of the family, almost always grown men or strong youths. Their job was to work at the coal face cutting the coal from the seam with a pickaxe. Getters were the only members of the family who would work continually with a source of light - as they needed the light to see the coal face.)

Young's Patent Face Lamp LSide Marking | YOUNG'S PATENT FACE LAMP - Rare marked Scottish-style steel Young’s Patent lamp, 2 1/4 in. tall to top of domed lid, 1 5/8 in. base dia., copper wick tube that continues into font with holes in the wick tube, vent holes in the outer spout shroud, and holes around the wick tube at the outer spout shroud, hook attached to fine wire mesh soldered to font, marked on font YOUNG’S PATENT on left side and MINERS’ OR GETTERS’ LAMP on right side (This lamp came from St Austell, Cornwall, England and was found in a box of assorted items at an auction in Cornwall. It is thought to have been used locally in the tin mines; this lamp is one of three marked varieties reportedly known; see Dave Johnson's article on the Young's Patent lamp in Eureka #45, pp 37-39; The term “getters’ lamp” is an unusual marking on this lamp not seen on any other oil wick with which I’m familiar. With some help from the National Coal Mining Museum of England, the getters’ lamp is put in the perspective of the mining family of the early to mid-nineteenth century. On August 4, 1842, the Coal Mining Act was passed that stopped women and children under ten years of age from working underground in mines in Britain. Before this law was passed, it was common for whole families to work together underground to earn enough money for the family to live on. At this time, many working class parents saw child labor as a normal part of working life. Some children started work underground when they were just five years old, but the majority started when they were eight. They would work the same hours as adults, sometimes longer, at jobs that paid less. The jobs included the trapper, hurrier, thruster and getter. The Trapper - The trapper was often the youngest member of the family working underground. Their job was simple - to open and close the wooden doors (trap doors) that allowed fresh air to flow through the mine. They would usually sit in total darkness for up to twelve hours at a time, waiting for the door to open and let the coal tub through. It was not hard work but it was boring and could be very dangerous. If they fell asleep, the safety of the whole workings could be affected. The Hurrier and the Thruster - The older children and women were employed as hurriers, pulling and pushing tubs full of coal along roadways from the coal face to the pit-bottom. The younger children worked in pairs, one as a hurrier, the other as a thruster, but the older children and women worked alone. Hurriers would be harnessed to the tub, and thrusters would help hurriers by pushing the tubs of coal from behind with their hands and the tops of their heads. The tubs and the coal could weigh over 600kg, and would have to be moved through roadways which were often only 60-120cm high. The Getter - Getters were the oldest and strongest members of the family, almost always grown men or strong youths. Their job was to work at the coal face cutting the coal from the seam with a pickaxe. Getters were the only members of the family who would work continually with a source of light - as they needed the light to see the coal face.)

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