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  Witton Park Colliery  Index  Witton Park Colliery  

Witton Park Colliery


  Description Disasters Names Local Collieries Credits  

Location: Witton-le-Wear
10 miles [16 km] SW of Durham
Map Ref: (Sheet 92) NZ168307, 54° 40' 16" N, 1° 44' 22" W
Maps: 1898 map from Reid's Handy Colliery Guide
1928 map from Reid's Handy Colliery Guide
Opened:
Closed: Jun 1923
Pits: Corving Pit
William Pit
Owners: 1830's - Sir William Chaytor
1880's - Witton Firebrick Co. Ltd.
1940's - Old Etherley Coal Co. Ltd.
Output: 1873 - Coal.
1873 - Coal.
1888 - Coal.
1896 - Fireclay.
1902 - Fireclay.
1914 - Coal. Fireclay.
1921 - Coal. Fireclay.
1923 - Coal: Manufacturing. Fireclay.
1927 - Coal: Coking, Household, Manufacturing, Steam.
1929 - Coal: Manufacturing, Steam.
Employment: 1882 - 0 [Standing]
1896 - 10 (8 below, 2 surface)
1902 - 8 (7 below, 1 surface)
1914 - 31 (30 below, 1 surface)
1921 - 21 (20 below, 1 surface)
1923 - 13 (12 below, 1 surface) [Abandoned 6/23]
1927 - 53 (38 below, 15 surface)
1929 - 17 (14 below, 3 surface) [Abandoned 9/3/29]
1945 - 24 (14 below, 10 surface)
1945 - 4
  Colliery Management (prior to 1955)
Seams Worked: 1914 - Ganister
1921 - Ganister
1923 - Fireclay
1927 - Brockwell, Busty
1929 - Busty [Abandoned 9/3/29]
    Catalogue of plans of abandoned mines for Witton Park Colliery
Notes:

1756 - Boring operations from the surface were in progress in the vicinity of Witton Castle, Witton-le-Wear.

1764 - A series of bore-holes from the surface was put down on the Witton Castle estate.

1832 - A sinking was made below the Main Coal Seam in the Corving Pit, Witton Park Colliery ; no workable seams met with.

1834 - Borings were put down at the bottom of the old pit at Witton Park Colliery.

1929, 09 Mar - Busty, Brockwell seams abandoned



  Summary Disasters Names Local Collieries Credits  

Description


  Summary Description Names Local Collieries Credits  

Disasters (5 or more killed)

None Found


  Summary Description Disasters Local Collieries Credits  

Names of those killed at this colliery

Please note that this collection of names is by no means complete!

     

Dinsdale, John, 09 Dec 1857, (accident: 01 Dec 1857), aged 58, he was working alongside a new gangway. In drawing a plank of wood along, he came too near the edge and fell backwards over to the ground below, about 22 feet. Some of his ribs and his right thigh were broken; he died on 9 December

      

Heslope, C., 09 Mar 1860, aged 19, Putter, fall of top coal and clay

     

Robinson, Matthew, 30 May 1849, Furnaceman, he was accidentally suffocated [More information ...]

      

Spence, James, 24 Dec 1895, (accident: 10 Dec 1895, 11:30 a.m., 4th hour of shift), aged 58, Foreman, head and bowels crushed, and legs bruised, by a fall of slag; died on the 24th

 
  4 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 .

  more information on some of the fatalities shown above


The following unnamed fatalities are listed in the Mines Inspectors Reports, once again this collection is not complete!

Date Inspectors Remarks
25 Nov 1852 11

  Summary Description Disasters Names Credits  

Collieries and Pits within 5 miles (8km)

  a simulated map showing the immediate vicinity of Witton Park Colliery

  list of collieries/pits etc. near to Witton Park Colliery


  Summary Description Disasters Names Local Collieries  

Credits

Sources:

  • 1860 Mines Inspectors Report
  • 1869 List of Mines
  • 1873-4 List of Mines
  • 1880 List of Mines
  • 1881 Mines Inspectors Annual Report
  • 1884 List of Mines
  • 1888 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department, from a copy held in the Scottish Mining Museum, Newtongrange, Midlothian
  • 1890 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department, from a copy held in the Scottish Mining Museum, Newtongrange, Midlothian
  • 1895 Mines Inspectors Report (C 8074), Durham District (No. 4) by Thomas Bell, H.M. Inspector of Mines
  • 1896 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department, also available online at Peak District Mines Historical Society Ltd
  • 1902 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department, from a copy held in the Scottish Mining Museum, Newtongrange, Midlothian
  • 1909 List of Mines - from Reid's Handy Colliery Guide
  • 1914 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department, from a copy held in the Scottish Mining Museum, Newtongrange, Midlothian
  • 1919 List of Mines - from Reid's Handy Colliery Guide
  • 1921 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department, from a copy held in the Scottish Mining Museum, Newtongrange, Midlothian
  • 1923 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department, from a copy held in the Scottish Mining Museum, Newtongrange, Midlothian
  • 1927 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department, from a copy held in the Scottish Mining Museum, Newtongrange, Midlothian
  • 1929 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department, from a copy held in the Scottish Mining Museum, Newtongrange, Midlothian
  • 1945 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department, from a copy held in the Scottish Mining Museum, Newtongrange, Midlothian
  • Contributions by members of the Public
  • Pigot & Co.'s Commercial Directory of Durham, Northumberland and Yorkshire. Published in 1834
  • Victoria History of the Counties of England – Durham. Published in three volumes in 1907.

  Summary Description Disasters Names Local Collieries Credits  

Related Links:

None found

Further Research:

  Research Notes for Witton Park Colliery


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Page last updated: 01 Oct 2008


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