Coxhoe Colliery shaft accident, 1870

On 14 February 1870 four sinkers repairing the furnace shaft at Coxhoe Colliery, County Durham, were thrown to the bottom when a piece of iron knocked down the shaft broke two chains of the cradle they stood on.

Cause

A piece of iron accidentally knocked into the shaft from the Main Coal drift struck the sinkers' cradle and broke two of its hanging chains.

What happened

Coxhoe Colliery, south-east of Durham, was worked by J. Morrison and Partners. On 14 February 1870 a party of sinkers was repairing the furnace shaft, working from a cradle hung in the shaft. Their partners had been drawn up to the drift at the Main Coal, and one of them, stepping into the drift, accidentally sent a piece of iron down the shaft. It struck the cradle on which the other four were standing and broke two of the chains it hung from, and Joseph Alderson, William Carter, John Huggins and Peter Lindsay fell to the bottom and were killed.

Investigation & inquiry

An inquest on the four men was reported by the Newcastle Journal on 17 February 1870.

Recorded claims

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

• On 14 February 1870 four sinkers repairing the furnace shaft at Coxhoe Colliery, Joseph Alderson, William Carter, John Huggins and Peter Lindsay, fell to the bottom of the shaft and were killed. ^1,2,3,4
• Their partners had been drawn up to the Main Coal drift, and one of them, stepping into the drift, knocked a piece of iron down the shaft; it struck the cradle on which the four were standing and broke two of its hanging chains. ^1,2,3
• The colliery was worked by J. Morrison and Partners of Ferryhill. ^2,4

Related terminology

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

• Coal (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the cause: “A piece of iron accidentally knocked into the shaft from the Main Coal drift struck the sinkers' cradle and broke two of its hanging chains.”
• Colliery (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…14 February 1870 four sinkers repairing the furnace shaft at Coxhoe Colliery, County Durham, were thrown to the bottom when a piece of iron…”
• Drift (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the cause: “…piece of iron accidentally knocked into the shaft from the Main Coal drift struck the sinkers' cradle and broke two of its hanging chains.”
• Shaft (contextual relationship)
  Named 6 times in this record, first in the summary: “On 14 February 1870 four sinkers repairing the furnace shaft at Coxhoe Colliery, County Durham, were thrown to the bottom when a…”
• Shaft Sinking (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “On 14 February 1870 four sinkers repairing the furnace shaft at Coxhoe Colliery, County Durham, were…”

Photographs & further reading

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

Sources

1. (primary) Colliery Accident 1870: Coxhoe, 14 February 1870 — Durham Mining Museum
2. (secondary) Mining victims, 1870s, C (Carter) — Healey Hero (Ian Winstanley's list of mining victims)
3. (secondary) Mining victims, 1870s, H (Huggins) — Healey Hero (Ian Winstanley's list of mining victims)
4. (secondary) Mining victims, 1870s, L (Lindsay) — Healey Hero (Ian Winstanley's list of mining victims)

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