	Bates Colliery	Index	Bates Colliery

Bates Colliery

Location:

Blyth
12 miles [19 km] NNE of Newcastle

Map Ref:

(Sheet 81) NZ306823, 55° 8' 3" N, 1° 31' 9" W

Maps:

1951 map from the Guide to the Coalfields (Colliery Guardian)

Opened:

Closed:

1986

Sinking Started:

1932-4

Owners:

1930s - Cowpen Coal Co. Ltd.

1947 - National Coal Board (N.C.B.)

Output:

1935 - Coal: Household, Manufacturing, Steam.

1947 - Coal: Household, Manufacturing, Steam. (310,000 tons)

1950 - Coal: Steam.

1955 - Coal: Household, Manufacturing, Steam.

1960 - Coal: Household, Manufacturing, Steam.

1965 - Coal: Household, Manufacturing, Steam.

1970 - Coal: Household, Manufacturing, Steam.

1975 - Coal: Household, Steam.

1980 - Coal: Household, Steam.

1985 - Coal: Household, Steam.

Employment:

Year	Total	Below	Above
1935	810	670	140
1940	761	685	76
1945	1,049	748	301
1947	1,136	836	300
1950	1,242	944	298
1955	1,278	996	282
1960	1,614	1,335	279
1965	1,873	1,629	244
1970	1,915	1,548	367
1970	inc. shared services
1975	1,789	1,498	291
1980	1,730	1,420	310
1985	1,735	1,454	281

NCB Employment Figures

Colliery Management (prior to 1970)

Seams Worked:

1935 - Beaumont, Low Main, Plessey

1950 - Beaumont, Plessey

1955 - Beaumont, Plessey

1960 - Beaumont, Plessey

1965 - Beaumont, Bottom Plessey, Plessey

1970 - Bottom Plessey, Harvey, Plessey

1975 - Harvey, Hutton, Three Quarter

1980 - Hutton, Three Quarter

1985 - Brass Thill, Hutton, Main, Three Quarter

Catalogue of plans of abandoned mines for Bates Colliery

Description

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!

						Ball, George, 09 Aug 1939, aged 29, Puller up, killed by a fall of stone
						Barron, Matty, 25 Nov 1970, aged 58, Power Loader, killed by a longwall shearer when it came out at the end of it's cut
						Bell, John, 25 Apr 1944, (accident: 21 Apr 1944), aged 49, Chargeman, killed by a fall of stone, Buried: Blyth Cemetery
						Charlton, Paul, 16 Dec 1981, aged 21, Power Loader, crushed in rockfall, Brass Thill 295s winnings, son of Geordie Charlton chock fitter
						Childs, Thomas William, 12 Aug 1955, aged 42, Shifter, run over by locomotive
						Craig, John, 04 Jul 1946, (accident: 03 Jul 1946), aged 15, Screener, crushed by tub
						Dunn, John S., 25 Jul 1942, aged 35, Wagon Hoist Driver, crushed by machinery
						Elliott, Thomas, 20 Feb 1969, aged 55, Powerloader, crushed
						Emmerson, James Temple, 05 Sep 1941, (accident: 04 Sep 1941), aged 38, Filler, killed by a fall of stone
						Fawcus, Robert, 23 Jul 1943, (accident: 20 Jul 1943), aged 34, Haulage Hand, crushed by cage
						Ferry, John, 02 Jul 1937, (accident: 01 Dec 1936), aged 37, Filler, killed by a fall of stone
						Fuller, James John, 02 Feb 1954, aged 37, Deputy, killed by a fall of stone [More information ...]
						Hart, James Henry, 29 Dec 1943, aged 48, Filler, killed by a fall of coal
						Hepple, Cud, 1980, run over by an underground locomotive [approximate date]
						Hodgetts, William, 12 Jun 1967, aged 35, Ripper, killed by a fall of stone
						Lumley, James, 24 Feb 1945, (accident: 15 Jan 1945), aged 52, Stoneman, died from a strangulated hernia
						Marshall, John, 08 Feb 1957, aged 43, Engineman, caught in machinery
						McAndrew, Jimmy, 01 Sep 1980, aged 51, Shift Charge Engineer, crushed by haulage in R21s Main Gate
						Middlemiss, William, 19 Jul 1943, aged 65, Salvage Drawer, killed by a fall of stone, father of William John, Buried: St. Albans Churchyard, Earsdon [More information ...]
						Middlemiss, William John, 19 Jul 1943, aged 40, Salvage Drawer, killed by a fall of stone, son of William, Buried: St. Albans Churchyard, Earsdon [More information ...]
						Mould, John Edward, 03 Feb 1941, (accident: 02 Feb 1941), aged 30, Coal Cutter, explosion in mine
						Nelson, William Ernest, 12 Mar 1942, aged 30, Drawer, killed by a fall of stone
						Potts, Thomas Boyd, 18 Jul 1936, aged 25, Deputy, explosion of firedamp [More information ...]
						Purvis, William Boxhall, 03 Feb 1954, (accident: 02 Feb 1954), aged 23, Sinker, killed by a fall of stone [More information ...]
						Rossiter, William Henry, 10 Jun 1938, aged 30, Filler, killed by a fall of stone
						Stapleton, William, 04 Jul 1946, aged 39, Deputy, crushed by machinery
						Thewlis, Thomas Smith, 07 Jan 1944, (accident: 05 Jan 1944), aged 45, Stoneman, struck by girder
						Thornton, George, 16 May 1935, aged 49, crushed by set
						Wall, William Walker, 30 Aug 1934, aged 33, Filler, killed by a fall of stone
						Waterson, Thomas, 18 Jul 1936, aged 32, Deputy, explosion of firedamp [More information ...]
						Webb, Albert Ivan Charles, 20 Nov 1940, (accident: 13 Nov 1940), aged 25, Rolleywayman, struck by set
						Weir, John, 09 Jan 1946, aged 59, Coal Filler, killed by a fall of coal
						Wilson, Isaac, 06 Jan 1939, aged 51, Filler, killed by a fall of stone
						Wright, Robert, 12 Sep 1944, aged 57, Onsetter, caught by rail
						Young, George R., 12 Jun 1953, aged 52, Waggon Man, struck by waggons

						35 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 site have been kindly provided by Ray Ditchburn from his research into fatalities in Northumberland and are marked with .

more information on some of the fatalities shown above

Collieries and Pits within 5 miles (8km)

a simulated map showing the immediate vicinity of Bates Colliery

list of collieries/pits etc. near to Bates Colliery

Gallery Images:

Bates Cottages Recreation Ground, East Holywell (Northumberland)

View of pit bottom, Bates pit, showing excavation work for shaft sidings and shuttering for brick arches

Exterior view of screens and washery, Bates Pit

Interior of screening plant, showing rubber picking belts

Anti-breakage loading jibs, Bates Pit screening plant

A view of the sidings and existing preparation plant

A view of the dirt barge and loading conveyor

An aerial view of the colliery site showing the progress of the reconstruction work

The new railway sidings on the bank of the river

The main haulage road leading to No. 3 shaft

Credits

Sources:

1935 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department
1936 Mines Inspectors Report
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
1975 Guide to the Coalfields published by the Colliery Guardian
1980 Guide to the Coalfields published by the Colliery Guardian
1985/6 Guide to the Coalfields published by the Colliery Guardian
Contributions by members of the Public
Contributions from Ray Ditchburn from his research into mining fatalities in Northumberland
Headstone(s) in Blyth cemetery
Headstone(s) in St. Alban's Churchyard, Earsdon

Pictures:

Colliery picture supplied by Bob Bowerbank