Lintz Colliery

Overview

A colliery near Burnopfield opened in 1855 by McLean and Prior, auctioned with its 158 coke ovens when the company failed in 1869, laid in, then revived in 1889 by John Shield when a dyke thought to throw the coal down turned out to raise it; a fall of stone killed three lads aged 14 to 19 in 1920, and it closed in 1929.

History

Lintz Colliery was opened in 1855 by Messrs McLean and Prior. In December 1869 the liquidators of the company put it up for auction: 660 acres of royalty estimated to hold 1,825 acres of unworked coal, with the plant, agents' and workmen's houses, stables, firebrick works and 158 coke ovens, connected to the Blaydon and Consett branch of the North Eastern Railway; George Henry Gooch was the resident agent. McLean worked it until about 1885, when it was laid in, and in August 1887 the Main, Busty, Three Quarter and Brockwell seams were abandoned. John Shield reopened it in 1889, working the Main Coal at 20 fathoms and the Busty Bank, eight feet thick with two feet of fireclay in its centre, at 60 fathoms. Sinking over the Forty Fathom dyke, which many engineers took for a 'dipper' but which the manager expected to be a 'riser', found the coal lifted well above its usual level for some 200 yards. By 1896 the South Garesfield Colliery Company worked the Anna and Esther pits, and employment reached 458 in 1921. On 29 November 1920 a fall of stone killed three boys, John Carton, 15, John Graham, 19, and Lancelot Riddell, 14. The colliery closed in March 1929.

Geology

Durham Coal Measures cut by the Forty Fathom dyke, which raises the seams near the colliery: the Main Coal, Busty Bank (with a fireclay band), Three Quarter, Brockwell, Hutton and Tilley.

Workings

The Anna (or Anne) and Esther pits, a New pit and Priestfield, with 158 coke ovens and a firebrick works in 1869.

Closure

Laid in about 1885 and reopened in 1889; closed in March 1929.

What remains

Unknown.

Unknown.

Redevelopment

Unknown.

Nearby mines

• Burnopfield Colliery — 1.5 km E
• Byermoor Colliery — 3.2 km E, Tyne and Wear
• West Stanley Colliery — 4.4 km SE
• Eden Colliery — 4.7 km SW
• Louisa Colliery — 4.9 km SE

Straight-line distance, within 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.

• Lintz Colliery was opened in 1855 by McLean and Prior; in December 1869 its 660 acres, plant, houses, firebrick works and 158 coke ovens were put up for auction by the company's liquidators; George Henry Gooch was resident agent. ¹
• Opened 1855 by Messrs McLean & Prior, laid in about 1885, reopened 1889 by John Shield, later South Garesfield Colliery Co. Ltd; closed March 1929; employment 437 in 1900 and 458 in 1921. ²
• Sinking over the Forty Fathom dyke, believed by many engineers to be a 'dipper' but which proved a 'riser', coal was discovered raised well above its level for about 200 yards (Whellan, 1894). ²
• John William Carton, 15, John Graham, 19, and Lancelot Riddell, 14, were killed by a fall of stone on 29 November 1920. ²

Photographs & further reading

Sources

1. (secondary) Lintz Colliery - Graces Guide — Grace's Guide
2. (secondary) Durham Mining Museum - Lintz Colliery — Durham Mining Museum

Record created: 21 September 2026 · Last researched: 21 September 2026