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<_L',J
t^6
THE MINERS
OF
NOETHUMBEELAND AND
DUEHAM.
A HISTORY OF THEIR SOCIAL AND POLITICAL
PROGRESS.
By RICHARD FYNES, Bltth.
BLTTH
JOHN EOBINSON, JUN., PSIKTEB, BOOKBINDER, AND STATIONKE,
Freebold Street, Sussex Street, and Sldon Street.
1878.
ft «
P>K,EF.A-q|E.
jHILE it is unnecessary to offer any apology for
appearing before the public in the capacity of
author, as my friends are now in the habit of looking for me
in varied and strange characters, a word or two of explana-
tion as' to why I have undertaken this work may perhaps
be regarded as necessary. Coal, which has moved nations,
and enabled capitalists to amass princely fortunes, has
recently formed the subject of much speculation and debate;
and the miners, who endanger their lives to produce this
useful commodity, have now come to be regarded as objects
jf universal interest. The character of the miners — indi-
sridual and general — ^has been discussed in public and piivat*
assemblies, and columns of flowery nonsense have been
piinted in newspapers about them. Many writers have en-
leavoured — some of them in a supercilious and patronising
fashion — to give the public a notion of the peculiar traits
md habits of the miners, and whilst many of them have been
uccessful in this respect, none of them have yet, to my
knowledge, attempted to give any account of their doings,
lieir sufferings, and their struggles, in the assertion of their
ocial and political independence.
With the view of supplying this deficiency, I have set
oyself to work, feeling in some measure qualified for the
ask in consequence of having spent all, except the last few
PREFACE.
years, of my life in the pits. I have passed through all the
grades of mining work, from being a trapper boy behind a
door to a hewer at the face, and have therefore had many-
opportunities of witnessing the dangers, the hardships, and
the drudgery of a miner's life ; whilst I have also seen, or
heard, or read of the glorious deeds done by men who are
now well nigh forgotten.
Though the passing events of the present day are of
more importance to living Englislimen, as having more in-
fluence on their happiness, than events which occurred in
periods now long passed away, yet authentic information
concerning the lives of our predecessors is not only interest-
ing but necessary, in order that we may profit by their ex-
perience, follow the good example they have set us, and
eschew the errors by which they fell. My sole aim in
undertaking the compilation of a history of the miners of
Northumberland and Durham has been to furnish correct
information concerning this useful body of men, and to what
^ten4 I have succeeded I will leave the public to judge.
For myself I may say I have spared neither time nor
trouble in collecting the materials necessary for such an
undertaking, and whilst I have searched records of every
description I have been careftil to use nothing but what has
been proved to be strictly accurate when put to the test.
In order to avoid giving my book the least tinge of fiction,
my wish, above every other thing, has been throughout to
supply accurate data which may be quoted with confidence
by my readers, and generally to produce an unvarnished
history of the miners of those two large coal-producing
counties of Northumberland and Durham, together with
brief notices of those great reformers, the result of whose
y'ours, trait/,
RICHARD FYNES.
>
CONTENTS.
PAGE.
CHAPTER I.
Rise and Progress of the Newcastle Coal Trade . - - , 1
CHAPTER II.
The condition of Coal Miners before the beginning of the present
century .----------8
CHAPTER III.
The "Binding" Strike of 1810 12
CHAPTER IV.
The Co-operative Movement, and Hepburn's Union " # " " 1^
CHAPTER V.
The Great Strike of 1831. Misconduct of the Men. The Military
called out 19
CHAPTER VI.
The First Political Demonstration. The Waldridge Colliery Out-
rage. The Long Strike of 1832. Ejectments at Hetton and
Friar's Goose. Murder of Mr. Fairless 2i
CHAPTER VII.
The Continuation of the Strike. Murder of Cuthbert Skipsey by
a Policeman. The Trial and Execution of Jobling. The End
of the Strike, and Dissolution of Hepburn's Union - - - 32
CHAPTER VIII.
The Conduct of the Men after the Dissolution of the Union. For-
mation of a National Union. The Strike at Wingates and
Thomley. Details of the Prosecution of the Men - - 37
CHAPTER IX.
The Preliminaries of the Great Strike of 1844. The Circular of the
Union to the Coal Trade. Large Meeting at Shadon's Hill • 49
CHAPTER X.
The National Conference at Glasgow. The Nature of the Men's
Grievances. A Second Circular from the Union to the Coal
Trade ........... 53
• •
U. CONTENTS.
CHAPTER XI. PAOE>
Commencement of the Great Strike of 1844^ Great Meeting on
Shadon'sHiU ^
CHAPTER XII.
Continuance of the Strike. The action of the Masters and Men.
Great Meeting on behalf of the Men in Newcastle - - - 62"
CHAPTER XIII.
Attempt on the part of the 0#ner8 to Start the Pits. The Eviction
of Colliers. Attempt to stop the Meetings of the Men. The
Introduction of Strangers, and Continued Evictions - - 71
CHAPTER XIV.
Further Meetii^s of the Men. Public Sympathy with the Men.
Evictions at Derwent Iron Works Colliery. Public Dinner to
the Men at Blackhill. More Meetings of the Men - - 75
CHAPTER XV.
The Inhumanity of the Ejections. Attempt by the Men to settle
the Dispute. Conduct of the Coal Owners generally /and of the
Marquis of Londonderry in particular. The Workhouse
Closed against the Men - - - - . - • - - 80
CHAPTER XVI.
The Opinion of the Irish and English Press on the Conduct of the
Marquis of Londonderry ---.---- 86-
CHAPTER XVII.
Tactics of the Coal Owners to get fresh Men. Importation of
Strangers. Return of Men to Staffordshire. Strike amongst
the Cornish Miners at Radcliffe. The Reduced State of the
Men and their Families -------- 90
CHAPTER XVIII.
Another Large Meeting on Newcastle Town Moor. Great Pro-
cession and Demonstration. Attempt to stop the Publication
of the " Miners* Advocate." Large Meeting at Bishop Auck-
land ---..----- - 94
CHAPTER XIX.
The Condition of the Men on Strike. Efforts made to raise Fimds.
Secession from the Ranks of the Union and Return of the Men
to Work. Yielding of the Durham Men. Meetings on the
Town Moor, at Durham, and at Scaffold Hill . - - - 101
CHAPTER XX.
Resolution of the Men to Yield. Return of the Men to Work.
End of the Strike --------- 103;
• ••
CONTENTS. lU.
CHAPTER XXI. PAGE.
Seprisals of the Men on the Strangers. Riots at Seaton Belaval
and HolyweU. Treatment of the Welshmen by the Northum-
berland and Durham Pitmen 106
CHAPTER XXII.
Treatment of the Leaders of the Late Strike. Recommencement
of the Union Agitation. Fresh Meetings held all over the Two
Counties. The Meeting at Wrecking^n. Men discharged for
Attending the Meetings. Dispute amongst the Masters - - 11
CHAPTER XXIII.
The Employers again United. Awakening of Public Sympathy
with the Men. Action taken for Parliamentary Redress of
Grieyances - .-.. 117
CHAPTER XXIV.
The Introduction of the Mines and Collieries' Bill. The Discussion
in Parliament on the BilL Its W ithdrawal . - . . 124
CHAPTER XXV.
