KNOWN DEATHS OF LOCAL PITMEN [1]

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1851: SMURTHWAITE Thomas: Age 13: Norwood Colliery: Crushed between tub and cage.

1853: DAVISON Thomas: Age 30: Evenwood Colliery: Crushed by a cage.

1853: HOPPER Thomas: Age unknown: Norwood Colliery: Fall of stone

1857: BUTLER John: Age 31: Evenwood Colliery: Fall of coal.

1858: WEAR John: Age: 14: Lands Colliery: Crushed by tubs.

1858: HARRISON Joseph: Age unknown: Evenwood Colliery: Run over by waggon.

1863: HESLOP Solomon: Age unknown: Crushed by tubs.

1864: STEVENS John: Age 12: Norwood Colliery: Smothered by small coals in a waggon.

1865: RICHARDSON George: Age 32: Evenwood Colliery: Shaft cage fell on him

1867: STONEBANK John: Youth: Evenwood Colliery: No description

1867: CUMMINS William: Age 47: Norwood Colliery: Fall of coal

1868: HALL Ralph: Age 13: Norwood Colliery: crushed by tub

1869: BELL Thomas: Age 40: Evenwood Colliery: Fell down pit.

1869: POWELL James: Age 20: Evenwood Colliery: blasting coal

1872: WRIGHT John: Age 13: Lands Colliery: Crushed between waggons.

1874: RICHARDSON Robert: Age 35: Evenwood Colliery: Fall of stones

1875: TAYLOR Benjamin: Age 32: Craggwood Colliery: Head jammed in machinery.

1876: CURRY George: Age 31: Tees Hetton Colliery: Fall of stones

1877: SHAW John: Age 13: Ran over by a tub.

1879: PLACE Stephen: Age 23: Norwood Colliery:

1881: THOMPSON John Proud: Age 47: Norwood Colliery: Arm & hand crushed.

1884: COATES Thomas: Age 27: Tees Hetton Colliery: Severe injuries when he fell 21ft from a gangway

1886: ROBSON Thomas: Age 14: Tees Hetton Colliery: Crushed between 2 trucks.

1886: CROUDACE John: Age 39: Tees Hetton Colliery: severe internal sprain while lifting a tub onto the rails.

1887: SANDERSON George: Age 24: Evenwood Colliery: Fall of stones.

1887: DOBBS John: Age 15: Morley Colliery: Crushed between setts.

1890: MILLION Thomas: Age 14: Norwood Colliery: Drowned.

1890: CLARK James: Age 19: Norwood Colliery: Fall of stones

1891: RICHARDSON Robert: Age 27: Lands Colliery: Fall of stone.

1891 LONGSTAFFE Richard: Age 51: Norwood Colliery: Run over by a set of tubs

1893: BOWMAN Matthew: Age 23: Norwood Colliery: Heart Disease (not a reported accident)

1894: WHITE George: Age 22: Norwood Colliery: Fall of stones

1894: MASON William: Age 14: Evenwood Colliery: Head crushed between tub and roof, riding on the limbers coming out-bye.

1894: RICHARDSON George William: Age 18: Norwood Colliery: Crushed between tub and prop.

1894: ROBINSON George William: Age18: Norwood Colliery: Accident (details yet to be researched)

1896: TAYLOR John Robert: Age 38: Randolph Colliery: 1st fatality at the pit, caught his head between the tub and the roof

1896: ROBINSON William Adamson: Age 52: Norwood Colliery: Caught between the cage and shaft

1897: MILLER William: Age 38: Norwood Colliery, Gordon back pit: Hit by a piece of wood which fell down the shaft.

1899: TRAPWELL Francis James: Age 14: Lands Colliery: Struck on forehead by the handle of a winch.

1899: WALTON John: Age 23: Etherley George Pit:

1903: HUTCHINSON Watson: Age 14: Gordon House Colliery: Fall of stones

1906: DOWSON John: Age 67: Randolph Colliery: Fall of stones

1906: TOWERS Harry: Age 14: Randolph Colliery:

1908: HOOD George: Age 73: Railey Fell Pit: Fall of stones

1910: ROBINSON John T.: Age 28: Randolph Colliery: Crushed by truck

1910: HENDERSON Walter: Age unknown: Randolph Colliery:

1910: HUTCHINSON Albert: Age 44: Randolph Colliery: Found dead in stables.

1911 McCONNELL Albert: Age 14: Randolph Colliery: Crushed by a tub

1911: HORDEN Robert: Age 45: Randolph Colliery:

1914: HOPE John: Age unknown: Randolph Colliery: Caught head against baulk

1916: BROWN Ralph: Age 55: Randolph Colliery: Fall of roof

1917: WARDLE George: Age unknown: Gordon House Colliery:

1918: THORBURN John Thomas: Age 25: Randolph Colliery

1918: MAUGHAN Mosley: Age unknown: West Auckland Colliery: Lived at Copeland Row

1918: HOPE Thompson: Age unknown: Randolph Colliery: Crushed by tubs

1922: KIRBY John: Age 18: Gordon House Colliery: Fell on stairs

1923: GIBSON William: Age 60: Randolph Colliery: Slipped

1923: SIMPSON John William: Age 48: Gordon House Colliery: Crushed

1925: WHITE William: Age 49: Randolph Colliery: Fall of stones

1926: MASON G.C.: Age 67: Randolph Colliery: Slipped

1929: YOLE J.T.: 61: Randolph Colliery: Explosion

1936: HEWITT E.: Age 37: Randolph Colliery: Fall of stone

1936: ORTON C.W.: Age 34: Randolph Colliery: Crushed by runaway tub.

1938: WALKER A. Age 18: Randolph Colliery: Crushed by tubs

1939: FULLER J.: Age 49: Gordon House Colliery: Fall from platform 

1942: TOWERS J.W.: Age 46: Randolph Colliery: Wire rope in finger

1944: PROUD J.H.: Age21: Randolph Colliery: Crushed by tubs

1946: FIRBY C.: Age 41: Ramshaw Colliery: Explosion

1948: HOLMES J.G.: Age 35: Ramshaw Colliery: Crushed by Tubs.

This is not an exhaustive list of fatalities.

PHOTOGRAPHS & ARTICLES

Below: 12 March1875 press report

HEADSTONES IN EVENWOOD CEMETERY

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REFERENCES

[1] Details are from various press reports, cemetery headstones, Durham Mining Museum and “Fatal Accidents Book 1920-1950” 1995 DMA Transcribed by E. Hall & F. Hancock