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Low Bitchburn Colliery |
Index |
Low Bitchburn Colliery |
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Low Bitchburn Colliery
also known as Low Beechburn Colliery
| Location: |
Crook
8½ miles [13 km] SW of Durham
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| Map Ref: |
(Sheet 92) NZ163347, 54° 42' 28" N, 1° 44' 48" W |
| Maps: |
1928 map from Reid's Handy Colliery Guide |
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1949 map detailed map from the Ordnance Survey |
| Opened: |
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| Closed: |
1937 |
| Owners: |
1880's - John Sharp |
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1890's - Low Beechburn Coal Co. Ltd. |
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1930's - Beechburn Coal & Firebrick Co. Ltd. |
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1930's - Hird & Co. |
| Output: |
1888 - Coal. |
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1896 - Coal: Coking, Manufacturing, Steam. Fireclay. |
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1902 - Coal: Coking, Manufacturing, Steam. Fireclay. |
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1914 - Coal: Coking, Manufacturing. Fireclay. |
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1921 - Coal: Coking, Manufacturing. |
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1923 - Coal: Coking. Fireclay. |
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1924 - Coal: Coking. Fireclay. |
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1925 - Coal: Manufacturing, Steam. Fireclay. |
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1927 - No. 1 - Coal: Coking, Gas, Household. |
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1927 - No. 2 - Coal: Coking, Gas, Household. |
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1929 - No. 1 - Coal: Gas, Household. Fireclay. |
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1930 - No. 1 - Coal: Gas, Household. Fireclay. |
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1934 - Coal: Household, Manufacturing. Fireclay. |
| Employment: |
| Year | Pit | Total |  | Below | Above |
| 1896 | | 228 |   | 163 | 65 |
| 1902 | | 208 |   | 160 | 48 |
| 1914 | | 136 |   | 104 | 32 |
| 1921 | | 94 |   | 78 | 16 |
| 1923 | | 173 |   | 147 | 26 |
| 1924 | | 63 |   | 55 | 8 |
| 1924 | | Temporarily closed |
| 1925 | | 48 |   | 33 | 15 |
| 1927 | No. 1 | 39 |   | 32 | 7 |
| 1927 | No. 2 | 4 |   | 3 | 1 |
| 1927 | No. 2 | Abandoned 10/10/27 |
| Total | 43 |   | 35 | 8 |
| 1929 | No. 1 | 16 |   | 10 | 6 |
| 1930 | No. 1 | 9 |   | 6 | 3 |
| 1930 | No. 1 | Abandoned |
| 1934 | | 47 |   | 29 | 18 |
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Colliery Management (prior to 1955)
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| Seams Worked: |
1894 - Big Busty, Little Busty, Main Coal, Top Main |
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1914 - Busty, Harvey, Hutton, Yard |
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1921 - Ballarat, Busty, Five Quarter, Harvey, Hutton, Main Coal, Yard |
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1923 - Busty, Five Quarter, Main Coal, South Top Main |
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1924 - Busty, Five Quarter, Main Coal, South Top Main [Temporarily closed] |
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1925 - Busty, Five Quarter |
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1927 - No. 1 - Five Quarter, Little Busty, Main Coal, Top Main |
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1927 - No. 2 - Main Coal [Abandoned 10/10/27] |
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1929 - No. 1 - Main Coal, Top Main |
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1930 - No. 1 - Main Coal, Top Main [Abandoned] |
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1934 - Brockwell, Top Main |
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Catalogue of plans of abandoned mines for Low Bitchburn Colliery |
| Notes: |
1876, 29 Apr - Brockwell seam abandoned |
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1883, 13 Jan - Busty seam abandoned |
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1930, 09 Dec - Main, Hutton, Yard, Ballarat, Busty, Five Quarter seams abandoned |
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1936, 05 May - Top Main or Main and Brockwell (Worked as one seam) seam abandoned |
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1937 - Harvey seam abandoned |
Description
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, Robert, 29 Mar 1869, aged 71, Hewer, a shot exploded unexpectedly |
| | | | | | | Bland, James, 06 Dec 1864, (accident: 05 Dec 1864), aged 12, Driver, crushed by tub |
| | | | | | | Brown, John, 07 Oct 1887, aged 61, Hewer, caught by engine set as he was coming outbye, he having been previously cautioned |
| | | | | | | Cauden, Joseph, 06 Jan 1882, (accident: 04 Jan 1882), aged 19, Hewer, fall of stone in working place, Buried: Crook Churchyard |
| | | | |  | | Collier, Edward, 14 Jul 1859, aged 15, Driver, killed by a tub falling down a staple |
| | | | | | | Cumming, John, 10 Jul 1862, aged 44, Hewer, crushed by tubs drawn by a horse |
| | | | | | | Firbank, William, 23 Sep 1889, aged 39, Shifter, died in the mine from heart disease, no inquest |
