East Hedley Hope Colliery

Location:

nr. Tow Law
7½ miles [12 km] W of Durham

Map Ref:

(Sheet 88) NZ158404, 54° 45' 29" N, 1° 45' 16" W

Maps:

1928 map from Reid's Handy Colliery Guide

1951 map from the Guide to the Coalfields (Colliery Guardian)

Opened:

1836

Closed:

31 Jan 1959

Owners:

1896 - Sir Bernhard Samuelson & Co. Ltd.

1930's - Hedley Hope Coal Co. Ltd.

1936, Jun - Bearpark Coal & Coke Co. Ltd.

1947 - National Coal Board (N.C.B.)

Output:

1888 - Coal.

1902 - Coal: Coking, Manufacturing.

1914 - Coal: Coking, Manufacturing.

1921 - Coal: Coking, Manufacturing.

1930 - Coal.

1950 - Coal: Bunker, Coking.

1950 - Bradley Five Quarter - Coal.

1950 - Five Quarter - Coal.

1950 - South Five Quarter - Coal.

1950 - Winter Ballarat - Coal.

1955 - Coal: Coking.

1959 - Coal: Coking.

Employment:

Year	Pit	Total	Below	Above
1896		410	310	100
1902		Standing
1914		5	5
1921		10	5	5
1930		21	18	3
1945		360	302	58
1945	Post Office Drift	2	1	1
1945	Three Quarter	15	14	1
	Total	377	317	60
1950		455	380	75
1955		383	290	93
1959		274	219	55

NCB Employment Figures

Colliery Management (prior to 1955)

Seams Worked:

1914 - Five Quarter, Three Quarter

1921 - Brockwell, Five Quarter, Main, Three Quarter

1930 - Ballarat, Main

1950 - Ballarat, Five Quarter, Harvey, Three Quarter

1955 - Ballarat, Five Quarter, Harvey, Main, Three Quarter

1959 - Busty, Tilley

Catalogue of plans of abandoned mines for East Hedley Hope Colliery

Notes:

1937, 31 Dec - Brockwell or Main seam abandoned

1938, 22 Jan - Five Quarter seam abandoned

1946, Oct - Main seam abandoned

1948 - Main seam abandoned

Description

Hedleyhill Colliery is worked by the Weardale Iron & Coal Co., and has been in operation about eighteen years. Here the Main Coal seam, 3 feet, the Five Quarter, 2 feet 9 inches, and the Ballarat, 20 inches, are being worked by several drifts. The output, which amounts to 500 tons per day, is nearly all converted into coke, and employment is given to about 500 men and boys. Hedleyhope and East Hedleyhope are collieries worked by Sir. W. Samuelson & Co., at which places similar seams to the above are being worked and large quantities of coke is made.

East Hedleyhope Colliery forms a village about three miles from Waterhouses. It is well situated, and is surrounded by fine scenery, through which the Dearness, a pleasant stream, flows eastward.

Hedleyhill is another colliery village on the north eastern boundary of the township [Hedlethope], four miles from Tow Law. Here are most of the houses, and the school for the East Hedleyhill miners on the south side of the hill, where the colliery is situated.

The British School, at East Hedleyhope, was built in 1877, by the colliery owners. There is accomodation for 350, and the average attendance is 180. The Primitives and Wesleyans hold services in this school in turn.

The Hedleyhill British School, for mixed and infants, will accommodate 150 ; the average attendance is about 96. This school was erected by the Weardale Coal Co. Limited, and enlarged in 1890 ; a house for the master adjoins.

The Hedleyhill Reading Room and Library is held in rooms provided by the colliery owners, and is well supplied with the usual papers and magazines.

Whellan's 1894 Directory of County Durham

Disasters (5 or more killed)

None Found

Names of those killed at this colliery

Please note that this collection of names is by no means complete!

						Allison, George, 31 May 1889, aged 10, [Not Employed], while crossing the line of rails he was run over by a train of coke waggons and killed
						Clough, Thomas, 23 Jun 1949, aged 50, Buried: Sacriston Cemetery
						Edgar, Robert, 14 Oct 1899, (accident: 25 Sep 1899), aged 54, Hewer, While sitting hewing, a fall of stone took place and caused serious injury to his spine. Died October 14th.
						Fairburn, John Grieve, 03 Jun 1939, aged 28, Putter, crushed by tubs [More information ...]
						Hindmoor, Edward, 09 Jun 1939, aged 18, Putter, killed by a fall of stone, Buried: Esh Winning Cemetery
						Moore, Robert, 26 Oct 1882, Hewer, died from natural causes shortly after leaving his work
						Nelson, John Edward, 20 Apr 1896, (accident: 18 Apr 1896), aged 56, Overman, While travelling in the pit he hit his head against a projecting stone and died on the 20th instant
						Walker, John, 05 Nov 1884, (accident: 10 Oct 1884), aged 46, Hewer, severe injury to back by fall of ramble
						Wall, John, 12 Dec 1881, aged 52, Stoneman, fall of stone while building a pillar or pack wall

						9 names found

If you know of any fatalities missing from the above list then please contact us with the details and we will add them to our database.

Those names marked with , have a web page providing individual details of the accident, the page may also include a photograph of the deceased. Click on the symbol next to the name to see the web page.

more information on some of the fatalities shown above

Collieries and Pits within 5 miles (8km)

a simulated map showing the immediate vicinity of East Hedley Hope Colliery

list of collieries/pits etc. near to East Hedley Hope Colliery

Credits

Sources:

1880 List of Mines
1881 Mines Inspectors Annual Report
1881 Mines Inspectors Report (C 3241)
1882 Mines Inspectors Report (C 3621)
1884 List of Mines
1884 Mines Inspectors Report (C 4429)
1888 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department, from a copy held in the Scottish Mining Museum, Newtongrange, Midlothian
1889 Mines Inspectors Report (C 6015)
1890 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department, from a copy held in the Scottish Mining Museum, Newtongrange, Midlothian
1896 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department, also available online at Peak District Mines Historical Society Ltd
1896 Mines Inspectors Report (C 8450), Durham District (No. 4) by R. D. Bain, H.M. Inspector of Mines, from a copy held in the Scottish Mining Museum, Newtongrange, Midlothian
1899 Mines Inspectors Report (Cd 134), Durham District (No. 4) by R. D. Bain, H.M. Inspector of Mines, from a copy held in the Scottish Mining Museum, Newtongrange, Midlothian
1902 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department, from a copy held in the Scottish Mining Museum, Newtongrange, Midlothian
1909 List of Mines - from Reid's Handy Colliery Guide
1914 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department, from a copy held in the Scottish Mining Museum, Newtongrange, Midlothian
1921 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department, from a copy held in the Scottish Mining Museum, Newtongrange, Midlothian
1930 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department, from a copy held in the Scottish Mining Museum, Newtongrange, Midlothian
1945 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department, from a copy held in the Scottish Mining Museum, Newtongrange, Midlothian
1950 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department, from a copy held in the Scottish Mining Museum, Newtongrange, Midlothian
1955 Guide to the Coalfields published by the Colliery Guardian
1959 Guide to the Coalfields published by the Colliery Guardian
Banners of the Durham Coalfield, Norman Emery, 1998, Sutton Publishing Ltd., ISBN 0-7509-1708-3
History, Topography, and Directory of the County Palatine of Durham by Francis Whellan. Second edition published in 1894.
Industrial Locomotives of Durham by The Industrial Railway Society, compiled by Colin E. Mountford and L. G. Charlton, published in 1977
Tombstone(s) in Sacriston Cemetery

Further Research:

Research Notes for East Hedley Hope Colliery



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