Chopwell Colliery

1781 - Boring operations from the surface were commenced on the Chopwell estate.

1795 - A deep bore-hole was put down in the Maria Pit, Chopwell Colliery, below the Brockwell Seam.

1798 - Taylor Pit, Chopwell Colliery, was sunk from the surface to the Three Quarter Seam.

1799 - Conclusion Pit, Chopwell Colliery, was sunk from the surface to the Three Quarter Seam.

1800 - North Pit, Chopwell Colliery, was sunk from the surface to the Brockwell Seam.

1802 - Penny Hill Pit, Chopwell Colliery, was sunk from surface to the Brockwell Seam.

1900 - A series of bore-holes was put down at Derwenthaugh, in the township of Winlaton, for the Consett Iron Company in connexion with the building of new staiths hereabouts, and the building of a new railroad from the Chopwell and Garefield Collieries subsequent to the opening out and development of these pits.

1950 - Five Quarter seam discontinued

Appleby, Peter, 13 Aug 1908, aged 25, Stoneman, fall of roof stone at working face

Armstrong, C., 15 May 1947, Cutter, fractured skull

Backhouse, T., 18 Dec 1941, aged 59, Stoneman, killed by a fall of stone

Bailey, George W., 27 Jan 1943, aged 48, Stoneman, killed by a fall of stone

Barnes, Joseph Johnston, 26 Dec 1905, (accident: 08 Apr 1904), aged 25, Hewer, On the 8th April, 1904, deceased's thigh was broken by a fall of ramble, while hewing in a rib of coal in the Five Quarter seam. The accident was not reported to me at the time as I think it should have been. He never resumed work. The broken thigh mended satisfactorily. No inquest was held as the doctor certified that death was due, primarily, to pulmonary tuberculosis of six months' duration, and, secondarily, to cardiac failure [fatality reported during the year but not classified as a reportable accident]

Bean, William, 29 Sep 1904, aged 61, Stoneman, A small staple 4½ feet in diameter was being sunk in the mine and was 9 feet deep. A hole was drilled by hand in a vertical position at the side and was about 2 feet 4 inches deep. Two cartridges (½ lb.) of cheddite were placed in it, fitted with detonator and Bickford's fuse. According to deceased's son's statement, the only other person present, deceased was stemming the hole when the charge exploded. The Local Inspectors reported "found, in our opinion, for the shot to have gone off while the man was stemming the hole as we saw the hole had been fired, as a hole in the roof indicates that the beater has been blown against the roof.", Buried: Christ Church Churchyard, Hamsterley

Bell, Arthur, 15 Mar 1955, aged 64, Buried: St. John the Baptist Churchyard, Chopwell

Birchnall, George Simon, 14 Dec 1921, (accident: 09 Dec 1921), aged 21, Putter, injured by a premature explosion of shot

Cairns, Thomas, 05 Feb 1912, aged 45, Hewer, in a headways 4 yards wide owing to a slippery jack on one side and a slip on the other, while working the back end off, the latter was uncovered, a large fall taking place

Cape, Thomas Dandy, 14 Jan 1924, (accident: 29 Jun 1923), aged 26, Putter, died as the result, it is alleged, of injuries received through lifting a full tub

Chambers, Joseph, 25 Sep 1914, (accident: 28 Mar 1913), aged 49, Hewer, died from general paralysis of the insane; it is alleged that death was accelerated by injuries received through a fall of stone on March 28th, 1913

Clement, William, 19 Jan 1909, aged 46, Back Overman, crushed by loaded tubs in landing

Connor, James, 07 Oct 1935, aged 64, Stoneman, killed by a fall of stone

Coutland, Thomas, 19 Oct 1904, aged 48, Stoneman [More information ...]

Darling, Harry, 17 Sep 1935, (accident: 27 Jun 1935), aged 52, Shifter, killed by a fall of stone

Davis, Robert, 03 Sep 1908, aged 62, Shifter, fall of stone from roof while repairing road

Dickinson, Walter, 16 Aug 1907, aged 29, Hewer, killed by a fall of roof [More information ...]

