There was a coalmine somewhere at Heworth at least as early as the 14th century; notably there are records of expenses in 1377- 8, viz. sharpening picks, binding buckets, the purchase of a cord and a barrel, the payment of colliers' wages and for drawing water there. The coalmine account rolls of 1433-4 record the payment of 20s for making a shaft in Heworth field for the winning of coal.