Armouth Wath

When Baysdale Abbey was sold in 1803, the sale included a “supposed very considerable” coalmine. This would have been at Armouth Wath at the head of Baysdale, one of the furthest tributaries of the River Esk, although mining activity by this time would have been on the decline having reached its peak in the 18th century. It was a small-scale venture, mainly with bell pits although one shaft is reported as being 106½ feet deep. Coal was generally of poor quality and in a thin seam. It was transported away by cart and pannier along the Ingleby Coal Road and used domestically and in lime kilns. The ruins in the foreground were probably associated with the mining activities with bell pits on the slope to the right.