Durham Mining Museum - Whitworth Park Colliery (original) (raw)

Location:	Spennymoor5½ miles [9 km] SSW of Durham
Map Ref:	(Sheet 93) NZ250340, 54° 42' 1" N, 1° 36' 43" W
Maps:	1860s map detailed map from the Ordnance Survey
1898 map from Reid's Handy Colliery Guide
1951 map from the Guide to the Coalfields (Colliery Guardian)
Opened:	1841
Closed:	29 Jul 1974
Pits:	Shaft details for Whitworth Park Colliery
Owners:	1841 - Durham County Coal Co.
1840s - West Dock Co.
1840s - R. S. Johnson & T. M. Reay
1850s - Surtees & Co.
1890s - Messrs. Brown & Oliver
1928 - Whitworth Park Coal Co.
1947 - National Coal Board (N.C.B.)
Output:	1860 - Coal.
1865 - Coal.
1873 - Coal.
1888 - Coal.
1894 - Coal: Household, Manufacturing, Steam.
1896 - Coal: Household, Manufacturing, Steam.
1900 - Coal: Household, Manufacturing, Steam.
1902 - Coal: Household, Manufacturing, Steam.
1905 - Coal: Household, Manufacturing, Steam.
1930 - Coal: Household.
1935 - Coal: Household, Steam.
1940 - Coal: Household, Steam. (70,000 tons)
1947 - Coal: Coking, Household. (59,086 tons)
1950 - Coal: Coking, Household.
1955 - Coal: Coking, Household.
1960 - Coal: Coking, Household.
1965 - Coal: Coking, Gas, Household, Steam.
1970 - Coal: Coking, Gas, Household, Steam.
1971 - Coal: Coking, Gas, Household, Steam.
1972 - Coal: Coking, Gas, Household, Steam.
1974 - Coal: Coking, Gas, Household, Steam.
Employment:	Year Pit Total Below Above 1854_Working_ 1883_Standing_ 189486779 189676715 1900897811 190249427 1905_Abandoned_ 193014612125 193524619155 194028024040 194521917544 194726922346 195029324350 195530724859 196029523560 196532127348 197029125239 197125022030 197226022535 197424021624
NCB Employment Figures
Colliery Management (prior to 1970)
Seams Worked:	1905 - Low Main [Abandoned]
1930 - Harvey
1935 - Harvey
1940 - Harvey
1950 - Harvey
1955 - Harvey
1960 - Harvey
1965 - Busty, Harvey
1970 - Harvey, Top Busty
1971 - Harvey, Top Busty
1972 - Top Busty
1974 - Top Busty
	Catalogue of plans of abandoned mines for Whitworth Park Colliery
Notes:	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
Miscellaneous Notes and Incidents for Whitworth Park Colliery

Description

This colliery is situated about 6 miles south-west from the city of Durham. The royalty belongs to R. E. D. Shaftoe, Esq., of Whitworth; and the sinking was commenced, June 15, 1839, by the "Durham County Coal Company."* The first coal was got on July 10, 1841. The depth of the shaft to the Hutton seam is 86 fathoms; and the coal averages about 3 feet 10 inches in thickness. There is a condensing pumping-engine of 120 horse power ; and the drawing-engine is of 40 horse power. Attached is a self-acting apparatus for drawing small coal to a separate heap; and all the fittings up "at bank" are neat and of the most improved description. The railway joins the Byers Green branch of the Clarence (the act for which was obtained in 1836) about 500 yards from the colliery, from whence to the drops at Port Clarence on the Tees is about 21 miles. Coals from this pit have, however, been occasionally shipped at Hartlepool. In 1842, the colliery was laid in and dismantled by the company, after an outlay of nearly £40,000; but, in a very brief space, it was re-let to, and refitted up by a private company, who are entering upon their speculation with sanguine expectations of success.

* The other collieries worked by this company were those of Byers Green, Gordon and Evenwood, and Coxhoe; all communicating with the Tees by the Clarence railway. But, whilst the collieries in the Auckland district have been made successful competitors with those of the Tyne and Wear, a want of energy, or some other cause, has hitherto precluded this company from obtaining those advantages which, apparently at least, might have been expected. It is painful to record, therefore, that many of the original shareholders have retired with loss, and that the general prospects of the company are still inauspicious.

Views of the Collieries (1844)

There is a small colliery in this township [_Whitworth_], where the Low Main is worked at a depth of 25 fathoms, having a thickness of 2 feet 9 inches. This is called Whitworth Colliery, and is only working the one seam, Thomas M. Reay being the proprietor. There are about 150 men employed, and the output is 250 tons per day. The Old Whitworth Park Colliery, opened in 1841, was exhausted in 1882.

