| Whitwell Colliery | Index | Whitwell Colliery | ||
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Whitwell Colliery
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| Location: | Whitwell 2½ miles [4 km] ESE of Durham |
| Map Ref: | (Sheet 88) NZ308407, 54° 45' 37" N, 1° 31' 17" W |
| Maps: |  1898 map from Reid's Handy Colliery Guide |
| Opened: | 1836 |
| Closed: | 1875 |
| Pits: | A Pit, locn: (Sheet 88) NZ245403, sinking: 02 May 1836 |
| Shaft details for A Pit |
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| B Pit, locn: (Sheet 93) NZ312396, opened: 1838, sinking: 1838 | |
| Shaft details for B Pit |
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| C Pit, locn: (Sheet 93) NZ310399, opened: 1855, sinking: 12 Nov 1855 | |
| Shaft details for C Pit |
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| Owners: | 1730's - Abraham Teasdale & Mrs. Ann Wilkinson |
| 1830's - Andrew White | |
| 1850's - J. M. Ogden | |
| Output: | 1873 - Coal. |
| Employment: | 1854 - 0 [Working] |
| Catalogue of plans of abandoned mines for Whitwell Colliery |
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| Notes: | 1836, May 02 - Commenced to sink from the surface the A Pit, Whitwell Colliery. Got the Hutton Seam on 21 June, 1837. |
1837, Jun 20 - The workmen engaged in sinking Whitwell colliery, Durham, after thirteen months labour, succeeded in reaching the Hutton seam, at a depth of 59 fathoms. Much rejoicing took place in consequence of the event. |
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1838 - The B Pit, Whitwell Colliery, was sunk from the surface to the Hutton Seam. |
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1841 - A bore-hole was put down below the Hutton Seam, proving lower coals in the A Pit, Whitwell Colliery. |
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1855, Nov 25 - Commenced to sink the C Pit, Whitwell Colliery ; reached the Main Coal Seam on 26 December, 1855, and Low Main Seam on 24 March, 1856. |
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1873 - Boring operations were being carried out on the Whitworth estate, near Durham, near the Whitwell Colliery, proving the Low Main Seam. |
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1884 - Main Coal, Low Main and Hutton seams abandoned |
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Description
Coal was extensively worked in this township [Whitwell], and was known in the market as "Whitwell Wallsend." The "Hutton" seam was worked at a depth of 57 fathoms, having been commenced as early as 1836 ; and in 1840, at a depth of 95 fathoms, the "Low Main" was worked, but all operations ceased about 1875.
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
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Disasters (5 or more killed)
None found.
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Names of those killed at this colliery
Please note that this collection of names is by no means complete!
 | Ainsley, William, 21 Jul 1851, (accident: 15 Jul 1851), aged 35, he was severely injured at Whitewell Colliery on 15 July when a large stone fell from the roof onto him. His right leg was extensively damaged and fractured; he died from his injuries on the 21st | |||||
| Ainslie, Robert, 21 Mar 1846, aged 33, Robert Ainslie, 33, and some others were descending Whitwell Pit shaft early on Saturday, 21 March, to go to the Hutton Seam. When the cage had been lowered as far as the Low Main Coal seam, it was stopped to let out one or two men and take in Ainslie's father. When this had been done, the brakesman was told to let them down. The cage eventually stopped, allowing the men to get out, but as Ainslie stepped out it slipped and he fell 16 fathoms to the bottom of the shaft. His body was recovered and he was found to have broken his neck. At the inquest, it was said that : "The accident was occasioned by some ice in the slides not allowing the cage to run freely." | |||||
| Calvert, Ralph, 27 Jun 1859, aged 24, Shifter, killed by a fall of roof | |||||
Cooke, Matthew, 21 Nov 1870, aged 38, Stoneman, explosion of gunpowder | ||||||
Dent, Charles, 02 May 1861, aged 23, Hewer, killed by a fall of stone | ||||||
Grey, Robert, 02 Oct 1860, aged 25, Onsetter, fell from cage in shaft | ||||||
Hovern, Robert, 09 Apr 1863, aged 61, Hewer, killed by a fall of stone | ||||||
| McCoy, Michael, 24 Apr 1856, he was engaged in leading water out of a hole when a large stone fell from the roof and killed him instantly | |||||
McDermot, Michael, 20 Aug 1873, aged 13, Putter, crushed between two tubs | ||||||
McDermott, Michael, 17 Jul 1858, aged 45, Labourer, killed by apparatus tub | ||||||
| Pattison, Isaac, 06 Mar 1853, (accident: 25 Feb 1853), he had been blasting stone when a shot unexpectedly exploded, throwing him violently to the ground. His skull was fractured and he died on 6 March | |||||
| Roberts, Isaac, 28 Aug 1857, he and his marrer were hewing when a large stone fell from the roof and injured RobertsÆ back, he died an hour after being taken home | |||||
| Snowdon, Story, 10 Dec 1851, aged 28, while at work at the top of the staple he was putting a tub of coals in the cage when it fell down the shaft pulling him with it to his death | |||||
| 13 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.
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
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The following unnamed fatalities are listed in the Mines Inspectors Reports, once again this collection is not complete!
| Date |  |
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Inspectors Remarks |
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| 02 Jun 1851 | – | 1 | – | – | – | 1 | Error ; should be fall of stone |
| 22 Oct 1852 | – | – | – | 1 | – | 1 | |
| 06 Mar 1853 | – | – | – | – | 1 | 1 | blasting the coal |
| 17 Mar 1853 | – | – | – | 2 | – | 2 | |
| 01 Aug 1854 | 1 | – | – | – | – | 1 | in shaft |
| 21 Sep 1855 | – | – | – | 1 | – | 1 | |
| 22 Nov 1855 | – | – | – | 1 | – | 1 |
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Collieries and Pits within 5 miles (8km)
a simulated map showing the immediate vicinity of Whitwell Colliery
list of collieries/pits etc. near to Whitwell Colliery
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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
- 1858 Mines Inspectors Report
- 1860 Mines Inspectors Report
- 1861 Mines Inspectors Report
- 1863 Mines Inspectors Report
- 1869 List of Mines
- 1870 Mines Inspectors Report (C 124)
- 1873 Mines Inspectors Report (C 1056)
- 1873-4 List of Mines
- An Account of the strata of Northumberland & Durham as proved by Borings & Sinkings, Volume U-Z, published by the North of England Institute of Mining & Mechanical Engineers, 1897
- 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.
- Local Records or Historical Register of Remarkable Events by John Latimer, Published in 1857
- Victoria History of the Counties of England – Durham. Published in three volumes in 1907.
- Views of the Collieries in the Counties of Northumberland and Durham by T. H. Hair. First published in 1844.
Pictures:
- Views of the Collieries in the Counties of Northumberland and Durham by T. H. Hair. First published in 1844.
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Related Links:
| On this site | |
| | Views of the Collieries in the Counties of Northumberland and Durham by T. H. Hair (1844) — Whitwell Colliery |
| | Pictures in the Gallery section for Whitwell Colliery |
Further Reading:
- 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 Whitwell Colliery