Introduction of another Bill to prevent the use of Gunpowder and
Candles in Mines. Formation of a Fresh Union. Strike in
Northumberland and Durham. Murder of George Hunter at
Cowi)en. Outbreak of the Cholera - - - - - - 132
CHAPTER XXVI. .
Fresh Strikes in both Counties. The Adhesion of the Barrington
Men to the Union. Strike at Barrington and Disorder
amongst the Men. Final Collapse of the Union - - - 135
CHAPTER XXVIL
Passing of the Mines Regulation Bill. Misrepresentation of the
First Inspector imder the Act ...... 140
CHAPTER XXVIIL
The History of the Scotch Miners. Their Serfdom. The Eman-
cipating Acts ----- 142
CHAPTER XXIX.
Accidents in Mines. The Introduction of the Davy Lamp. A
List of Accidents. An Inquiry into the Cause of Explosions in
Mines - - 146
CHAPTER XXX.
The WaUsend Explosion. Coroners' Inquests. The Inaccuracy of
Returns of Casualties in Mines ----.-- 154
IV. CONTENTS.
CHAPTER XXXI. page.
The South Shields Explosion. The Committee of Inquiry into the
Cause of Explosions. The Haswell Explosion ... igi
CHAPTER XXXIL
The Jarrow Explosion. The Results of Mr. Mather's action. The
Explosions between 1849 and 1860 - 167
CHAPTER XXXIII.
The Burradon Explosion. The Hetton Explosion. The Hartley-
Accident - 170
CHAPTER XXXIV.
The Separation Grievance. Strike at Seaton Delaval. Large
Meeting on the Town Moor. Passing of the Mines Inspection
Bill 179
CHAPTER XXXV.
The Co-operative Movement. The Strike at West Cramlington - 187
CHAPTER XXXVI.
Meetings concerning the Hartley Accident. Meeting to establish a
Permanent Relief Fund. The Relief Fund established. - 195
CHAPTER XXXVII.
Agitation for an Improved Method of Working Mines. The
Condition of the Collieries with regard to the Number of
Shafts -'----- 201
CHAPTER XXXVIII.
Threatened Re-introduction of the Yearly Bond. Great Meeting
at Horton. Commencement of the present Union of the
Northumberland Miners. The Miners' Permanent Relief
Fund ---------... 206
CHAPTER XXXIX.
Formation of another General Union of the two Counties. Out-
break of the Strike Fever in Durham. Progress of the Union. 219
CHAPTER XL.
The Strike at Willington. Conduct of Messrs. Straker and Love.
Eviction of the Men. Other Strikes. First Conference of
the National Association. -------- 226
CONTEXTS. V.
CHAPTER XLI. page.
Ai^tation in Durham against the Yearly Bond. Disputes amongst
the Leaders of the men. Attack on Mr. Koberts. Death of
Thomas Hepburn. , . . 235
CHAPTER XLII.
The Yearly Bond in Durham continued. Secession of Northum>
berland from the Durham Union. The Cramlington Strike.
The Northumberland Union. Appointment of the Joint
Committee. Attack on Mr. Burt. 246
CHAPTER XLIII.
The Condition of the Durham Miners. The Formation of the
present Union in Durham. The National Association - 257
CHAPTER XLIV.
Passing of the Mines Regulation BiU. ...... 264
CHAPTER XLV.
The Franchise Movement. The Great Manhood Suffrage Demon-
stration on Newcastle Town Moor 269
CHAPTER XLVII.
Conclusion ------------ 277
Appendix ------285
LIST OF PORTRAITS.
PAGE.
Mb. Thomas Hepbubn 36
Mr. Mabtin Judb 124
Mb. Jaheb Mathbb .----. 160
Mb. Geoboe Baker Forster - - • - 190
Mr. Hugh Taylor 194
Mr. Alexander Blyth - - - • 214
Mb. Willl&h Cbawford 222
Mb. Joseph Cowen 269
Mb. Thomas Bubt 246
EEEATA.
In Chapter V., page 19— read 1831 for 1832.
In the 5th line from the bottom of page 37^read Alexander Stoves,
instead of " William Stoves."
In page 174, 23rd line from the top, instead of "there was not one
man," — ^read "there were three men," and omit the words "but what,"
in the 24th line. The names of the men killed are George Sharp and
Son, Ralph Bobson, and William Brown. The names of the three
saved are Thomas Watson, William Sharp, and Ralph Robinson.
In the 23rd line of page 182— read Wilson Ritson, instead of "William
Ritson."
In the 10th line from the bottom of page 245, instead of " interred
at the Felling" — read interred at Heworth.
THE MINERS
OP
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM, &c.
CHAPTER I.
RISE AND PROGRESS OF THE NEWCASTLE COAL TRADE.
As any history of such a large and important community as
that of the miners of the North would be incomplete witliont
some reference to the rise and progress of the trade by which
so many thousands earn their livelihood, and which conduces
so much to the comfort of the whole of the nation, a few par-
ticulars of the rise and progress of the Newcastle coal
trade — the nucleus around which the coal trade of the
North of England was formed — ^may not be considered out
of place here.
Though the presence of coal beneath the surface of the
earth was no secret, and though there is much positive
evidence tliat the Romans were acquainted with the use of
coal as fuel, many centuries passed away before coal-getting
became anything like a trade, or its use anything to speak
of. It is true that in many districts where coal vnx» easily
obtained, it was used by smiths in their forges, but by far
the greater number of o\ir forefathers preferred to use char-
coal for domestic purposes ; and indeed so strong -was the
prejudice against its use, that, according to Stowc, the nice
dames of London, in the early part of the sixteenth century,
" would not come into any house or room where sea-coales
are burned ; nor willingly eat of meat tliat was either sod or
roasted with sea-coal fire." But, though the prejudice
against coal continued till the g^ik4;0enth century, there is
proof that as early as the thirteeuro wals were useil in suffi-
cient quantities as to become the i^ul^eot of a special charter
B
2 THE MINERS OF
from King Henry the Third, in the year 1 239, who granted " to
tlie good men of Newcastle licence to dig coals in the com-
mon soil of the town, without the walls thereof, in the place
called Castle Field and the Forth, and from thence to draw
and convert them to their- own profit in aid of their fee-farm
rent of £100 per annum." The same king subsequently gave
them all the stone and coals in the Forth adjoining to the
former ; and the revenues of the town increas^ so much by
the sale of coals that in 1280, we are told it was worth
£200 a year. They were also very extensively used in
London about this time, so much so, that Parliament com-
plained in 1306 to the King that they '^infected the air in
noxious vapours." The sensitive gentlemen of the present
day, who cannot endure a little coal smoke are therefore not
the originators of this crusade against the use of coals, for
nearly six centuries ago our legislators procured the publi-
cation of two proclamations prohibiting their further use,
and containing strict orders to inflict fines upon all delin-
quents, and to destroy all furnaces and kilns in which coals
were used. But necessity and experience soon triumphed
over ignorance and selfishness ; and a debt of 10s. was
incurred for coal at the coronation of Edward the Third,
proving that it must have been used in that ceremony not-
withstanding the proclamations.
