Tanfield Lea Colliery

1829 - Commenced on 3 March, to sink the Engine shaft, Tanfield Lea Colliery ; reached the Main Coal Seam and finished sinking operations on 25 November, 1831.

1839 - Commenced on 30 September to sink the Tanfield Lea New Colliery (600 yds. west of former pit) from the surface to the Five Quarter Seam.

1891 - A bore-hole was put down at Tanfield Lea Colliery from the thill of the Brass Thill Seam to the Hutton Seam.

1895 - A bore-hole was put down in the Ann Pit, Tanfield Lea Colliery, from the thill of the Brass Thill Seam to the Hutton Seam.

1898 - The Wind Pit, Tanfield Lea Colliery, was sunk from the thill of the Main Coal Seam down to the Victoria Seam.

1903 - The Margaret Pit, Tanfield Lea Colliery, was being sunk.

1914 - Shield Row seam abandoned

1926 - Beaumont, Tilley seams abandoned

1938, 05 May - Brass Thill - known on the east as High Main or Main seam abandoned

1945 - Victoria seam abandoned

1948 - Main seam discontinued

1950 - Main & Victoria seams discontinued

Armstrong, Jacob, 10 Sep 1923, aged 44, Stoneman, killed by a fall of stone

Armstrong, John, 20 Sep 1906, aged 44, Deputy, Deceased was employed in the night shift, and was found on the engine plane about two hours after his shift had commenced in an unconscious state by a shifter. He was taken home and died about two hours afterwards. There was no suggestion of any accident, the doctor's opinion being that he had been seized with an apoplectic stroke. No inquest was held., Buried: St. James' Churchyard, Burnopfield {NBI}

Brockbank, George Fallows, 09 Mar 1909, aged 35, Deputy, explosion of two shots of arkite while coupling up

Brown, George, 14 Feb 1868, aged 14, Putter, crushed between tub and plank

Brown, George, 12 Dec 1873, aged 15, Driver, crushed by tubs

Brown, Richard, 31 Dec 1912, aged 23, Staple top braker, missing putting a drag in to a set of eight full tubs, he was endeavouring to twist one, when he got underneath it

Cant, John George, 04 Dec 1912, aged 27, Waggonman, crushed between two wagons while coupling them

Close, Thomas, 06 Feb 1880, aged 13, Driver, crushed by tubs, set ran amain on incline

Cochrane, Hugh, 22 Feb 1904, aged 32, Shifter, while deceased was sawing a prop which was held by another man in the underground workings, he suddenly fell forward and expired from an apoplectic seizure; no inquest was held

Coe, John, 31 May 1881, (accident: 16 May 1881), aged 65, Master Shifter, explosion of gunpowder, Buried: Tanfield Cemetery

Coe, William Donaldson, 09 Jan 1950, aged 64, Shifter, he was killed by a fall of stone while working in the Brockwell seam, he was only a short time from retiring, having worked all his life in the mines

Dart, Ernest, 16 Feb 1934, aged 16, Datal, fell 20 fathoms down the shaft into a sump 10ft. deep

Dinsdale, John, 05 Mar 1867, aged 24, Hewer, killed by a fall of coal

Firstbrook, William, 08 Sep 1892, 2:10 p.m., 4th hour of shift, aged 35, Deputy, He was drawing a broken jud, and had taken all the props but two when the place came in upon him. Had he used a punch prop he would have been safe [Inspection made & inquest attended]

Fleming, George Hodgson, 07 Sep 1906, aged 33, Stoneman, killed by a fall of stone [More information ...]

Greener, Robert, 24 Mar 1888, (accident: 10 Dec 1887), aged 18, Putter, injury to back by fall of stone, Buried: Tanfield Cemetery

Greensides, William, 28 May 1910, (accident: 02 May 1910), aged 19, Shifter, crushed by kibble whilst drawing in front

Hall, Joseph, 15 Feb 1906, aged 32, Hewer [More information ...]

Henderson, George, 16 Feb 1913, (accident: 23 Dec 1912), aged 38, Hewer, while filling coal into a bogie conveyor working on a long wall face in a seam 3 feet thick, a piece of top coal fell, coming off at a "back," catching deceased's left hand; after having his hand attended to for some two months, the doctor decided, owing to the thumb bone being fractured, that it would be better to take off the upper portion of the thumb; during the administration of chloroform, on 16th February, 1913, he died from heart failure

Hodge, William, 05 Nov 1888, aged 14, Driver, caught by a set of runaway tubs

Irwin, Benjamin, 27 Apr 1907, (accident: 26 Apr 1907), aged 34, Joiner, Buried: St. James' Churchyard, Burnopfield on 27 Apr 1907 {NBI} [More information ...]

