Origins of a "Jam Eater"

[Billy Bob]

Some years ago I had an appointment to meet a client at High Rd Kell's, travelling from Workington I arrived far too early, so I decided to have drink in the nearby pub "The Stump" in order to put in time.

 

In the corner of the room sat 3 old codgers around a table having a drink talking and laughing, they continued with their craic until I overheard, aye Don was a character all reet a grand lad and a good wucker in watter, he wuz frae highside aye a Jam Eater.

 

On hearing this, my ears pricked up and I went over and enquired why Don was a "Jam Eater"?

 

I was told that on the decline of the Coal Mines in the Workington area miners from Risehow and Solway PIts were transferred through to the Whitehaven mines Haig, William and Lowca mines.

 

All those transferred to the Whitehaven mines were made welcome as colleagues and a lot of  long and lasting friendships were forged between  the workers.

 

On settling into their workplace the new arrivals were soon inducted into the practices and traditions that existed in the Whitehaven mines.

One of the traditions that was "Blind Swap" this took place every Wednesday, most of the miners that were working in groups exchanged         snap tins (lunch boxes).

 

On opening the lunch boxes belonging to the Workington miners a number of the boxes contained "JAM SANDWICHES" with the Whitehaven miners retorting bloody jam, and calling their Workington colleagues "JAM EATERS" there was no nastiness they all thought it very funny and laughed and joked about it and the  name sticks to this day.

 

 

[Keith T]

I served my time with a Plumbing and Heating firm from St Bees back in the 50's and I worked on many building sites, including West Cumberland Hospital and contracting at Sellafield and never once heard the term "Jam eater".    It was all "High-siders" and "Low-siders" in those days and with no nastiness that accompanies the "jam eater" term nowadays.   The last pit in Allerdale (Solway) closed in 1983 so if your tale is correct Billy Bob then that makes it a term from the 80's but whenever it came about it wasn't meant to make both our areas the joke of the country as highlighted by John Bishop on his TV show.  

[rockerlad]

My old man is from Manchester and he often pops down to see family. I was down with his once and told them about the jam eater insult. They couldn't not belive it and thought we were very strange.

[shaun mc]

There's many a theory on it.....which ones correct?

The mines/miners come into this quite often - my grandad said that jam was the only thing you could put in your bait without it going off down in the mines

[Bearintown]

There's many a theory on it.....which ones correct?

The mines/miners come into this quite often - my grandad said that jam was the only thing you could put in your bait without it going off down in the mines

 

Thats supposed to be the crack.

#But that begs the question -why would only miners from one area know that?

[The Voodooguru]

Aye I'm the first in a few generations of my family not to be a miner. My old fella said it was common for all miners to have jam sarnies because of the taste with all the coal dust about.

From what my grandad had said as he went from pit to pit as part of his job it depended what pit you were in who called who what and for what reason. It will have been lost in time the origins but my great grandad claimed ( as he would of course) that the Workington lads used to get stick for having tinned meat in their sarnies, hence we called them jam eaters, and only much later in a different pit did it change when Maryport lads were called it because of the jam factory that was there. It then migrated to include the Workington lads. No doubt a Whitehaven great grandad will swear different, and so it goes on...

[rockerlad]

Thats supposed to be the crack.

#But that begs the question -why would only miners from one area know that?

Workington miners smarter than Whitehaven miners???? Ha ha

[Billy Bob]

"Keith T" you may be correct that Solway closed in 1983, "however" Solway was not producing coal commercially for a great number of years it existed as a Training facility with school leavers gaining underground experience of coal mining for several months before being placed in mines that were producing commercially.

Solway was also used to train Pit deputies, Overmen, Shot Firers and Ventilation workers.

 

Miners were being transferred from Solway to Whitehaven over many years as it decreased commercial coal production and was developed into a Training Mine.