White Lea Colliery	Index	White Lea Colliery

Location:	Crook 8 miles [13 km] WSW of Durham
Map Ref:	(Sheet 92) NZ158367, 54° 43' 30" N, 1° 45' 17" W
Maps:	1896 map detailed map from the Ordnance Survey
	1898 map from Reid's Handy Colliery Guide
	1949 map detailed map from the Ordnance Survey
Opened:	1855
Closed:
Pits:	Big Pit, locn: (Sheet 92) NZ155373, sinking: 1841
	Shaft details for Big Pit
	Bolckow Pit, locn: (Sheet 92) NZ159368
	Shaft details for Bolckow Pit
	Little Pit, locn: (Sheet 92) NZ155374
	Shaft details for Little Pit
Owners:	1855 - Bolckow, Vaughan & Co. Ltd.
	1889 - Pease & Partners Ltd.
Output:	1888 - Coal.
	1888 - Coal.
	1896 - Coal: Coking, Manufacturing.
	1902 - Coal: Coking, Manufacturing. Fireclay.
Employment:	1884 - 0 [Standing]
	1888 - 0 [Standing]
	1896 - 320 (291 below, 29 surface)
	1902 - 381 (347 below, 34 surface)
	Colliery Management (prior to 1955)
	Catalogue of plans of abandoned mines for White Lea Colliery
Notes:	1840 - The Big Pit, White Lee Colliery, was put down from the surface to the Main Coal Seam, and a boring continued further to prove the thickness of the lower coals.
	1878 - Brockwell seam abandoned
	Miscellaneous Notes and Incidents for White Lea Colliery

Description

Coal is very extensively worked in this township [Crook and Billy Row], principally by Messrs. Pease & Partners, who have in addition to five pits a large number of coke ovens and a large fire brick works situated at Bank Foot. Here is produced the well known "Pease's West" coke. Amongst the ovens are a number of the Simon Carves type, the gases from which produce large quantities of sulphate of ammonia, benzol oil, and coal tar, as bye products. The collieries at present worked by this firm in this parish [Crook] are Roddymoor, sunk in 1844, where five seams are met, the "Main Coal" seam being 3 feet 9 inches thick, and 34 fathoms deep ; the "B" Seam, 2 feet 4 inches, 25 fathoms deep ; "Five Quarter," 3 feet 6 inches, 16½ fathoms ; "Ballarat," 1 foot 10 inches, 12½ fathoms ; and the "Yard," 3 feet, at a depth of 11 fathoms. These thicknesses and depths are a fair average of those seams met with in the Stanley Pit, the Sunniside Pit, and White Lea. At Sunniside and Stanley the "Harvey" seam is found ; in each place it is 2 feet thick. Stanley Pit was opened in 1850, White Lea in 1855, by Messrs. Bolckow, Vaughan & Co., and acquired by Messrs. Pease and Partners in 1889 ; Sunniside was opened in 1867. At these collieries, and at their very extensive brick works, coke ovens, and shops situated at Bank Foot, a large number of men are employed, giving a total of over 2000 men alone over 16 years of age. In addition to the above mentioned collieries, there are collieries at Woodifield and Low Bitchburn, the former worked by Messrs. Bolckow, Vaughan & Co., and the latter by the Low Bitchburn Coal Co. At Low Bitchburn there are four seams, the "Main Coal," 4 feet 6 inches ; "Top Main," 2 feet ; "Little Busty," 1 foot 8 inches ; and "Big Busty," 3 feet, all wrought by drifts. The Five Quarter, Ballarat, Hutton, and Harvey are also met here. The output is entirely converted into coke, which with the brick manufactory in connection with the pit gives employment to nearly 200 men and boys.

Woodifield is another colliery, the property of Messrs. Bolckow, Vaughan & Co., who are working the Constantine, Ballarat, Little Seam, and the Two Foot. The two former are worked by drifts, and the latter two by shafts, at a depth of 15 fathoms. The output is about 200 tons per day, and the number of men and boys employed is nearly 200. Low Bitchburn Colliery, a little to the south west of Crook, gives employment to about 180, and is working the "Main Coal", 4 feet 6 inches ; "Top Main," 2 feet ; "Little Busty," 1 foot 8 inches ; and the "Big "Busty," 3 feet, by drifts, making and output of about 200 tons daily. This is entirely converted into coke.

Whellan's 1894 Directory of County Durham

Disasters (5 or more killed)

None Found

Names of those killed at this colliery

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

						Bagan, Thomas, 06 Jan 1862, aged 14, Pony Putter, crushed by his tub while riding on shafts
						Bainbridge, William, 18 Sep 1889, aged 27, Banksman, while engaged disconnecting the main rope from a set of tubs on bank head he slipped and fell before the run, which passed over his head
						Bell, Thomas, 08 Jan 1900, aged 44, Hewer, Killed by a fall of stone from the roof close to face, which fell between timber.
						Close, George, 26 May 1869, aged 41, Deputy, crushed by a fall of timber
						Farrow, Thomas, 26 Dec 1867, aged 16, Putter, killed by a fall of stone
						Hutchinson, John, 10 Jan 1882, (accident: 22 Jul 1881), aged 19, Driver, injured by pony falling and tub upsetting on him
						Lewis, Robert, 18 Oct 1877, aged 57, Labourer, crushed between two trucks while lowering them to screens
						Mitchell, John, 03 Oct 1867, aged 12, Sheavegreaser, head crushed by tubs
						Moor, Richard, 26 May 1869, aged 39, Deputy, crushed by a fall of timber
						Storey, John, 18 Jun 1882, (accident: 12 May 1882), aged 34, Cartman, got severely crushed while coupling some trucks in the coke yard
						Stothard, John, 07 Oct 1901, aged 65, Hewer, killed by a fall of stone from roof of working place between timber face
						Studholme, Abraham, 06 Apr 1900, aged 65, Shifter, When travelling out-bye on engine plane he was caught and killed by an empty set. [More information ...]
						White, Robert, 06 Mar 1890, (accident: 26 Feb 1890), aged 78, Under Manager, caught by set of tubs in drift and severely crushed
						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.

  more information on some of the fatalities shown above

Collieries and Pits within 5 miles (8km)

  a simulated map showing the immediate vicinity of White Lea Colliery

  list of collieries/pits etc. near to White Lea Colliery

Credits

Sources:

Related Links:

	On this site
	Pictures in the Gallery section of White Lea 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 White Lea Colliery