Auckland Park Colliery

1864 - Machine Pit of Black Boy Colliery renamed Auckland Park Colliery

1929, 25 Jun - Three Quarter, Five Quarter, Main, Low Main, Hutton, Harvey, Busty, Brockwell seams abandoned

1946 - Used as a pumping station after the colliery closed.

Armstrong, Thomas, 24 Nov 1896, aged 26, Stoneman, While engaged with some other men in ridding a fall of stone on the main road, a piece of stone fell from the roof and killed him [More information ...]

Barnwell, Frank, 08 Dec 1885, aged 16, Putter, fall of stone on tramway while he was passing, Buried: South Church Churchyard

Benson, Robert, 23 Nov 1917, aged 49, of Coundon, fatally injured while working at Auckland Park Colliery sidings, he was run over by some wagons and died on his way to hospital

Bewick, William, 06 Nov 1866, aged 16, Pony Putter, crushed by tubs

Birkbeck, Joseph, 16 Apr 1889, aged 35, Hewer, killed by a fall of top coal whilst working under it without having put in sprags

Bolam, George, 01 Mar 1879, aged 56, Shiftman, supposed to have got an injury to leg a fortnight ago by a fall of stone

Brown, Mark, 04 Jun 1910, aged 40, Deputy, He had drawn a chock and was passing the nogs back to his mate, when a large fall of stone took place, burying him. The chock had been set right under a vertical slip, and when the roof weighted the stone came away at it and swept out several props. Every care seems to have been taken by Brown, who was a man of great experience

Burke, Edward, 14 Jul 1892, 7:00 a.m., 1st hour of shift, aged 19, Incline Boy, while running a set of tubs on an incline they got off the way, and drew out a baulk, which fell on his head [More information ...]

Burton, George, 12 Jan 1891, 12:00 p.m., 6th hour of shift, aged 19, Driver, leg broken by being struck by incline rope ; died from shock to system

Calligan, James, 19 Dec 1871, aged 23, Brakesman, crushed by tubs

Cleasby, William, 29 Jan 1902, aged 21, Putter, while he was spreading the coals in tub a hewer was filling, a stone fell without warning from the roof, at two slips and killed him

Coleman, James, 01 Aug 1898, aged 21, Shifter, he was coming out-bye and met an empty set with two tubs off the way, and was attempting to reach over them to the wires to signal to stop, when he was caught by the tubs and dragged some distance, and was so severely crushed that he died shortly afterwards

Collings, W. H., 11 Oct 1867, aged 16, Pony Putter, crushed by his tub

Cunningham, Thomas, 24 Mar 1880, aged 19, Collier, killed by a fall of stone from roof

Curry, George, 23 Aug 1899, aged 47, Hewer, A fall of stone took place from between two slips in the roof, and caught and killed him.

Davison, Thomas, 12 Sep 1863, aged 25, Sinker, formerly of Bedlington, killed by falling down a sinking shaft owing to the upsetting of a cradle upon which they were working; too many of them were at the edge of the cradle and overbalanced it, Buried: South Church Churchyard [More information ...]

Dawson, William, 14 Jul 1924, (accident: 10 Apr 1920), aged 62, Rapper Man, died from injuries received

Duncan, Thomas, 15 Aug 1891, (accident: 20 Jul 1891, 3:20 p.m., 6th hour of shift), aged 27, Hewer, severe internal injuries by fall of stone on tramway while leaving his work

Elwen, George, 12 Sep 1863, aged 32, Sinker, from Hetton, brother of John, killed by falling down a sinking shaft owing to the upsetting of a cradle upon which they were working; too many of them were at the edge of the cradle and overbalanced it, Buried: South Church Churchyard [More information ...]

Elwen, John, 12 Sep 1863, aged 45, Sinker, from Hetton, brother of George, killed by falling down a sinking shaft owing to the upsetting of a cradle upon which they were working; too many of them were at the edge of the cradle and overbalanced it, Buried: South Church Churchyard [More information ...]

