Motties
Brass ‘motties’ or ‘checks’ were used for pay identification and more importantly as a means of a safety check when miners went underground. In the event of an underground incident such as an accident, fire or inrush of water, motties would be used to identify which miners were in that area of the pit.
In modern pits, motties were replaced with electronic swipe card systems, although the original brass motties were retained for emergency use in the event of a system failure. In common with other types of mining memorabilia, motties are actively sold on the internet. A National Mining Memorabilia Association exists to collect and preserve brass mining motties.
Fig 1: Safety Check Office known as the Mottie Office at Moorgreen Colliery, NCB South Nottinghamshire, in 1985. Photo Credit – K.Bestwick collection.
Fig 2: Miners coming off shift at Desford Colliery, Leicestershire, in the 1970′. The Banksman is collecting their motties on the bottom deck of the cage to the left of the photo. Photo Credit – Coal Authority
Fig 3: Motties from the last three collieries in North Derbyshire at Markham, Shirebrook and Bolsover on display at Pleasley Pit Mining Museum.
Fig 4: The ‘Mottie Man’ at the preserved Snibston Colliery, Coalville, Leicestershire. Photo Credit – MuBu Miner
Fig 5: Sid, the Colliery Banksman mannequin at the Pleasley Pit Mining Museum near Mansfield. Photo Credit – MuBu Miner
Fig 6: Sid, the Colliery Banksman, and Mottie Information Board at the Pleasley Pit Mining Museum near Mansfield. Photo Credit – MuBu Miner
Fig 7: Sid, the Colliery Banksman, collecting motties before entering the cage at the Pleasley Pit Mining Museum near Mansfield. Photo Credit – MuBu Miner
Fig 8: Mottie Board at the Bilsthorpe Heritage Museum, Nottinghamshire. Photo Credit – MuBu Miner
Fig 9: Swipe Card system at British collieries introduced circa 1993. Photo Credit – MuBu Miner collection.
Fig 10: The swipe card system was operating at the remaining British collieries in the early 1990’s. It was officially known as the ‘Attendance Card System’. Photo Credit – MuBu Miner collection.
Fig 11: Motties are one of the main coalmining artefacts collected by members of the National Mining Memorabilia Association which was formed in 1996.
