Whitley Colliery shaft accident, 1835

At three in the morning of 1 May 1835 a man and five boys riding down the shaft at Whitley Colliery, near Tynemouth, fell 45 fathoms to the bottom when the winding chain's hook had not been properly set in the bow of their corf.

Cause

The hook on the winding chain was not properly put into the bow of the corf in which the six were descending.

What happened

At three o'clock on the morning of 1 May 1835 a man and five boys were going down the shaft of Whitley Colliery, on the coast north of Tynemouth, in a corf hung from the winding chain. The hook on the end of the chain had not been properly put into the corf's bow, and the corf with all six in it fell from the top of the pit to the bottom, forty-five fathoms (about 82 metres). The contemporary accounts name the man as Robinson; the dead are listed as George Hutchinson, George and Robert Latimer, John Robson, Robert Symm and George Young. It was thought to be the first fatal accident at the colliery.

Investigation & inquiry

The inquest returned a verdict of accidental death, with a deodand of one shilling upon the corf.

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 accident happened at three o'clock in the morning of 1 May 1835, as they were descending the pit. (disputed) ^1,3
• The accident is entered under 4 May 1835. (disputed) ²

Recorded claims

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

• A man named Robinson and five boys were killed at Whitley Colliery when the hook on the end of the winding chain had not been properly put into the bow of the corf they were in, and they fell from the top of the pit to the bottom, forty-five fathoms. ^1,2,3
• The accident happened at three o'clock in the morning of 1 May 1835, as they were descending the pit. (disputed) ^1,3
• The accident is entered under 4 May 1835. (disputed) ²
• The dead were George Hutchinson, George Latimer, Robert Latimer, John Robson, Robert Symm and George Young. ³
• The inquest returned a verdict of accidental death, with a deodand of one shilling on the corf. ^1,3
• It was thought to be the first fatal accident at the colliery. ¹

Related terminology

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

• Colliery (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “…of 1 May 1835 a man and five boys riding down the shaft at Whitley Colliery, near Tynemouth, fell 45 fathoms to the bottom when the winding…”
• Fathom (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…riding down the shaft at Whitley Colliery, near Tynemouth, fell 45 fathoms to the bottom when the winding chain's hook had not been properly…”
• Shaft (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…in the morning of 1 May 1835 a man and five boys riding down the shaft at Whitley Colliery, near Tynemouth, fell 45 fathoms to the bottom…”

Photographs & further reading

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

Sources

1. (secondary) Mining disasters 1820-39 (Coal Mining History Resource Centre accounts) — Coal Mining History Resource Centre (Ian Winstanley)
2. (primary) Local Records; or, Historical Register of Remarkable Events, vol. 3 (T. Fordyce, 1867) — Internet Archive
3. (primary) Colliery Disaster 1835: Whitley, 1 May 1835 — Durham Mining Museum

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