English, James, 11 Nov 1895, 4:45 p.m., 11th hour of shift, aged 22, Run Rider, while riding on a set of tubs, he was reaching towards the signal wire, when his head was caught between the roof and the top of the tub, Buried: Bishop Auckland Churchyard

Ferguson, William, 04 Apr 1949, aged 55, Labourer, he died in Bishop Auckland General Hospital following severe head injuries he received earlier in the day when using a grinding machine, he was trimming steel plates when the grinding wheel burst

Firbank, John Henry, 14 May 1914, aged 51, Labourer, when only 3 feet past a standard of an aerial flight, a full bucket got off the rope on which it ran, but hung on a bolt; deceased and another man went to the top of the standard, 47 feet high, to tip the bucket; in case it should fall away a pair of blocks were hung from a 6-inch diameter derrick of Norway timber mounted on top of the standard, and a hold got of the bucket; the bucket fell away when the blocks were tightened, and the derrick broke; unfortunately deceased had lashed himself to the pole, and was carried to the ground; the tackle used was not suitable for the work

Forbes, George, 09 Apr 1897, aged 17, Putter, While going in-bye with an empty tub a fall of stone from the roof took place, a piece of which hit him on the left side temple and killed him instantly, Buried: South Church Cemetery

Fowler, John, 31 Jul 1891, 3:00 p.m., 6th hour of shift, aged 39, Hewer, fall of stone from slip in a roof in a broken jud

Franklin, Joseph, 27 Sep 1911, aged 19, Putter, he had brought out a full tub with his pony, and on coming round a turn at the inbye end of the landing, the tub got off the way with all four wheels; with the assistance of the deputy he got the front wheels on to the rails; the pony was then hung on, and as the deputy was lifting the rear end of the tub the pony moved away, and Franklin, who had gone to the offside front corner to guide the tub round the turn, was crushed about the head between the tub and a post; there was a clearance at that side of 9 inches between the rail and post and the deceased had probably gone to that side with the intention of jumping on to the limbers; at the other side there was a clear space of three feet

Franklin, W., 20 Mar 1946, aged 26, Cutter

Fulger, Robert, 07 Apr 1884, aged 63, Hewer, was walking down self-acting incline plane, and on stepping out of the way of the ascending empty set, he walked in front of the descending full set of tubs and was run over

Fuller, Uriah, 02 Sep 1904, (accident: 18 Aug 1904), aged 14, Driver, on August 18th he was running by side of another driver's full set with his hand on first tub, he slipped and fell, a tub passed over his leg between foot and knee; the accident was not considered to be serious in any way, but tetanus set in, and he died to-day, Buried: Eldon Churchyard

Golden, Joseph, 24 Jan 1899, aged 32, Hewer, While coming out-bye after finishing his shift, he attempted to jump on to the engine set, which is against the rules, and fell amongst the wheels, and was crushed inwardly, and his back was broken.

Hall, William, 26 May 1903, (accident: 18 May 1903), aged 62, Wasteman, he went to work at 3 o'clock and returned home at 11 o'clock complaining of having worked in foul air. Officials at the pit said no complaint had been made to them about the state of ventilation

Heckles, William, 10 Jun 1873, aged 14, Apparatus Boy, crushed between pit framing and truck

Henderson, Matthew, 27 Jul 1883, aged 15, Driver, crushed between tub and roof by tub getting off the way on which he was riding contrary to orders

Heslop, Eli, 03 Aug 1904, aged 15, Gripper, a fall occurred on a road and displaced the timber; it caught and fatally injured him

Heslop, W. H. H., 25 Aug 1882, aged 19, Assistant Coke Inspector, while attempting to get on to a locomotive while in motion in the coke yard he slipped, and in falling, was run over and killed

Hillery, Thomas, 04 Dec 1906, (accident: 01 Aug 1906), aged 56, Shifter, He was taking a tram down an incline when it got amain. He jumped to one side and, falling, received injuries from which he died on December 4th.

