Castle Eden Colliery roof fall, 1879

Two putters, Robert Clark and Richard Lamb, were killed by a fall of stone at Castle Eden Colliery on 24 March 1879 after leaving the jud they had been sent to hew and crossing into an old bord from which the timber had been drawn.

Cause

A fall of stone in an old bord from which the timber had already been drawn.

Contributing factors

The two had left the jud they were sent to and gone into old workings without timber.

What happened

On 24 March 1879 Robert Clark, 20, and Richard Lamb, 19, putters at Castle Eden Colliery, were sent to hew coal in a jud. Instead they crossed over to an old bord where the timber had been drawn out, a place where, as the record of the accident puts it, "no one had any business to go". Stone fell on them there and both were killed.

Investigation & inquiry

The deaths were recorded in the Mines Inspector's report for 1879.

What's uncertain

Points where sources disagree or the record could not be settled; both accounts are kept. All open questions in the archive.

• The colliery was worked by Johnson and Reay. (uncertain) ¹

Recorded claims

Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.

• A fall of stone at Castle Eden Colliery on 24 March 1879 killed two putters. ^1,2
• The two had been sent to hew coal in a jud but crossed into an old bord where the timber had been drawn out, and the stone fell on them. ^1,2
• Robert Clark, 20, and Richard Lamb, 19, putters. ^3,2
• The colliery was worked by Johnson and Reay. (uncertain) ¹

Related terminology

Mining terms this disaster is structurally linked to, with the nature of the relationship.

• Coal (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…Richard Lamb, 19, putters at Castle Eden Colliery, were sent to hew coal in a jud. Instead they crossed over to an old bord where the timber…”
• Colliery (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…and Richard Lamb, were killed by a fall of stone at Castle Eden Colliery on 24 March 1879 after leaving the jud they had been sent to hew and…”
• Putter (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “Two putters, Robert Clark and Richard Lamb, were killed by a fall of stone at…”

Photographs & further reading

This page doesn't try to reproduce everything — these are the best original sources found for this disaster.

Sources

1. (secondary) 1870s L: Ian Winstanley's alphabetical list of mining victims — Healey Hero (Ian Winstanley's list of mining victims)
2. (primary) Durham Mining Museum: Colliery Accident 1879 (Castle Eden) — Durham Mining Museum
3. (primary) Castle Eden Colliery — Durham Mining Museum

Record created: 6 October 2026 · Last researched: 6 October 2026