Bearpark Colliery

1854 - Boring operations were in progress in Bearpark Royalty, near Witton Gilbert, on the Brancepeth estate.

1873 - Bearpark Coke Ovens opened as beehive ovens

1917 - New byeproduct ovens opened - replaces earlier beehive ovens.

1929, 21 Dec - Hutton seam abandoned

1948 - Busty seam abandoned

Allan, Peter, 18 Jun 1932, aged 45, Stoneman, killed by a fall of stone

Allenby, William, 30 May 1923, aged 17, Rope Lad, crushed between a tub and a baulk

Avery, Edward, 14 Nov 1911, (accident: 13 Nov 1911), aged 21, Labourer, he was coupling waggons without using a pole, when he was crushed between the coupling chain hooks; both lungs were ruptured though no bones were broken, and he died next day

Bellamy, Samuel, 29 Mar 1951, aged 48, Buried: Ushaw Moor Cemetery [More information ...]

Benson, Patrick, 18 Apr 1903, aged 24, Coke Filler, he was emptying a truck of ballast on a waste heap; it had got away from him, and in attempting to stop it with a pinch-bar he was caught by the latter and fatally injured

Bowe, John, 02 Apr 1919, (accident: 21 Aug 1918), aged 57, Stoneman, died as the result, it was alleged, of injuries received though a fall of stone, when he received a compound fracture of the thigh

Carling, James, 26 Jun 1916, aged 42, He died in the County Hospital on 26 June after straining himself. He had been working single handed taking out a pillar, and had just filled his first tub and was following the putter out for another. There was a sleeper on the plate-ends, so he and the putter lifted a full tub over it. The tub and coal weighed 16 cwt. Death was due to 'ceberal haemhorrage, due to unusual high blood pressure, caused by a sudden and severe overstrain of the heart, resulting from his occupation'

Carr, Robert, 16 Mar 1926, aged 14, Landing Lad, crushed by tubs, Buried: St. Cuthbert's Churchyard, North Road, Durham [More information ...]

Carter, Henry, 05 Jul 1904, (accident: 06 Oct 1903), aged 49, Hewer, On 6th October, 1903, he received a slight injury to his hand from a fall of coal, he afterwards went raging mad and attempted to cut his throat and was removed to Sedgefield Asylum, where he died. Jury at inquest returned a verdict that injury caused insanity and therefore death, but Dr. Plummer, the Medical Referee under Compensation Act, says it had nothing to do with death

Carter, William, 17 Nov 1892, 9:30 p.m., 6th hour of shift, aged 30, Deputy, while engaged drawing timber out of back bords, a heavy fall of stone took place

Clark, Robert Alexander, 05 Apr 1944, aged 60

Connor, James, 16 Jul 1914, aged 45, Foreman Joiner, deceased was employed by a firm of contractors erecting a new coal-washer at the colliery; on this day work had been stopped on account of heavy rain; a piece of wire rope had been left dangling from part of the structure, and as it was in a position likely to become entangled with railway wagons in motion on the rails below, deceased proceeded to remove it; he climbed up a ladder to a height of 18 feet, and in stepping off the ladder on to a concrete floor at that point, he slipped and fell to the ground; he was picked up unconscious and died four hours later

Cummings, P., 13 Dec 1904, (accident: 14 Feb 1902), reported as getting hurt when sawing a piece of wood on 14th February, 1902, died of natural causes 13th December, 1904

Cutty, Robert A., 16 May 1937, aged 49, Cutter, caught in machinery

Davis, John, 02 Jul 1887, aged 50, Labourer, was run over by small waggons while engaged cleaning way top of coke ovens

Davis, Thomas Aston, 23 Aug 1905, (accident: 20 Apr 1905), aged 14, Driver, the limbers came off and he fell in front of a set of tubs; knee and head were cut and injured internally, he died August 23rd

Elliott, Thomas, 16 Aug 1940, aged 51, Deputy, killed by a fall of stone

Evison, Thomas, 24 Nov 1949

Farrey, Joseph, 13 Oct 1943

Fishburn, James, 02 Jun 1928, (accident: 21 May 1928), aged 56, Shifter, killed by shot, died from injuries received [More information ...]

Fishwick, John W., 16 Jun 1941, aged 45, Hewer, killed by a fall of stone

Flatley, Michael, 27 Apr 1936, aged 52, Waggonway Man

Gallagher, John, 12 Aug 1921, (accident: 04 Aug 1921), aged 64, Waggonway Man, died from injuries received to his head through being hit by a wheel

Gallagher, Stephen, 08 Aug 1939, aged 28, Putter, caught by set rope

Glaister, James, 20 Apr 1955, aged 61, died from injuries received, Buried: St. Nicholas Cemetery, Durham

Graham, David, 24 Oct 1923, aged 48, Stoneman, killed by a fall of stone

Hazell, George W., 09 Apr 1942, aged 32, Filler, killed by a fall of stone

Hillery, Thomas, 25 Jan 1926, (accident: 21 Jan 1926), aged 39, Hewer, died from injuries received

Hudspeth, John, 08 Sep 1939, Electrican, [approximate date & details]

Hunt, Thomas, 07 Mar 1950

Hunter, George, 16 Mar 1874, aged 28, Sinker, fell down the pit a distance of 21 fathoms

Kell, William, 04 May 1877, (accident: 24 Apr 1877), aged 30, Deputy, injury to head by fall of stone while drawing some back props

Knowles, Joseph E., 08 Jan 1942, aged 56, Filler, killed by a fall of stone

Lee, James, 12 Dec 1949, aged 44, killed by a fall of stone (listed on the memorial in St. Edmund's Church, Bearpark as 'John Lee')

Lowery, Thomas, 09 Sep 1890, aged 50, Mason, run over by a locomotive engine on top of coke ovens while attending to some repairs

Middleton, Robert, 04 Nov 1921, aged 51, Timber Drawer, Killed by a fall of stone. Middleton was working with Rowland Shotton. They had drawn about 22 chocks when a heavy fall of stone occurred ; Shotton, who was about five feet away from Middleton, managed to escape unhurt. The stone was estimated to weigh 7 tons.