Edward the Third granted licences to Newcastle to work
coal in the Castle Field and Castle Moor, issued orders con-
cerning coal measures, suffered coals won in the fields of Gates-
head to be taken across the Tyne in boats to Newcastle on con-
dition of their paying the usual customs of the port ; and after
that to be sent to any part of the kingdom, either by land or sea,
but to no place out of it except to Calais. In the year 1330
the Priory of Tynemouth let a colliery called Heygrove, at
" Elstewyke," for £5, another in the East field there at 6
marks a year ; besides which they had one in the West field,
and another near Gallow Flat on the same estate in the
years 1331 and 1334. Then as an evidence of the progress
which liad taken place, in the trade, it may be mentioned
that these mines were let in the year 1530, for £20 a year,
a condition of the lease being that not more than twenty
clialdrons, of six bolls each, should be drawn in a day. In
1 538, two pits were let by the same priory for the yearly
NORTHUKBERLAND AND DURHAM. 3
rent of £60, and in 1554 Queen Mary granted a lease of 21
years on all mines ''within the fields and bounds of
Elstwick," at the annual rent of £68. Queen Elizabeth,
in the year 1582, obtained a 99 years' lease of the manors
and royalties of Gateshead and Whickham at the yearly
rental of £90. This, which was called " the Grand Lease,"
caused an immediate advance in coals ; but the Queen soon
transferred it to the Earl of Leicester, who in his turn
assigned it to his secretary, Thomas Sutton, the founder of
the Charter House. Sutton transferred this lease to Sir
William Riddell and others for the use of the Mayor and
Burgesses of Newcastle in consideration of £12,000. The
''Grand Lease" put the coal trade into a terrible fever,
and the price of coals in London, while Sutton held it, was
6s. a chaldron ; but, on its assignment to the Corporation of
Newcastle, they rose to 7s. ; and soon after to 8s. In the
year 1590 the market price was advanced to 9s., upon which
the Lord Mayor complained to Lord Treasurer Burleigh
against the town of Newcastle, setting forth that the
society of Free Hosts, consisting of about 60 persons, had
consigned their right of "the Grand Lease" to about 18 or
20 persons, who engrossed the collieries at Stella, Ravens-
worth, Newburn, &c., and requesting that the whole might
be opened and the price fixed at a maximum of 7s. per
chaldron.
In the year 1602 there were 28 acting fitters or host-,
men, who were to vend yearly 9,080 tons of coals and
provide 85 keels for that purpose. In 1615 the trade appears
to have employed 400 sail of ships, one half of which supplied
London, and the other half the rest of England. The French
also traded somewhat extensively with Newcastle at this time,
and coal for Picardy, Normandy, Bretagne and other ports
was exported from the Tyne, often in fleets of 50 sail at one
time. In the year 1616 the quantity of coals shipped from
the port was 13,675 tons, and in 1622 the vend had
increased to 14,420 tons. So, the coal trade, which then
began to increase with great rapidity from year to year,
went on progressing till the year 1640, when Newcastle
was in the hands of the Covenanters, and in a state of siege.
Trade of all kinds was at a stand still, the coal trade
especially sustaining a very heavy loss ; and from employ-
4 THE MINERS OF
ing 10,000 men, as it had done just before, not a tenth of
that number could be found hardy enough to remam at
their work. Every one fled, thuiking the Scots would give
them no quarter, and more than 100 vessels arriving off
Tynemouth Bar the day after the fight, and hearing of the
possession of Newcastle by the Scots, returned to the Thames
empty. But with the quittance of the Scots the mis-
chief was not ended, for in the January of 1642 an
ordinance of parliament prohibited ships from carrying coals
or salt from "Newcastle, Smiderland, or Blithe," and suc-
ceeding restrictions and impositions all conspired to make
coals so dear in London that the price at which they were
sold at that period was no less than £4 per clialdron. Such
a state of things could no more prevail for any length of
time at this early period than in our own time, and accord-
ingly we find amongst the ordinances of parliament, 12th May,
1643, that it "was ordained that there be a free and open
trade in the ports of Sunderland in the County of Durham,
and Blithe in the County of Northumberland, to relieve the
poor inhabitants thereabout by reasons of rapines and spoyls
those enemies of Newcastle have brought upon them in those
two Counties, they all being in great want and extremety."
The high prices of coal at present prevailing recals the pro-
position of the author of a work called " The Grand Concern
of England," printed in the year 1673, who amongst other
schemes for bettering the people of this Country suggested
that the coal trade should in future be managed by Com-
missioners empowered to supply all ports of the nation with
coals at an uniform rate. "I need not," writes this specu-
lator, "declare how the subjects are abused in the price of
coals ; how many poor have been starved for want of fewel
by reason of the horrid prices put upon them, especially in time
of war, either by the Merchants, or the Woodmonger, or
between them both." The price he reckons at that time
to be about Ts., a Newcastle chaldron, the freight 6s.
City duty 3s., and lighterage, wharfage and cartage
4s. "If then, he adds," "three Newcastle chaldrons, com-
puted at £3 make 5 London chaldron and they be sold at
£5 10s., there is very nigh half in half got thereby : Con-
sidering then how many hundred thousand chaldrons of
coals are spent every year, by a moderate computation it
NOBTHUMBEELAXD AND DURHAM. 5
will appear that near £200,000 per aimiiin advantage may
arise hereby to the public, and the subject also receive a
great benefit by the same."
After the re-opening of the coal trade ports and the
removal of the silly restriction, this flourishing trade began to
assume considerable dimensions, and in 1655 about 320 coal
keels appear to have been employed on the River T3aie.
In 1676 it is estimated that the aggregate tonnage of the
coal shipping of Newcastle amounted to 80,000 tons ; and
in 1699, according to Brand, 14,000 ships were engaged in
this trade altogether, carying annually to London 300,000
Newcastle chaldrons of coal, of which about two-thirds
went from Newcastle. In 1703 the masters of the New-
castle Trinity House in answer to the question from the
House of Conmions, asserted that 600 ships, one with
another, each of 80 Newcastle chaldrons, with 4,500 men,
were requisite for carrying on the trade. From 1704 to
1710, the average annual export of coal from Newcastle
was 178,143 chaldrons, whilst from Sunderland the average
annual export for the same period was 65,760 chaldrons.
In 1764 the coasting coal trade of the Tyne had increased by
20,000 chaldrons, and by 40,000 into foreign parts; 3,727
vessels clearing from the Tyne with coals during the year
for the coast, and 365 for foreign ports. The average
annual clearance of coal for six years ending at Christmas
time 1776, was 260,000 chaldrons to London, 90,000 to
other British ports, 2,000 to British Colonies and 27,000
to other Foreign ports; in all 380,000 Newcastle chaldrons.
