Tursdale Colliery

???? - Combined with Bowburn and used as a man-riding shaft

1854 - Boring operations from surface were in progress on Tursdale estate, proving the Busty Seam.

1859 - Tursdale Colliery was sunk from the surface to the Busty Seam.

1867 - Another staple sunk below the Busty Seam, Tursdale Colliery, proving the lower coals.

2006 - The colliery and workshop site has been redeveloped into an industrial estate.

Appleby, John George, 06 May 1901, aged 19, Attending Pumps, A staple from Busty to Brockwell seam was full of water, and it was being taken out by means of water cages. When the water was lowered 16 feet some gas came off and ignited at an open light and caused fatal injuries to Appleby and injuries to other two men. [More information ...]

Bell, Joseph, 18 May 1864, aged 17, Putter, crushed by tub

Bird, Thomas, 28 Dec 1877, aged 77, Labourer, crushed between wall and locomotive engine on the branches

Blenkinsop, John, 12 Jul 1873, aged 44, Buried: Holy Trinity Churchyard, Cornforth on 15 Jul 1873 {NBI}

Bowerbank, Joseph, 29 Dec 1897, aged 42, Hewer, Injured internally by a fall of coal and stone which fell away at a breaker in the coal. Died six hours afterwards

Brown, Christopher, 13 Jun 1907, aged 40, Waggonwayman, he was lowering full tubs to the set when he slipped and fell in front of them and was killed

Chisholm, Thomas, 27 Jul 1908, aged 64, Banksman, he saw the men down the pit at 11 p.m. then went to the engine house and died almost immediately; death was due to heart failure

Christopher, Pybus, 02 Sep 1869, aged 21, Hewer, burned by gunpowder (supposed), Buried: Holy Trinity, Cornforth on 17 Sep 1869 {NBI}

Crossby, Edward, 19 Jan 1921, (accident: 15 Jan 1919), aged 70, Shifter, died from injuries received

Daniel, David, 08 Mar 1901, (accident: 01 Mar 1901), aged 63, Wasteman, when illegally riding on an engine set he was crushed between tub and baulks and died on the 8th [More information ...]

Daniel, Moses, 17 Apr 1901, aged 48, Hewer, died from pericarditis alleged to have been caused by lifting a tub on to the way, but post-mortem examination showed that this was not probable

Douglas, Thomas, 04 Jan 1878, aged 21, Collier, fall of stone from roof while filling a tub ; it gave no warning

Fleetham, George Robert, 15 Sep 1889, aged 42, Hewer, serious injury to back by fall of stone, died on 15th, Buried: St. Mary's Parish Church, Coxhoe

Gibson, Edmund, 05 Feb 1870, aged 17, Fireman, playing in an engine house, became entangled with a revolving shaft

Gibson, Thomas, 20 Jul 1865, aged 14, Fireman, fell amongst machinery [More information ...]

Gilmore, John, 16 Aug 1911, aged 57, Deputy, a skirting had been driven alongside an old bord room, and two headways lifts taken off a pillar; only a stook of coal was left; the lifts had been drawn out; the strong post roof in the lifts and in the old bord room had not fallen; the deputy set to work to draw the timber in the skirting; it was a dangerous place, as on both sides of him were large areas of unsupported roof; he had only drawn one prop when the whole area fell, canting out several props; he was using a drawing mall; his back was broken, and he died a few minutes after being got out, Buried: Metal Bridge Cemetery

Gowland, Fred Gibson, 19 Dec 1901, (accident: 18 Dec 1901), aged 20, Loco Fireman, he was riding on the buffer on the first of live trucks, which were being pushed by a locomotive into a siding; the truck got off the way and he fell and received such severe injuries that he died the following day, Buried: Holy Trinity Churchyard, Cornforth

Ground, Richard, 19 Aug 1872, aged 16, Putter, head crushed between tub and roof, Buried: Holy Trinity, Cornforth on 23 Aug 1872 {NBI}

Hall, Thomas, 14 Feb 1878, aged 17, Putter, got his head crushed between his tub and a plank while riding on limbers

Hewison, Richard, 21 Jun 1944, aged 45, Buried: St. Mary's Parish Church, Coxhoe

Hogg, John, 01 Jun 1874, aged 21, Screenman, supposed to have been crushed by a small coal tub

Hughes, William, 17 Mar 1904, aged 54, Hewer, died in pit when travelling out-bye from heart failure; he had not been injured in any way, and the ventilation of the place was all right

