Byers Green Colliery

1840, Jan - Byers Green sinking commenced from the surface to the Brockwell Seam.

1845 - Byers Green Colliery was re-opened. This colliery had been drowned out for two or three years.

1892 - Brockwell seam abandoned - All the mineral being worked out or exhausted

1932, 31 Oct - Beaumont, Harvey, Busty, Five Quarter, High Main, Hutton, Main seams abandoned

Alder, William, 26 Dec 1928, aged 27, Hewer, killed by a fall of stone, Buried: Churchyard/Cemetery, Newfield

Appleton, John, 08 Feb 1870, aged 32, Hewer, killed by a fall of stone

Atkinson, George, 22 Jul 1887, aged 52, Hewer, fall of stone while working in a narrow bord ; he appears to have removed some timber

Baines, Joseph, 27 Aug 1853, Labourer, crushed between the top of the coal waggon and a truck [More information ...]

Binks, Thomas, 23 Mar 1885, run over by an engine and died shortly afterwards

Bland, James, 25 Oct 1912, aged 36, Hewer, he was just finishing taking off a back lift in a pillar when a stone 7 feet by 3 feet by 1 foot thick fell from between the props; there were slips on two sides and a parting above; the slips would be concealed by 4-inch ramble, which is left up; the place was timbered within the prescribed distance, but probably the use of planks instead of props and headtrees would have made the roof more secure

Briggs, George, 11 Jan 1907, aged 37, Filler, a fall of stone occurred in a longwall face and killed him; the timbering distance had been exceeded

Brunskill, John, 07 May 1869, aged 37, Hewer, killed by a fall of stone

Carver, John, 06 Apr 1865, aged 35, Fireman, scalded while repairing feed pump

Chatt, Thomas, 24 Oct 1863, aged 12, Apps Boy, falling of apparatus tub upon him

Coates, Joseph, 18 Dec 1915, aged 17, Buried: Byers Green, Churchyard of St. Peter the Apostle

Collingwood, Richard, 09 Feb 1860, aged 19, Putter, killed by a fall of stone

Conray, John, 29 Jan 1874, aged 13, Driver, crushed between tub and side of way

Conroy, Michael, 19 Apr 1881, aged 52, Shiftman, fall of top coal in the Busty seam

Copeland, Thomas, 02 Aug 1905, (accident: 01 Aug 1905), aged 25, Screen Labourer, crushed between truck and heapstead pillar, died on following day [More information ...]

Davison, David, 03 Oct 1913, (accident: 29 Sep 1913), aged 18, Pony Putter, deceased was riding out on the limbers, when the iron shank of the limbers broke and he fell in front of the tub, which crushed him; he died four days later from his injuries; the limbers broke through a defect which had not been detected, Buried: Byers Green, Churchyard of St. Peter the Apostle

Dove, William, 23 Sep 1873, aged 50, Keeker, oiling apparatus - fell off top

Edwards, Adolphus, 10 Nov 1905, aged 25, Hewer, attacked by illness in mine, went home and died of pneumonia not induced by any accident

Ellis, William, 11 Apr 1902, aged 45, Hewer, killed by a fall of stone from roof of working place, owing to some slips which were not visible before the fall

Eltringham, Andrew, 25 Feb 1878, aged 64, Shifter, right arm broken and lacerated by engine set on plane; he was riding outbye in a tub, contrary to orders, when the chain broke

Everett, Thomas W., 20 Aug 1929, aged 39, Hewer, he was preparing to fire a shot when it exploded prematurely killing him instantly; he had only worked two or three weeks at the colliery after a long spell of unemployment

Farrow, George, 20 May 1904, aged 38, Shifter, when walking to the pit he took ill, and died from heart failure

Groves, James, 08 Feb 1901, (accident: 24 Aug 1900), aged 38, Hewer, Died on 8th February from injury received on the 24th August, 1900, by fall of stone from roof of working place, Buried: Byers Green, Churchyard of St. Peter the Apostle

Hall, John, 16 Apr 1849, Hewer, at about 11 o'clock on the morning of 16 April he was seen sitting at the bottom of the shaft by William Johnson. Johnson came to bank and on ascending heard something crack, and shouted "hold". On the cage being stopped, Hall was discovered with his right leg hanging out, "which was found to be torn and much lacerated." He died a few minutes later.

Hepple, John G., 28 Jun 1907, aged 22, Putter, he was putting in the Low Main Seam when his tub caught a plank which was supporting a loose stone; the plank was drawn out and the stone fell on to him and killed him

Hughes, John George, 05 Nov 1916, aged 58, Overman, died in hospital after being injured in the pit on 5th Nov. He and a man named Wilkinson had fired five shots, and as Hughes prepared the sixth it was fired before he had retired to safety ; he took the full force of the blast in his face. Hughes had broken regulations by allowing Wilkinson to fire the shots [Inquest: 05 Dec 1916]

Hutchinson, William, 23 Feb 1897, aged 48, Hewer, Killed instantly by a fall of roof in his working place

Johnson, Thomas, 03 Apr 1900, aged 55, Coke drawer, when following his employment he dropped down dead; death was due to apoplexy [fatality reported during the year but not classified as a colliery accident]

Jones, William, 07 Jan 1848, fell down the shaft [More information ...]