The demand continued to grow, and with the demand
the resources for supplying it. New Collieries were opened
out in all directions, new methods of raising coals were
introduced, wooden rails were laid down, and waggons, to
carry each a chaldron, were brought into use. Previous to
the introduction of the waggons and waggon-ways the whole
of the coals used to be transported either in keels cr in carts,
for at a Court of the Hostmen's Company held in New-
castle in 1600, wains were ordered to be all measured and
marked, as it appeared tliat " from time out of mynd it hath
been accustomed that all cole waynes did usuallie cary and
bring eighte bonis of coles to all the stathes upon the Ry ver
Tine, but of late years severall hath brought only or scarce
6 THE MINEBS OF
seven boUes.'* The same record mentions ^^ two small maunds
or pannyers holding two or three pecks a-piece," from which
it appears evident that coals were not only carried in carts
but that a practice of carrying them on horse-back also
prevailed. The railways in use in 1676, and which at that
period were a great novelty, are thus described by Lord
Keeper Guildford. ** The manner of the carriage of coals
is by laying rails of timber from the colliery down to the
river, exactly straight and parallel; and bulky carts are
made with four rowlers fitting these rails, whereby the
carriage is so easy, that one horse will draw down four or
five chaldrons of coals, and is an immense benefit to the
coal merchants." Sir Thomas Liddell, of Ravensworth
Castle, is said to have laid the first waggon- way down from
the Teams Colliery to the staith on the Tyne near to
Derwenthaugh. But towards the close of the eighteenth
century the wooden rails were succeeded by iron ones, and
the horses in all places where there was an inclined plane
substituted by a large coiling drum, by means of which the
light waggons were drawn up the bank by the weight of
the full ones in descent, there being a rope attached to each
set of waggons, as well as to the drum, which was fixed at
the top of the hill. This invention was by Mr. Barnes, and
was first adopted at Benwell Colliery. With such great
improvements in the method of transporting coal it is no
wonder that a great increase should take place in the out-
put, and at the very beginning of the present century the
export was about 500,000 chaldrons from Newcastle alone.
The following table, from authentic sources, showing the
export of coal for the first decade of the present century,
will be interesting to many.
Year. Coastwise. Oversea. Plantations. Total Chaldrons.
1802 .. 494,488 .. 41,157 .. 2,844 .. 638,489
1803 .. 505,137 .. 42,808 .. 1,516 .. 549,461
1804 .. 579,929 .. 48,737 .. 3,852 .. 632,518
1805 .. 552,827 .. 47,213 .. 2,360 .. 602,400
1806 .. 587,719 .. 44,858 .. 1,249 .. 633,826
1807 .. 534,371 .. 26,494 .. 1,848 .. 561,713
1808 .. 613,786 .. 14,636 .. 1,026 .. 629,447
1809 .. 650,221 .. 12,640 .. 1,992 .. 564,853
1810 .. 622,573 .. 16,961 .. 2,310 .. 641,834
1811 .. 634,371 .. 16,818 .. 2,136 .. 652,325 .
Contrasted with this is the average export of coals for
NOBTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAV. 7
last year, from the port of the Tjne, which amounted to
upwards of 3,000,000 of tona.
Bljth was regarded as a branch of Newcastle, and as
such had a burthen of Is. duty a chaldron imposed upon all
coal exported from that town; but a petition representing
Bljth and Hartley as distinct places and with separate inte-
rests, being presented to the House of Commons, the duty
was ordered " to be laid down and no more taken up." In
1638, however, Blyth, together with Newcastle and Berwick,
is found paying to the King " Is. per chaldron oostome, and
to sell them again to the City of London not exceeding ITs.
the chaldron in the summer, and 19s. the chaldron in the
winter." The average vend of coals at Blyth and Hartley
for the last ten years of the last century was about 35,000
chaldrons; for the first ten years of the present century
about 50,000 chaldrons; and for the year 1872, about
220,000 tons.
Sunderland beginning to be of importance as a coal-ex-
porting port in the year 1661, the Hostmen of Newcastle,
jealous of its increasing consequence, endeavoured to shackle
it with a duty of Is. per chaldron. From 1704 to 1710, how-
ever, its annual average export was 65,760 chaldrons, and
for the last five years of the first decade of the present cen-
tury the trade done in coals at this port was as follows : —
Y«ur.
1806
1807
1808
1809
1810
In the year 1872 the quantity of coals exported from
the Wear amounted to nearly 300,000 tons.
The total output of coals in Great Britain in 1872 was
123,386,758 tons, and the number of persons employed in
this production was 393,344. This estimate includes the
whole of the persons employed in the mines, and the average
production for each person employed was 314 tons. There
was a considerable increase in the number of persons em-
ployed in 1872, but the precise numbers cannot be accurately
given, as it was not compulsory on coal owners till last year
to send in returns to the inspectors, The output in 1872
Coaitwlae.
Foreign.
Total Chaldi.
. . . . 291,317
.... 291,317
. . . . 348,938
.... 324,455
. . . . 371,120
.... 2,622
.... 4,274
.... 2,058
973
.... 1,889
.... 309,174
.... 295,591
.... 250,996
.... 325,428
.... 373,009
8 THE MINERS OP
was likewise an advance on 1871, which may be stated to
liavebeen 117,186,278 tons. This is 7,000,000 tons more
tlian the output of 1870, which only exceeds that of 1869
by 3,000,000. The number of tons of coals exported was in
1872, 13,212,000 ; in 1871, 12,748,000.
We shall now close this chapter by giving a few of the
prices at which coal has been sold from time to time iu
London, Newcastle, and other places. In the year 1395,
coal was sold at Whitby Abbey, at 3s. 4d. per chaldron ; in
1512, at Alnwick Castle, at 5s. for best, and 4s. 2d. for
inferior ; hi 1536, at Newcastle for 28. 6d., at London for
4s. ; in the years 1550, 1582, 1585, and 1590, the prices in
London were 128., 68., 8s., and 9s., respectively. In 1626,
coals sold in Newcastle at 7s. 6d. per chaldron ; in 1635 and
1653 the prices in Newcastle were 9s. and 10s. per clialdron ;
in 1637, in London they were 178. in the summer, and 19s.
iu the winter, and £4 in Loudon in 1644, during the siege
of Newcastle. In 1655, coals sold in London for 20s., and
in Newcastle for 128. per chaldron; in 1667, for 30s. per
chaldron in London; in 1701, at 18s. 3d. in London, and
10s. 6d. in Newcastle ; and in 1703, at lis. in Newcastle.
Throughout the whole of the seventeenth century coals
varied in the London market from 18s. to £2 per chaldron,
aud at the beginning of the present century they had
advanced permanently to at least 20s. per ton. From that
price they advance<l to £3 per ton during the pitmen's strike
in 1831-2, and to £3 during the strike of 1844. The ordi-
nary price of coals after tliat time in London was 25s. per
ton in sununer time, and 30s. in the winter ; the price in
Newcastle being from lOs. to 158. per ton. Last year, how-
ever, the prices went up to £3 per ton in the London
market, while iu Newcastle they ranged from 18s. to 258.
per ton, the cause of the increase being stated to be the
shorter hours during which the pitmen worked, and the
increased rate of wages paid to them.
CHAPTER II.
THE CONDITION OP COAL MINERS BEPORE THE BEGINNING OP
THE PRESENT CENTURY.
