Hamsterley Colliery war memorial

The Grade II listed war memorial of Hamsterley Colliery in the Derwent valley: a stone wheel-head cross after the St John's Cross of Iona, raised by the colliery's workmen to the 59 men of the pit killed in the First World War and in particular to Major Arthur Watson, of the family that ran the colliery, killed at Passchendaele.

The mining history in this record

Hamsterley grew as the pit village of a colliery opened in 1864, run by the Watson family. Major Arthur T. Watson of the King's Royal Rifle Corps was killed at Passchendaele on 5 August 1917, and the cross's shaft carries his name above a dedication from the workmen of the village recording their sorrow at the loss of their friend and employer. The main inscription honours the men of the colliery who fought and those who gave their lives, and the base is carved HAMSTERLEY COLLIERY.

The cross was designed by the architect Walter Brierley of Brierley and Rutherford and built by Emley and Sons. It names 59 men of the First World War, and 24 from the Second World War were later added to the base. Already in June 1916 a painted roll of honour of 188 workmen and members of the colliery institute and club who had joined the forces, lettered by J. J. Longhurst of Newcastle and decorated with scenes of the colliery and the club, had been unveiled by Mabel Watson on her brother's behalf.

People

Major Arthur T. Watson, of the family that ran the colliery; Walter Brierley, architect; Emley and Sons, builders; Mabel Watson, who unveiled the roll of honour.

Legacy today

The cross stands in a roadside garden on the A694 and was restored and re-dedicated in 2000 by the people of Hamsterley and Low Westwood. It was listed at Grade II in 2017, for its historic interest as a witness to the village's losses and as an imposing memorial cross.

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.

• The memorial is listed at Grade II; it was listed on 27 July 2017. (documented fact) ¹
• It is a wheel-head cross after the St John's Cross of Iona, designed by Walter Brierley of Brierley and Rutherford and built by Emley and Sons. (documented fact) ^1,2
• The cross marks especially Major Arthur T. Watson, of the family that ran the colliery, killed at Passchendaele on 5 August 1917, and the colliery's workmen record their sorrow at the loss of their friend and employer. (documented fact) ^1,2
• It names 59 men who died in the First World War; 24 names from the Second World War were added later. (documented fact) ^1,2
• The memorial was restored and re-dedicated in 2000 by the people of Hamsterley and Low Westwood. (documented fact) ^1,2
• A separate framed roll of honour of 188 workmen of the colliery and members of its institute who served was unveiled in June 1916 by Mabel Watson. (documented fact) ³

Mines

• Hamsterley Colliery — County Durham
  Raised by the colliery's workmen to the men of the colliery and to Major Arthur Watson, whose family ran it; the base is carved HAMSTERLEY COLLIERY.

Sources

1. (primary) Hamsterley Colliery War Memorial, Non Civil Parish - 1447357 (Historic England list entry) — Historic England
2. (primary) Hamsterley Colliery (WMR 10262) — IWM War Memorials Register
3. (primary) Hamsterley Colliery Roll of Honour (WMR 71338) — IWM War Memorials Register
4. (observational) Hamsterley Colliery (WMO 247880) — War Memorials Online

Record created: 1 October 2026 · Last researched: 4 October 2026