Swalwell Garesfield Colliery

Location:

Swalwell
3 miles [5 km] WSW of Newcastle

Map Ref:

(Sheet 88) NZ205623, 54° 57' 17" N, 1° 40' 47" W

Maps:

1896 map detailed map from the Ordnance Survey

1928 map from Reid's Handy Colliery Guide

Opened:

1920?

Closed:

Aug 1940

Pits:

Edith Pit

Henry Pit

Owners:

1890's - George R. Ramsay

1900's - Dunston Garesfield Collieries Ltd.

Output:

1888 - Coal. Fireclay.

1890 - Coal. Fireclay.

1896 - Coal: Household, Steam. Fireclay.

1902 - Coal: Household, Steam.

1914 - Coal: Household, Steam. Fireclay.

1921 - Coal: Household, Steam. Fireclay.

1923 - Coal: Coking. Fireclay.

1924 - Coal: Coking, Gas, Household, Manufacturing, Steam. Fireclay.

1925 - Coal: Coking, Gas, Household, Manufacturing, Steam. Fireclay.

1927 - Coal: Coking, Gas, Household, Manufacturing, Steam. Fireclay.

1929 - Coal: Coking, Gas, Household, Manufacturing, Steam.

1930 - Coal: Coking, Gas, Household, Manufacturing, Steam. Fireclay.

1934 - Coal: Coking, Gas, Household, Manufacturing.

Employment:

Year	Total	Below	Above
1896	115	98	17
1902	368	318	50
1914	281	243	38
1921	253	219	34
1923	178	156	22
1924	227	201	26
1925	235	202	33
1927	159	126	33
1929	90	55	35
1930	196	163	33
1934	204	168	36
1940	190	190

Colliery Management (prior to 1955)

Seams Worked:

1914 - Brockwell, Five Quarter, Tilley

1921 - Brockwell, Five Quarter, Tilley

1923 - Beaumont, Stone Coal, Tilley

1924 - Beaumont, Stone Coal, Tilley

1925 - Beaumont, Stone Coal, Tilley

1927 - Beaumont, Stone, Tilley

1929 - Beaumont

1930 - Beaumont

1934 - Beaumont

Catalogue of plans of abandoned mines for Swalwell Garesfield Colliery

Notes:

1926 - Five Quarter seam abandoned

1933, 10 Nov - Tilley, Stone or Busty, Five Quarter seams abandoned

Miscellaneous Notes and Incidents for Swalwell Garesfield Colliery

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!

