MineArchiveDon Pedro Colliery
| Location | Hopetown, Normanton, West Yorkshire — 53.7014, -1.3888 (exact) |
|---|---|
| Commodity | Coal |
| Type | Coal |
| Worked | 1878–1912 |
| Maximum depth | Unknown. |
| Operators | Henry Briggs, Son and Company Limited (1878–1912) |
Overview
Henry Briggs, Son and Company's colliery at Hopetown, Normanton, named after the Emperor of Brazil, Dom Pedro, who visited the town in 1871; opened in 1878, it employed over 600 men in 1894 and closed in 1912.
History
Don Pedro Colliery stood at Hopetown, Normanton, in the West Riding coalfield. In 1871 Dom Pedro, Emperor of Brazil, visited Normanton with his Empress, and his name, slightly altered, was given to the colliery, which opened in 1878. It was owned by Henry Briggs, Son and Company and raised household coal, employing 616 men in 1894 (514 underground), 374 in 1896 and 471 in 1900. The colliery worked the Haigh Moor seam under the Loscoe estate and Whitwood Moor.
Among the deaths recorded there were a 14-year-old hurrier crushed by corves in 1879, a 14-year-old driver run over by tubs on an inclined plane in 1899, and a sinker who fell 85 yards down the shaft in 1901 when the last planks of a temporary scaffold tilted as it was being removed. The Haigh Moor workings were abandoned in 1912, when the colliery closed. Roads on the site of the former colliery still carry its name.
Geology
The Haigh Moor seam of the Yorkshire coalfield.
Workings
A shaft colliery with an inset, worked under the Loscoe estate and Whitwood Moor.
Closure
Closed in 1912, when the Haigh Moor workings were abandoned.
What remains
Roads in the area of the former colliery carry its name.
Redevelopment
Unknown.
Nearby mines
- Altofts Colliery — 1.2 miles (1.9 km) NW
- Whitwood Colliery — 1.2 miles (1.9 km) N
- Ackton Hall Colliery — 1.5 miles (2.4 km) SE
- Featherstone Main Colliery — 1.6 miles (2.6 km) SE
- Methley Junction Colliery — 1.7 miles (2.8 km) N
Straight-line distance, within 9 miles (15 km). Show on the map.
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- The colliery at Hopetown was named after Dom Pedro, Emperor of Brazil, who visited Normanton in 1871; roads in the area of the former colliery keep the name. 1
- Opened in 1878 and closed in 1912; owned by H. Briggs, Son and Company. 2
- Employed 616 men in 1894, 374 in 1896 and 471 in 1900, raising household coal. 2
- The Haigh Moor workings under the Loscoe estate and Whitwood Moor were abandoned in 1912. 3
- Don Pedro was the name of the local colliery remembered in street names on Normanton industrial estate. 4
Sources
- (secondary) Normanton, West Yorkshire — Wikipedia
- (primary) Don Pedro Colliery — Durham Mining Museum
- (primary) BGS mine plan: Loscoe Estate - Don Pedro - Whitwood Moor, Haigh Moor seam (abandoned 1912) — British Geological Survey / Mining Remediation Authority
- (observational) Tom Dando Close (Geograph 2165778) — Geograph
Record created: 17 October 2026 · Last researched: 17 October 2026