Dodd, Walter Henry, 12 Oct 1909, aged 21, Hewer, fall of roof stone at face of long wall, Buried: St. John the Baptist Churchyard, Chopwell

Donley, Henry, 11 Nov 1922, (accident: 08 Aug 1922), aged 51, Hewer, killed by a fall of ramble

Ellis, David, 14 Feb 1919, (accident: 13 Jan 1919), aged 33, Conveyor Puller, died from pleurisy following injuries as the result of a fall of stone

Erving, Miles Jubilee, 23 Dec 1905, aged 18, Screener [More information ...]

French, George, 08 May 1936, aged 50, Hewer, killed by a fall of stone

Frost, Richard, 18 Jun 1918, (accident: 04 Jun 1918), aged 61, Hewer, died as a result, it was allaged, of injuries received when he was lifting a large stone

Gardner, T., 07 Mar 1932, (accident: 12 Jan 1932), aged 65, Hewer, caught by set, died from injuries received

Gill, W., 11 Oct 1941, (accident: 10 Oct 1941), aged 43, Onsetter, caught by cage

Gillespie, James, 24 Jan 1907, aged 15, Driver [More information ...]

Graham, William, 26 Feb 1948, aged 43, Buried: St. John the Baptist Churchyard, Chopwell

Hamm, William Francis, 21 Feb 1911, aged 42, Stoneman, killed by a fall of stone

Harbottle, Thomas, 23 Apr 1924, (accident: 20 Dec 1915), aged 63, Hewer, killed by a fall of stone

Henderson, John, 22 Jan 1944, aged 50, Stoneman, killed by a fall of stone

Hodges, F., 29 Apr 1941, (accident: 28 Apr 1941), aged 61, Banksman, died from injuries received

Hudson, John, 03 May 1911, aged 25, Hewer, a motor-driven coal face conveyor was at work in what is known as 8th West Mothergate district of the New Stone Coal Seam; a defect had arisen in the switch controlling the motor, which switch was fastened, like the motor, to the framework of the conveyor; Hudson went to the switch when he heard of the defect, saying, "I think I can put that right," he lifted the cover from the switch, and then called for the current to be switched on by means of a neighbouring switch a few yards outbye of the defective switch; when the current was switched on, it was at once seen that Hudson was suffering from shock from the defective switch he was handling; current was quickly switched off, but the shock proved to be fatal; the switch from which the fatal shock was received was not earthed, though the pressure was 600 volts alternating current [More information ...]

Hume, Arthur, 08 Mar 1938, aged 19, Putter, crushed by tubs

Keogan, James, 31 Jul 1918, (accident: 29 Jul 1918), aged 15, Driver, died as a result of injuries received by a fall of stone

Kidd, Ernest, 15 Oct 1914, aged 25, Locomotive Driver, deceased was driving an electric locomotive at night with a set of full tubs, when he collided with a set of full tubs which had run amain down a branch railway; the locomotive was overturned, and he was crushed underneath it; the runaway set had come down a gradient of 1 in 24; the youth in charge of it was lowering the tubs to a certain point, using wooden lockers, when he lost control of them; the rails were slippery; there should have been a stop-block or runaway switch at this point, Buried: St. John the Baptist Churchyard, Chopwell

Lee, Alfred Fairman, 06 Aug 1924, (accident: 05 Aug 1924, 2.30 p.m., 6th hour of shift), aged 16, Surface Lad, injury to back and died from injuries received, Buried: St. John the Baptist Churchyard, Chopwell [More information ...]

Longstaff, T. E., 04 Apr 1951, aged 52, he was in the travelling way when he was struck by a set of tubs and fatally injured

Lowe, Joseph, 05 Dec 1918, aged 43, Hewer, killed by a fall of stone

Lowe, William, 16 Sep 1936, aged 43, Hewer, crushed by tubs

Lowther, Henry, 31 Dec 1906, aged 59, Wasteman, killed by a fall of stone [More information ...]

