The Pinkhole

True of false?

Over a period of time Mitch Irving of the Hinckley Times edited a feature titled ‘It’s a funny old world’. At one time he was delving into the origin of the names of locations around Earl Shilton, one of which was the ‘Pinkhole’. This is quite simply a small section of a stream flowing across the valley floor to the north of Earl Shilton. Many and varied explanations were offered but, as Mitch said,’ We never got to the bottom of the ‘Pinkhole’.

Following this series of proposed explanations (one of which was from myself!) I received a letter from a Sebastian Swan-Pugh of Muckleborough, the following is a transcript of his letter....

Dear Sir,

I am very much afraid you are way off track with your findings.

I would refer you to Simon Swains ‘ Mineral Deposits of Leicestershire’ Burberry Press 1912, in which he states that, ‘ A stream coursing between Earl Shilton and Peckleton had minute deposits of Jet washed into a small depression in the stream bed’.

Shortly after the death of Queen Victoria Jet death brooches became very popular and a local farming family (name not recorded) started a lucrative cottage industry producing these brooches.

The Jet mineral deposits were apparently so small that they had to be handset using tweezers, in fact it was very rare to find any pieces larger than a pinhead, the brooch setters referred to these as ‘pin coal’.

I would therefore suggest that ‘Pin coal’ has, over the years with local dialect
been corrupted to become ‘Pinkhole’.

Possibly ‘pin coal’ can still be found in your locality?

Sincerely

Sebastian Swan Pugh

I was most intrigued with this missive and immediately set about seeking further information. Unfortunately I could find no copy of the book referred to (Simon Swain’s) so I contacted the information library in Leicester, who in turn contacted the local geological society. Shortly afterwards my wife received a phone call from them stating that jet has never been recorded in Leicestershire, never mind Earl Shilton.

Several months later I discovered that a friend of mine had penned the letter, a local character who appears to have as vivid an imagination as I do!