This coal miner's safety helmet has a large trailing flange made of leather, which provided protection to the neck and shoulders. It was worn by a 'shanker', a worker whose job it was to maintain a pit shaft. In conjunction with a toughened leather coat it provided some protection against falling debris.

This is a miner's safety helmet. The crown is of hard leather, with a leather strip and lamp fixture stitched over the top. The brim is of softer leather, with a large fan-tail at the rear; the front part is pierced for a (missing) drawstring.

Miner's safety equipment became increasingly sophisticated in the later nineteenth century, a process aided by legislation. Much had to be purchased by individual miners: sophisticated headgear like this was expensive and worn only if necessary.