Letter from the Woods Office to the Board of trade Harbour Department. 1878 [unfortunately the map referred to is not present with these documents]
Darlington
March 9th 1878
Dear Sir,
Warkworth parish. Northumberland.
Amble Foreshore encroachment
Agreeably with your instructions I yesterday visited Amble, and on the 6 inch Ordnance Map herewith transmitted, have marked in red the site of excavation made by the pitmen in removing the rock for the working of coal underneath.
The tide recedes to about where the rocks are marked, and flows quite up to the foot of the bank where the 'Saltworks' stand, and which are at an elevation above the shore adjoining. The Coast Guard people state that at certain times when the wind drives the flood on to this bank, a thin seam of coal is covered up by several feet of blown sand.
This seam of about 12 inches to 15 inches in thickness runs under the rock at a depth of about four feet and during the month of January last pitmen out of employ excavated and blasted the rock to get fuel for their own use but not for sale. Commencing at a point about 40 yards north of the saltworks they excavated a trench of about 100 yards in length and one to two yards in width in a straight line to the sea. The water flowed over it each tide and in the course of a short time silted up the trench and nothing is now seen of the excavation but some 'debris' of the rock. the hole being entirely filled up with sand by the flow of the tide.
The cause of the working seems to have arisen out of the trade dispute of the Northumberland pitmen who were out on strike for several weeks and consequently did not get their accustomed supply of coals from the pits. - The Radcliffe Colliery, a mile to the south of this working has been in working 40 years and the existence of this outcrop probably would be known to the pitmen. With the return to their usual employ as is now the case the working of the encroachments has ceased and will not likely occur again unless under similar circumstances. I am dear sir, yours faithfully W. Minter.
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