Durham Mining Museum - Pittington Colliery (original) (raw)
also known as North Pittington Colliery
| Location: | Pittington4 miles [6 km] ENE of Durham |
|---|---|
| Map Ref: | (Sheet 88) NZ335443, 54° 47' 33" N, 1° 28' 44" W |
| Maps: |  1860s map detailed map from the Ordnance Survey |
| 1898 map from Reid's Handy Colliery Guide |
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| Opened: | |
| Closed: | 11 Jun 1891 |
| Sinking Started: | 21 Aug 1820 |
| Pits: | Adolphus Pit, locn: (Sheet 88) NZ334443, opened: 1826, sinking: 22 Apr 1826 |
| Shaft details for Adolphus Pit |
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| Buddle Pit, locn: (Sheet 88) NZ331440 | |
| Shaft details for Buddle Pit |
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| Lady Seaham Pit, locn: (Sheet 88) NZ325455 | |
| Londonderry Pit, locn: (Sheet 88) NZ334442, opened: 1828, sinking: 03 Apr 1826 | |
| Shaft details for Londonderry Pit |
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| Owners: | 1850s - Lady F. A. Vane Londonderry |
| 1860s - North Hetton & Co. | |
| Output: | 1855 - Coal. |
| 1860 - Coal. | |
| 1865 - Coal. | |
| 1873 - Coal. | |
| 1888 - Coal. | |
| Employment: | 1854 - 0 [Working] |
| 1883 - 206 | |
| Colliery Management (prior to 1970) |
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| Catalogue of plans of abandoned mines for Pittington Colliery |
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| Notes: | 1820, Aug 21 - Commenced to sink at Pittington Colliery, below the Five Quarter Seam down to the Main Coal Seam. |
| 1891, 28 Feb - Five Quarter, Main Coal, Low Main seams abandoned - Mineral worked out |
Description
There is a large colliery in this township [_Pittington_] at Littletown, worked by Lord Durham. It was sunk in 1834, and at present is working the "Low Main", which averages 2 feet 9 inches in thcikness, at a depth of 95 fathoms. The "Hutton" seam has been almost worked out. The "Main coal" and Five Quarter are here of full section, and have yet scarcely been touched. The daily output is 500 tons of excellent coal, giving employment to 500 men and boys. The Pittington colliery was laid in 1891.
Littetown, once called "South Pittington", later Little Pittington, and in 1613 Littletown, was once probably the name of a farm near the village. The present village of Littletown has arisen near the colliery worked by the Earl of Durham. It lies on rising ground less than a mile south of the church, and contains a school, reading room, and a Wesleyan chapel.
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!
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| | Aisbett, Thomas, 04 Oct 1847, aged 15, Driver, Thomas Aisbett, a 15 year old rolley driver, was driving his horse attached to nine rolleys full of coal in Londonderry Pit on 4 October. He had just got off the rolley when he was crushed to death between the wall and one of the waggons. |
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| | | | | | | Bowey, James, 01 May 1857, Deputy, he was drawing a jud with other men when a mass of stones fell from the roof and killed him |
| | | | | | | Coleman, Walter, 19 May 1855, aged 15, Pony Putter, he was sitting with another boy against a wall side in that pit waiting for a waggon, when a large stone fell from the side of the pit upon him, he died before he could be removed from the pit |
| | | | | | | Cuthbertson, William, 02 Sep 1863, aged 19, Water Leader, crushed by return wheel in underground engine plane |
| | | | | | | Forster, Robert, 24 Apr 1854, aged 50, while at work in the five-quarter seam he was critically injured when he was crushed by a stone falling on him, he sustained spinal injuries and died shortly afterwards |
| | | | | | | Guy, William, 12 Aug 1853, aged 19, crushed by a fall of coal |
| | | | | | | Hall, Joseph, 28 Jun 1859, aged 66, Shifter, killed by a fall of stone |
| | | | | | | Hall, Rodham, 08 Apr 1868, aged 14, Pony Putter, crushed between prop and tubs |
| | | | | | | Hunter, Richard (jnr.), 29 Sep 1860, aged 18, Onsetter, killed by a fall of stone |
| | | | | | | Hunter, William, 20 Apr 1849, aged 26, On 20 April, The Durham Advertiser reported that William Hunter, 26, had been crushed by a mass of stone and rubbish which had fallen from the roof of the east part of the Londonderry Pit. He was taken out and died 15 to 20 minutes later. |
| | | | | | | Hutchinson, John, 09 Nov 1860, aged 28, Hewer, killed by a fall of stone |
| | | | | | | Judson, William, 16 Oct 1846, aged 63, Wasteman, he was crushed to death by a piece of stone which fell from the roof |
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| | Maddison, James, 10 Aug 1841, Blacksmith, he was repairing the trap-spring of the small coal tub., the tub was standing about 1/3 the way, up the inclined plane and secured by a stay, the stay however gave way while Maddison was hammering on at the spring, the tub ran amain and carried him down the plane, and crushed him to death against the wall at the bottom (NEIMME Ref: Bud-48-14-80) |
| | | | | | | Maddison, James, 29 Mar 1860, Hewer, killed by a fall of roof |
| | | | | | | Mason, Robert, 22 Jan 1857, Driver, he was standing at a flat preparing to drive along the rolley way with his horse and a set of tubs. Without warning, a large stone fell from the roof, crushing both Mason and the horse dead |
| | | | | | | Minnis, William, 02 Sep 1856, aged 12, accidental crushing of chest by a laden coal tub, son of John Minnis a coal miner |
