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	Evenwood Colliery	Index	Evenwood Colliery

Location:	Evenwood 13 miles [21 km] SW of Durham
Map Ref:	(Sheet 92) NZ147255, 54° 37' 28" N, 1° 46' 20" W
Maps:	1898 map from Reid's Handy Colliery Guide
Opened:	1836
Closed:	Dec 1912
Pits:	Engine Pit
	Shaft details for Engine Pit
	Randolph Pit
	Shaft details for Randolph Pit
Owners:	1860s - Thompson & Garbutt
	1880s - Joseph Hill
	1880s - Tees Hetton Coal Co. Ltd.
	1890s - North Bitchburn Coal Co. Ltd.
Output:	1860 - Coal.
	1865 - Coal.
	1873 - Coal.
	1888 - Coal.
	1894 - Coal: Coking, Manufacturing, Steam.
	1896 - Coal: Coking, Manufacturing, Steam.
	1900 - Coal: Coking, Manufacturing, Steam.
	1902 - Coal: Coking, Manufacturing, Steam.
	1910 - Coal: Coking, Manufacturing, Steam.
Employment:	1882 - 0 [Standing]
	1883 - 207 [Standing]
	1884 - 0 [Standing]
	1894 - 153 (124 below, 29 surface)
	1896 - 0 [Standing]
	1900 - 0 [Standing]
	1902 - 0 [Standing]
	1905 - 0 [Not worked]
	1910 - 0 [Not worked]
	Colliery Management (prior to 1970)
	Catalogue of plans of abandoned mines for Evenwood Colliery
Notes:	1893 - Randolph Pit, Evenwood Colliery, was sunk from the surface to the Brockwell Seam.
	1912 - Harvey, Busty, Brockwell seams abandoned

Description

Coal is also extensively worked in this township [Evenwood], as will be seen by the following account of the several pits when in working order. The owners of Norwood colliery have two seams at work – the Brockwell, 5 ft. 6in., at the depth of 14 fathoms, which dips considerably to the north east, and the Busty, 4 feet thick, is worked by two drifts north and south. The annual output is 120,000 tons, and the number employed is over 200. Evenwood colliery, by the North Bitchburn Coal Co., have two pits working the Brockwell, 5 ft. 9 in., at the depth of 72 fathoms. Five Quarter from 1-9 to 3 feet at 58 fathoms, and the yard seam at 51 fathoms.

These seams are worked by a drift from Evenwood Colliery. The average output is 160,000 tons per annum, and the number employed is over 300. There are fifty coke ovens, but not in use at present. Storey Lodge Colliery, by the North Bitchburn Coal Co., working the Yard seam and the Five Quarter, 4 ft. 6 in. yielding an annual output of 80,000 tons, and employing 180 hands. Reiley Fell Colliery, by Messrs. Henry Stobart & Co. Here are the Busty, 3 ft. 8 in. to 4 ft., and the Brockwell, 5 ft. 10 in. This pit is at present idle ; but there are 70 coke ovens, which are supplied from the Lands Colliery, which was sunk in 1879, and at which are worked the Harvey, 2 ft. 4 in., the Busty, 4 ft. 6 in. to 6 ft., and the Brockwell, 5 ft. 10 in., employing 100 hands. At Morley Colliery, by Mr. Andrew Mein, is worked by a drift, the Main Coal seam, 5 ft. 6 in. to 6 ft., yielding 30,000 tons per annum, and employing 40 men and boys. Pit Close is another small colliery, where Mr. George Lowson is working also the Main Coal seam.

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!

						Bell, Thomas, 22 Feb 1869, aged 40, Shifter, fell down pit
						Butler, John, 31 Aug 1857, killed by a fall of coal [More information ...]
						Davison, Thomas, 30 Nov 1853, (accident: 21 Nov 1853), crushed by cage [More information ...]
						Harrison, Joseph, 10 Apr 1858, Waggon Driver, run over by his waggon on the road from Bishop Auckland
						Heslop, Solomon, 20 Nov 1863, Hewer, crushed by tubs in engine plane
						Mason, William, 01 Jun 1894, 2:30 p.m., 9th hour of shift, aged 14, Driver, Head crushed between tub and roof while coming out-bye and riding on the limbers [More information ...]
						Powell, James, 18 Aug 1869, aged 20, Hewer, blasting of coal
						Richardson, George, 03 Jun 1865, aged 32, Stoneman, crushed by cage at bottom of shaft
						Richardson, Robert, 01 May 1874, aged 35, Deputy, killed by a fall of stone, Buried: Evenwood Cemetery
						Sanderson, George, 29 Apr 1887, aged 24, Hewer, killed by a fall of stone
						Stonebank, John, 1867
						11 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 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

Collieries and Pits within 5 miles (8km)

  a simulated map showing the immediate vicinity of Evenwood Colliery

  list of collieries/pits etc. near to Evenwood Colliery

Credits

Sources:

Related Links:

	On this site
	Newspaper articles
	External sites
	Gaunless Valley History Trust

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 Evenwood Colliery