Hodgson, James Henry, 03 May 1907, aged 23, Hewer, killed by a fall of roof when working in a broken jud in the Harvey Seam, Buried: South Church Cemetery [More information ...]

Hogg, John Joseph, 11 Sep 1925, aged 38, Hewer, killed by a fall of stone

Hogg, Joseph, 24 Nov 1879, aged 45, Collier, fall of stone from between slips in his bord

Holden, William, 16 Jul 1881, aged 35, Shifter, fall of old pillaring by side of way while engaged in building a wall

Hutchinson, John W., 10 Jul 1906, aged 17, Driver, He drove his pony down an inclined road and neglected to sprag his tubs. They overturned and he was caught and killed.

Jeffrey, Thomas, 12 Dec 1903, (accident: 27 Nov 1903), aged 70, Wasteman, he was travelling in-bye, when he was caught by a full tub which had got out of the control of a shifter, who was lowering it down a gradient of 6 inches per yard in a landing

Jordan, William, 24 Jan 1884, aged 12, Screen Boy, run over by trucks under the screens while crossing the line, Buried: South Church Cemetery

Kelly, Robert, 04 Jul 1883, aged 15, Coupler, head crushed between a baulk and a tub

Leedale, William Henry, 05 Jan 1904, aged 44, Deputy, He was drawing back timber when a stone 4 ft. 6 ins, by 5 ft. by 18 ins. broke the timber down and killed him. It was last prop. He was not using or had with him appliances, Buried: St. James' Churchyard, Coundon [More information ...]

Lumpton, William, 29 Aug 1925, (accident: 16 Dec 1919), aged 65, Hewer, killed by a fall of stone

Marrs, Andrew, 22 Jun 1903, aged 17, Driver, he was going past the side of a tub to get on to the timbers when the pony started, and he was fatally crushed between the tub and a prop

McCrickard, Edward, 29 Mar 1899, aged 16, Gripper, Fatally crushed on the head between the top of the tub and barrels on endless rope plane.

McDonough, James, 20 Oct 1875, aged 17, Pony Putter, killed by a fall of stone

Miller, Richard, 05 Aug 1885, (accident: 03 Aug 1885), aged 15, Driver, injury to spine by fall of stone caused by the pony drawing out some props while putting a tub back

Moore, Thomas, 21 Apr 1879, aged 22, Because of a strike at Auckland Park Colliery, many families ran short of coal. It had been the custom "to eke out the scanty supply of fuel by gathering cinders produced by combustion of small coal on the old pit heap." So, at about 9 am on Monday 21st April, two striking miners, Thomas Moore and a man named Stubbs were excavating the pit heap. The hole in which they were working suddenly collapsed and they were buried alive. Those nearby rushed to clear away the debris, and both men were brought out. Stubbs recovered but Moore was dead - he had suffocated

Ogilvie, Thomas William, 26 Apr 1917, aged 44, fall of stone, address: 11 Busty Terrace, Shildon, Buried: South Church on 29 Apr 1917 [More information ...]

Palmer, John, 16 Jan 1872, aged 52, Wasteman, fall of stone in waste

Parish, Samuel, 21 Dec 1914, aged 37, Coal-cutter Attendant, Deceased had to move the position of a longwall coal-cutting machine "jockey prop." He drew the prop when a large stone, which had evidently been held in place by it, fell from the roof on to him and killed him. The stone was triangular in shape, and fell from between slips on two sides and a breaker next the coal. The place was well propped and the stone fell from between the props.

Parry, Alfred, 02 Aug 1906, aged 20, Hewer, They were buried by a very extensive fall in a jud in the broken workings. The roof over a large area collapsed, although the jud was filled with supports. The weighting of an adjoining jud, which had been drawn the night before, caused the roof to collapse. [More information ...]

