Whitworth Park Colliery

1839, Aug 15 - The sinking of the first pit of Whitworth colliery, of which the Durham Coal Company are lessees, was commenced about the beginning of July, and the five-quarter coal - two feet six inches clean - was reached on the above day, at 18 fathoms. The diameter of the shaft is 12½ feet.

1841, Jul 10 - At Whitworth Park colliery, Durham, the Hutton seam was gained at a depth of 516 feet. The pit proved a most disastrous speculation, and was "laid in" in 1842, after an outlay on the part of the Durham County Coal Company of nearly £40,000. It was afterwards purchased by a private company, who have worked it with great energy and success.

1842 - Colliery closed and dismantled, sold, refitted and operations restarted

1844 - A bore-hole was put down below the thill of the Brockwell Seam, Whitworth Park Pit.

1847 - Abandoned

1883 - Colliery closed again

1885 - Plant sold - heapstead going to Castle Eden

1928 - New Whitworth Park Colliery started

Adams, John, 30 Mar 1870, aged 48, Hewer, fall of stone while assisting to draw jud, Buried: St. John the Evangelist Churchyard, Kirk Merrington

Beckwith, James, 21 Jun 1861, aged 54, Hewer, killed by a fall of stone, Buried: St. Paul's Churchyard, Spennymoor

Beeton, Edward, 03 Jun 1869, aged 32, Hewer, killed by a fall of stone

Birchell, Thomas, 13 Aug 1873, aged 14, Hewer, killed by a fall of stone

Blewitt, George, 10 Oct 1854, aged 15, Helper up, jammed head between tub and canch [The Durham County Advertiser - 20/10/1854]

Bray, R., 29 Nov 1935, (accident: 23 Sep 1935), aged 44, Stoneman(?), died from injuries received

Chalder, Dolphin, 21 Apr 1866, aged 12, Trapper, crushed by tubs

Chapman, Robert, 28 Apr 1858, aged 25, Hewer, killed by a fall of stone

Codling, Edward, 17 Sep 1874, aged 37, Hewer, killed by a fall of stone

Cooper, Richard, 30 Dec 1862, aged 33, Deputy, fall of stone while drawing timber

Crooks, William, 07 Apr 1870, aged 56, crushed by tubs

Cutty, Edward, 28 Aug 1871, aged 46, Hewer, riding on tubs against orders - came into collision and crushed him

Dent, Henry, 13 Jan 1874, aged 62, Hewer, killed by a fall of stone

Dent, Thomas, 24 Aug 1878, aged 32, Deputy, fall of stone from roof, between two slips, while drawing timber [Sunderland Daily Echo reports: inquest - 28 Aug 1878 pg 4 col 4]

Farris, Henry, 28 Aug 1875, aged 12, Driver, killed by a fall of stone

Freeman, James, 08 Dec 1871, aged 16, Putter, killed by a fall of stone

Gibbon, Henry, 15 Jul 1894, (accident: 07 Jul 1894, 12:05 a.m., 2nd hour of shift), aged 59, Overman, Hand injured by shovel, and he was afterwards working amongst some bad water which caused blood poisoning, and he died on the 15th instant

Gills, Isaac, 30 Nov 1866, aged 15, Helper Up, crushed by tubs

Gooding, John Edward, 15 Nov 1896, (accident: 31 Oct 1896), aged 19, alleged injury from a fall of stone [More information ...]