The early history of the men who worked the coal in
the primitive ages of the coal trade would be very interest-
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM. 9
»
ing if it did not disclose a picture so terribly dark and
repulsive. For many years speculators and adventurers
leased most of the mines; and seeking to make as much out
of the investment as possible, ground down their workmen
in a shocking and inhuman manner. Not only did they
refuse to pay them a fair wage for their laborious and
dangerous work — and the work was dangerous in a very
high degree then — but they treated them as so many serfs
who were utterly unworthy of any consideration whatever,
Children of tender years were sent down into the pits to
keep a trapdoor, or to help-up, whilst they should have
been still in the nursery ; and owing to the long hours they
were kept at work, it was impossible for them to see day-
light except at the end of each week, or to catch a glimpse
of it in the long days of summer. Females were also sent
down into these dismal holes, and many continued to labour
there till they became wives and mothers. They were even
at this early period taunted with their barbarity and want
of intelligence, when intelligence was not a very common
commodity around them ; but those who taunted them,
either forgot or wilfully refused to recollect that, situated
as they were, it was almost impossible for them to acquire
information. But notwithstanding these many drawbacks,
the pitmen of Northumberland and Durham were by no
means remarkable for their savagery, and if many of them
exhibited a love for cock-fighting and other kindred sports
then in vogue, they were not singular in their tastes, but
had both example and precept from many who assumed to be
their superiors. Now and then, goaded by a sense of wrong,
they would band themselves together for mischief and
inflict grievous damage to life and property ; but in their
ordinary every day course of existence they were, as a
whole, as intelligent and harmless as any community of
men, whose minds were as dark as their work, could be.
A knowledge of the power of union seems to have
dawned upon them at a very early date, for as far back as
the 20th of August, 1662, there is a record of 2,000 colliers
signing a petition to the King praying for redress of the
grievances inflicted upon them by the coal owners and over-
men. One of the grievances in this petition, — and which
was a fruitful soiu'ce of complaint for succeeding centuries —
10 THE MINEBS OF
was the improper ventilation of the pits ; and though acci-
dents from fire-damp were frequent and direful, the owneis
invariably turned a deaf ear to the representation of their
men on this, as well as on other matters. The petition
above alluded to, though prepared for presentation to His
Majesty, was never sent in, and probably the reason is that
the men who had signed it were got at, and either cajoled
or bullied into withdrawing their marks from the document,
a kind of logic which was often adopted by emyloyers
towards their men in those "good old times."
But the men petitioned again, and by and bye the
attention of men of science and learning was turned to the
prevalence of fire-damp in mines, but without any immedi-
ate beneficial results. In 1676 the matter was engaging
the attention of His Majesty's Ministers, and in that year
we find Lord Keeper North, without regard to grammar,
thus discoursing about fire-damp. "Damps or foul air
kill insensibly ; sinking another pit that the air may not
stagnate is an infallible remedy. They are most in hot
weather. An infallible trial is by a dog, and the candles
show it. They seem to be heavy sulphureous air, not fit
for breath ; and I have heard some say that they would lie
in the midst of the shaft and the bottom be clear. The
fiame of a candle will no-t kindle them so soon as the snufiT ;
but they have been kindled by the striking fire with a tool.
The blast is mighty violent, but the men have been saved
by lying flat on their bellies,"
From time to time the men rose in rebellion against
working any longer in a certain pit, and often after remain-
ing idle for a week or more, and sometimes after committing
a number of extravagances, such as throwing the corves
down the shaft, or upsetting the gin which was used for
drawing the coals to bank, would return again to their dan-
gerous and unhealthy labour, none the better for their
resistance. Now and then the inhabitants of the locality
were startled by terrible accidents arising from this cause,
such as the explosion, at North Biddick Pit, on the
Wear, where 72 persons — ^men, boys, and girls — were all
launched into eternity at one fatal blast. Another calamity
from the presence of fire-damp occurred in Lambton Colliery
on the 22nd of August, 1766. The workmen, to the num-
NOBTHUMBBRLAKD AND DUBHAM. 1 1
ber of 100, had just left off work, and were making their
way " out-bye," leaving behind them three masons and three
labourers to build up a partition to secure the coals taking
fire from the lamp— a large grate of burning coals, which
was kept burning at the bottom of the shaft to *^ put the air
in motion," and to ventilate the mine. The lamp was
lowered down at the request of the masons, to rarify the
air, and no sooner was this done than a terrible explosion
occurred, making its way up the pits, destroying men,
horses, and all in its passage. The noise was heard for
three miles around, and the blast of fire from the shaft
was as visible as a flash of lightning. The men below were
driven by the force up through the air shaft, or great tube,
like balls out of a cannon, and everything that offered any
resistance to the progress of the fatal blast shared the same
&te. The neighbourhood was alarmed, and collected to
render assistance, but found only heads, arms, and legs
thrown out to a great distance from the mouths of the pit.
The ground, for acres, was strewed with timber, coals, &c. ;
whilst all the partitions, trap-doors, corves, wood props, and
linings, were carried away, together with the engine for
drawing up coals, and all its apparatus. In 1805, another
accident, which left 25 widows and 81 children unprotected
and unprovided for, occurred at Hebburn ; about the same
period another occurred at Oxclose, near Washington, by
which 18 widows and 70 children were deprived of their
husbands, and fathers ; whilst the frightful accident which
occurred on the 25th of May, 1812, at Felling Colliery,
destroyed 92 persons, and left 41 widows and 133 children
to the protection of the public.
These, together with similar disasters, less fatal in result,
and more local in their effects, were the means of turning
the serious attention of engineers to the subject of the venti-
lation of coal mines, and early in the present century the
greater safety of the pitmen was secured by the substitution
of the ftimace shaft for the old-fashioned system of ^'putting
the air in motion " by burning a grate of coals or " lamp "
at the bottom of the upcast shaft.
In the year 1649, we are told that "many thousand
people are employed in this trade of coals, many live by
conveying them in waggons and wains to the river Tine,
12 THE MINERS OF
and many arc employed in conveying the coals in keels from
the staiths aboard the ship." Of course, with the increase
of the trade would come an increase in the nimiber of men
engaged in coal winning, and it is estimated that the New-
castle coal trade, at the beginning of the present century,
employed something like 6,530 pitmen, whilst the total
number of pitmen employed in the sea-sale collieries at
Blyth, Hartley, Newcastle, and Sunderland, amounted to
9,700.
CHAPTER in.
THE "binding" strike OF 1810.
Though a gradual improvement had been taking place
not only in the position of the miner when at work, but also
in his domestic and social character out of the mines, still
there was very great room for improvement in every respect.
Wages became higher and labour more scarce ; but the men
were not sufficiently educated to take advantage of this
opportunity of bettering themselves, and the only benefit
they derived from it was of a very temporary character.
All learning was at that time positively discouraged
amongst the lower ranks of society, and if any person, who
had received a scanty stock of learnmg got into trouble the
"pastors and masters and those in authority over" the poor
people shook their heads ruefully and declared that the mis-
fortune was the result of an impertment curiosity to know
as much as his or her betters. Under such circumstances
it may readily be imagined that an educated pitman
in the year 1800 was An exception ; and, though of
course out of several thousands of men there were ex-
ceptions, they were very rare indeed. No great wonder
is it then that whenever any dispute arose, the men, who
had no self respect to lose, should take leave of their rea-
son and commit desperate acts, which the most depraved of
the class at the present day, would feel ashamed to be guilty
of. Previous to the introduction of the steam winding
engine, gins were used for hauling the corves to bank, and
whenever any dispute took place, it was a favourite practice
of the men where the strike had orighiated to visit the
neighbouring collieries, and, by pulling down the gins, and
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM. 13
destroying the property, prevent the working of the colliery.