Jones, William, 17 Mar 1859, aged 53, Hewer, killed by a fall of stone

Kell, John, 23 Apr 1908, aged 15, Landing Lad, This accident was due to a mistake in the signals. The hauling engineman thought he had received a signal for a far-off landing, whereas the signal he was intended to receive was for a landing not so far off, and the ropes and points were changed for this latter landing. The boy was standing near the return-wheel ready to receive the set, but it, instead of being stopped, was hauled up against the wheel framing, and he was caught and killed. The signalling arrangements have since been altered, and telephones have also been installed, with a view of preventing a repetition of such an accident, Buried: Byers Green, Churchyard of St. Peter the Apostle

Long, James, 01 Jan 1907, (accident: 24 Sep 1906), aged 32, Hewer, his spine was broken by a fall of stone which came down by the side of a prop and headtree; he was taken to the hospital but subsequently was removed to his home as he wished to die there; he died 1st January 1907

Lowery, Robert, 27 Nov 1911, (accident: 12 Dec 1910), aged 23, Hewer, the jud he was working in was 5 yards wide, and at the time of the accident he was hewing at the loose end where a width of 4 feet had been advanced 3 feet in; it is probable that he had a prop and headtree set at the edge of this area, and that when a stone came away from a slip next the coal and a jack on the other side, it canted out the prop; Lowery was found under the stone by a putter; the unfortunate man's spine was injured, but he lived until November 27th, 1911, Buried: Byers Green, Churchyard of St. Peter the Apostle

Lumley, Bartholomew, 24 Jan 1901, aged 58, Night Watchman, when going up some steps to the heapstead he was seized with a fit and fell to the bottom and died on the 24th

Malt, George Herbert, 20 Jan 1897, (accident: 03 Jan 1897), aged 18, Putter, Injured by catching foot against a sleeper, and died from effects on the 20th inst

Marshall, Robert, 03 Oct 1861, aged 14, Horse Driver, killed by a fall of stone

McPherson, Donald, 30 Jan 1873, aged 31

Naisbett, Charles, 05 Apr 1867, aged 50, Deputy, fall of stone while replacing timber at the top of an inclined plane [More information ...]

Nelson, Joseph, 31 Mar 1884, aged 43, Stoneman, explosion of a shot; he had lit the squib instead of the match by mistake, when the shot went off

Pearson, George William, 26 Apr 1911, (accident: 22 Feb 1911), killed by a fall of ramble [More information ...]

Pirt, John, 30 Jan 1873, aged 36, Sinker, fell off cradle down pit, he dislocated his neck and was found drowned

Price, William, 27 Jul 1906, (accident: 16 Feb 1906), aged 22, Hewer, He was apparently very slightly injured by a fall of roof on 16th February. He worked subsequently, but died on 27th July, and the medical evidence at the inquest was to the effect that death was due to the injury he had received by the fall.

Race, Robert, 14 Oct 1886, (accident: 04 Oct 1886), aged 18, Incline Boy, arm severely bruised by brake coming off drum

Raisbeck, John, 20 Apr 1876, aged 23, Collier, fall of stone, canting out some props

Ranson, Richard, 01 Apr 1914, (accident: 19 Feb 1914), aged 23, Rivetter, deceased was employed in erecting a coal hopper in connection with new coke ovens; he was standing on a scaffold consisting of three planks suspended by hangers made of 1-inch steel bars from part of the framework of the hopper; one of the hangers broke, and deceased fell to the ground, a distance of 34 feet; he died in the hospital on 1st April

Rhodes, William Robert, 03 Jan 1913, (accident: 27 Dec 1912), aged 37, Carting Contractor, this man had been engaged to remove some machinery with his rolley from Byers Green Colliery to another belonging to the same firm; part of the machinery had been loaded and was being removed when the rolley stuck on a line of rails when crossing the pit yard; deceased put his shoulder to a wheel to help the horses and got his hand caught between the wheel and the spring, lacerating it; he died from lock-jaw on January 3rd, 1913

Richardson, Thomas, 14 Aug 1890, aged 20, Hewer, neck broken by a fall of band stone

Ripley, William, 05 Dec 1891, 1:30 a.m., 6th hour of shift, aged 40, Shifter, fall of top coal while taking down the band stone between the seams

Robson, William Henry, 04 Jun 1851, (accident: 03 Jun 1851), gas explosion [More information ...]

