MineArchiveThornley Colliery fall of stone, 1863
A fall of stone at the Thornley Coal Company's colliery in County Durham killed a shifter and a twelve-year-old trapper on 8 September 1863.
| Date | 8 September 1863 |
|---|---|
| Mine | Thornley Colliery |
| Region | County Durham |
| Type | Collapse / Roof Fall |
| Fatalities | 2 (Two killed: Robert Elliott, a shifter, and James Melvin, a trapper aged 12.) |
| Context | During active mining |
Cause
A fall of stone.
What happened
On 8 September 1863 stone fell at Thornley Colliery in County Durham, then worked by the Thornley Coal Company, killing Robert Elliott, a shifter aged 40, and James Melvin, a trapper boy of twelve.
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- On 8 September 1863 a fall of stone at Thornley Colliery, County Durham, killed the shifter Robert Elliott, 40, and James Melvin, a twelve-year-old trapper. 1,2
- The colliery then belonged to the Thornley Coal Company. 1,2
- The deaths were caused by a fall of stone. 1,2
Related terminology
Mining terms this disaster is structurally linked to, with the nature of the relationship.
- Colliery (contextual relationship)
Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “A fall of stone at the Thornley Coal Company's colliery in County Durham killed a shifter and a twelve-year-old trapper on 8…” - Trapper (contextual relationship)
Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…colliery in County Durham killed a shifter and a twelve-year-old trapper on 8 September 1863.”
Sources
- (primary) Thornley Colliery — Durham Mining Museum
- (secondary) Mining deaths 1860-1869, surnames E, part 2 (Ian Winstanley) — Healey Hero (Ian Winstanley's mining deaths lists)
Record created: 8 October 2026 · Last researched: 8 October 2026