Such was the most common method resorted to, to get redress
of their grievances, and though they frequently met together
in large numbers for various purposes connected with their
work, there is no account of any organization of a perma-
nent and stable character occurring amongst the miners till
1809. At the yearly binding of the collieries, which at
this time took place in the month of October, the owners by a
preconcerted arrangement amongst themselves, but in which
the men were not allowed to have any part, decided that the
latter should be engaged for a quarter, or a year and a
quarter, in order to bring the binding time into the latter
end of December or the beginning of January. To this the
men at first agreed ; but upon mature deliberation they
found they had done wrong, and accordingly on the 16th of
October, 1810, a meeting of delegates was held at Long
Benton, when it was resolved to resist the alteration, and
that a strike should take place, unless the owners would
agree to continue the binding from the 18th October, as
usual. The coal owners having a reason for desiring the
change which they had arbitrarily declared should be made,
refused to listen to the men, and the latter accordiugly
struck after the binding day. The delegates from the diffe-
rent collieries held frequent meetmgs, both in the Counties
of Northumberland and Durham, for the purpose of keep-
ing the men united, but they were hunted about from place
to place by the owners and magistrates, assisted by the
military, and committed to prison in such large mumbers,
till the prisons would hold no more. To such an extent
was the old Gaol and House of Correction at Durham filled,"'
that, for fear of infection, several were removed to the
stables and the stable yards of the Bishop of Durham,
where they were guarded by the Durham Volunteers, and
special constables, and afterwards by the Royal Carmarthen-
shire Militia. Fresh seizures continued to be made, day by
day, till finally the number imprisoned in the Bishop's
stables amounted to nearly 300.
The men were now awakening to a sense of the serfdom
in which they and their forefathers had too long existed,
and their employers knew this, and were anxious to stifle
their desire for freedom in its birth. It was preposterous
14 T9E MINBBS 09
that men who had all along been in the habit of looking up
with awe and reverence to their employers — ^men who had
been taught, and had learnt the lesson too, to " order them-
selves lowly and reverently to all their betters," — ^men who
had shown no disposition hitherto to do anything beyond
living and dying on this earth like brute creatures — ^it was
perfectly intolerable 'that these men should refuse to bow
quietly down at the imperious behests of their lords and
masters ; it was a thing beyond all reason, and not to be
allowed for a moment that these creatures should have a will
of their own, much less to exercise one ; it was such an out-
rageous proposition, and such a piece of impertinence and
presumption that these men should dare to take the liberty
of thinking for themselves, that the united powers of the
church, of the law, and of the army, must forthwith be
launched to keep them in subjection, and prevent their pre-
sumptuous aspirations for freedom from becoming infectious.
And, no doubt, the Right Reverend Lord Bishop of Durham
slept a peaceful sleep in the calm consciousness of having
served the cause of law and order by yielding up his stables
for a prison-house, and probably he would not inquire too
curiously as to whether such conduct as stifling a number of
human beings in a horse stable was altogether and entirely
consistent with the Christian charity, which is the funda-
mental doctrine of the church of which he was so great a
dignitary.
Finding the men were determined to stand by their first
decision, the Rev. Mr. Nesfield, a magistrate, and Captain
Davis, of the Carmarthenshire Militia, had the good sense to
regard them as rational beings, and undertook to compromise
the matter. They made application to the prisoners in the
Bishop's stables, whom they considered the leading men,
but these men, one and all, refused to have anything to do in
the matter, leaving it entirely to their companions at liberty;
who eventually settled it by removing the time of binding
to the 5th of April, which time continued till the year 1844.
In the course of this strike, which lasted about seven weeks,
several other questions were brought forward, particularly
the fines for deficient measure, and foul coals. Mr. Nesfield,
having pledged himself that these things should be rectified
N0BTHT7MBXRLAKD AND DURHAM. 15
after the pits had again commenced working, and hefore the
binding took place, he, by advertisement, called a meeting of
the trade, to be held at Chester-le-street on the morning of
December 20th, and asked that two men from each colliery
should attend. This was objected to by Mr. Martindalc, the
clerk of the trade of the river Wear, " lest such meeting
should hazard a recurrence of the late disturbances," and
because '^the river Wear did not in itself constitute the coal
trade, but that the river Tyne, Hartley, Blyth, and
Cowpen, formed also a principal part thereof." This being
also inserted in the papers, with Mr. Nesfield's answers to
the objections contained therein, he, by another advertise-
ment, dated December 26th, and addressed ^^ to the coal
owiiers of the rivers Tyne and Wear, and of Hartley, Blyth,
and Cowpen," called a meeting to be held at the same place
on January Srd, 1811. This meeting took place, and to it
were submitted '^ proposals for regulating the contracts
between the coal owners and their miners on the rivers
Tyne and Wear, and of Hartley, Blyth, and Cowpen, by
the Rev. W. Nesfield, one of His Majesty's Justices of the
Peace for the County of Durham."
These proposals, which were agreed to by the coal
owners, have been the basis of the agreement of the employ-
ers with the miners ever since. By the words ** binding
time " is meant the day from which the contract is made in
one year until the same day in the next, when the year of
service expires ; but the time when the contract should be
renewed was made changeable and uncertain, — sometimes a
month or six weeks before the old contract ceased.
Previous to 1810, when there was a great scarcity of
miners, a bounty, called ** binding money " was given, which,
at some collieries, was as high as twenty guineas a
man. The "binding money" in 1800 ranged from, ten to
twelve guineas ; in 1804, from eighteen to twenty guineas ;
and in 1809 it was five guineas. Instead of taking advantage
of this scarcity of labour, and its great demand, the poor
pitmen eagerly took the proffered guineas and returned to
their drudgery, too often after having squandered their
bounty in the publc-house, and lost their opportunity of
asserting their value and their independence. Mr. Wilson
16 THE MINEBS OF
refers to binding time in the following linesof "The Pit-
man's Pay" : —
" Just like wor maisters when wor bun.
If men and lads be veira scant,
They wheedle us wi* yel and fun,
And coax us into what they want.
But xnyek yor mark, then snuffs and sneers
Suin stop yor gob and lay yor braggin ;
"When yence yor feet are i the geers.
Maw soul, they keep yor paunches waggin."
CHAPTER IV.
THE CO-OPERATIVE MOVEMENT, AND HEPBURN's UNION.
From the settlement of the strike about the binding time
things went on peaceably, and nothing occurred worthy of
being recorded till the year 1825, when there was an attempt
made to carry out a great social reform. Boys at this time
used to be from seventeen to eighteen hours a day in the
mine. Allowed to go down at the early, and almost infantile
age of six years, the whole of their youthful days were spent
in the dismal mine till they became 21 years of age; and,
during the whole of this long period, as we have already
remarked, they hardly ever saw the happy, health-giving
daylight and sunshine, except at short intervals. There
were no schools, and no time to attend them had there been
so that education amongst miners in those days was out of
the question, with the exception of one here and there.
Amongst the few, however, there was one bold, honest,
intelligent man, named Mackintosh, who was a miner, and
felt the degraded state of his fellow-men, and who set about
the great social work of co-operation, with a view to the
amelioration of himself and his companions. Like Galileo,
however, he lived before his time. A commencement was
made at Hetton, in the County of Durham, on the co-opera-
tive principle, but it soon failed, and it cannot be wondered
at, when the prejudice and the ignorance that prevailed at
this time is taken into consideration. The employers, scared
at anything which had a tendency to make the men more
self-reliant, set their foot upon the movement, and did their
utmost to crush it out of existence. Poor Mackintosh,
accused of being dishonest, mocked a;t and neglected by the
I
I
NORTHUMBEttLAND AXD DURHAHi. 17
men he had endeavoured to hencfit and elevate, and perse-
cnted by the employers, was compelletl to leave England and
go to America, where he spent the remainaer of his life.