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!

| | | | | | | Adams, John, 30 Mar 1870, aged 48, Hewer, fall of stone while assisting to draw jud, Buried: St. John the Evangelist Churchyard, Kirk Merrington | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | -------------------------------------------------------------------- | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | | | | | | | Baker, James, 06 Oct 1863, aged 68, Shiftman, fractured skull by a fall of stone, lived six months afterwards | | | | | | | | 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 | | | | | | | | Haydon, Ralph, 13 Jan 1850, struck on the head by a metal chair falling down the shaft | | | | | | | | 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, (accident: 01 Mar 1865), aged 39, Hewer, fall of stone in broken, lived 30 days after accident [Inquest: 01 Apr 1865] | | | | | | | | Lowe, William Lawrence, Sep 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, Buried: St. Stephen's Churchyard/Willington Cemetery | | | | | | | | 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 | | | | | | | | | | 48 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 , were killed in a disaster for which a memorial has been erected or for which we have images concerning the disaster, alternately their name may be mentioned on a memorial plaque. Click on the symbol next to the name to see the appropriate web page for the memorial.

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 site have been kindly provided byThe Wheatley Hill History Cluband 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							Inspectors Remarks
04 Sep 1852	–	–	–	1	–	1
14 Sep 1852	–	–	–	–	1	1	Railway waggons
30 Aug 1853	–	–	–	–	1	1	falling of gangway

Collieries and Pits within 5 miles (8km)

a simulated map showing the immediate vicinity of Whitworth Park Colliery

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

Gallery Images:

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
• 1861 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
• 1865 Mines Inspectors Report, South Durham District by John J. Atkinson, H.M. Inspector of Mines
• 1866 Mines Inspectors Report
• 1869 Mines Inspectors Report (C 124), South Durham District by John J. Atkinson, H.M. Inspector of Mines Where to find this report
• 1870 Mines Inspectors Report (C 456) Where to find this report
• 1871 Mines Inspectors Report (C. 653), South Durham, Westmoreland, and Cleveland District by James Willis, H.M. Inspector of Mines Where to find this report
• 1873-4 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department
• 1873 Mines Inspectors Report (C. 1056), South Durham, Westmoreland, and Cleveland District by James Willis, H.M. Inspector of Mines Where to find this report
• 1874 Mines Inspectors Report (C 1216) Where to find this report
• 1875 Mines Inspectors Report (C. 1499), Durham by Thomas Bell, H.M. Inspector of Mines Where to find this report
• 1876 Mines Inspectors Report (C. 1734), Durham by Thomas Bell, H.M. Inspector of Mines Where to find this report
• 1877 Mines Inspectors Report (C. 2003), Durham District by Thomas Bell, H.M. Inspector of Mines Where to find this report
• 1878 Mines Inspectors Report (C 2321), Durham District by Thomas Bell, H.M. Inspector of Mines Where to find this report
• 1880 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department
• 1881 Mines Inspectors Report (C 3241)
• 1888 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department
• 1890 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department
• 1894 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department
• 1894 Mines Inspectors Report (C 7667), Durham District (No. 4) by Thomas Bell, H.M. Inspector of Mines Where to find this report
• 1896 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department, also available online at Peak District Mines Historical Society Ltd
• 1900 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department
• 1900 Mines Inspectors Report (Cd 536), Durham District (No. 4) by Ronald D. Bain, H.M. Inspector of Mines Where to find this report
• 1902 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department
• 1905 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department
• 1930 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department
• 1935 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department
• 1940 Colliery Year Book and Coal Trades Directory published by Louis Cassier Co. Ltd.
• 1945 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department
• 1947 The Colliery Year Book and Coal Trades Directory. Published by The Louis Cassier Co. Ltd., from a copy held in the Scottish Mining Museum, Newtongrange, Midlothian
• 1950 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department
• 1955 Guide to the Coalfields published by the Colliery Guardian
• 1960 Guide to the Coalfields published by the Colliery Guardian
• 1965 Guide to the Coalfields published by the Colliery Guardian
• 1970 Guide to the Coalfields published by the Colliery Guardian
• 1971 Guide to the Coalfields published by the Colliery Guardian
• 1972 Guide to the Coalfields published by the Colliery Guardian
• 1973 Guide to the Coalfields published by the Colliery Guardian
• 1974 Guide to the Coalfields published by the Colliery Guardian
• 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 Merrington Lane Cemetery, Spennymoor
• Headstone(s) in St. John the Evangelist Churchyard, Kirk Merrington
• Headstone(s) in St. Paul's Churchyard, Spennymoor
• Headstone(s) in St. Stephen's Churchyard/Cemetery, Willington
• History, Topography, and Directory of the County Palatine of Durham by Francis Whellan. Second edition published in 1894.
• Local Historian's Table Book of Remarkable Occurrences Connected with the Counties of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, Northumberland and Durham by M.A. Richardson. Published in five volumes in 1844.
• Local Records or Historical Register of Remarkable Events by John Latimer, published in 1857
• 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
• 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.

Related Links:

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 Whitworth Park Colliery