buntons

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. In mining, timbers or scantling put across a shaft to divide it into compartments. The interior faces of the buntons and sets carry the guides which conduct the cages, and on them are also nailed the boards forming the sheathing of the brattice, in case an air-tight compartment is required. Also called byats and dividers.

Wiktionary

1. n. Plural form of bunton.