Paterson, James, 17 Sep 1888, aged 28, Labourer, while passing along the top of some coke ovens, the brickwork of one of the arches gave way, and he was thrown into the main flue, and so burnt that scarcely any of his remains were recovered, Buried: South Church Cemetery

Pearson, John T., 06 Feb 1893, 1:00 p.m., 4th hour of shift, aged 15, Shifter, While waiting at a station he heard a stone fall close to him. He ran to escape it, and met a full tub, which crushed him between it and a prop., Buried: South Church Cemetery

Pinkney, John, 15 Apr 1886, aged 19, Putter, head crushed between tub and a prop while coming outbye

Prishouse, William, 10 Aug 1892, 1:30 p.m., 7th hour of shift, aged 16, Driver, fell off limbers, and set of tubs ran over him

Proud, William Herbert, 10 Feb 1910, aged 29, Engineman, This man was employed in attending an electrically driven hauling engine. He was found lying dead on the floor of the engine room just as the set was landing. The switch was found in the "off" position. An inquest was held, and after hearing the medical and other evidence, the jury found that death was due to electric shock, but that there was no evidence to show how the deceased had come in contact with a live part [More information ...]

Richardson, Robert, 14 May 1886, aged 54, Wasteman, while repairing timber in the waste a large stone fell from between two slips

Robson, William, 25 Jun 1870, aged 60, Hewer, killed by a fall of stone

Rudd, Jonathan, 13 Oct 1890, aged 33, Hewer, caught by the engine set, which got off the way where he was sitting by the roadside waiting to go out-bye with it [More information ...]

Russell, William, 25 Mar 1881, aged 29, Engine Driver, He was fatally injured by the overturning of a small locomotive which traverses the coke-ovens at Auckland Park Colliery. At the inquest the jury asked the coroner "to censure two masons, one of whom, whilst repairing a chimney, had left a piece of timber lying across the metals, and thus displacing the engine"

Scarlet, John Close, 08 Jan 1901, (accident: 20 Apr 1900), aged 40, Hewer, alleged to have died from effects of injuries received while following his employment on the 20th April last, but post-mortem examination showed that he died from natural causes

Selby, John, 08 Jan 1885, aged 21, Putter, head caught between a canch in the roof and the tub top, Buried: South Church Cemetery

Sellars, John, 06 Mar 1903, aged 18, Putter, a large stone fell from the roof of a place in which he was waiting for a tub to be filled, and caught him; died the same day.

Slater, Thomas, 18 Sep 1883, aged 18, Putter, run over by tubs, supposed to have fallen off, Buried: St. James' Churchyard, Coundon

Stewart, Charles Siveright, 22 Dec 1914, aged 16, Moving Wagons, deceased had to move wagons under an old heapstead where two classes of wagons were used; one passed the uprights of the structure with a clearance of 8 inches, and the other just cleared; of three wagons which stood coupled above the heapstead, he had to lower the first, a narrow one, and leave the other two fast - both wide ones; later it was found that all three wagons had been moved; the brakes were all off and they were all coupled; evidently the boy had stood on the buffer of the first wagon and taken the brake off; he was crushed between the second wagon and the post, near to which his body was found, Buried: Bishop Auckland Churchyard

Tate, John, 19 May 1865, aged 28, Stoneman, shot exploded while drawing pricker

Tate, Walter, 02 Mar 1864, aged 38, Deputy, fall of stone while drawing timber

Teedale, John, 30 Sep 1911, aged 23, Elevator Attendant at coke works, the engineman saw that the elevators had stopped, and not having received a signal from the deceased as usual, went to ascertain the cause and found him crushed between the lower side of a belt wheel and a girder; there is no evidence to show why he was in that position, but it is thought that he must have got through the fence to turn the Stauffer lubricator, and in doing so was caught by the wheel; definite instructions had been given that machinery must not be oiled when in motion, and these instructions appear to have been generally carried out as there is ample time to stop and oil

Thompson, Edward, 04 Jan 1924, (accident: 26 Dec 1923), aged 40, he tried to stop a runaway tub but failed to notice a second tub approaching, which struck him on the side, he died in hospital on 4th January

