The north Derbyshire coal field extends as far as the edges above Baslow. A small outcrop at Robin Hood has been mined since mediaeval times.
A bell pit by the path from Robin Hood to Nelson’s Monument. The miners dug a hole then extracted the coal undermining the edges as they did so.
A group of bell pits across the valley from Robin Hood which cis visible in the foreground
Chatsworth’s Emperor Lake is beyond the trees in the distance. In 1760 an adit (a tunnel) was dug to provide drainage allow deep coal mines in the area. They are now all filled in
By 1800 all the coal had been taken, and mining at Robin Hood gradually faded away.
Nether Cottage, Baslow. Receipts that still exist show that Robert Marples paid his half yearly rent on 22 Oct for 1735 – £6 11s 10p, and 5 (loads) of coal. Perhaps he dug it himself.
Baslow History 