Jackson, G., 21 May 1934, aged 41, Filler, killed by a fall of stone

Kelly, G., 29 Sep 1937, aged 19, Driver, crushed by tubs

Lamb, Robert, 29 Dec 1911, aged 14, Driver, crushed by tub

Littlefair, Joseph, 10 Sep 1923, aged 36, Stoneman, killed by a fall of stone, address: 26 Jacksons Square, West Kyo, Buried: Harelaw Cemetery (new)

Lloyd, Wallace, 07 Feb 1918, aged 59, Buried: Tanfield Cemetery

Long, John, 02 Aug 1879, aged 57, Hewer, crushed by tubs on inclined plane

Maguire, John J., 20 Aug 1927, aged 27, Hewer, buried by a fall of stone in the Five Quarter seam of the Bute Pit, he was dead when the fall was cleared away from him

Mason, Matthew, 29 Apr 1895, 11:30 a.m., 2nd hour of shift, aged 21, Hewer, instead of taking some coal down when told by the deputy, he commenced filling a tub, when the coal fell on him

McGoldrick, Edward, 06 Jul 1911, aged 18, Pony Putter, killed by a fall of stone

McGovern, John, 09 Mar 1880, (accident: 25 Nov 1879), aged 14, Driver, injuries to head by being thrown out of a tub

McGuire, Thomas, 09 May 1934, aged 44, killed by a fall of stone

McKenna, John, 29 Jul 1914, aged 21, Putter, deceased had walked outbye to have his lamp re-lighted, and was returning along the engine plane while the main and tail set was in motion; he was caught by the set and fatally injured; he had worked at this pit only 3 days, and there was no evidence to show that he had been warned against travelling while the set was in motion, although notices were posted up

Mosley, Thomas, 15 Nov 1952, aged 64, he had set about cleaning out the Return wheel of the haulage system, evidently not telling the operator what he was going to do; he died at Shotley Bridge Hospital within two hours of being admitted

Nessian, Thomas, 13 Aug 1893, Hewer, it was endeavoured to attributed his death to an accident in the pit, but, as the coroner reported, "there was absolutely no evidence of this"

Newton, James Henry, 26 Dec 1913, aged 58, Stoneman, deceased was in the act of setting a short prop under a balk, under which he had previously set a middle prop and a prop at the end; whilst driving the short prop up the weight was taken off the middle prop, which dropped out; the baulk canted down and struck deceased, dislocating his neck; in all probability the middle prop was not properly set

Oswald, Robert, 06 Feb 1903, (accident: 29 Jan 1903), aged 19, Putter, A lift in the broken workings of the Main Coal seam was nearly finished and the roof was probably weighting. While the putter was taking in an empty tub it derailed at the turn, and he was unable to move it. Both the foreshift and backshift deputies were with him trying to extricate it when a fall of roof occurred, injuring the putter seriously and one of the deputies slightly. The Local Inspectors were of opinion that the occurrence was purely accidental, and that no blame attached to the officials., Buried: Tanfield Cemetery

Parkin, Matthew, 22 Nov 1905, aged 15, Driver, caught by tubs [More information ...]

Reay, Luke, 26 Mar 1908, aged 14, Pony Driver, his set was derailed and he was crushed by the tubs

Riddell, Michael, 09 Feb 1859, aged 56, killed by a fall of stone, Buried: Tanfield Cemetery on 12 Feb 1859

Robson, Michael, 22 Apr 1887, aged 68, he was making his way to work at Tanfield Lea Colliery, and as he approached the pit he collapsed and died (Durham Chronicle, Friday 22nd April)

Sailes, John, 13 Feb 1922, (accident: 12 Dec 1921), aged 65, Stoneman, killed by a fall of stone

Statt, Thomas Carrick, 19 Jul 1935, aged 36, Hewer, killed in the Top Busty seam of the Margaret Pit - suffocation due to being buried by an accidental fall of stone, Buried: Harelaw Cemetery (new)

Swailes, J., 27 Apr 1944, aged 30, Putter, killed by a fall of stone

Symonds, Thomas, 08 Nov 1876, aged 13, Driver, crushed by tubs

Trewick, John Thomas, 08 Feb 1894, 1:15 p.m., 8th hour of shift, aged 17, Putter, Deceased was driving along a road when one of his tubs got off the way and knocked out some props and planks, causing a fall of stone to take place [Inquest attended]

Trueman, J. J., 18 Jan 1923, aged 56, Deputy, crushed between tubs

Varty, Isaac, 13 Aug 1910, aged 43, Stoneman, killed by a fall of stone

Wilson, Maurice Dale, 29 Mar 1900, aged 29, Shifter, Deceased and another shifter were sent to remove a small fall, and renew the timber in a broken working. While so engaged, a larger fall took place, knocking out a lot of timber. The roof was of a very soft nature. [Inquest attended]