Lowther, James, 08 Dec 1910, (accident: 25 Nov 1910), aged 16, Incline Lad, Knee caught tub, blood poisoning supervened

Maggs, John, 17 Jun 1920, aged 53, Buried: St. John the Baptist Churchyard, Chopwell

Markham, John, 08 Aug 1904, aged 26, Hewer [More information ...]

McCormick, Thomas, 16 Jan 1913, aged 16, Driver [More information ...]

Minikin, C., 20 Dec 1948, (accident: 06 May 1948), aged 59, Hewer, died from injuries received

Moses, John, 22 Jul 1924, (accident: 03 Jun 1924, 1.0 a.m., 3rd hour of shift), aged 63, Shifter, deceased was assisting a stoneman to drill a shothole in the roof where a refuge hole was being made. A portion of coal and stone fell away from the corner of the partly formed refuge hole and struck deceased on the leg. He sustained a compound fracture, necessitating amputation of the leg. Pneumonia supervened and he died about 7 weeks later. It is probable that the side stone was disturbed when a previous shot was fired

Newton, John Robert, 26 Jun 1930, aged 29, Hewer, killed by a fall of stone, Buried: St. John the Baptist Churchyard, Chopwell

Ogilvie, W., 1916, [details unknown]

Raper, Frederick W., 24 Nov 1946, aged 54, Stoneman, killed by a fall of stone

Robinson, Alfred, 15 Aug 1915, (accident: 04 May 1914), Hewer, died from his injuries [details unknown]

Robson, William, 20 May 1905, aged 22, Joiner [More information ...]

Rosenburg, John Henry, 24 Dec 1934, aged 35, killed by a fall of stone

Ruddick, Francis, 12 Feb 1906, aged 32, Hewer, killed by a fall of stone, Buried: St. John the Baptist Churchyard, Chopwell [More information ...]

Russell, Thomas, 22 Feb 1922, aged 22, Putter, killed by a fall of stone

Slater, Ernest, 12 Aug 1937, aged 48, Filler, killed by a fall of stone, Buried: St. John the Baptist Churchyard, Chopwell

Smith, John, 02 Aug 1908, aged 52, Stoneman, fall of roof stone while renewing timber on a haulage road

Smith, Joseph, 15 Jan 1912, aged 20, Rolleywayman, a link of the tail-rope coupling broke when the set was on a down grade; Smith, after having uncoupled the main rope, was knocked down by the tubs as they ran uncontrolled down the road

Spark, George E., 16 Apr 1937, (accident: 15 Apr 1937), aged 56, Hewer, fractured spine and died from injuries received

Stephenson, Joseph, 06 Mar 1907, (accident: 05 Mar 1907), aged 29, Hewer, Buried: Brigham Parish Church, Brigham, Cumbria [More information ...]

Stewart, John, 28 Apr 1935, aged 44, Buried: St. John the Baptist Churchyard, Chopwell

Telford, William, 1896, aged 14, employed by a contractor engaged in making a reservoir for the Chopwell Colliery, fell under a travelling crane, and was killed [fatality reported during the year but not classified as a reportable accident]

Urwin, Robert, 20 Mar 1913, aged 25, Hewer, whilst filling a tub at the face of a bord, a piece of stone fell from between two well-marked small hitches; deceased had apparently waited until he had filled the tub before pulling the stone down

West, Earl FitzGeorge, 16 Nov 1910, aged 14, Driver, rail caught tub bottom in which he was riding

Weston, William, 22 Jun 1935, aged 36, Stoneman, killed by a fall of stone, Buried: St. John the Baptist Churchyard, Chopwell

Wilkinson, Joseph Herbert, 09 Oct 1916, aged 33, Buried: St. John the Baptist Churchyard, Chopwell

Wynn, Francis, 11 May 1907, (accident: 12 Apr 1907), aged 33, Labourer [More information ...]