South Derwent Colliery screens accident, 1888

On 11 August 1888 two empty waggons run in too fast under the screens at South Derwent Colliery, near Annfield Plain, struck the waggons being loaded there and threw two screeners down among the wheels, killing both.

Cause

Empty waggons were allowed to run too fast into those standing under the screens.

What happened

The waggonman was bringing two empty waggons to place under the screens and let them get too much headway. They came violently against the waggons already standing under the screens, on one of which Joseph Bainbridge was standing; he and Matthew Smith were thrown down among the wheels and the waggons passed over them. Bainbridge was buried at St Thomas the Apostle, Harelaw.

Recorded claims

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

• Two screeners, Joseph Bainbridge and Matthew Smith, were killed at South Derwent Colliery on 11 August 1888. ^1,2,3
• A waggonman let two empty waggons run too fast against those under the screens, and the two men fell among the wheels. ^1,2,3
• The colliery is given as belonging to the Owners of South Derwent Colliery. ³

Related terminology

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

• Colliery (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s summary: “…two empty waggons run in too fast under the screens at South Derwent Colliery, near Annfield Plain, struck the waggons being loaded there and…”
• Screens (contextual relationship)
  Named 4 times in this record, first in the summary: “On 11 August 1888 two empty waggons run in too fast under the screens at South Derwent Colliery, near Annfield Plain, struck the waggons…”

Photographs & further reading

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

Sources

1. (secondary) 1880s S (4): Ian Winstanley's alphabetical list of mining victims — Healey Hero (Ian Winstanley's list of mining victims)
2. (primary) Durham Mining Museum: South Derwent, 11 August 1888, screens accident — Durham Mining Museum
3. (secondary) Ian Winstanley, alphabetical list of mining victims: 1880-89, B (Bainbridge) — Healey Hero (Ian Winstanley collection)

Record created: 9 October 2026 · Last researched: 10 October 2026