| | | | | | | Parry, John, 16 May 1862, aged 14, Driver, crushed by tubs |
| | | | | | | Pratt, George, 14 Nov 1848, aged 29, he was crushed by a large fall of stone from the roof; he died five minutes after the stone was removed |
| | | | | | | Quick, John, 18 Oct 1858, aged 15, Apparatus boy, crushed by surface waggons at night |
| | | | | | | Small, James, 29 Aug 1870, aged 48, Stoneman, shot exploded when drawing pricker |
| | | | | | | Spencely, William, 30 Nov 1857, aged 67, Accidentally crushed by a fall of stone from roof of pit |
| | | | | | | Tempest, Thomas, 1841, aged 54, killed by a fall of stone |
| | | | | | | Vardy, Thomas, 15 Jan 1886, (accident: 23 Dec 1885), aged 67, Hewer, fall of stone at face of working place |
| | | | | | | Walker, J., 19 Jul 1859, aged 70, Shifter, killed by a fall of stone |
| | | | | | | Wall, Matthew, 28 Mar 1834, an empty corf having been left near the mouth of the shaft, was caught by the wind, and hurled down the shaft at the time five men were ascending, two of whom were killed, the rest severely injured [More information ...] |
| | | | | | | Wilkinson, Matthew, 20 Jul 1838, aged 31, Waggonman, killed accidentally by coal waggons, left wife (Mary) and five children, Buried: St. Lawrence Churchyard, Pittington on 22 Jul 1838 |
| | | | | | | Wilson, Edward, 28 Mar 1834, an empty corf having been left near the mouth of the shaft, was caught by the wind, and hurled down the shaft at the time five men were ascending, two of whom were killed, the rest severely injured [More information ...] |
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| | 27 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.
Those names marked with , have a web page providing individual details of the accident, the page may also include a photograph of the deceased. Click on the symbol next to the name to see the web page.
Some of the names of mining fatalities on this web page have been kindly provided by the researchers at North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers (N.E.I.M.M.E.) and are marked with 
.
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 |  |
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Inspectors Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 Nov 1852 | – | – | – | – | 1 | 1 | Crush of tubs |
| 13 Jun 1853 | – | – | – | 1 | – | 1 | |
| 05 Sep 1856 | – | – | – | – | 1 | 1 | crushed by tubs |
| 22 Jan 1857 | – | – | – | 1 | – | 1 | fall of stone |
Collieries and Pits within 5 miles (8km)
a simulated map showing the immediate vicinity of Pittington Colliery
list of collieries/pits etc. near to Pittington Colliery
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, Southern District by John J. Atkinson, H.M. Inspector of Mines
- 1859 Mines Inspectors Report, Southern District by John J. Atkinson, H.M. Inspector of Mines
- 1860 Mines Inspectors Report, Southern District by John J. Atkinson, H.M. Inspector of Mines
- 1862 Mines Inspectors Report, Southern District by John J. Atkinson, H.M. Inspector of Mines
- 1863 Mines Inspectors Report, Southern District by John J. Atkinson, H.M. Inspector of Mines
- 1868 Mines Inspectors Report, South Durham District by John J. Atkinson, H.M. Inspector of Mines
- 1870 Mines Inspectors Report (C 456) Where to find this report
- 1873-4 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department
- 1880 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department
- 1881 Mines Inspectors Report (C 3241)
- 1886 Mines Inspectors Report (C 5090) Where to find this report
- 1888 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department
- A History of Coal, Coke, Coalfields and Iron Manufacture in Northern England by William Fordyce published in 1860
- An Account of the strata of Northumberland & Durham as proved by Borings & Sinkings, Volume L-R, published by the North of England Institute of Mining & Mechanical Engineers, 1887
- Banners of the Durham Coalfield, Norman Emery, 1998, Sutton Publishing Ltd., ISBN 0-7509-1708-3
- Contributions by members of the Public
- Headstone(s) in St. Lawrence Churchyard, Pittington
- History, Topography, and Directory of the County Palatine of Durham by Francis Whellan. Second edition published in 1894.
- Mineral Statistics for 1855 (Memoirs of the Geological Survey of Great Britain, and of the Museum of Practical Geology), compiled by Robert Hunt, F.R.S.
- Mineral Statistics for 1860 (Memoirs of the Geological Survey of Great Britain, and of the Museum of Practical Geology), compiled by Robert Hunt, F.R.S.
- Mineral Statistics for 1865 (Memoirs of the Geological Survey of Great Britain, and of the Museum of Practical Geology), compiled by Robert Hunt, F.R.S.
- Mineral Statistics for 1869 (Memoirs of the Geological Survey of Great Britain, and of the Museum of Practical Geology), compiled by Robert Hunt, F.R.S.
- Mineral Statistics for 1883 - Government report from the Mines Department (C 4058), published in 1884 — includes List of Mines and Mineral Works
- Mineral Statistics for 1884 - Government report from the Mines Department (C 4430), published in 1885 — includes List of Mines and Openworks
- Researchers at North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers (N.E.I.M.M.E.)
- Victoria History of the Counties of England � Durham. Published in three volumes in 1907.
Related Links:
| On this site | |
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Newspaper articles |
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 Pittington Colliery