Johnson, Robert, 02 May 1926, (accident: 30 Apr 1926), aged 46, Chock Drawer, killed by a fall of stone

Lawson, Robert, 12 Feb 1904, aged 42, Deputy, drawing timber in a loose end lift when a post stone fell away at a coal parting as he was cutting out two props and caught and killed him, Buried: St. Mary's Parish Church, Coxhoe

Lowery, William Scott, 03 May 1901, (accident: 23 Apr 1901), aged 25, Hewer, He was sitting kirving when the top coal fell away at a "hitch" and broke off at a sprag prop and fell upon him, severely injuring his back., Buried: Duncombe Cemetery, Ferryhill [More information ...]

Lumley, Robert Harrison, 09 Nov 1927, aged 56, Buried: Duncombe Cemetery, Ferryhill

Mann, Benjamin William, 14 Oct 1904, aged 30, Hewer, when working in a wide wall with another hewer he was taking some band stone out under a piece of top coal, under which he had a stay; the top coal dropped away and crushed his head killing him, Buried: Duncombe Cemetery, Ferryhill

Mann, William, 16 Jun 1917, (accident: 09 Jun 1917), aged 69, Wasteman, died after knocking his head in Tursdale Colliery; he went home and was only confined to bed from the 11th (Monday) onwards; the accident was not reported officially but the inquest on 18 Jun 1917 blamed this accident; his son Benjamin had been killed at the same pit 13 years earlier

Maugham, Edward, 22 Nov 1892, 8:30 p.m., 4th hour of shift, aged 31, Hewer, fall of roof from the breaker coal, while turning a place away out of old bord

McConner, Owen, 30 Apr 1880, aged 50, Labourer, was crushed to death between a truck and bench in the coke yard

Morley, James Henry, 06 Mar 1917, (accident: 22 Dec 1916), aged 47, Stoneman, he had ben seriously injured after being pinned beneath a fall of stone, he died in Durham County Hospital [More information ...]

Morris, John, 31 Jan 1867, aged 44, Hewer, killed by set of tubs in engine plane when leaping off; riding contrary to orders

Mould, Thomas, 31 Oct 1866, Putter, he was killed when his head was jammed against a canch

Orton, John, 28 Oct 1873, (accident: 13 Jun 1873), aged 16, Apparatus Boy, crushed by tub, inducing dropsy

Owens, William, 27 Jan 1874, aged 35, Hewer, killed by a fall of coal

Platts, Moses, 21 Mar 1866, aged 17, Pony Driver, crushed by tub

Scott, Walter, 16 Jul 1928, aged 48, Deputy Overman, fatally injured by a fall of stone, Buried: St. Mary's Parish Church, Coxhoe

Short, King, 21 Oct 1876, (accident: 09 Oct 1876), aged 23, Collier, severe injury to foot by stone falling on it, died from tetanus

Smith, James, 02 May 1896, aged 57, Labourer, he was seen to stagger and fall in a fit; he was attended to by some members of the first aid class and taken to his home at West Cornforth; however he only lived a short time, cause of death being given as apoplexy, Buried: Holy Trinity, Cornforth on 05 May 1896 {NBI}

Stewart, Thomas, 27 May 1876, (accident: 15 May 1876), aged 26, Collier, seriously burnt by explosion of gas in Harvey seam. The deputy fired a shot in coal, and it is supposed he had either carelessly or not all examined the place, died on the 27th, Buried: Holy Trinity Churchyard, Cornforth

Storey, James Benson, 14 May 1917, aged 39, Hewer, he died in Durham County Hospital following injuries sustained the same day while working in the Busty Seam taking out pillars. A large quantity of coal and ramble had come away and buried him. He suffered a compound fracture of the right leg, several broken ribs, and a damaged lung. By the time he reached hospital he was already in a dying state; he died half an hour after admission. He left a widow and four children, address: The Blocks, Metal Bridge

Sweeting, Thomas, 05 Nov 1901, aged 50, Shifter, deceased and other shifters were making a flat ready by taking down some ramble stone when a piece fell out at a slip and injured him so severely that he died five hours afterwards

Wood, John, 06 Jan 1890, aged 32, Deputy, fall of stone while drawing timber in a broken jud, Buried: Holy Trinity Churchyard, Cornforth on 09 Jan 1890 {NBI}