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  Sherburn House Colliery  Index  Sherburn House Colliery  

Sherburn House Colliery


  Description Disasters Names Local Collieries Credits  

Location: Sherburn
3 miles [5 km] ESE of Durham
Map Ref: (Sheet 88) NZ321415, 54° 46' 3" N, 1° 30' 3" W
Maps: 1928 map from Reid's Handy Colliery Guide
Opened: 1844
Closed: May 1935
Pits: North Pit
  Shaft details for North Pit
Owners: 1850's - Earl of Durham
1896 - Lambton Collieries Ltd.
Output: 1873 - Coal.
1888 - Coal.
1896 - Coal: Household, Steam.
1902 - Coal: Household, Steam.
1914 - Coal: Household, Steam.
1921 - Coal: Household, Steam.
1925 - Coal: Coking, Gas.
1927 - Coal: Manufacturing.
1929 - Coal: Manufacturing.
1930 - Coal: Manufacturing.
1934 - Coal: Coking, Manufacturing.
Employment:
Year Pit  Total Below Above
1854Working
189641834474
190249243854
1914533320
1921856682174
1925637511126
1927863742121
1929984856128
193033328449
1934624
1934Discontinued 5/31
  Colliery Management (prior to 1958)
Seams Worked: 1914 - Busty, Low Main
1921 - Busty, Low Main
1925 - Busty
1927 - Busty
1929 - Busty
1930 - Busty
1934 - Busty [Discontinued 5/31]
    Catalogue of plans of abandoned mines for Sherburn House Colliery
Notes:

1894 - Hutton seam abandoned - coal exhausted

1913 - Main Coal seam abandoned

1935, 07 Oct - Low Main, Busty seams abandoned

1936 - Low Main, Busty (whole mine) seams abandoned

  Miscellaneous Notes and Incidents for Sherburn House Colliery


  Summary Disasters Names Local Collieries Credits  

Description

The Earl of Durham works the coal royalties at Sherburn House Colliery, where the Hutton seam is being wrought at a depth of 61 fathoms, its average thickness being 4 feet 9 inches. The output amounts to 500 tons per day, which gives employment to 350 men and boys. This pit was sunk in 1844. In this colliery is to be seen one of the finest pumping installations in the county.

The village of Whitwell Grange is now almost deserted, and the colliery plant and buildings have fallen into complete ruin. The few houses that are occupied are inhabited by the pitmen employed at Sherburn House Colliery.

Whellan's 1894 Directory of County Durham


  Summary Description Names Local Collieries Credits  

Disasters (5 or more killed)

None Found


  Summary Description Disasters Local Collieries Credits  

Names of those killed at this colliery

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

     

Blacklock, John Curry, 11 Oct 1928, (accident: 29 Aug 1928), aged 30, Hewer, fall, Buried: Churchyard of St. Mary the Virgin, Sherburn

      

Bowran, Thomas, 27 Jan 1922, aged 31, Filler, killed by a fall of stone

     

Britton, Frederick, 07 Aug 1929, aged 28, Hewer, fall, Buried: Churchyard of St. Mary the Virgin, Sherburn

     

Brown, William, 16 Oct 1851, aged 59, Deputy Overman, he was taking up some rolley-plates when he was crushed to death by a mass of stones which fell from the roof. The fall was extensive, measuring 13 yards in length and 8 or 9 yards in breadth. It took more than four hours to remove his body

     

Cairns, George, 26 Apr 1852, aged 13, got on a tub to ride an incline, when the tub jerked off the way, he fell amongst the wheels and was killed instantly

      

Clayton, Thomas, 16 Jun 1869, aged 21, Fireman, explosion of a steam boiler [More information ...]

      

Clukers, Edward, 20 Aug 1873, aged 14, Driver, crushed by train of tubs on incline

      

Cooper, George, 27 Feb 1924, (accident: 26 Feb 1924), aged 17, Rope Lad, caught by set, Buried: Churchyard of St. Mary the Virgin, Sherburn

      

Craig, Thomas, 31 Oct 1865, aged 13, Horse Driver, crushed between tub and door frame

      

Dixon, John, 19 Jan 1888, aged 22, Shiftman, fall of roof while making a place ready [More information ...]

      

Dixon, Robert William, 10 Jul 1893, (accident: 07 Jul 1893, 2:00 a.m., 8th hour of shift), aged 19, Putter, While hewing off side of place, in doing which he was wrong, a side waver of stone fell over and injured him internally. He died on 10th inst. [More information ...]

     

Egglestone, George, 17 Sep 1850, aged boy

      

Hall, C., 25 Nov 1931, (accident: 26 Feb 1931), aged 50, Hewer, fall of stone, died from injuries received

     

Hall, George, 16 Jul 1929, aged 54, Filler, crushed, Buried: Churchyard of St. Mary the Virgin, Sherburn

     

Hepburn, Taylor, 21 Nov 1844, aged 11, was ascending the shaft of Sherburn House Pit in a cage with a small tub of coals, and he somehow fell to the bottom of the shaft and was killed instantly

      

Hope, James, 26 Mar 1891, (accident: 19 Jan 1891, 9:45 a.m., 4th hour of shift), aged 16, Driver, severely crushed between tub and wall side

     

Hughes, Edward, 24 Jan 1852, aged 30, he was descending the shaft when an empty tub was 'blown down by violence of the wind', he was struck by the tub and killed instantly

      

Kirtley, Simon, 19 Apr 1859, aged 12, Pony Driver, crushed by a tub drawn by a pony

     

Lee, Abraham, 28 Dec 1922, aged 19, Shifter, killed by a fall of stone

      

Marley, Ralph, 16 Jun 1869, aged 43, Brakesman, explosion of a steam boiler [More information ...]