Milburn, John M., 20 Feb 1957

Mills, Gary W., 09 Apr 1978

Minnis, James, 26 Dec 1936, (accident: 18 Dec 1936), aged 56, Hewer, caught by set

Mitchell, J. W., 15 Nov 1892, (accident: 09 Nov 1892), aged 16, Landing Boy, died from alleged injuries to hip on the 9th November; a post mortem revealed the fact that death resulted from pneumonia, and that there were no traces of injury whatever [fatality reported during the year but not classified as a reportable accident]

Morton, George, 25 Jul 1949

Morton, Robert, 20 Jun 1902, aged 41, Chock Drawer, they were repairing an old headways when a very large stone fell and killed them both ; the fall was caused by slips which could not be seen before it took place [More information ...]

Owen, John, 20 Jun 1902, aged 18, Timber Leader, they were repairing an old headways when a very large stone fell and killed them both ; the fall was caused by slips which could not be seen before it took place [More information ...]

Owens, Isaac, 07 Jun 1928, (accident: 02 Jun 1928), aged 39, Drawer, killed by a fall of stone

Parker, Arthur, 23 May 1958, aged 46, died suddenly while following his employment [D. Adv 23 May 1958]

Piggott, William, 08 Feb 1906, aged 26, Chockdrawer, When drawing timber from a broken jud, a stone, some 15 ft. x 8 ft. x 2 ft. thick, came away, and one end struck him, killing him almost instantly.

Purcell, John, 02 Aug 1907, aged 22, Timberer, when setting the timber in a longwall face in front of a coal cutter, a thick stone fell from between two parallel joints and killed him

Raitt, Thomas A., 19 Nov 1931, (accident: 04 Sep 1931), aged 26, Cutter, crushed

Rhodes, Thomas, 29 Oct 1902, (accident: 11 Sep 1902), aged 64, Tub mender, when following his employment his ??? got scratched, blood poisoning set in

Richardson, John, 03 Jun 1881, aged 14, Screener, run over by a coal truck near to screens

Richardson, William, 12 Jun 1875, aged 40, Fireman, crushed by a waggon under screens, Chester Ward Coroner's Inquest, place: Durham County hosp., cause: crushed by coal truck Bearpark Colliery (DRO Ref: COR/C/2/298)

Robson, Thomas, 04 May 1931, aged 38, killed by a fall of stone

Ryans, Thomas, 15 Nov 1948

Schofield, Matthew C., 05 Oct 1944, aged 40, Filler, killed by a fall of stone, Buried: St. Nicholas Cemetery, Durham

Scott, John T., 11 Oct 1933, aged 45, Stoneman, killed by a fall of stone

Shotton, Hailes, 14 Jan 1927, aged 42, Hewer, killed by a fall of stone [More information ...]

Simpson, Albert, 05 Aug 1941

Skelton, Robert A., 31 Jan 1901, aged 48, Screener, filling a truck with small coal at the apparatus and some trucks that were being lowered from the screens caught the one on which he was and moved it forward, crushing him between the truck top and apparatus

Stangroom, J., 21 Jul 1914, (accident: 10 Jul 1912)

Storey, Gilbert, 23 Feb 1931, aged 36, Hewer, killed by a fall of stone

Sturdy, Edward Waterston, 14 Sep 1917, aged 18, Assistant Sulphate Ammonia Maker, Compression of brain due to heamorage from bruise on temple accidentally caused by fall from a girder whilst attempting to tighten a bolt on a joist at the Sulphate Ammonia House

Thirlway, William, 25 Mar 1884, aged 43, Hewer, crushed by a fall of coal which fell from a back while kirving

Turnbull, Richard, 18 Sep 1925, aged 33, Hewer, killed by a fall of stone

Turnbull, Walter Alexander, 09 Oct 1940, (accident: 08 Oct 1940), aged 23, Putter, he died in Durham County Hospital from internal haemorrhage and shock after being caught by a heavy fall of stone in the 2nd West District, Victoria seam, the previous day, Buried: Ushaw Moor Cemetery

Waugh, George, 20 Feb 1935, aged 52, Drawer, killed by a fall of stone

Whynn, John, 12 Aug 1913, aged 40, Hewer, deceased was commencing to build a chock near the corner at the fast side of a jud in the Busty seam, when a large piece of post, 6 feet long, 3 feet wide and 2 feet thick, fell from a slip and three well-defined joints, on to him; he died whilst being removed from beneath the stone

Wilkinson, Adam, 17 Feb 1938, aged 14, Landing Lad, set ran amain, Buried: Ushaw Moor Cemetery

Wilkinson, John, 15 Sep 1942, aged 41, Hewer, killed by a fall of stone

Wilson, Joseph, 29 Oct 1927, aged 54, Filler, killed by a fall of stone

Wilson, Maurice, 04 Apr 1939, aged 16, Offtake Lad, struck by winch

Wynne, Robert, 22 Mar 1894, 7:00 a.m., 3rd hour of shift, aged 30, Hewer, Fall of roof while attending his work.