The pit was owned by Davidson & Waters. Messers Leonard, Betts & Boult owned a nearby pit in Easton. Later the two firms united to become 'The Easton Coal Company’. Later, it was continued by R Leonard, Wm. Boult and George H Leonard and traded as Leonard, Boult & Co. 'The Leonard family were large land owners or tenants who in 1842 at the time of the St. George Tithe map, were holding 72 acres of land in St. George. They were buying mining rights on all available land and were involved in Easton Colliery. Some members of the family were engaged in market gardening, and at one time were working land where St. Mark's Church, Easton was built'
1833-37
'Coal Merchants, Leonard, Betts & Boult, Lower Easton Colliery, one mile from Bristol’.
1837
William Boult, Coalminer, is listed in the Bristol Poll Book as resident in Stapleton Road in the out Parish of St. Philip & St. Jacob.
1853
Leonard, Boult & Co, Easton Colliery, listed in Matthew's Directory as 'Late Easton Coal Company'.
1870s
This was the period of maximum production from the Bristol Coalfields after which there was a steady decline.
1883
From the description of Easton Colliery in 'Bristol Times & Mirror' it appears that, by this time at least, the workings of the Easton & Whitehall pits are connected by an underground roadway 2 - 3 miles long. Towards the Whitehall shaft there were two 30 horsepower engines in an underground engine-house. The engines were used for pulling trams up inclines. They were 380yds below the surface. WB Monks, Senior, (1831-1892), Mine Manager, is described as giving the Times & Mirror reporters a 'cheerful and kindly greeting'. He was to commit suicide nine years later. His son, WB Monks junior, is also reported to be working at the pit - Monks jnr obtained his mining engineer's certificate at the age of 21, 'one of the very few who succeeded' in doing so at such an age.’
1894
Around this time the collieries of Easton, Hanham, Pennywell Road and Whitehall were bought by the Bennett family who owned Dean Lane colliery at Bedminster and a new company, Bristol United Collieries Ltd, was formed to run them. It may have been that the recent suicide W B Monks had some connection with the previous company's failure.
1900
Handel Cossham's collieries at Deep Pit, Speedwell, Parkfield and South Pit were also acquired and another new company, TheBedminster, Easton, Kingswood and Parkfield Collieries Ltd, was formed.
1907
Directors of the Company are listed as John Ryan Bennett, Alfred Henry Bennett and George Hancock. The Company stationary (pictured in part below) states; Head Office Easton Colliery, off Stapleton Road, Colliery Proprietors and Coke & Patent Fuel Manufacturers. Collieries at Dean Lane Bedminster; Great Western, Feeder Rd; Easton; Kingswood; Parkfield. Branch offices in Bristol; Midland Road, St. Philips; 107 Whiteladies Road, Clifton. Depots; Dean Lane Colliery, Bedminster; East Street, Bedminster; Harbour Railway, Bristol Docks; Midland Station, St. Philips; Montpelier Station; Hanham Colliery; Bitton Station; Kingswood Colliery; Parkfield Colliery.
1911
Easton Colliery is abandoned
1912
Easton Colliery shown as 'Disused' on Ordinance Survey Map
1913
3 acre site of Easton Colliery & Offices sold by auction at The Grand Hotel, Bristol. Today the site includes the Easton Business Park and the Felix Road Adventure Playground.
1914
By this time only Deep Pit, Speedwell, Parkfield, South Pit and Hanham were left. They were bought by Frank Beauchamp, the owner of a number of pits in the Radstock area. As the seams of Bristol pits thinned out or became deeper, the cost of raising coal became more expensive and so it became increasingly difficult to compete with other coalfields, especially those in South Wales.
1975
The last local colliery in the South Gloucestershire coalfield, Kilmerdon/Writhlington near Radstock, is closed.
2000
The Easton coal industry is not completely without its reminders however. There are continual reports of old shafts suddenly appearing or of subsidence to buildings from old workings, Living Easton’s Easton Time-Signs Trail also helps to keep the memory of this once vital industry alive. Two firms which grew from the activities of the pit still survive today; Stones Ltd/Haul-Waste Ltd. and Hemmings Waste Disposal, St Gabriel’s Road. See other pages for a description of the history of these two firms.
