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Title:
Nationalisation of the UK Coal Royalties, 1938 : Compensation Payments

Subject Categories:
Economic conditions and indicators - Economics
Economic history - History
Management and organisation - Industry and management

Depositor(s):
Fine, B., University of London. Birkbeck College. Department of Economics

Principal Investigator(s):
Fine, B., University of London. Birkbeck College. Department of Economics

Sponsor(s):
Economic and Social Research Council
Nuffield Foundation
University of London. Central Research Fund

Abstract:
In Britain, unlike most other countries, mine owners did not own the coal that they mined. It was owned by landlords who received a royalty payment according to how much of their coal was mined. To understand the extent to which this separation between the ownership of the mines and the ownership of the coal was a barrier to the development of the coal industry in Britain during the inter-war period, it is necessary to have a detailed picture of the pattern of royalty ownership.
The 1938 Coal Act nationalised the ownership of coal and for several years during the early 1940s, ten Regional Valuation Boards met to value the coal owners' claims for compensation. By 1946, over 26,000 claims by 13,000 different owners had been met. The valuations of each claim is recorded in the minutes of the Regional Valuation Boards, and it was this information that was used to build up a picture of the pattern of royalty ownership.
Main Topics:
Variables
Colliery 'area', registration number, claimants' name and the valuation of the claim.

Coverage:
Time Period Covered: 1938-1946
Country: Great Britain
Spatial Units: No information recorded
Observation Units: Compensation paid to coal royalty owners, 1938
Kind of Data: Textual data; Numeric data; Individual (micro) level

Universe Sampled:
Location of Units of Observation:National
Population:Claims submitted to Regional Valuation Boards, 1938-1946, for compensation for royalties received prior to the 1938 Coal Act which nationalised the ownership of coal

Methodology:
Time Dimensions: Cross-sectional (one-time) study
Sampling Procedures: No sampling (total universe)
Method of Data Collection: Compilation or synthesis of existing material
Data Sources: Minute books of the Valuation Boards in the Public Records Office; and similar and additional listings in the National Coal Board Central Archive (Mansfield)

Language(s) of Written Materials:
Study Description: English
Study Documentation: English

Access:
Access Conditions: The depositor has specified that registration is required and standard conditions of use apply. The depositor may be informed about usage. See terms and conditions for further information.
Availability: History Data Service, UK Data Archive
Contact: Help desk: hds@essex.ac.uk

Date of Release:
First Edition: 1 January 1983

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