Skelton (Ironstone)	Index	Skelton (Ironstone)

Location:	Skelton-in-Cleveland 10½ miles [17 km] E of Middlesbrough
Map Ref:	(Sheet 94, OL26) NZ638169, 54° 32' 36" N, 1° 0' 49" W
Opened:
Closed:
Owners:	1910's - Bell Brothers Ltd.
	1923, Apr - Dorman, Long & Co. Ltd.
Output:	1873 - Ironstone.
	1882 - Ironstone.
	1884 - Ironstone.
	1888 - Ironstone.
	1890 - Ironstone.
	1896 - Ironstone.
	1902 - Ironstone.
	1914 - Ironstone.
	1921 - Ironstone.
	1923 - Ironstone.
Employment:	Year  Pit   Total  Below  Above 1896 237 203 34 1902 213 172 41 1914 178 149 29 1921 136 111 25 1923 132 107 25 1923 Abandoned
	Colliery Management (prior to 1958)

Description

Skelton Mines, — The Skelton mines comprise Skelton Park and Skelton Old Shaft, the former having two shafts 385 ft. deep which are used for winding, pumping and ventilation. The winding engine is a horizontal twin compound with cylinders 19 3/8 in. and 32 in. dia. And 5 ft. stroke. The engine is equipped with a "Whitmore" overwind preventer and a King's slow banker and carries a parallel drum 9 ft. 1 in. dia. The headgear is 50 ft. high and is of pitch pine with steel-channel backstays. Steam is raised in two Lancashire boilers at a pressure of 150 lbs. per sq. in.

The main haulage is by endless rope which is driven by a 60-h.p. motor, and works both sides of the shaft. The pumping plant consists of two 4-stage turbine pumps, each of 700 galls. per min. against a head of 460 ft. Each pump is direct driven at 1,460 r.p.m. by a 150 h.p. motor working on the 440-volts supply.

Ventilation is by a 145 in. dia. "Schiele" double-inlet fan which is driven through a Hendry laminated belt by a 50/7½ b.h.p. two-speed squirrel-cage pole-changing motor with autotransformer starting. The normal capacity of this fan is 100,000 cub. ft. of air per min.

At the Old Shaft Mine there are two shafts 100 ft. deep, which, however, are now only in use for ventilation. The area around the shafts is being worked from an incline drift to the surface with a 150-h.p. main-rope haulage. The fan is a 55 in. dia. "Sirocco" propellor type delivering 33,000 cub. ft. of air per min.

Iron & Coal Trades Review 1937

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!

						Atterton, Robert, 17 May 1862, aged 22, Buried: Skelton in Cleveland, All Saints on 17 May 1862 {NBI}
						Barker, Richard, 19 Jun 1873, aged 47, Miner, killed by a fall of stone
						Brenton, Thomas Henry, 11 Dec 1897, aged 47, Datal Man, Died in mine today, from failure of heart's action, while in a fit, Buried: Skelton in Cleveland, All Saints on 15 Dec 1897 {NBI}
						Brock, Leonard, 20 Jul 1912, (accident: 18 Jul 1912), aged 41, Miner [More information ...]
						Clemmitt, Daniel, 26 Apr 1889, aged 53, Miner, heavy fall of roof after firing a shot which had knocked out two props ; he was attempting to set them when the roof gave way
						Dale, Joshua, 09 Jul 1880, aged 21, Joiner, fall from a staging 20 feet high ; he stepped onto a plank that was sawn through during repairs
						Daynes, John, 29 Mar 1906, aged 31, Miner, Whilst charging a top bole a flake of stone fell from the side, breaking his leg and causing other injuries. He died the same day.
						Edmondson, Charles, 13 Jul 1882, (accident: 01 Oct 1881), aged 35, Miner, died from the effects of a severe blow on the head by fall of stone while bringing it down
						Lobb, Frederick, 25 Jun 1892, (accident: 24 Jun 1892, 9:30 a.m., 4th hour of shift), aged 53, Deputy, Broke a shoulder blade and serious injury to back by a fall of roof while timbering. Died on 25th June.
						Richardson, John, 18 Jan 1882, aged 18, Rapper Boy, crushed between tubs and side by the tub getting off the way at a junction
						Rix, Edward, 09 Mar 1903, aged 20, Driver, when coupling his horse to a tub, some distance from the face, a piece of side stone fell away at a place end and killed him, Buried: Guisborough Cemetery
						Robinson, Alfred, 21 Aug 1882, aged 36, Miner, died from injuries received to his spine by a fall of stone while at work on 23rd February 1881; as this man lived 18 months after the accident took place there was no inquest held
						Senior, Joseph, 02 Nov 1874, aged 17, Miner, supposed to have been crushed between tub and props ; deceased was acting as driver when inured
						Tubby, Charles, 06 Nov 1894, 10:00 a.m., 4th hour of shift, aged 40, Deputy, While engaged putting in a balk of timber it fell and crushed his neck against the edge of an empty tub [More information ...]
						West, Thomas, 08 Dec 1883, (accident: 12 Oct 1883), aged 72, Labourer, broken leg and other injuries, the hoist chain broke and a sack of beans fell on him
						Whitwood, Frederick, 08 Dec 1896, (accident: 27 Nov 1896), aged 28, Miner, Left leg and arm severely injured by fall of stone from side of working place. Died on December 8th
						16 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 Skelton (Ironstone)

  list of collieries/pits etc. near to Skelton (Ironstone)

Credits

Sources:

Pictures:

Related Links:

	On this site
	Article on the discovery of Ironstone in Cleveland (published in 1857)
	External sites
	Skelton-in-Cleveland History, comprehensive history of the area
	Cleveland Ironstone Mines web site by Peter Tuffs

Further Reading:

• The Coal Mining and Ironstone Mining Properties of Dorman Long, published by Peter Tuffs
• Catalogue of Cleveland Ironstone Mines by Peter Tuffs, Cleveland Ironstone Series, published by Peter Tuffs
• Cleveland Mining Incidents by Simon Chapman, published by Peter Tuffs
• The Cleveland Ironstone Industry and its Impact on Teesside by S. Keith Chapman, published by Peter Tuffs
• Cleveland Ironstone Mines and Iron Industry by Richard Mead, published by Peter Tuffs
• The Ironstone Mines and Railways of Cleveland and Rosedale by T.E. Rounthwaite, published by Peter Tuffs
• Cleveland Ironstone by S. Keith Chapman, published by Peter Tuffs

Further Research:

  Research Notes for Skelton (Ironstone)