Shaft sinking for the extraction of minerals has taken place for centuries & for much of this time coal mining was carried out in the North East of Engl&. Various methods of pit sinking developed from the use of shallow bell pits to the excavation of deep shafts in order to access rich seams of coal & other minerals for sale in rapidly urbanising areas such as London. In the close mining communities of Northumberland & Durham those who dug the initial shafts the sinkers themselves were regarded as the mining elite. This book not only tells the story of mining itself through upheaval & technological developments but also focuses on the lives of miners & their families above ground in the emerging pit towns adn villages; places where religion adn miners galas were an integral part of life. Peter Ford Mason descended from three generations of County Durham miners has written a fascinating investigation onto miming society which makes a compelling read for anyone interested in the social history of the North East or the mining industry as a whole.