Hood Family and Coal Mining

Craighall and Cowpits Collieries - Bounty Agreement 1806

 

Agreement by colliers to work at Craighall and Cowpits Collieries for one year from 3rd July 1806

 

This agreement was signed by 138 colliers who agreed to work at Craighall or Cowpits Collieries for one year "from and after the third day of July Eighteen Hundred and Six years" in return for bounty money they received on signing. The usual bounty payment was one guinea (£1 and 1shilling). Some who were not old enough for the full payment received half a guinea (10 shillings and six pence).

Text of the Bounty Agreement:

We undersubscribing Colliers at Craighall and Cowpitts Collieries belonging to Sir John Hope of Craighall Baronet for and in consideration of the bounty money recieved by us from the said Sir John Hope as annexed to our subscription hereof, Do hereby each person for himself, Bind and oblige ourselves individually to continue working in the sevice of the said Sir John Hope as Colliers peacefully faithfully and honestly and that for all the days and space of one year certain from and after the third day of july Eighteen hundred and Six years (this not including any bargain or other agreement for longer time's service that any of us may have come under to the said Sir John Hope). In witness whereof these presents written by John Grieve are subscribed by us at Craighall and Cowpitts at the respective dates profixed to our signatures before these witnesses George Stiel, senr Overseer of said Collieries, William Moffat, Cashier thereof, and the above John Grieve and Abram Moffat overseer of Cowpitts Colliery.

 

 1805

£ . S . D

  

March 16

James G

1 . 1 . -

  
    &.. X Easton

1 . 1 . -

  
 

30

Walter Pride

1 . 1 . -

  
    Willm Simpson Tertius

1 . 1 . -

  
    Henry Shien

1 . 1 . -

  
    Abm X Robertson

1 . 1 . -

  
    Robt X Robertson

1 . 1 . -

  
    Peter X Robertson

. 10. 6

  
 

April 1

Willm Robertson Old Ab Son

1 . 1 . -

  
 

4

John Watson

1 . 1 . -

  
    Henry X Watson

1 . 1 . -

  
    John Wilson

1 . 1 . -

  
 

6

David Hood

1 . 1 . -

  
    Robert Pride

1 . 1 . -

  
AM   [   ] Aitken

1 . 1 . -

  
AM   William Archd Fife

1 . 1 . -

  
AM   Peter Currie Jun

1 . 1 . -

  
 

8

James Gordon Jun

. 10. 6

  
    Abm Johnstone

1 . 1 . -

  
    Willm Fleming

1 . 1 . -

  
    Hugh Chien

1 . 1 . -

  
    David Chien

1 . 1 . -

  
    James Chien

1 . 1 . -

  
    William Chien

1 . 1 . -

  
AM

9

James Dewar Brown

1 . 1 . -

  
 

10

George Moffat

1 . 1 . -

  
AM

14

Adam Wilson

1 . 1 . -

  
AM   Jas Pentland

1 . 1 . -

  
AM   James Brown tertius

1 . 1 . -

  
AM   James Drysdale

1 . 1 . -

  
AM   Henry Wilson

1 . 1 . -

  

 

AM

April 11

Richard   Wilson Jun

1 . 1 . -

  
AM   Willm WW Wilson Cowpits

1 . 1 . -

  
AM   John Currie

1 . 1 . -

  
AM

15

Willm King

1 . 1 . -

  
    Archd X Rutherford

1 . 1 . -

  
    Thomas Reid

1 . 1 . -

  
    Geo X Johnston

1 . 1 . -

  
 

16

Peter X Johnston

1 . 1 . -

  
    James X Paxton

1 . 1 . -

  
AM

18

John Nielson

1 . 1 . -

  
AM   Abraham Archibald

1 . 1 . -

  
AM   William Brown

1 . 1 . -

  
AM   Alexander Bennet

1 . 1 . -

  
AM   John Bennet

. 10. 6

  
AM   William Hislop

1 . 1 . -

  
AM   Thomas X Archibald Junr

1 . 1 . -

  
AM   Andrew Archibald Senior (Cowpits)

1 . 1 . -

  
AM   John X Penman

1 . 1 . -

  
AM   Andrew X Archibald Junr (Cowpits)

1 . 1 . -

  
AM   George X Archibald

. 10. 6

  
AM   George Bennet

1 . 1 . -

  
AM   Willm X Lindsay

1 . 1 . -

  
AM   Willam Pe[   ]

1 . 1 . -

  
    Thomas Hood

1 . 1 . -

  
 

19

James X Johnston

. 10. 6

  
    George Beveridge

1 . 1 . -

  
AM   Alexr Robertson

1 . 1 . -

  
AM   Alexr Hislop

1 . 1 . -

  
    Willam Millar Jun

1 . 1 . -

  
AM

22

William WD Drysdale

1 . 1 . -

  
    [ ] X Miller sen

1 . 1 . -

  
    John Moffat

1 . 1 . -

  

 

 

1805

 