Sanderson, Arthur, 15 Feb 1915, Joiner, dropped down dead on Monday afternoon, 15th February; he had only started work at the pit that morning, address: South View, Bishop Auckland

Scarlett, John, 19 Oct 1891, 2:45 p.m., 9th hour of shift, aged 16, Incline Boy, while guiding the rope on to the drum of an underground engine he got caught by some means and was wound on to the drum by the rope [More information ...]

Scorer, John, 29 Jun 1859, aged 16, Pumper, fall of stone; away from his own work; his younger brother (Thomas) was killed in the same pit the following year, Buried: Holy Trinity Churchyard, Cornforth

Scorer, Thomas, 08 Oct 1860, aged 13, Rolleydriver, run over by a tub of coals; his older brother (John) had been killed in the same pit the year before, Buried: Holy Trinity Churchyard, Cornforth

Slack, James, 04 Nov 1890, aged 46, Hewer, took an apoplectic fit while at work and died soon after being brought out of the pit; ventilation all right [fatality reported during the year but not classified as a colliery accident]

Smith, John, 28 Jun 1853, aged 56, he was taking down a large stone eight feet long from the seam of coal when it suddenly fell on him and doubled him up, killing him on the spot, Buried: Byers Green, Churchyard of St. Peter the Apostle

Sney, Patrick, 12 Dec 1856, (accident: 01 Dec 1856), explosion of firedamp [More information ...]

Stockdale, Mark, 13 Mar 1901, aged 23, Putter, crushed about back and shoulders by a full tub which ran amain down a going bord and overtook him; died the same day, Buried: Rock Road Cemetery, Spennymoor

Stranghair, D. L., 21 Dec 1863, aged 21, Stone Mason, killed by a fall of stone

Swift, Edward, 03 Sep 1912, (accident: May 1911), aged 41, He was injured while at work in May 1911. He died at Lady Eden Cottage Hospital, Bishop Auckland while undergoing surgery on his injured knee. Chloroform had been administered, then Swift's heart stopped. He was given artificial respiration but could not be resuscitated. The surgeon, Dr. Wardle, said that it was an unusual case in that it was the first fatality under chloroform at the hospital.

Thompson, William, 03 Dec 1862, aged 17, Pony Putter, crushed by tubs - fell off shafts

Tighe, James Joseph, 03 Oct 1902, aged 46, Shifter, a fall of top stone, in a 2 ft. 2 ins, seam, on to his shoulders caused his death by suffocation (another man was cut on his head and otherwise injured, but recovered), Buried: St. Charles (RC) Churchyard, Tudhoe Village

Turnbull, Thomas, 22 Sep 1869, aged 38, Hewer, killed by a fall of stone

Turnbull, William, 05 Apr 1867, aged 24, Deputy, fall of stone while replacing timber at the top of an inclined plane [More information ...]

Ward, Thomas, 26 Aug 1895, 7:30 a.m., 3rd hour of shift, aged 36, Hewer, fall of stone in a loose end jud

Watson, Christopher, 23 Sep 1862, aged 30, Hewer, killed by a fall of stone

Watson, Philip Galbreath, 27 Jul 1911, aged 14, Screen Lad, this boy, with others, acting under orders from the keeker, was assisting to push a truck, when the colliery locomotive joined up against other trucks and bumped them forward, crushing the boy between the buffer of the waggon he was assisting to move and that of another truck; this boy's death would not have occurred had the Coal Mines Act been carried out; further, to move a waggon in this way was a distinct breach of the Special Rules for sidings; a prosecution instituted against the keeker failed, Buried: Byers Green, Churchyard of St. Peter the Apostle

Watson, William, 20 Sep 1878, aged 34, Overman, he was accidentally killed while walking along the railway from the station to his own house at the colliery; it was thought that he had been struck and run over by an engine ; a signalman found the mutilated body between 10 and 11 p.m., Buried: St. Peter's Churchyard, Byers Green

Watson, William, 22 Jun 1911, (accident: 09 Sep 1910), aged 55, Crusher Engineman, he was putting a belt on a pulley when he slipped his foot, and fell with his side against the pulley edge; he worked from the time of the accident at mid-day until 4 o'clock in the afternoon, but did not work again; he was under continual medical care and died on 22nd June, 1911; an inquest was held following a post mortem, and the jury accepted the medical evidence that the blow caused an abscess to form and this developed into ulceration and ultimately perforation of the bowel, which was the cause of death, Buried: Byers Green, Churchyard of St. Peter the Apostle

Wilkin, William, 20 Mar 1904, (accident: 22 Jan 1904), aged 16, Putter, when assisting off-take boy to winch hauling rope the engineman instead of giving slack tightened the rope and the handle flew round and hit him on the head and face, causing severe wound on forehead and bruising of face, died March 20th

Williams, Edward, 14 Jul 1876, aged 38, Collier, killed by a fall of stone