"Quarter Ironworks and Darngaber, a conjoint village in Hamilton parish, Lanarkshire, 3 miles [5 km] S of Hamilton town and 1⁄2 mile [1 km] ENE of Quarter Road station on the Strathaven branch of the Caledonian railway. It has a post office (Quarter) under Hamilton, an Established chapel of ease, a public school, and iron-works with five blast furnaces. The chapel of ease is an Early Decorated edifice of 1884, containing 430 sittings. Pop. (1871) 544, (1881) 886.—Ord. Sur., sh. 23, 1865."[2]
Coal Mine
The coal mine at Quarter belonged to the Duke of Hamilton. On 16 March 1841 there was a fatal accident arising because of an underground explosion. The seven workers (one a boy) underground at the time died instantaneously. Four other workers died while trying to rescue them.[3] In his teens the labour activist Keir Hardie worked as a pony driver and then as a Hewer here.[4]
Ironworks
The Quarter Ironworks were established in 1865 and remained open until 1885. In 1880 they had five blast furnaces.[5]