Goundry, John (Jake), 1952, Deputy, fall of stone [approximate date]

Graham, William, 17 Sep 1874, aged 30, Hewer, killed by a fall of stone, Buried: St. Paul's Churchyard, Spennymoor

Green, John, 07 Jan 1873, aged 13, Driver, head crushed between tub and roof, Buried: St. Paul's Churchyard, Spennymoor

Hall, Ralph, 24 Apr 1851, aged 64, he and his son William were hewing coal together at Whitworth Colliery, when a large stone fell from the roof and struck him. It took four men to remove the stone. Hall's spine was broken; he was carried home and died three hours later

Halliday, Robert, 19 Mar 1869, aged 65, Stoneman, killed by a fall of stone

Hardwick, Allison, 18 Aug 1948, aged 48, Coal Dealer, he was killed when a train of 21 empty coal wagons collided with his lorry at a crossing point near the pit. The engine driver, William Hodgson of Stockton, elected not to give evidence at the Spennymoor inquest on 25 August. The jury returned a verdict of "Accidental death," but added that there had been neglect in not having the crossing gates closed and supervised, Buried: Rock Road Cemetery

Johnson, Alexander, 26 Jun 1857, he was working in a board in the south west way. Edward Humphries heard shouting and hurried to the board where he found Johnson lying underneath a quantity of stone and coal. The stone, known as 'caldron bottom', was 8 feet across and 2 feet thick. Johnson was taken home, but died a few minutes before the arrival of the surgeon. He had suffered severe back injuries and a broken right leg. He had been firing a shot at the time of the explosion

Lee, Joseph, 30 Mar 1865, aged 39, Hewer, fall of stone in broken

Lowe, William Lawrence, 1957, aged 40, Shot Firer, fall of stone [approximate date & age]

Mackey, George, 16 Oct 1854, fell from cage [More information ...]

Malcolm, Adam, 22 Sep 1873, aged 17, Putter, killed by a fall of stone

Medlam, David, 16 Oct 1854, fell from cage [More information ...]

Morgan, Albert, 23 Jan 1957, aged 41, Deputy, hit with longwall skip

Morgan, John, 22 Sep 1854, aged 65, Painter, run over by a train [More information ...]

Nelson, -, 11 May 1857, aged 10, [Not employed], Between 5 and 6p.m. on Monday, 11 May, the ten year old daughter of John Nelson, the viewer at Whitworth Colliery, was run over by a train while playing on the railway at Spennymoor. One of her legs was cut off near the thigh and the other near the ankle. Mr. Hawk, the surgeon, attended the girl, but he was unable to save her and she died at 6a.m. on the 13th

Nelson, William, 14 Dec 1900, aged 70, Screenman, Crushed so severely between the buffers of two empty trucks while letting them down under the screens that he died within ten minutes. [More information ...]

Owen, Robert, 27 Jun 1857, Hewer, he was working in a judd in the 'west way broken' at 10a.m., when a fall was heard. He was discovered under a fall of sandstone. The place had been examined by the deputy at 5a.m. and declared safe and sufficiently timbered

Parry, Edward, 13 Nov 1857, aged 49, he slipped, overbalanced and fell seven feet to the ground below from a broken hand rail [More information ...]

Ramage, Christopher, 24 Dec 1858, aged 10, Tub cleaner, crushed by cage at surface

Rothery, John, Jan 1964, aged 51, Shotfirer, fall of stone [approximate date]

Smith, Edward, 23 Feb 1871, aged 13, Stone Teamer, crushed by tubs on stone heap

Surtees, Alexander, 21 Nov 1877, aged 59, Shaftman, struck on head and back by a piece of stone falling while examining shaft

Taylor, William, 14 Jan 1876, aged 14, Helper Up, killed by fall of roof

Teasdale, F. F., 16 Aug 1866, aged 24, Stoneman, explosion of gunpowder

Thompson, William, 19 Jan 1875, aged 38, Onsetter, from injuries received on 30th December 1874

Wilkinson, John, 20 Sep 1862, aged 13, Horse Driver, crushed by his tubs - shafts came loose

Wright, John, 24 Sep 1851, (accident: 14 May 1851), on 14 May he had been driving a set of tubs along the rolley way, he was riding on the last tub of a preceding train when his horse stopped; he got off, but on leaping onto the first tub of his own train he slipped and fell, and two tubs ran over him. He died from spinal injuries on 24 September