Norman Cornish

County Durham miner and painter who worked underground for 33 years, from 1933 to 1966, while building a national reputation for his paintings of Spennymoor mining life.

In the archive

• Worker · Dean and Chapter Colliery (from 1933) — Datal lad from Boxing Day 1933 and a putter from 1937.
• Worker · Mainsforth Colliery (from 1962) — Transferred here in 1962; given a year's unpaid leave to paint the Gala mural.

Sources

1. Chronology — Norman Cornish, Norman Cornish Ltd (official website)
2. Cornish and Chaplin's Spennymoor Settlement – August 2014, Newcastle University Special Collections
3. Mainsforth Colliery — Norman Cornish, Norman Cornish Ltd (official website)

Record created: 17 September 2026 · Last researched: 17 September 2026