      

Mason, Wales, 31 Jan 1868, aged 29, Hewer, killed by a fall of stone

      

McCormack, Patrick, 23 Dec 1890, aged 16, Putter, fell off his limbers and was run over by a full tub

      

McDonald, R., 01 Feb 1929, aged 58, Stoneman, killed by a fall of stone

      

Morgan, Edward, 23 Mar 1891, (accident: 13 Feb 1891, 7:30 a.m., 3rd hour of shift), aged 33, Hewer, injuries to back by fall of coal

      

Padgett, J. W. E., 12 Jun 1924, aged 17, Putter, killed by a fall of stone

      

Patterson, George, 05 Aug 1927, (accident: 26 Jul 1927), aged 58, Hewer, crushed by tubs, died from injuries received [More information ...]

     

Purvis, William Michael, 08 Sep 1887, aged 20, Shifter, leg torn and other injuries, being caught between rope and a sheave in rope drift where he had no business to go, Buried: Churchyard of St. Mary the Virgin, Sherburn

      

Rhodes, William, 11 Nov 1921, aged 25, Stoneman, fractured skull

      

Robson, John, 22 Jun 1927, (accident: 17 Jun 1927), aged 61, Drawer, killed by a fall of stone

      

Rule, Matthew, 11 Jul 1867, aged 15, Pony Putter, crushed between tub and side of mine

      

Salmon, William, 12 Aug 1909, aged 39, Hewer, He was killed in the face of a gateway immediately on returning to the place after firing a shot. The shot he had fired had been, contrary to the regulations, drilled in the solid and was a flanking hole ; it had been heavily charged and when fired had knocked out several of the props and so caused the roof to fall and kill him

     

Savage, Charles William, 10 Sep 1923, (accident: 07 Sep 1923), aged 16, Putter, he was struck by a set of tubs and sustained an fractured thigh, he was taken to Durham County Hospital where he died from his injury

      

Spedding, William, 19 Sep 1893, 8:40 a.m., 3rd hour of shift, aged 17, Putter, Was sent to hew coal in a broken jud. He neglected to set necessary sprags, and the coal fell from a breaker and killed him. [More information ...]

      

Surtees, John, 16 Jun 1869, aged 19, Fireman, explosion of a steam boiler [More information ...]

      

Swann, Robert, 12 May 1905, aged 63, Hewer, apparently crushed against the roof when riding out-bye on a loaded tub without permission, Buried: Shincliffe, St. Mary the Virgin on 18 May 1905 {NBI} [More information ...]

      

Walker, William, 01 Apr 1865, aged 39, Hewer, killed by a fall of stone

      

Wilkinson, Matthew, 30 Sep 1927, (accident: 20 Sep 1927), aged 62, Stoneman, killed by a fall of stone

      

Williamson, John, 08 Aug 1893, 10:00 a.m., 6th hour of shift, aged 44, Hewer, Fall of a very large stone whilst at his work in an ordinary "bord." [More information ...]

     

Wilson, Thomas, 05 Jul 1915, aged 52, Stoneman, crushed to death by a fall of stone

 
  39 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.

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


The following unnamed fatalities are listed in the Mines Inspectors Reports, once again this collection is not complete!

Date Inspectors Remarks
26 May 1852 11By tubs

  Summary Description Disasters Names Credits  

Collieries and Pits within 5 miles (8km)

  a simulated map showing the immediate vicinity of Sherburn House Colliery

  list of collieries/pits etc. near to Sherburn House Colliery


  Summary Description Disasters Names Local Collieries  

Credits

Sources:

  • 1854 List of mines by T. Y. Hall, published in Vol II (1853-4) of the Transactions of the North of England Institute of Mining Engineers
  • 1859 Mines Inspectors Report
  • 1865 Mines Inspectors Report
  • 1867 Mines Inspectors Report
  • 1868 Mines Inspectors Report
  • 1869 List of Mines
  • 1869 Mines Inspectors Report
  • 1873 Mines Inspectors Report (C 1056)
  • 1873-4 List of Mines
  • 1880 List of Mines
  • 1881 Mines Inspectors Annual Report
  • 1884 List of Mines
  • 1888 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department, from a copy held in the Scottish Mining Museum, Newtongrange, Midlothian
  • 1888 Mines Inspectors Report (C 5779), Durham District (No. 4) by Thomas Bell, H.M. Inspector of Mines, 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), Durham District (No. 4) by Thomas Bell, H.M. Inspector of Mines, from a copy held in the Scottish Mining Museum, Newtongrange, Midlothian
  • 1891 Mines Inspectors Report (C 6625), Durham District (No. 4) by Thomas Bell, H.M. Inspector of Mines, 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
  • 1905 Mines Inspectors Report (Cd 2910)
  • 1909 List of Mines - from Reid's Handy Colliery Guide
  • 1909 Mines Inspectors Report (Cd 5177)
  • 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
  • 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
  • An Account of the strata of Northumberland & Durham as proved by Borings & Sinkings, Volume S-T, published by the North of England Institute of Mining & Mechanical Engineers, 1894
  • Banners of the Durham Coalfield, Norman Emery, 1998, Sutton Publishing Ltd., ISBN 0-7509-1708-3
  • 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 Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Sherburn

  Summary Description Disasters Names Local Collieries Credits  

Related Links:

None found

Further Reading:

  • The Coal Mining and Ironstone Mining Properties of Dorman Long, published by Peter Tuffs
  • Banners of the Durham Coalfield, Norman Emery, 1998, Sutton Publishing Ltd., ISBN 0-7509-1708-3, provides a brief history of the colliery along with the history of the associated Miners Lodge Banner

Further Research:

  Research Notes for Sherburn House Colliery


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