[5] A large number of important inventions were introduced in the 1830s, and it is clear from the early issues that the founders – led by the first editor, Henry English – realized they were witnessing an evolution in mining.

At the same time, coal mining in the UK was dangerous and fatalities unacceptably common in the fast growing industry.

English became something of a one-man protest movement and his commentaries became increasingly influential, culminating in his success in having a commission appointed to look into the Haswell Colliery disaster in Durham in 1844 following his direct appeal to Queen Victoria.

It was owned and managed by independent company Mining Journal Limited, owned by the Baliol Scott family for many years, during which it acquired, and continued to publish Mining Magazine, a monthly publication launched by subsequent U.S. President Herbert Hoover when he was a London-based mining engineer, in 1909, until ownership was passed to Michael West, who ran it successfully for two decades.

It was latterly passed on to Lawrence Williams, in conjunction with Michael West and Christopher Hinde as minority shareholders, who ran it for the next decade.