	Morrison Busty Colliery	Index	Morrison Busty Colliery

Morrison Busty Colliery

Location:

Annfield Plain
8 miles [13 km] NW of Durham

Map Ref:

(Sheet 88) NZ176508, 54° 51' 6" N, 1° 43' 33" W

Maps:

1928 map from Reid's Handy Colliery Guide

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

Opened:

1927

Closed:

05 Oct 1973

Pits:

East Pit

West Pit

Owners:

1930s - Holmside & Southmoor Collieries Ltd.

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

Output:

1925 - Busty - Coal: Coking.

1930 - Coal: Coking.

1935 - Coal: Coking.

1935 - Coal: Gas. Witherite.

1947 - Coal: Coking. (480,000 tons)

1950 - Coal: Coking.

1955 - Coal: Coking.

1960 - Coal: Coking.

1965 - Coal: Coking.

1970 - Coal: Coking.

1971 - Coal: Coking.

1972 - Coal: Coking.

Employment:

Year	Pit	Total	Below	Above
1925	Busty	125	26	99
1930		833	657	176
1935		954	741	213
1935		"West" Pit discontinued 5/34
1935		794	574	220
	Total	1,748	1,315	433
1940	East	928	766	162
1940	West	379	324	55
	Total	1,307	1,090	217
1945		1,655	1,311	344
1947		1,722	1,344	378
1950		1,858	1,558	300
1955		1,759	1,466	293
1960		1,720	1,420	300
1965		1,461	1,276	185
1970		858	753	105
1971		672	602	70
1972		662	69	593

NCB Employment Figures

Colliery Management (prior to 1970)

Seams Worked:

1925 - Busty - Brockwell, Busty

1930 - Bottom Busty and Top Busty, Brockwell

1935 - Bottom Busty, Top Busty ["West" Pit discontinued 5/34]

1935 - Five Quarter, Hutton, Low Main, Main, Maudlin

1950 - Bottom Busty, Brockwell, Top Busty, Towneley

1955 - Bottom Busty, Brockwell, Top Busty, Towneley

1960 - Bottom Busty, Brockwell, Top Busty, Towneley

1965 - Brockwell, Busty, Harvey

1970 - Brockwell, Busty, Harvey

1971 - Brockwell, Busty, Harvey

1972 - Brockwell, Busty, Harvey

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!

