Ushaw Moor Memories

The Durham Mining Museum is fascinating and aptly named: you can mine so many historical facts about our coalmines, officials, coal production, accidents and much more. If that interests you the site can be accessed via www.dmm.org.uk. I have come up with some statistics concerning the Ushaw Moor and New Brancepeth mines by use of a little of the museum resources – as follows:



Fatality Statistics



Ushaw Moor Pit

Currently there are 42 fatalities [spread over many years] recorded on site but the list is not exhaustive. I sought to establish whether the numbers of deaths were in any way linked to the seasons of the month. In the case of Ushaw Moor I calculated that:



Fatalities during the months of March to May inclusive = 10

June to August = 4

September to November = 14

December to February = 14

So two thirds of the fatalities happened in autumn and winter.

Average age at death = 38 approx

Youngest = Robert Mould occurred on 10.03..1883 aged 11

Oldest = Samuel Fitches occurred 03.03.1914 aged 65

J Nicholson died on New Years Eve 1888 at the age of 43.



New Brancepeth Pit

Currently there are 62 recorded and using the same seasonal format as above i.e. starting at March to May the figures are 18,14,20,10. That is not a similar pattern to Ushaw Moor.

Average age at death = 38 approx – the same as Ushaw Moor.

Youngest = Ralph Canavan occurred 21.03.1889 aged 13

Oldest = Nichol Cummings occurred 26.05.1906 aged 64 and Thomas Winter occurred 13.04.1877 aged 64.

Several workers at these pits died in the month of December - and each one was of course tragic – but I cannot help but feel sad for the family of New Brancepeth worker Jonathan Pickles; he died on Christmas Eve 1906 at the age of 17.

Wilf Bell

I will be making one of my rare visits to County Durham in early July [2008] and will be in the Shakespeare pub in Saddler Street, Durham City at 12 Noon for a while on Saturday 05/07/08. If anyone fancies a chat about Ushaw Moor [past, present, or future] I will be pleased to see them in that pub. I do not really expect anyone to be there as a result of this info but one never knows!



COACH JOURNEY



1869 Durham Miners’ Association formed.



1871 First Durham Miners’ Gala.



1890s Ushaw Moor Colliery Band is formed – At about this time John Bowran brings Methodism to Ushaw Moor and Broompark ably supported by the likes of R C Maddison, Tommy Gibson and J Lawson. More information about the Methodist Church and other churches is on site under religion.



1905 Tommy Knox was born at Ushaw Moor on 11/11/1905 – he became a regular footballer for Hartlepools United [source The Mad Crowd 100% unofficial Harlepools U. website]. Tommy’s full professional football career is on that site.



1916 Wilson Potts is a teacher at Ushaw Moor School –‘Mr Potts is a very good man – he goes to church on Sunday – he prays to God to give him strength – to whack the kids on Monday’ sang the pupils – but not within his earshot.



1928 Ushaw Moor win the Durham and District Bowling League for the first and, so far, only time.



1942 J Thompson injures his knee at Ushaw Moor Colliery.



1948 As a result of representations made by the Durham Miners’ Association in 1925 the London and North Eastern Railway Company agreed to issue return tickets at a single ordinary fare for the double journey in respect of Gala Day [Big Meeting held on 24/07/48]. The railway company emphasized that in the event of it bringing them a financial loss, because of insufficient passengers, they might not repeat the offer in future years.



1954 .Esh Road Methodist Church in Ushaw Moor is closed but the branch in Durham Road continued to be used for services.



1994 John Davies of Tudhoe CC Second X1 scored 205 against Ushaw Moor CC Second X1 – the following week he scored 208 against Hetton Lyons.

Wilf Bell

Would anyone know if Private 124527 Mark Dickinson who enlisted  on 11/ 12/ 1915 into the Durham Light Infantry, later joined the Labour Corps, and was discharged on 14/03/1918 was the son of James and Mary Eleen  Dickinson nee Marshall, and husband of Bridget Ann Dickinson nee Mahan.
 
The Dickinson family seem to have all been born in the Boyne area of Brandon, living on School Street
 
Lou Mahan