April 27

William Miller Senior

1 . 1 . -

  
    Peter Adamson

1 . 1 . -
AM   Robt King

1 . 1 . -
 

May 4

Andrew Peacock

1 . 1 . -
    Thomas Steell

1 . 1 . -
AM   Jas Galloway

1 . 1 . -
    John Brown Sen

1 . 1 . -
 

6

James Brown

1 . 1 . -
AM   Andrew C [   ]

1 . 1 . -
AM

11

Richd X Wilson Sen

1 . 1 . -
AM   Thomas Nicolson

1 . 1 . -
    John Low

1 . 1 . -
 

13

Charles Blyth

1 . 1 . -
    George Blyth

. 10. 6
 

20

Hugh McGill Junr

1 . 1 . -
    William Reid

1 . 1 . -
    James X Reid

. 10. 6
. 10. 6

 }
    Robt X Gourlay

1 . 1 . -
    Alexander X Gordon

1 . 1 . -
 

25

John Nicholson Senior

1 . 1 . -
    Alexander Rutherford

1 . 1 . -
    James [   ]

1 . 1 . -
    Alexander Suttie

1 . 1 . -
    James X Ross Jun

. 10. 6
    William Ja[mieson?]

1 . 1 . -
    Hugh Jamieson

1 . 1 . -
    Coventry X Swan

. 10. 6
    Joseph Jamieson

1 . 1 . -
    George Chien

1 . 1 . -
    [blank] X Grey or Greg

1 . 1 . -

 

 

1805

 

June 29

Peter Brown Tertius

1 . 1 . -

  
 

July 6

Peter Currie Senr

1 . 1 . -
    David Wilson

1 . 1 . -
    Geords Ludsay Junr

1 . 1 . -
    Willm X Brown From Duke Of Buccleugh Coalworks

1 . 1 . -
    Clellon Rennie

1 . 1 . -
    Alexr Hutchison

1 . 1 . -
    John Hutchison

1 . 1 . -
 

1806

William Bell

1 . 1 . -

£2

 

May 27

George Bell

1 . 1 . -
    William Archibald

1 . 1 . -
    Robert Archibald

1 . 1 . -
    Thomas Archibald

1 . 1 . -

£4

    Robt Moffat

1 . 1 . -
    Davd X Ross Sen

1 . 1 . -

£3

    Davd Ross Jun

. 10. 6
    Abram Moffat

1 . 1 . -

£3

    Alexr Moffat

1 . 1 . -
 

1806
June 7

John Paxton

1 . 1 . -
    Sameul Moffat

1 . 1 . -

£4

    Thos Wilson Sen

1 . 1 . -

£8.6.8

    Tho Cuthbertson

1 . 1 . -

£1

    David Rainnie

. 10. 6
    Thomas Wilson Jun

1 . 1 . -
    James McClellan

1 . 1 . -
    Robt Morgan

1 . 1 . -
    James Archbald Fife

1 . 1 . -

£3

    John X Archibald Junr Fife

1 . 1 . -

£3

    William Wright Sen
Wm Wright Jun
Thomas Wright

5 . 5 . -

 

    Robert Ingls

1 . 1 . -

£4

    Peter G Galloway

1 . 1 . -

£4

    John Arch F Sen

1 . 1 . -

£1

    Henry Archbald Senr

1 . 1 . -

£4

    John Archd [Wright?] Junr

1 . 1 . -
    Thomas Bennet

1 . 1 . -

£4

    Hugh Bennet

1 . 1 . -
    Jo Archibald Fife Sen

1 . 1 . -
    Thos Archbald

1 . 1 . -

£1

    Jo Archbald Sen

1 . 1 . -
    Jas Archbald

. 10. 6
    Thomas Wilson Jun Cowpits

. 10. 6
    Alex AA Archbald

1 . 1 . -

£4

    John King

1 . 1 . -

£4

    .
    William Moffat witness
    John Grieve witness

 

  • Illegible text is indicated by square brackets [    ]
  • All original spellings have been retained.
  • Anyone unable to write usually signed with an 'X' or other mark and their name was written either side. I have indicated this with an X or letters they used in bold in the middle of their name in the same style as the agreement was written.

 

 

Explanantion of the agreement

 

The agreement is written on very rough vellum and measures 23" x 29".
signatures on bounty agreementThose who could not write, signed with an X or letter. Above and below would be written "his mark" and the name written each side of the mark; see Peter Currie as an example.
In other cases, words like "senr" "cowpits" "fife" etc have been added by someone else to distinguish colliers from each other; see William Archibald who has had "Fife" added after his name.

The first collier to sign the agreement did so on 16 March 1805, and by 6 July that year, one hundred others had signed . The remainder did so between May and June 1806. For those who signed after May 1806, money loaned to them at the same time is also shown.

The agreement does not indicate at which collieries each person worked, or would work at after July 1806 but 35 signatures were witnessed by Abraham Moffat, Overseer at Cowpits. This is shown by his initials "AM" written alongside (as seen against both signatures shown above). This implies that those men were working at Cowpits at the time. Others may have also worked there but their signatures were not witnessed by him.

 

 Download a PDF version of bounty agreement

© 2012   A Russell