There appears to have been no other organization of any
kuid amongst the miners till the year 1830, when the two
counties joined together in one large Union, which was
called ** Hepburn's Union." Hepburn, wuo gave his name to
this compact was a man of intelligence, tao;, perseverance, and
hoiie«ty of purpose, and one who was 'calculated to do, as
he did, a great amount of good work during the time he
laboured amongst the miners. About this time there were
signs of intelligence beginning to spread amongst the miners
They began to understand the great value of public sym-
pathy, and to lay their grievances before the public, and to
agitate through the two counties for the establishment of a
union of the miners of Northumberland and Durham. It
was only at this time the public became aware by means of
this agitation, that the miners as a class, were so barbar-
ously treated, by their requests for protection being refused,
and by their being kept in the mines for so many hours in
their youth. Having formed a strong union — the first that
had as yet been formed amongst them — the men began to
feel their strength, and in the year 1831, the whole of the
miners in Northumberland and Durham came out on strike,
for a general advance of wages, and shorter hours. On
March the 12th, 1831, an immense number of pitmen from
the collieries of the Tyne and Wear, assembled together on
the Black Fell near Eighton Banks, in the County of
Durham, for the purpose of adopting certain resolutions,
and considering the best means of obtaining from their
employers an increase of wages; and. again on the 21st of
the same month, another large meeting of the miners of the
two counties, was held on the Town Moor, Newcastle,
for the same purpose. During the forenoon, great num-
Ijers passed through the town of Newcastle in procession ;
apparently without exciting the least uneasiness or alarm
among the inhabitants ; and it was calculated that nearly
20,000 persons had assembled by one o'clock at the place of
meeting. Several speakers addressed the meeting, and
detailed in homely but energetic language, the grievances
under which they considered themselves to labour. This
18 THE MINERS OF
did not appear to be so much connected with the scant remune-
ration paid for the work, as with some objectionable parts in
the bond of service, the chief of which was the power of the
owners to lay the men idle on the occurrence of the most
trifling accidents to the pits, the engines, or even to the
waggon ways ; wages on these occasions, being often
discontinued for three days. Another source of com-
plaint was the subjection of the men to the caprice of
the viewers or agents, not only for a continuance of work,
but even for shelter for their wives and families, as they
were liable to be turned out of their houses, either on the
completion, or non-fulfilment of the articles of the bond,
arising from mutual disagreement. They also discussed the
injustice of being obliged to remain idle at Christmas time
without any compensation, as well as the length of time boys
were immured in the collieries, to the destruction of health,
and exclusion of almost every chance of education or moral
improvement.. In the course of the proceedings it was
resolved to petition Parliament, and subscribe sixpence each
to send deputies to London with the petitions ; to continue
to work, unbound, after their period of service had expired,
if the owners would allow them, otherwise to cease work-
ing, and claim parish reliefer magisterial interference, until
their remonstrances were attended to, and the bond altered
accordingly, and it was also resolved that the men of every
colliery should meet twice a week ; that each pit should
send a delegate to form a general committee for carrying the
resolutions into effect ; and further, that no man should in
future buy meat, drink, or candles, from any one connected
with the collieries. This last resolution was intended to put
a stop to the existence of those establishments known as
" Tommy Shops," a system by which a miner and his family
was placed completely at the mercy of the colliery owners.
The " Tommy Shop " was generally kept by a relative of
the viewer of the colliery, the pitman was compelled to pur-
chase his provisions there, and his wages were confiscated
at the pay day to settle any balance there might be due to
the "Tommy Shop" keeper. No wonder the men found
such a system irksome, and endeavoured to relieve them-
selves from it. While the meeting was progressing, Mr.
Archibald Beed, the Mayor of Newcastle^ appeared in the
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DT7RHAM. 19
midst of the assembly for a few minutes, and advised the
leaders to inculcate order and peace as the surest means of
obtaining justice, and a vote of thanks was accorded him for
the friendly advice he had given them, and for the kind
offer he made to act as the medium of communication between
them and their employers, as far as he could conveniently.
These resolutions were severally put, and carried unani-
mously by a show of hands, which, from the immense num-
ber held up, had a very great effect. The whole proceed-
ings were conducted without the least disturbance, and the
miners returned to their homes in the afternoon in good
order, and so ended the first great demonstration of miners
in Newcastle. Many have taken place since, and larger
numbers of men have taken part in them, but people now
b6gin to expect good behaviour from pitmen as well as from
other classes of men, and would be surprised if they, as a
body, conducted themselves otherwise. It was very different,
however, sixjby years ago, before the schoolmaster had been
abroad in the pit villages. The good people of Newcastle
then expected mischief when so large a number as 20,000
of those " terrible and savage pitmen" came from their own
poor districts into the rich and wealthy 'Newcastle, and
when the foot-fall of the last of them had died away from
the town, no doubt the shopkeepers would feel agreeably
surprised, and heave a sigh of relief at the evacuation of
their unwelcome visitors. Time works wonders, and it is
now interesting to see with what equanimity the tradesmen of
Newcastle at present regard the appearance of ten times
as many miners.
CHAPTER V.
THE GREAT STRIKE OP 1832. MISCONDUCT OP THE MEN.
THE MILITARY CALLED OUT.
The year for which the men at the various collieries on
the Tyne and Wear had bound themselves having expired
on the 5th of April, 1832, the whole of them refused to
enter into fresh engagements with their employers until the
differences which then, existed between them were adjusted.
The employers, it was said, had agreed that the boys should
in ftiture work only twelve hours a day, and that the work-
20 THE AnNERS OF *
men should be paid their wages in money, and be at liberty
to buy goods where they chose. These were great
points to have secured, but the men had made up their
minds to have the whole of their grievances remedied, and
continued to insist on other conditions. On Wednesday,
April 6th, the day following the binding day, a great
number of miners met on the Black Fell, with the
hope that some further arrangements would be proposed
by the coal owners ; but as no proposition was forth-
coming, they dispersed with a resolution not to return to
their w.ork on the former terms. In the meantime parties
of military had been placed in readiness, to assist the civil
power in preserving the peace, and several Northumberland
magistrates, wholly unconnected with the collieries, offered
themselves as mediators between the coal owners and the
miners. The magistrates announced that they would be
ready to meet the parties at the Moot Hall, Newcastle, on
Monday, the 11th April, in order to try and arrange the
dispute, and though the delegates of the men presented
themselves ready to enter upon a conference, the magis-
trates never came. Some of the collieries resumed work
with a inimber of men who went in on thla old terms, and
were accordingly regarded as "black-legs," by their com-
panions who remained out to fight the battle to its end.
