Known for being one of the busiest roundabouts in and around Edinburgh at present day, Sheriffhall sees thousands of motorists passing through every day.
But, the roundabout is more than just an annoying obstacle to cross in order to switch directions. It also holds a rather grim and unfortunate past that involves child labour and wretched conditions.
Owned by the Dukes of Buccleuch, at the end of the 18th century, one of the city's largest mines laid beneath the roundabout, that was a huge contributor to Edinburgh's economy in the 1800s.
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Unfortunately, working in underground mines was one of the least pleasant jobs out there at the time, and it wasn't just men who had to endure the grim conditions. Woman and children were also drafted in to work for prolonged periods of time as most of the miners were based in the nearby Danderhall area.
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As was often the case in mines, certain incidents were unavoidable. In the Sheriffhall mine, June 1844, a 27-year-old miner clocked on for a gruelling 12-hour shift in the mine and never returned, reportedly falling to his death with his family being told it was a 'fatal accident'.
In the years running up to the accident, children had given chilling testimonies over what it was like to work in the mine, many of which were recorded by the Children's Employment Commission at the time.
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In 1842, Janet Cumming, an 11 year old girl from Edinburgh told of her experience bearing coals in the mine. Janet spoke of how each day was a gruelling 12 hour shift spent down in the pit carrying heavy loads of coal back and forth alongside the other members of her family.
She told the committee: "The roof is very low; I have to bend my back and legs and the water frequently comes up to the calves of my legs. I have never got hurt, but am often obliged to scramble out when bad air was in the pit. Father got crushed lately by a big coal falling and was out by for seven weeks."
Alexander Reid, aged 12, also told of his experience at Sheriffhall and was described by the commission as being 'delicate from overwork'. He told of the wet and cramped conditions he was working in all day, before heading to night school in the evenings:
"I worked two years at Sheriff-hall coal and go below at two or three in the morning and hew till six at night; after that I fill and put the carts on the rails to pit bottom. The pit I work in is very wet; we often work in slush over our shoe-tops. When first below I used to fall asleep; am kept awake now."
"It is most terrible work. I am wrought in a 30 inch seam and am obliged to twist myself up or work on my side. This is my every-day work except Friday when I go down at 12 at night and come up at 12 at noon. After work I go to the night-school when it is open. "
Despite the awful working conditions, the mine continued to run and employ the majority of the local area. It was in 1844 however, that one miner suffered a terrible fate that was inevitable in such an unsafe environment.
According to a local Dalkeith community group, on 27th June, Sheriffhall miner William Bennet, aged 27, headed into the pit for another 12 hour shift below the ground. Whilst travelling down the mining shaft, William is said to have leaned too much to one side and was caught by another lift heading back up.
The crash quickly caused William to fall out of the rickety basket he was descending in, plunging a devastating 126 feet to the bottom of the pit.
William died instantly on impact and the incident was ruled a 'fatal accident'. Yet although his death was caused by the incredibly unsafe conditions in the mine, his family were offered no compensation, quickly losing their home nearby as they no longer had a family member who worked in the pit.
Thankfully over the years conditions would improve in the Edinburgh mines, however in comparison to today's standards the environment was still very poor. The last mine in the area would close in 1966, as the UK began to move away from coal mining.
This article was originally published on June 8, 2020.
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