This is the first substantial history of mineworkers in Scotland that covers the entire span of commercial mining from its origins in the Middle Ages to the extinction of deep coal mining in 2002. By focusing on the lives of coal miners themselves, their work and working conditions, Rob Duncan tells a very human story that brings into vivid relief the struggles of generations of men, women and children who have labored underground and at the pit-head, as well as those who spent their working lives in other significant sectors of mining—lead and shale. Based on a wide range of published work and primary sources, including the voices of mineworkers, official reports, and oral and written collections, The Mineworkers is a valuable and informative study of one of Scotland's most important industries.