						Bolam, Charles C., 08 Nov 1944, aged 46, Filler, killed by a fall of stone
						Bridge, T., 05 Jun 1948, (accident: 31 May 1948), aged 55, Datal, caught by tubs
						Byers, J. E., 22 Jun 1952, Labourer, he was electrocuted due to a fault in the cable of his electric portable lamp
						Clough, T., 12 Aug 1943, aged 32, Hewer, killed by a fall of stone
						Conroy, Thomas Henry, 09 May 1949, [details unknown], residence: 27 Villa Real Bungalows, Consett
						Danby, George William, 11 Dec 1924, (accident: 27 Nov 1924, 7.15 p.m., 7th hour of shift), aged 20, Labourer, through falling whilst attempting to board a set of moving wagons [More information ...]
						Douglas, Jack, Mar 1966, aged 40, buried alive in underground coal hopper [approximate date etc.]
						Fawcett, Robinson, 23 Aug 1929, aged 56, Screens, fell
						Fenwick, Thomas, 17 Feb 1938, (accident: 14 Feb 1938), aged 48, Deputy, struck head
						Garmon, Michael, 09 Sep 1927, aged 34, Stoneman, killed by a fall of stone
						Guy, J. W., 14 Jun 1945, aged 50, Digger, runover by tubs
						Hall, Nicholas, 09 Oct 1955, (accident: 25 Mar 1954), aged 53, died as a result of severe spinal injuries when he was struck by a haulage rope
						Hall, Robert, 22 Jan 1929, aged 70, Hewer, killed by a fall of stone
						Harrison, Joseph, 22 Feb 1929, aged 40, Stoneman, killed by a fall of stone, Buried: Municipal Cemetery, Stanley
						Hodgson, William, 18 Dec 1964, aged 44, died form injuries received, Buried: Burnopfield Cemetery
						Howey, G. H., 18 Feb 1936, aged 19, Haulage, killed by a fall of stone
						Keoghan, A. C., 06 Feb 1947, aged 46, Filler, runover by tubs
						King, George Henry, 28 Apr 1922, aged 55, Stoneman, killed by a fall of stone
						Lee, T., 21 Oct 1944, (accident: 22 Sep 1936), aged 40, Putter, fractured spine
						Lowerson, W. M., 17 Dec 1953, aged 42, he was pinned against wall by gear head, and received fatal injuries
						Martin, Robert, 13 Jan 1953, aged 62, Datal Hand, he was found dead under a set of tubs on the rolleyway in the Busty Seam
						McCabe, James, 17 Sep 1948, aged 35, Driller, crushed between a weighting rood and the bottom, address: 23 Beamish Street (inquest: 21 Sep 1948)
						Palmer, George, 10 Mar 1964, aged 27, he was working the night shift and part of the top came down, Buried: Stanley Cemetery
						Robinson, Ralph Rumney, 08 Oct 1936, aged 58, Hewer, killed by a fall of stone, Buried: Harelaw Cemetery (new)
						Robson, F., 04 Oct 1932, aged 45, Stoneman, suffocated
						Smith, William Anthony, 03 May 1945, aged 15, Screens, runaway wagons, Buried: Stanley Cemetery
						Todd, Robert, 24 Jun 1940, aged 25, Hewer, fall of stone, address: 74 Fourth St, South Moor, Stanley [More information ...]
						Tweddle, J. W., 10 Dec 1939, aged 49, Stoneman, killed by a fall of stone
						White, John, 17 Dec 1943, (accident: 16 Sep 1943), aged 28, Digger, fall of stone, died from injuries received at RVI Newcastle
						White, R., 11 Feb 1952, aged 61, Haulage Hand, he was crushed between a tub and girder as he as detaching a pony
						Wilson, E., 09 Oct 1953, (accident: 05 Oct 1953), aged 51, received severe head injuries from a shot firing accident
						Wilson, Gilbert, 10 May 1956, aged 53, killed by a fall of stone, address: 5 West View Gardens, Stanley [More information ...]

						32 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 Morrison Busty Colliery

list of collieries/pits etc. near to Morrison Busty Colliery

Gallery Images:

Power House, showing Mixed-Pressure Turbo-Alternators

Another view of the Power House, showing Air-Compressing Plant in Basement

Half-Battery of Four Lancashire Boilers serving Present Needs

Spray Ponds and Steam Mains, illustrating Expansion Bends

Pit Top, Charging Side, showing Decking Plant in Course of Erection

Another View of Pit Top, showing Controls for Decking Equipment

Gantry carrying Full-way Loads to Screen House

Portion of Screen House, showing Picking Belts

Alternative Steam and Electric Drives for Duplicate Fans

Credits

Sources:

1924 Mines Inspectors Report, Northern Division (No. 2) by T. Greenland Davies, H.M. Inspector of Mines [DMM Ref: L-01624 - Tom Bainbridge Collection]
1925 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department
1930 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department
1935 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department
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
1971 Guide to the Coalfields published by the Colliery Guardian
1972 Guide to the Coalfields published by the Colliery Guardian
1973 Guide to the Coalfields published by the Colliery Guardian
Banners of the Durham Coalfield, Norman Emery, 1998, Sutton Publishing Ltd., ISBN 0-7509-1708-3
Contributions by members of the Public
D.M.A. Durham, General Secretary's Annual Report for 1952 [DMM Ref: L-01607 - Tom Bainbridge Collection]
Headstone(s) in Burnopfield cemetery
Headstone(s) in Old Cemetery, Harelaw
Headstone(s) in Stanley Cemetery
History, Topography, and Directory of the County Palatine of Durham by Francis Whellan. Second edition published in 1894.
Text kindly provided by Jim Grainger from his research into early newspapers (primarily the Durham Advertiser and Durham Chronicle).

Pictures:

Picture from Colliery Engineering

Further Research:

Research Notes for Morrison Busty Colliery

Mail:
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