Doddington Colliery

Overview

One of the larger inland collieries of north Northumberland, near Wooler, which returned coal from the 1850s and landsale coal in the 1880s; its Main seam was abandoned in January 1904, cut off by faults.

History

Doddington Colliery lay at Doddington, near Wooler, about eleven miles south of Berwick-upon-Tweed. It was one of the larger collieries of inland north Northumberland and is named as Doddington Colliery on the first edition Ordnance Survey map, though it was probably dwarfed by the collieries of the south of the county with their rail links. It returned coal in 1855, 1860 and 1865, and was owned in turn by S. Salisbury and Brown and Company in the 1860s and 1870s, Brown and Company still holding it in the 1880s, when it sold landsale coal.

Its Engine Pit was sunk through 108 feet of freestone, a limestone and more freestone to a seam of clean coal two feet four inches thick, supposed to be the Hobberlaw seam, at about 174 feet, and on to a further coal at about 196 feet. The second edition Ordnance Survey map of 1899 shows the site apparently disused, but the Main seam was formally abandoned in January 1904, the coal cut off by faults.

Geology

Coal beneath freestone and limestone; the Engine Pit's seam at 174 feet was taken to be the Hobberlaw.

Workings

The Engine Pit.

Closure

Shown apparently disused on the 1899 map; the Main seam was abandoned in January 1904, cut off by faults.

What remains

The site has been reclaimed.

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 1899 Ordnance Survey map shows the Doddington Colliery site apparently disused. (uncertain) ¹

Recorded claims

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

• Doddington was one of the larger collieries of inland north Northumberland and is named on the first edition Ordnance Survey map. ¹
• Doddington Colliery was owned in turn by S. Salisbury and Brown and Company in the 1860s and 1870s. ^2,1
• Doddington's Engine Pit reached a seam two feet four inches thick, supposed to be the Hobberlaw, at about 174 feet. ³
• The Main seam at Doddington was abandoned in January 1904, the coal cut off by faults. ^2,4,5
• The 1899 Ordnance Survey map shows the Doddington Colliery site apparently disused. (uncertain) ¹

Photographs & further reading

Sources

1. (secondary) Doddington Colliery — North East Heritage Library (Coals Archive)
2. (primary) Doddington Colliery — Durham Mining Museum
3. (primary) Doddington Colliery: sinking account of the Engine Pit — Durham Mining Museum
4. (primary) Doddington Colliery: catalogue of plans of abandoned mines — Durham Mining Museum
5. (primary) BGS / Mining Remediation Authority mine plan 21913733: Doddington, Main seam, 1904 — British Geological Survey

Record created: 22 October 2026 · Last researched: 22 October 2026