| West Hetton Colliery | Index | West Hetton Colliery | ||
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West Hetton Colliery
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| Location: | Coxhoe 4½ miles [7 km] SE of Durham |
| Map Ref: | (Sheet 93) NZ323372, 54° 43' 43" N, 1° 29' 54" W |
| Maps: |  1898 map from Reid's Handy Colliery Guide |
| Opened: | |
| Closed: | |
| Pits: | Engine Pit, locn: (Sheet 93) NZ332369 |
| Shaft details for Engine Pit |
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| Owners: | 1860s - J. Morrison & Co. |
| Output: | 1855 - Coal. |
| 1860 - Coal. | |
| 1865 - Coal. | |
| Catalogue of plans of abandoned mines for West Hetton Colliery |
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| Notes: | 1836, Oct 13 - The first coals from West Hetton colliery, the property of Colonel Braddyll and partners, were shipped in the Wear, via the Durham and Sunderland Railway. |
1850 - A boring was put down below the bottom of the Main Coal Seam, West Hetton Colliery, proving the Low Main Seam. |
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Description
Coal was extensively worked in this township [Cassop-cum-Quarrington] at one time, Heugh Hall, Bowburn, and Crow Trees being the names of the collieries in the Quarrington township. Owing to these collieries being laid in, many of the cottages in the parish have fallen into ruin.
New Cassop is a village formerly entirely inhabited by miners, but since the collieries ceased to work it has fallen much into decay. It is still, however, inhabited principally by miners and quarrymen ; it is pleasantly situated on the hill side.
Whellan's 1894 Directory of County Durham
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Disasters (5 or more killed)
None found.
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Names of those killed at this colliery
Please note that this collection of names is by no means complete!
 |  | Harrower, John, 06 Oct 1854, aged 36, he was helping to lift a set of pumps out of the shaft when he was struck by a handle on one of the winches. The winch had run amain because an iron ring had broken, Harrier's skull was fractured and he died almost immediately | ||||
| Orton, Henry, 27 Mar 1861, aged 31, Smith, crushed by cage in trying to get out while it was moving | |||||
| | Raffle, John, 03 Dec 1842, aged 43, he removed too large a quantity of coal from the roof before fixing any props, and was covered by a fall of stones, killing him instantly | ||||
| Thompson, John, 26 Sep 1839, Hewer, he was in the cage coming to "bank," when the rope broke just before he reached the surface or top of the pit, and he was precipitated to the bottom | |||||
| | White, Henry, 22 Aug 1954, aged 28, Filler, he was killed by a fall of stone while working in the 16 inch seam | ||||
| 5 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
.
The following unnamed fatalities are listed in the Mines Inspectors Reports, once again this collection is not complete!
| Date |  |
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Inspectors Remarks |
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| 16 Dec 1851 | – | – | – | – | 1 | 1 | P. rollies |
| 31 Jan 1852 | 1 | – | – | – | – | 1 | Fell down shaft ; examined |
| 17 Nov 1852 | 1 | – | – | – | – | 1 | Crush of cage |
| 02 Jul 1853 | – | – | – | – | 1 | 1 | killed on railway |
| 03 Sep 1855 | – | – | – | – | 1 | 1 | kick of horse |
| 28 Nov 1855 | – | – | – | – | 1 | 1 | crush of tubs |
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Collieries and Pits within 5 miles (8km)
a simulated map showing the immediate vicinity of West Hetton Colliery
list of collieries/pits etc. near to West Hetton Colliery
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Credits
Sources:
- 1861 Mines Inspectors Report, Southern District by John J. Atkinson, H.M. Inspector of Mines
- An Account of the strata of Northumberland & Durham as proved by Borings & Sinkings, Volume U-Z, published by the North of England Institute of Mining & Mechanical Engineers, 1897
- Contributions by members of the Public
- History, Topography, and Directory of the County Palatine of Durham by Francis Whellan. Second edition published in 1894.
- Local Records or Historical Register of Remarkable Events by John Latimer, published in 1857
- Mineral Statistics for 1855 (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 1860 (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 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.
- Text kindly provided by Jim Grainger from his research into early newspapers (primarily the Durham Advertiser and Durham Chronicle).
- Victoria History of the Counties of England – Durham. Published in three volumes in 1907.
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Related Links:
| On this site | |
| | Newspaper articles |
| | Evidence given to the 1842 Children's Employment Commission |
Further Research:
Research Notes for West Hetton Colliery
Contains public sector information licensed under the 
