Newfield Colliery

1838 - Boring operations were in progress from the surface on the Newfield Royalty, proving the Busty and Brockwell Seams.

1839 - Boring operations were in progress on Newfield estate from the surface, proving the Busty and Brockwell Seams.

1841 - Commenced to sink Gibson's Pit, Newfield Colliery, and put a sinking down from the surface to the Brockwell Seam.

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

Allanby, Edward, 11 Dec 1896, aged 4, [Not Employed], Run over by a waggon laden with coke while creeping under it just as it was moving out of the sidings

Bell, William, 04 Jun 1855, aged 14, Fireman, boiler exploded [More information ...]

Copeland, William Mawson, 27 Feb 1908, aged 39, Hewer, whilst he was hewing in the Harvey Seam, a piece of stone, about 3 feet by 2 feet with a feather edge on one side and a breaker on the other, fell upon his shoulder and neck and killed him, Buried: Churchyard/Cemetery, Newfield

Denham, Hannah, 08 Oct 1897, aged 7, [Not Employed], When crossing a railway crossing she was caught by an empty waggon and killed

Elterington, Henry, 20 Oct 1880, Shifter, died from natural causes in the pit

Fairless, T., 07 Mar 1923, (accident: 25 Jan 1923), aged 62, Waggonway Man, crushed by tubs

Featherstone, Matthew, 18 Nov 1898, (accident: 17 Nov 1898), aged 15, Uncoupling Tubs at Shaft, skull and arm fractured by falling down the shaft; died the following day [More information ...]

Flint, Richard, 23 Oct 1882, Coke Drawer, died from natural causes while at his work in the Newfield Colliery Coke ovens

Forster, John, 06 Sep 1855, (accident: 27 Aug 1855), explosion [More information ...]

Forster, Robert, 26 May 1899, aged 27, Hewer, He fired a shot in the bottom which undermined some props, and on going back some stone fell from the roof and caught and killed him., Buried: Byers Green, Churchyard of St. Peter the Apostle

Forster, William, 02 Sep 1908, aged 48, Onsetter, this man, who had been an onsetter for a considerable time, apparently lost his presence of mind; it appears that he wished to ascend to bank; when halfway up between the Five Quarter and Beaumont Seams, the electric lighting cable fused, causing a flash; another onsetter at the Beaumont Seam landing shouted "hold," and asked Forster if anything was wrong; Forster replied, "Bend away, I am all right," as the cage was passing the Beaumont Seam landing Forster, however, tried to jump out, but the gates being shut he jumped against them and then fell back into, and down, the shaft, Buried: Churchyard/Cemetery, Newfield

Foster, George, 17 Apr 1852, he and his brother, William, were working the pillars when a large stone fell from the roof and killed him, the stone bent him double and it took two hours to get him out

Foster, John, 25 Nov 1943, aged 58, Hewer, killed by a fall of stone, Buried: Churchyard/Cemetery, Newfield

Foster, Jonathan, 08 Apr 1913, aged 23, Hewer, deceased was shovelling the coal off the top of the canch ; the seam was 21 inches thick, when a large stone fell from a coal piping in the roof and killed him; the place was apparently well secured by timber; a prop was canted out, Buried: Churchyard/Cemetery, Newfield

Garbutt, John, 04 Jun 1880, Horse Driver, was crushed death between horse chain and truck, and killed in brickyard

Gomersall, William, 10 Nov 1893, aged 62, Hewer, Commenced spitting blood after his day's work, and died within a few hours. He was alleged to have sprained himself, but the doctor was of opinion that the cause of death was heart disease.

Hamilton, James, 03 May 1880, aged 36, Sinker, suffocated by black damp in sinking a pit which was only 14 yards deep, Morris, as charge man, went down first, and the other two went to his rescue and they were all lost [More information ...]

Hebron, Robert, 17 Sep 1855, Rolleywayman, he was at work on the night of Sunday, 17 September. жThe way being stopped by a piece of coal projecting from the roof, he knocked it off, and immediately a piece of stone, about six foot in diameter, fell upon him.Ж At the inquest, Matthias Dunn criticised the practice of allowing men to work on Sunday nights (Bishop Auckland Herald)

Howard, Robert, 27 Jun 1877, aged 42, Collier, heavy fall of stone in his working place

Jones, Thomas, 08 Jul 1868, aged 17, Fireman, H was standing in the engine house with brakesman Thomas Stoves on Wed. morning. William Richardson came to the shaft bottom and rapped for steam, so Jones went to the shaft and called down "all right." Just then, Stoves reversed the engine and Jones was caught between the shaft and the cage. He suffered severe crush injuries and died 2 hours later

MacDonald, James, 19 Mar 1880, Coke Drawer, died from natural causes in the coke yard

Metcalf, William, 04 Nov 1889, aged 22, Locomotive Fireman, while shunting waggons in the coke yard he fell between the trucks and was crushed to death

Metcalfe, Michael, 27 Apr 1891, aged 56, Shifter, after descending the pit he took a fit, and died from natural causes on being brought to the surface

Montgomery, James, 13 Apr 1883, aged 17, Putter, neglecting his own duty he commenced to hew coal off the side of a flat when it fell and killed him

Morris, Sidney, 03 May 1880, aged 25, Sinker, suffocated by black damp in sinking a pit which was only 14 yards deep, Morris, as charge man, went down first, and the other two went to his rescue and they were all lost [More information ...]

