Whitworth Park Colliery roof fall, 1874

Two hewers, Edward Codling and William Graham, were killed together by a fall of stone at the Whitworth pit near Spennymoor, then worked by Johnson and Reay, on 17 September 1874.

Cause

A fall of stone.

What happened

On 17 September 1874 a fall of stone killed two hewers at the colliery the inspectors called Whitworth, near Spennymoor, then worked by Johnson and Reay. Edward Codling was 37 and William Graham 30; Graham was buried in St Paul's churchyard, Spennymoor. The deaths were entered in the Mines Inspector's report for 1874.

Investigation & inquiry

The deaths are recorded in the Mines Inspector's report for 1874 (C 1216).

Recorded claims

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

• Two hewers, Edward Codling and William Graham, were killed on 17 September 1874. ^1,2,3,4
• They were killed by a fall of stone. ^1,3,4
• The colliery was worked by Johnson and Reay. ^3,4
• William Graham was buried in St Paul's churchyard, Spennymoor. ¹

Related terminology

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

• Colliery (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “On 17 September 1874 a fall of stone killed two hewers at the colliery the inspectors called Whitworth, near Spennymoor, then worked by…”
• Hewer (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “Two hewers, Edward Codling and William Graham, were killed together by a fall…”

Sources

1. (primary) Durham Mining Museum: Whitworth Park Colliery — Durham Mining Museum
2. (primary) Durham Mining Museum: Edward Codling, Whitworth, 1874 — Durham Mining Museum
3. (secondary) 1870s C2: Ian Winstanley's alphabetical list of mining victims — Healey Hero
4. (secondary) 1870s G2: Ian Winstanley's alphabetical list of mining victims — Healey Hero

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