IN REPLY to Mrs Belchers letter, I too believed in the 'seven years' clause re Free miners – in fact in the early forties all of us in my peace of employment were conversant with this, though I was never interested enough to find out its origin – woods book perhaps, My place of employment - the office of the Deputy Gaveller.

In the back room ground floor of the said office is (or was) a walk in strongroom containing all the application forms to become a free miner, and a trawl through those may, or may not, turn up someone who applied under the seven year rule.

I can't remember processing any such applications, but it was a long time ago and I'd hate to be dogmatic about it.

– J Morgan, Station Road, Woolaston