Pearson, George, 21 Dec 1890, (accident: 17 Dec 1890), aged 15, Joiner, got on to truck in coke yard and had collarbone broken and other serious internal injuries; died on the 21st instant

Peel, William, 14 Nov 1855, he was taking two empty waggons, drawn by a horse, from the Cinder Ovens to the screens. жHe was driving rather quick and in going forward to loose off the horse, he got entangled with his legs and fell between the rails. The first waggon ran over him without touching him, but the second jumped off the rails and hit him.Ж He was taken to the nearest house where he died almost two hours later from a fractured skull

Pounder, Thomas, 24 Nov 1885, aged 9, [Not Employed], he got on to the railway sidings and was run over by a locomotive

Prior, James, 02 Jul 1904, he collapsed and died while white-washing the engine room; he had complained of sickness during the afternoon, and at 7.30 p.m., he was found lying dead on the floor, with the whitewash brush still in his hand; death was due to natural causes

Richardson, William W., 02 Dec 1893, 9:00 a.m., 3rd hour of shift, aged 29, Fireman, Passing along the branches on a locomotive engine he was struck by a plank projecting from a waggon and was thrown off.

Robinson, George, 04 Mar 1901, aged 22, Loco Fireman, a locomotive was pushing six trucks round a curve and he was sitting on the buffer of the first one, which ran off the rails, and he fell off in front and was killed, Buried: Churchyard/Cemetery, Newfield

Robinson, John, 08 Aug 1901, aged 15, Landing Lad, killed by head being crushed between top of a tub and a baulk [More information ...]

Robinson, William, 11 Jun 1888, (accident: 28 Apr 1888), aged 36, Hewer, broken thigh by a fall of stone

Sanders, William, 22 Jun 1899, aged 62, Joiner, He and other men were lifting a pair of legs for a new gangway when the feet slipped, and they fell upon his head and killed him.

Smith, Edward, 07 Aug 1891, 4:30 p.m., 10th hour of shift, aged 36, Banksman, while employed doing some repairs to the pulley he slipped and fell down the headstocks, a distance of 40 ft.; it appeared that his duties did not require him to go on to the headstocks at all, Buried: St. Pauls?, Hunwick [More information ...]

Smith, Thomas, 14 May 1859, aged 28, Branch Driver, crushed by surface waggon

Speekman, John, 21 Nov 1881, aged 30, Hewer, fall of a large post stone while at work in a bord

Swaddle, George, 17 Mar 1865, aged 20, Engineman, He was waiting with several other men at the bottom of the shaft to be drawn to bank. As the cage arrived, he and two boys jumped in. It was claimed that the brakesman had mistaken the signal and drew the cage up about 10 feet; it caught the bunting and Swaddell was "thrown or fell out." The onsetter then gave the signal and the cage was let back down to the bottom. Swaddell had fallen on his chest and was dead. In a letter from the brakesman, J. Clarke, published in the Durham Chron. on 31 March, he claimed "the usual signal for coal work was given, and not that for drawing men up. Consequently neither banksman nor brakesman could know that anyone was in the cage.", Buried: Byers Green, Churchyard of St. Peter the Apostle

Topping, Joseph, 04 Apr 1952, aged 56, Buried: Churchyard/Cemetery, Newfield

Tredlong, John, 03 May 1880, aged 25, Sinker, suffocated by black damp in sinking a pit which was only 14 yards deep, Morris, as charge man, went down first, and the other two went to his rescue and they were all lost [More information ...]

Walker, Thomas, 01 Aug 1883, aged 14, Shaft Boy, fell down shaft from Five Quarter seam about 60 feet while going to back of shaft, where he had no business [More information ...]

Wilkinson, W., 01 Oct 1863, aged 21, Hewer, crushed by tubs in engine plane

Wilson, G., 26 Jun 1943, aged 58, Hewer, explosion (shot)

Wilson, John, 23 Jan 1880, aged 41, Locomotive Fireman, was run over on the railway and killed while shunting waggons

Wilson, Thomas, 17 Nov 1890, aged 61, Lampman, took a fit and fell over a low wall and shortly afterwards died from apoplexy [fatality reported during the year but not classified as a colliery accident]