Bucker, Galena and Clogs
Bucker
Who?
Buckers were used by Washer-boys, 9 - 18 year olds, employed to help separate the lead ore from the bouse (rough stone mixed with minerals, straight out of the mine).
Why?
Buckers were used as hammers for breaking up rocks in order to get the galena (lead ore) out.
What?
The square, flat, iron head was easily made and repaired by the blacksmith at the mine. The handle was made of wood - probably ash if it was available. The buckers were small and fairly light but not easy to use accurately.
Where?
Out of doors, on the Washing Floor. This was a flat area outside the mine with water channels running through it. The water was fed through simple machines (hotching tubs) and buddles which were used to separate the heavy, shiny lead ore (galena) from the worthless rock.
When?
19th Century. The boys started work at daybreak and worked till 7pm with an hour for lunch. They worked five and a half days a week for nine months of the year. They couldn’t work in winter when the water was frozen. If they didn’t work they didn’t get paid.
How?
Middle sized rocks would be carried to the knockstone, a raised area with a flat, flag-stoned top. The boys would hit the rocks with their buckers until they shattered. The shiny galena could then be picked out by hand.
Galena
Who?
Men aged 18 became lead miners, working in groups called partnerships. They were employed by mining companies such as W B Lead and the London Lead Company.
Why?
Lead was a waterproof metal which could be cast or bent into useful shapes. In the 19th century more people were moving into towns and needed a water supply. Lead was cheap enough to be used for miles of pipes. The Latin for lead is plumbum which is where the terms plumber and plumbing came from.
What?
Galena - Lead sulphide - PbS.
It is a soft cubic crystal, shiny when first mined but which dulls when exposed to the air. It is the main lead ore and was an important source of silver in some areas.
Where?
Galena was found in vertical veins throughout the North Pennines. These veins were formed when warm mineralised water forced its way up through cracks in the layers of limestone, sandstone and shale. The mines were often high up in the hills, away from houses.
When?
The miners worked 8 hours a day, five days a week, all through the year if the weather permitted.
How?
Lead is extracted from the ore (rock containing metal) by a heating process called smelting. This burns off any of the non metallic content such as the sulphides. To extract the silver a careful series of smeltings are needed.
Clogs
Who?
Miners, their wives and families, and most other working people.
Why?
In the middle of the 19th century clogs were the most useful footwear that poor people could afford. Leather soles were too expensive and wore out too quickly.
What?
Clogs have leather uppers, with laces. They have a wooden base, with ‘clog irons’ around the sole and heel. A clog iron looks very much like a horses shoe.
Where?
At home, at work, at school, in fact everywhere. Most villages had their own clog maker.
When?
When the miners and boys were working in wet, rough conditions. When the women and girls were working at home or on the farm, often muddy. Even small children wore clogs to go out or to school.
How?
Clogs were hard-wearing and gave people some protection from their harsh working conditions. The ‘clog irons’ made the clogs last longer, and could be replaced when they wore out.