Crake Scar Colliery

Description

Disasters (5 or more killed)

Names of those killed at this colliery

Collieries and Pits within 5 miles (8km)

Gallery Images:

Credits

Sources:

	Crake Scar Colliery	Index	Crake Scar Colliery

Location:

Cockfield
15½ miles [24 km] SW of Durham

Map Ref:

(Sheet 92, OL42) NZ079276, 54° 38' 36" N, 1° 52' 35" W

Maps:

1860s map detailed map from the Ordnance Survey

1898 map from Reid's Handy Colliery Guide

1928 map from Reid's Handy Colliery Guide

Opened:

Closed:

Pits:

Pioneer Pit, sinking: 1893

Shaft details for Pioneer Pit

Owners:

1860s - J. Hardy & Co.

1880s - Woodland Coal Co. Ltd.

1890s - Woodland Collieries Co. Ltd.

Output:

1865 - Coal.

1873 - Coal.

1888 - Coal.

1894 - Coal: Coking, Manufacturing.

1896 - Coal: Coking, Manufacturing.

1900 - Coal: Coking, Manufacturing.

1902 - Coal: Coking, Manufacturing.

1905 - Coal: Coking, Manufacturing.

1910 - Coal: Coking, Manufacturing.

1915 - Coal: Coking, Manufacturing.

1921 - Coal: Coking, Manufacturing.

1923 - Coal: Coking.

1924 - Main Drift - Coal: Coking.

1925 - Main Drift - Coal: Coking, Manufacturing.

1927 - Main Drift - Coal: Manufacturing.

1927 - Huts Drift - Coal: Household, Manufacturing.

1929 - Huts Drift - Coal: Household, Manufacturing.

1929 - Huts Drift - Coal: Steam.

1940 - Coal: Manufacturing.

Employment:

Year	Pit	Total	Below	Above
1883		290	290
1894		171	118	53
1896		174	115	59
1900		138	74	64
1902		114	65	49
1905		94	45	49
1910		55	20	35
1915		72	53	19
1921		20	17	3
1923		19	14	5
1924	Main Drift	21	12	9
1925	Main Drift	7	5	2
1927	Main Drift	11	6	5
1927	Main Drift	Abandoned 27/9/27
1927	Huts Drift	4	2	2
	Total	15	8	7
1929	Huts Drift	Not worked since 1928
1929	Huts Drift	6	4	2
1929	Huts Drift	Abandoned 24/8/29
	Total	6	4	2
1940		14	9	5

Colliery Management (prior to 1970)

Seams Worked:

1905 - Five Quarter, Main Coal

1910 - Five Quarter, Main Coal

1915 - Five Quarter, Main Coal

1921 - Brockwell, Five Quarter, Main Coal

1923 - Main Coal

1924 - Main Drift - Main Coal

1925 - Main Drift - Main

1927 - Main Drift - Main [Abandoned 27/9/27]

1927 - Huts Drift - Brockwell

1929 - Huts Drift - Brockwell [Not worked since 1928]

1929 - Huts Drift - Brockwell [Abandoned 24/8/29]

1940 - Brockwell

Catalogue of plans of abandoned mines for Crake Scar Colliery

Notes:

1872 - Boring operations from the surface were in progress in the vicinity of Crake Scar Colliery, Cockfield.

1893 - The Pioneer shaft, Crake Scar Colliery, Cockfield, was sunk from the surface through the Brockwell to the lower coals.

1924 - Brockwell or Main seam abandoned

1931, 24 Dec - Brockwell seam abandoned

1935, 12 Oct - Brockwell seam abandoned

1938, 20 Aug - Brockwell seam abandoned

Here [Lynesack and Softley township] are the Butterknowle and Copley Collieries, Craik Scar and West Pits, which, with Land's Collieries, occupy the south western angle of the Durham coalfield, and give employment to the greater portion of the inhabitants. The seams are the "Hutton," four feet thick; the "Harvey," two feet to three feet eight inches ; the "Busty," five feet to six feet, containing a band of sagger of ten inches. The "Brockwell" is the thickest, being six feet. These seams are wrought by both shaft and drifts, which, owing to the great Butterknowle fault, are thrown down a depth of eighty fathoms on the south. In the Butterknowle pits there are nearly 700 men and boys employed.

Butterknowle is the largest village in the parish, and comprises the principal places of business, as well as the colliery. It is about a mile north from Cockfield Railway Station, eight miles west by south from Bishop Auckland, and eight north by east from Barnard Castle. The Bishop Auckland Co-operative Society have erected large stores here, being established since 1885. Copley Lane, Southside, and Wham are hamlets in this township.

The British School at Quarry Lane was originally built by public subscription, but is now supported by the colliery owners. Here accomodation is provided for 80 children.

Miners' Hall – at Butterknowle the miners have a large and well built stone hall, with large room for public entertainments. This hall will seat 450, and is the largest public hall in the district. There is also a reading and a recreation room for the use of the members.

Institute and Library. – The colliery owners have provided their workpeople with a building in which to establish an institute and library. This is now kept up by the members' fees.

Whellan's 1894 Directory of County Durham

None found.

Please note that this collection of names is by no means complete!

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.

a simulated map showing the immediate vicinity of Crake Scar Colliery

list of collieries/pits etc. near to Crake Scar Colliery

The Woodland & Crake Scar Collieries Officials 1st August 1913.

Horse hauling full tubs out of mine entrance at Crake Scar. This Crake Scar Pit was opened in 1940 by the Cake Scar Coal Company run by J. W. Alderson of Woodland.

Chalders, John Thomas, 13 Oct 1896, aged 14, Driver, Found dead with one leg between first and second tub of empty set, and the first tub was off the way. His skull was fractured, caused either by pony striking him or tub passing over him

Scott, William, 10 Sep 1898, aged 14, Driver, he was riding on the limbers and fell off in front of a set of empty tubs, and the first two passed over him causing instant death

2 names found

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)
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
1896 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department, also available online at Peak District Mines Historical Society Ltd
1896 Mines Inspectors Report (C 8450), Durham District (No. 4) by R. D. Bain, H.M. Inspector of Mines Where to find this report
1898 Mines Inspectors Report (C 9264), Durham District (No. 4) by R. D. Bain, H.M. Inspector of Mines Where to find this report
1900 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department
1902 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department
1905 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department
1909 List of Mines - from Reid's Handy Colliery Guide
1910 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department
1915 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department
1919 List of Mines - from Reid's Handy Colliery Guide
1921 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department
1923 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department
1924 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department
1925 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department
1927 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department
1929 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department
1940 Colliery Year Book and Coal Trades Directory published by Louis Cassier Co. Ltd.
An Account of the strata of Northumberland & Durham as proved by Borings & Sinkings, Supplement, published by the North of England Institute of Mining & Mechanical Engineers, 1910
History, Topography, and Directory of the County Palatine of Durham by Francis Whellan. Second edition published in 1894.
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
Victoria History of the Counties of England – Durham. Published in three volumes in 1907.