Dearham Colliery

Overview

The group of pits around Dearham, near Maryport, worked from at least the 1830s, where five people died when a winding rope broke in 1844; the main seams were abandoned as unprofitable in 1894 and the last in 1932.

History

Dearham Colliery is the name under which the many pits around Dearham, near Maryport, were recorded: the Folly, Lonsdale and Lowther pits, and on the plans the Croft, Hope, Parkin, William, Wright, Scott and Outgang pits among others. Coal made the village: its population grew from 515 in 1821 to 2,598 in 1891. Deaths at the pits are recorded from 1837, and the Crow seam was abandoned in 1863.

On 24 August 1844, at the pit of Ostle and Dunglinson, two men and three boys were being lowered together when the rope broke a few feet from the top, and all five fell about fifty yards to the bottom of the shaft. The youngest was eight. A report that the rope had been cut was examined at the inquest, which sat until midnight and found that it had failed through bad material.

John and Thomas Walker owned the colliery in the 1860s and John Osmaston in the 1880s, followed by his mortgagees. Thomas Dacres, or Dakers, was manager for most of the 1880s, when the Folly and Lonsdale pits were raising coal and fireclay. In June 1894 the Ten Quarter, Rattler, Metal, Cannel, Yard and Little Main seams and the fireclay were abandoned as not profitable, while 26 men were preparing to sink anew. A last set of seams, including the Lickbank, was abandoned in 1932.

Geology

The Ten Quarters, Rattler, Metal, Cannel, Yard, Little Main, Crow and Lickbank seams of the West Cumberland coalfield, with fireclay.

Workings

Many small pits around the village, including the Folly, Lonsdale and Lowther; the Folly and Lonsdale pits raised coal and fireclay in the 1880s.

Closure

The main seams were abandoned in June 1894 as not profitable; the last seams, including the Lickbank, were abandoned in 1932.

What remains

Unknown.

Redevelopment

Unknown.

Recorded claims

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

• Dearham's population grew from 515 in 1821 to 2,598 in 1891 with the expansion of coal mining. ¹
• On 24 August 1844 a winding rope broke at Ostle and Dunglinson's pit and two men and three boys fell about 50 yards and were killed. ^2,3,4
• Owned by John Osmaston in the 1880s. ^2,1
• Thomas Dacres (Dakers) was manager in 1882-83 and 1888-90. ⁵
• The Ten Quarter, Rattler, Metal, Cannel, Yard and Little Main seams were abandoned in June 1894 as not profitable. ^6,7
• The Yard, Cannel, Metal, Rattler, Little Main, Ten Quarters and Lickbank seams were abandoned in 1932. ²
• The plans of the Dearham pits include the Ostle and Dunglinson workings. ⁸

Photographs & further reading

Sources

1. (secondary) Dearham — Wikipedia
2. (primary) Dearham Colliery — Durham Mining Museum
3. (primary) Dreadful Miscalculation (The Times, 26 August 1844; Durham Mining Museum transcript) — Durham Mining Museum
4. (primary) Another Coal-pit Accident (Illustrated London News, 24 August 1844; Durham Mining Museum transcript) — Durham Mining Museum
5. (primary) Dearham Colliery: Colliery Management (prior to 1970) — Durham Mining Museum
6. (primary) Catalogue of Plans of Abandoned Mines: Dearham Colliery — Durham Mining Museum
7. (primary) Dearham, Croft, Hope, Lonsdale, Lowther, Parkin, William and Wright Mine Plans (Mining Remediation Authority abandonment plan 3155, June 1894) — British Geological Survey / Mining Remediation Authority
8. (primary) Dearham, Scott, Lowther, Hope, Croft, William, Outgang, Ostle & Dunglinsons and other Mine Plans (Mining Remediation Authority plan NW1310) — British Geological Survey / Mining Remediation Authority

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