Felling Colliery disaster memorial, Heworth

The small obelisk in St Mary's churchyard, Heworth, Gateshead, over the common grave of 91 of the 92 men and boys killed in the Felling Colliery explosion of 25 May 1812, with plaques on its four faces naming them and giving their ages.

The mining history in this record

At half past eleven on the morning of 25 May 1812 explosions tore through the John Pit of Felling Colliery, between Gateshead and Jarrow, killing 92 men and boys, the youngest two boys of eight who worked the ventilation doors. Fires kept the pit closed for weeks, and recovering the bodies took until September. The rector of Jarrow and Heworth, John Hodgson, persuaded the families to accept a common and speedy burial for fear of disease, and 91 of the dead were laid in a common grave in St Mary's churchyard at Heworth; one body was never found.

Their memorial is a small obelisk, a square pyramid on a square base, with a plaque on each face listing the names and ages of the dead. Hodgson's account of the disaster, published in 1813, led to the founding of the Society for the Prevention of Accidents in Mines, which asked Sir Humphry Davy to look into a safety lamp.

People

The Rev. John Hodgson, rector of Jarrow and Heworth, who buried the dead and wrote the account of the disaster.

Legacy today

The obelisk stands near the churchyard wall, across the road from Heworth Metro station. The same churchyard holds the grave of Thomas Hepburn, the pioneer of mining trade unionism in the North East, where each autumn former miners gather with their banners, 'Gresford' is played and wreaths are laid.

Recorded claims

Individual factual claims, each tagged with how solidly it's grounded and attached to the source(s) that support it. Where sources disagree, both are kept.

• 91 of the men and boys killed at Felling Colliery on 25 May 1812 are buried in St Mary's churchyard, Heworth, most in a common grave; the body of a 92nd was never found. (documented fact) ^1,2
• The memorial is a small obelisk, a square pyramid on a square base, with a plaque on each of its four faces listing the names and ages of the dead. (documented fact) ^1,2
• The rector, John Hodgson, persuaded the bereaved to accept a common, speedy burial because the bodies had lain for weeks in the pit while the fires were put out. (documented fact) ¹
• The obelisk stands close to the churchyard wall, across the road from Heworth Metro station. (documented fact) ²
• The same churchyard holds the grave of the miners' union leader Thomas Hepburn, where former miners gather each autumn with banners and 'Gresford' is played. (documented fact) ²

Mines

• Felling Colliery — Tyne and Wear
  The obelisk marks the common grave of the 91 recovered dead of the Felling Colliery explosion of 25 May 1812.

Disasters

• Felling Colliery explosion, 1812 — 25 May 1812

Real-world mining concepts used here

Colliery, Safety Lamp

Sources

1. (secondary) Felling mine disasters — Wikipedia
2. (secondary) A churchyard forever linked to the miners (Ken Smith) — North East Heritage Library
3. (secondary) St. Mary's Churchyard, Heworth (Felling disaster obelisk) — Co-Curate (Newcastle University)

Record created: 5 October 2026 · Last researched: 5 October 2026