Reference
HF97
Title
Allerdale Coal Company Ltd.
Date free text
1880 - 1930
Production date
From: 1880 To: 1930
Admin/biog history
W F A Fletcher was the son and grandson of coal mine owners in Cumberland. His grandfather, John Wilson Fletcher was described as a coal owner on the 1841 census. John had at least three sons, Isaac (1827-1879), William (1831-?) and Henry Allason, known as Harry (1835-?). He also had a daughter, Anne, who married Theodore Harris of Leighton Buzzard in 1856 (see X525). Isaac and William followed in their father's profession and in 1874 sunk the Allhallows colliery. Isaac became an MP by 1871, when he is staying at a London Hotel with his wife Esther, but died by his own hand in 1879. William married Caroline and had at least nine children - Louisa, Lancelot H, Eunice, Annie M, Mabel, William Frederick Ashby, Caroline W, Frances M and Esther H.
The Allerdale Coal Company was based in Worthington, Cumberland. Formed in 1880 its original directors were the brothers William and Henry Allason Fletcher. The company had several collieries: the Allhallows Colliery near Mealsgate station, the Clifton Colliery, Great Clifton, Cumberland and the William and Buckhill Collieries. The new company was designed to take over the goodwill and assets of Fletcher & Co. The subscribers to the company in 1880, given in HF97/1, are listed as: W Fletcher, Brigham Hill, Carlisle; Theodore Harris, Leighton Buzzard; John Fletcher Harris, Leighton Buzzard; Esther Fletcher, Tarnbank, Carlisle, widow; Henry Allason Fletcher, Croft Hill, Whitehaven; Jonn James Harris, The Craggs, Cockermouth; Frederick William Ashby, Staines, banker.
The Allhallows colliery had been sunk in 1874 at its height in 1896 employed 372 below ground and 75 above, however it became costly to work and by 1910 was 'the principal source of financial leakage…menacing the whole existence of the Company' (HF97/10). It was sold as a going concern but closed in 1927.
The Allderdale company entered a contract with the Koppers Coke and Bye-product Company in 1912 but this company had a German as one of its directors and so, on the outbreak of war in 1914, the contract came to an end with a court case to sort out the financial liabilities involved. The First World War was very bad for business and in 1920 the directors looked to sell the major shareholding in the company to Cumberland Coal Power and Chemicals Limited. The director of Cumberland Coal Power and Chemicals Limited, Mr Barton, had been made a director of the Allerdale Coal Company prior to the contract for the purchase. After two years this purchase fell through and in 1922 the company was sold to Charlesworth Bennett & Co and Mitchelson Partners Ltd.
Archival history
W F A Fletcher was a director of the Allerdale Coal Company and also acted as something of a legal adviser to the rest of the family involved with the business. The documents here are his copies of reports, correspondence etc and relate in the main to court cases and business matters requiring legal opinion rather than the day to day running of the business. W F A Fletcher is addressed sometimes as 'Ashby' by his family or 'Mr Ashby Fletcher' by his business correspondents.
System of arrangement
Roughly by document type or subject and then by date. It is thought that more documents may be found as the rest of the HF collection is sorted and catalogued.
Level of description
series