						Armstrong, R., 25 Aug 1931, aged 16, Haulage Lad, caught by tubs
						Armstrong, William, 1897, aged 46, Hewer, died in the pit from syncope accelerated by exertion after a hearty meal [fatality reported during the year but not classified as a colliery accident]
						Bell, John, 09 May 1895, aged 62, Shifter, died suddenly in the pit from failure of the heart's action [fatality reported during the year but not classified as a colliery accident]
						Brumfitt, James, 13 Dec 1901, aged 30, Mechanic, The deceased was in the act of getting into the cage when it was lifted and he was crushed between the cage and buntons. The accident apparently arose through a mistake in the signals on the part of the engineman and banksman [Inspection made & inquest attended]
						Cliff, George, 15 Nov 1911, aged 65, Stoneman, killed by a fall of stone, Buried: St. Mary the Virgin, Whickham
						Cragg, Robert, 08 Jul 1911, aged 22, Electrician, electric shock
						Dodds, John, 06 Jun 1908, aged 32, Hewer, Ignition of a small quantity of fire-damp by the flame of a safety lamp. There appeared some probability that the lamp had been opened
						Hair, Robert William, 10 Dec 1924, (accident: 09 Jan 1924), aged 40, Hewer, killed by a fall of stone
						Hall, John, 26 Jan 1904, aged 45, Hewer, Buried: St. John the Evangelist Churchyard, Dipton [More information ...]
						Harvey, Bernard, 03 Apr 1903, aged 58, Hewer, About ½-hour after deceased had started work in a headways, 9 feet wide, in the Brockwell seam, a large stone like a "caldron arse," and with a glassy parting on its upper surface, fell from the roof close to the face upon him, canting out two props which had been placed under it. The place had been properly inspected, and loose timber was near at hand. Deceased was considered a very careful man. The Local Inspectors reported they were of opinion that "it has been a pure accident."
						Hindmarsh, J., 27 Apr 1896, aged 33, Hewer, Explosion of gas [Inspection made & inquest attended] [More information ...]
						Hodgson, Isaac, 02 Mar 1919, aged 55, Buried: Swalwell Cemetery
						Iley, Henry, 26 Jan 1891, (accident: 24 Jul 1890, 3:00 a.m., 3rd hour of shift), aged 36, Hewer, killed by a fall of stone
						McDonald, G. L., 17 Aug 1927, (accident: 15 Aug 1927), aged 40, Stoneman, burns [More information ...]
						Pearson, Thomas Bradley, 15 May 1934, aged 51, Hewer, killed by a fall of stone, Buried: Swalwell Cemetery
						Thompson, Alfred Charles, 01 Dec 1905, aged 31, Hewer, Buried: St. Mary the Virgin, Whickham [More information ...]
						Thompson, Joseph, 04 Feb 1898, (accident: 03 Feb 1898), aged 17, Screener, Deceased was replacing a full truck by an empty one, and instead of passing outside one of the screen uprights, attempted to go between it and the moving waggon, when he was crushed and received internal injuries from which he died on the following day [Inspection made]
						Young, Joseph, 24 Apr 1886, aged 74, Waggon Driver, two waggons passed over him

						18 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 Swalwell Garesfield Colliery

list of collieries/pits etc. near to Swalwell Garesfield Colliery

Credits

Sources:

1886 Mines Inspectors Report (C 5090)
1888 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department, from a copy held in the Scottish Mining Museum, Newtongrange, Midlothian
1890 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department, from a copy held in the Scottish Mining Museum, Newtongrange, Midlothian
1890 Mines Inspectors Report (C 6346), Newcastle District (No. 3) by James Willis, H.M. Inspector of Mines, copy held in the Scottish Mining Museum, Newtongrange, Midlothian
1895 Mines Inspectors Report (C 8074), Newcastle District (No. 3) by J. L. Hedley, H.M. Inspector of Mines
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), Newcastle District (No. 3) by J. L. Hedley, H.M. Inspector of Mines, copy held in the Scottish Mining Museum, Newtongrange, Midlothian
1897 Mines Inspectors Report (C 8819), Newcastle District (No. 3) by J. L. Hedley, H.M. Inspector of Mines, copy held in the Scottish Mining Museum, Newtongrange, Midlothian
1898 Mines Inspectors Report (C 9264), Newcastle District (No. 3) by J. L. Hedley, H.M. Inspector of Mines, copy held in the Scottish Mining Museum, Newtongrange, Midlothian
1901 Mines Inspectors Report (Cd 1062), Newcastle District (No. 3) by J. L. Hedley, H.M. Inspector of Mines, 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
1903 Mines Inspectors Report (Cd 2119), Newcastle District (No. 3) by J. B. Atkinson, H.M. Inspector of Mines, copy held in the Scottish Mining Museum, Newtongrange, Midlothian
1904 Mines Inspectors Report (Cd 2506)
1905 Mines Inspectors Report (Cd 2910)
1908 Mines Inspectors Report (Cd 4672)
1909 List of Mines - from Reid's Handy Colliery Guide
1911 Mines Inspectors Report (Cd 6237), Newcastle District (No. 2) by J. B. Atkinson, 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
1927 Mines Inspectors Report
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
1940 Colliery Year Book and Coal Trades Directory published by Louis Cassier Co. Ltd.
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.
Tombstone(s) in Swalwell Cemetery

Further Research:

Research Notes for Swalwell Garesfield Colliery



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