Mining Studentships - 1917

[Judi Durber]

Can anyone explain what a Mining Studentship would entail in 1917?  The area is North Staffs.

[shotlighter]

Can anyone explain what a Mining Studentship would entail in 1917?  The area is North Staffs.

I would guess they would be evening classes run by the North Staffs Mining Institute.
There are a full set of copies of their proceedings, in the Apedale Heritage Center IIRC.
I'm guessing that your family are from the Audley area?

[Tomferry]

I would assume linked to the war effort ?

[Judi Durber]

I'm guessing that your family are from the Audley area?

Yes miners around Silverdale and farmers.

[shotlighter]

I'm guessing that your family are from the Audley area?

Yes miners around Silverdale and farmers.

My family on my dad’s side are all from that general area (I was born in Silverdale) and nearly all worked in the local pits. A few years back I would have just asked my dad & Uncle Roy what they knew of your family. They were fonts of knowledge when it came to local mines & families but they’re not there to ask anymore.
Staffordshirechina who posted a lot on Aditnow & occasionally posts here, would be a good person for you to talk to. He managed some of the local footralls (small mines) & his family were involved in local mining for a long time.
Given the duel mining/farming interests it’s more than likely that your family had one or more footralls on their land. On the west side of the coalfield, the two went hand in hand. I had a quick look in the only footrall listing I have (for 1955)  & couldn’t see the name Durber as owners but it is quite late.
Incidentally Brayford, one of the names in you OP clipping, was a very prominent name in local footralls & operated quite a few in the local area.
Finally, IIRC a Dr Durber was a GP in Talke Pits in the early 60’s

[shotlighter]

I would assume linked to the war effort ?

Not necessarily. Education via evening class was very common for most of the 20th century & certainly amongst miners.
It was an eagerly sort route to "betterment" for working people. As well as improving the skills of the workforce for the mine or business owners.

[ttxela2]

I would assume linked to the war effort ?

Not necessarily. Education via evening class was very common for most of the 20th century & certainly amongst miners.
It was an eagerly sort route to "betterment" for working people. As well as improving the skills of the workforce for the mine or business owners.

Slightly off topic but I find the demise of the evening class quite sad. I've attended a few in the past, learning welding and all sorts, the last being to learn to use AutoCAD some years ago. Took me quite some time to get on the course as for several years it was over subscribed, then all of a sudden the courses were scrapped due to 'lack of interest' at the same time the college was looking to cut it's staff hours and running costs 

Now you're pretty much limited to Yoga, short cookery courses or making christmas decorations - all good fun perhaps but not what evening classes used to be 

[mikem]

A lot of the funding for them disappeared, so became uneconomic for anything that couldn't take large numbers at once.

[LJR]

I'm guessing that your family are from the Audley area?

Yes miners around Silverdale and farmers.

Staffordshirechina who posted a lot on Aditnow & occasionally posts here, would be a good person for you to talk to. He managed some of the local footralls (small mines) & his family were involved in local mining for a long time.

Popular misconception I'm afraid! I happen to share a very common local surname "Riley" with many others locally. I am actually a Londoner and my father was a civil servant!
However, I do live in Bignall End and went through a mining studentship with the former NCB. In my case it was in North Derbyshire Area. Mining was as mentioned, one of those industries that encouraged study to better oneself and you could start from the absolute bottom with nothing and work your way right up the tree. I started straight from school with GCE level qualifications so I had a head start. It involved a fixed schedule of college periods and practical work during the college holidays. Once you had at least an HND qualification and were either over 26 years old (or within 6 months of that), you could sit your Government exam for a 1st Class certificate of competency to manage mines (Manager's Ticket).
I still have all my training schedule with dates and signatures of each stage.

Les

[Judi Durber]

Big thank you to Andrew Bennett at www.apedale.co.uk museum who advised:

A studentship is where the company you work for pays for an academic qualification, usually you'd be on a trainees wage and be required to stay for a certain amount of time after being qualified.  For example, someone who wanted to be a mining surveyor would be put through the appropriate qualifications while working at the mine, probably assisting the surveyors and learning on the job too.

It's still a pretty common arrangement today in business, although the word has fallen out of use somewhat.

Andrew Bennett

Web: www.apedale.co.uk