Thompson, George, 23 Sep 1895, 9:00 a.m., 6th hour of shift, aged 60, Wasteman, died while at work from natural causes [fatality reported during the year but not classified as a colliery accident]

Trevethan, John Mark, 14 Aug 1880, aged 15, Driver, on coming outbye a collier took Trevethan's pony and rode on the limbers, and Trevethan got on top of the tubs to ride and was crushed against the roof

Turnbull, Henry, 25 Jan 1901, (accident: 23 Dec 1900), aged 48, Blacksmith, died on January 25th from injuries received on December 23rd last, by falling down a ladder when repairing an elevator

Vercoe, Frederick, 20 Jul 1885, (accident: 01 Jul 1885), aged 18, Putter, crushed in chest while coupling tubs

Waggett, Richard, 12 Sep 1863, aged 21, Sinker, killed by falling down a sinking shaft owing to the upsetting of a cradle upon which they were working; too many of them were at the edge of the cradle and overbalanced it, Buried: South Church Churchyard [More information ...]

Wailes, Isaac, 03 May 1907, aged 42, Hewer, killed by a fall of roof when working in a broken jud in the Harvey Seam [More information ...]

Wailes, John, 27 Mar 1877, aged 17, Employed on Screens, crushed between the truck and a leg supporting screens

Wales, Isaac, 29 Nov 1910, aged 16, Putter, His death was due to the careless neglect of another putter who was putting without using a cotter, with the result that the limbers became disconnected from the tub he was putting, and the tub run amain down a short incline. The deceased had just passed him at a siding and was walking down behind his full tub, against which he was crushed by the runaway tub. The offending putter had been previously warned about putting without a cotter [More information ...]

Wheatley, Christopher, 08 Jan 1875, aged 14, Driver, run over by a set of full tubs

Wheatley, George, 06 Feb 1866, aged 40, Stone Worker, falling down a staple

White, James, 05 Feb 1920, aged 63, Buried: Bishop Auckland Churchyard

White, Thomas, 24 Oct 1908, aged 40, Stoneman, he was taking down a top caunch consisting of the band between the top and bottom sections of the Busty Seam, when it came away suddenly and broke his neck against a sleeper; the stone had fallen from a back

Whittle, E., 21 Oct 1924, aged 19, Putter

Wilkinson, Thomas, 05 Jan 1869, aged 44, Labourer, a trunk of a tree fell of a truck onto him

Williamson, John, 23 Oct 1877, aged 32, Collier, fall of stone from a slip near face, it canted two sets of gears, timber set close into face of coal, Buried: South Church Churchyard

Williamson, John, 22 Aug 1912, aged 36, Engineman, he was found fast between the chain of a coal elevator and the return drum round which it worked; it is assumed he was tightening up the tension rod of the drum carriage when the machinery was set in motion; he had improperly, and unknown to the management, been allowing a small boy to start or stop the driving steam engine in response to signals; the accident would not have happened if deceased had carried out his instructions and not delegated his work to someone else, Buried: St. James' Churchyard, Coundon

Wilson, Edwin, 28 Dec 1903, aged 60, Blacksmith, he was measuring some machinery in connection with the elevators, for a template, when he was caught by wheels and fatally injured [More information ...]

Wilson, Samuel, 02 Aug 1906, aged 17, Putter, They were buried by a very extensive fall in a jud in the broken workings. The roof over a large area collapsed, although the jud was filled with supports. The weighting of an adjoining jud, which had been drawn the night before, caused the roof to collapse. [More information ...]

Wilson, Thomas, 28 Aug 1923, (accident: 25 Aug 1923), aged 30, Cutter, died from injuries received

Winskill, Thomas, 07 Apr 1891, aged 50, Hewer, while running to catch the set to ride outbye after his days work, he fell, and died, it is supposed from heart disease

Woodward, George, 17 Jan 1903, (accident: 16 Jan 1903), aged 25, Loco. Fireman, The loco. engine was pushing trucks under the screens and when lifting a brake with his shunting pole, he slipped down under the truck and was severely crushed by the axle-box. Died the following day.