| | | | | | | Harper, William, 04 Jun 1903, aged 31, Banksman, when detaching the hauling rope from a set of full tubs, which had just come out of a drift, he fell and was run over and killed |
| | | | | | | Hebdon, William, 13 Feb 1865, aged 63, Screener, jammed by apparatus tub; chain broke [More information ...] |
| | | | | | | Hodge, George, 15 Feb 1893, 3:15 p.m., 6th hour of shift, aged 34, Hewer, Fall of stone which came off at a slip and canted out some props. |
| | | | | | | Oakey, John Sharp, 05 May 1865, (accident: 23 Apr 1865), aged 32, Manager, he was present when a boiler was being shifted; during the lowering of the boiler to its place one of the blocks of the pulleys broke, when the boiler swayed to one side, caught deceased on the back, and injured his spine; Okey died as a result of his injuries on 5 May |
| | | | | | | Rain, George, 16 Apr 1860, Hewer, killed by a fall of roof |
| | | | | | | Redfern, Thomas, 03 May 1911, aged 57, Stoneman, he was repairing and making available a road which had not been in use for some 20 years; at the place where the accident occurred a flag of sandstone at one side was overhanging a pack; the pack had fallen away, and the deceased and his mate cleared out the stones so as to build the pack right up to the roof; they thought the stone was sound but, as a precaution, set two props under it; while deceased was working under the stone it suddenly fell on to him knocking out both the props; he was instantly killed; probably the stone was set away from the roof at the edge and in driving the props up deceased broke the stone along the coal side |
| | | | | | | Rennison, John, 11 Apr 1868, aged 22, Hewer, he undermined a prop and so caused a fall of stone, which caused his death |
| | | | | | | Richardson, George, 17 Oct 1872, aged 62, Hewer, tubs got off the way on an engine plane and draw some timber which struck him |
| | | | | | | Sharp, Thomas, 23 Nov 1885, (accident: 10 Nov 1885), aged 43, Hewer, broken back by a fall of stone |
| | | | |  | | Shaw, John, 22 Apr 1852, (accident: 10 Mar 1852), he had sustained severe injuries to his legs and spine when a fall of stone occurred on 10 March, the injuries left him with little use of his limbs, and eventually his leg became infected with gangrene, he died on 22 April |
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17 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.
Some of the names of mining fatalities on this web site have been kindly provided by
Jim Grainger from his research into early newspapers (primarily the Durham Advertiser
and Durham Chronicle) and are marked with
.
more information on some of the fatalities shown above
Collieries and Pits within 5 miles (8km)
a simulated map showing the immediate vicinity of Low Bitchburn Colliery
list of collieries/pits etc. near to Low Bitchburn Colliery
Credits
Sources:
- 1860 Mines Inspectors Report
- 1862 Mines Inspectors Report
- 1864 Mines Inspectors Report
- 1865 Mines Inspectors Report
- 1868 Mines Inspectors Report
- 1869 Mines Inspectors Report
- 1872 Mines Inspectors Report (C 840)
- 1880 List of Mines
- 1881 Mines Inspectors Annual Report
- 1884 List of Mines
- 1885 Mines Inspectors Report (C 4760)
- 1887 Mines Inspectors Report (C 5450)
- 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.
- 1893 Mines Inspectors Report (C 7339), Durham District (No. 4) by Thomas Bell, H.M. Inspector of Mines, 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
- 1902 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department, from a copy held in the Scottish Mining Museum, Newtongrange, Midlothian.
- 1903 Mines Inspectors Report (Cd 2119), Durham District (No. 4) by R. D. Bain, H.M. Inspector of Mines, from a copy held in the Scottish Mining Museum, Newtongrange, Midlothian.
- 1909 List of Mines - from Reid's Handy Colliery Guide
- 1911 Mines Inspectors Report (Cd 6237), Durham District (No. 3) by A. D. Nicholson, H.M. Inspector of Mines, copy held in the Scottish Mining Museum, Newtongrange, Midlothian.
- 1914 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department, from a copy held in the Scottish Mining Museum, Newtongrange, Midlothian.
- 1919 List of Mines - from Reid's Handy Colliery Guide
- 1921 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department, from a copy held in the Scottish Mining Museum, Newtongrange, Midlothian.
- 1923 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department, from a copy held in the Scottish Mining Museum, Newtongrange, Midlothian.
- 1924 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department, from a copy held in the Scottish Mining Museum, Newtongrange, Midlothian.
- 1925 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department, from a copy held in the Scottish Mining Museum, Newtongrange, Midlothian.
- 1927 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department, from a copy held in the Scottish Mining Museum, Newtongrange, Midlothian.
- 1929 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.
- 1934 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department, from a copy held in the Scottish Mining Museum, Newtongrange, Midlothian.
- Contributions by members of the Public
- History, Topography, and Directory of the County Palatine of Durham by Francis Whellan. Second edition published in 1894.
- Tombstone(s) in Churchyard, Crook
Related Links:
None found
Further Research:
 Research Notes for Low Bitchburn Colliery
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