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Over Inzievar No.5 Pit

Over Inzievar, Oakley, Fife.

Mine (Coal).

Site of mine shaft to workings in Parrot Coal. Shaft (126ft [38m] deep) now treated & buried below field.

Alternative Names: None recorded.

Notes: The name "parrot coal" originates from the distinctive crackling and chattering noise it produces when burned, reminiscent of a parrot's vocalizations, due to its high volatile content from oil-bearing algae. This term, also applied to cannel coals, was commonly used in 19th-century Scottish mining literature to describe its bright, luminous flame suitable for gas production. Geological surveys, such as those by the Geological Survey of Great Britain in the mid-19th century, documented seams like the Parrot Coal in coalfields of West Lothian, Fife, and Ayrshire, distinguishing it from standard bituminous coals... Mining of parrot coal in Scotland commenced in earnest during the 1850s, driven by demand for illuminating oils and town gas. [Grokipedia]

Henry Cadell was a prominent Scottish geologist who collected borehole and quarry information in Central Scotland, increasing knowledge of coal and oil-shale seams. In 1906 this led to publication of a major map of the Oil Shales of Lothian.

RHP146000/679/3 shows this pit name as No.3, although this is probably a typo as maps for other seams in the same map series (e.g. Inzievar Blackband) show this shaft as being No.5, with No.3 Pit located further NE.

Hydrographic Feeds: None

Hydrographic Resurgences: None