On the 18th April, from 1,200 to 1,500 miners visited the
collieries in the neighbourhood of Blyth and Bedlington, and
there laid the pits off work by various destructive devices,
and threatened to set fire to them if their demands were not
complied with. At Bedlington Glebe Pit, they tore the
corves to pieces, threw them into the shaft, and did con-
siderable damage to the machinery. From Bedlington they
marched towards Netherton, but a strong opposition having
been collected there against them, they retreated. On their
return they entered the house of the resident viewer at
Cowpen Colliery, who was not at all a favourite with the
men. They broke open the cellar, and took everything
that they could eat and drink out of it, but did no damage
to the furniture, nor yet hurt any of the family in the house.
On leaving the house they gave a promise that they would
visit him again, if he attempted to get the pits to work
before they got their terms conceded ; and shortly after
NORTIlUMBBIiLAND AXD DLUIIAM. 21
this unwelcome viaitation the following laconic letter was
sent to him : —
" I was at vor hoose last neet, and myed mysel very comfortable.
Yo hoy noG family, and yor just won man on the colliery, I boo yo hov
a greet lot of rooms, and big cellars, and plenty wine and beer in them,
which I got ma share on. Noo I naw some at wor colliery that has
three or fewer lads and lasses, and they live in won room not half as
gudo as yor cellar. I don't pretend to naw very much, but I naw
there shudnt be that much dineronce. The only place we can gan to
o the week ends is the yel hoose and hev a pint. I dinna pretend to be
a profit, but I naw this, and lots o ma marrows ua's to, that wer> not
tret as we owt to be, and a great filosoper says, to get nolcdge is to
naw wer ignerent. But wove just l^egun to find that oot, and yo
maisters and owners may luk oot, for yor not gan to get se much o yor
awn way, wer gan to hev some o wors now. I divint tell ye ma nyem,
but I was one o yor unwelcome visitors last neet.''
On the following morning, a large number of men went
to Jesmond Dene Colliery, belonging to Mr. R. B. Sander-
son, the father of the present much-respected gentleman of
tliat name, and did considerable injury to the machinery,
throwing it down the pit and endangering the lives of some
workmen who were in the mine. The whole of the mining
districts were in a terribly disturbed state. Large bodies of
violent and lawless men traversed the country doing a great
many extravagant acts, and doing much silly and altogether
unjustifiable mischief. On the Wear they were especially
violent ; at one colliery tliey even went to the length of
threatening to murder the horsekeepers if they went down
to feed the poor horses. A great number of special consta-
bles were at once sworn in to protect property, and the
Deputy-Lieutenant of the County issued an order for calling
out the Northumberland and Newcastle Yeomanry. Part
of the 82nd Regiment of Foot, which was then stationed at
Sunderland Barracks, marched from thence to the neigh-
boinhood of Iletton, where they were ordered to remain
during the unsettled state of the workmen belonging to the
collieries of that district. A detachment of 80 marines and
three subalterns, under the command of Major Mitchell,
sailed from Portsmouth for the Tyne on account of the dis-
turbances among the collieries, and so serious was the case
regarded by the authorities, that the vessel sailed in less than
an hour after the sailing orders were received.
22 THE MIKEBS OF
Oil the 21st of Aprils a large meeting of miners was held
at Jarrow, each colliery bearing a banner^ with the name of
the collierj and various mottoes. The meeting lasted for a
considerable time^ and after listening to addresses from
several speakers, who exhorted them all to conduct them-
selves orderly, and to keep the peace, they resolved unani-
mously to adhere to their former resolutions. The meeting
then broke up, and the miners returned peaceably to their
homes. On the 5th of May, another large meeting took
place on the Black Fell, where the miners were met by the
Marquis of Londonderry, accompanied by a military escort.
His lordship addressed the men at considerable length,
requesting them to disperse, and promising to meet their
delegates at Newcastle, and quietly talk over their differences,
which they immediately acceded to. A meeting, in conse-
quence, was held in the Coal Trade Office, Newcastle, but
without any arrangement being made. Another meeting
took place on the following day, but the men still held out
against the terms offered them by the owners ; and the
whole of the collieries, with the exception of two or three,
which had been partially at work for a few days under the
protection of the military, were laid completely idle. From
the long strike of the miners the want of coals was at this
time severely felt by the manufacturers and inhabitants of
different towns. For some time, detachments of the regular
troops, horse and foot, assisted by parties of Colonel Bell's
Cavalry and Foot Yeomanry, were stationed in the neigh-
bourhood of Wallsend ; sentries constantly patrolled the
immediate locality of certain pits for the protection of the
engines and premises, and the men who were at work ; each
night the country was scoured by squadrons of cavalry in
various directions, as the idle men were at this time showing
a very turbulent disposition ; and, rather than accede to tho
terms offered, many of them, with their wives and children^
were wandering about Northumberland and Durham,
begging. On the 16th of May, a number of men on strike
attempted to prevent several bound men from going to their
work at South Shields Colliery. The bound men insisted
on going to carry out their contract, and others, belonging
to the colliery, assisted them. There was every prospect of
a serious riot resulting, when Mr. Fairless, a magistrate,
NORTHUMBEBLAKB AND DUBHAM. 23
■
appeared upon the scene with a party of marines^ and the
men on strike at once prudently left the field in possession
of the workmen.
The next mornings an immense numher of men cougi*e-
gated at Hehhum Colliery^ and threw down the shaft all the
corves^ rolleys^ and loose materials they could lay their
bands upon^ to the great terror of the men helow. The men
were proceeding to conmiit other acts of violence, when they
were prevented by the timely arrival of the military. About
this time two troops of the 3rd Dragoons arrived in New-
castle, and four troops of Colonel Bell's cavalry, which had
been in service for upwards of a month, were then dismissed
to their homes.
About the middle of June, the men were victorious, the
masters finding it impossible to hold out against them any
longer. The men were very jubilant about their victory,
the first unmistakeable victory they had ever yet achieved
over their hard taskmasters, and in some places showed a
disposition to go to excess in their joy. One of the results
of the strike was the establishment of a working day of 12
hours for boys, instead of one of almost without limit.
This strike, like all movements of a similar nature amongst
all classes of men, called forth the worst passions of both
men and masters. The latter displayed their ill-feeling and
hatred of the men, by using their influence and wealth to
bring a large number of mercenaries into the counties to
hunt their men from place to place like beasts of the chase,
and the men resorted to all manner of brutal and lawless repri-
sals. There is no justification whatever to be uttered on be-
half of the men for the many violent acts of which they were
guilty, but there is less justification for the conduct of the
employers in burdening the County with the charge of a
number of soldiers, whose very presence could have no other
tendency then that of exasperating the men to defiance.
Every man has a perfect right to protect his own property,
but no man has a right, if he quarrels with his neighbour, to
assume that his neighbour is going to set his house on fire,
and plant a policeman there to prevent him. But this was
the policy of the mine owners in this long and memorable
contention. Before the men had shown any disposition to
be mischievous they were alarmed with the bright glitter of
24 THE MINERS OF
tlie huzzar's sabre, and the death-dealing point of the
fnsilier's bayonet, and were driven by this martial appear-
ance to measnre their strength with the military forces.
Had they reframed from calling in the aid of the soldier till
the desperate and violent acts of the men compelled such a
course, it is probable that they would not have been neces-
sary at all, and that the ordinary civil authority would have
been found amply sufficient to cope with any disorder which
would prevail. Still in all fairness it must be admitted
that often, in the heat of the struggle, the men were guilty
of cowardly acts, committing injury to life and property,
and that they often conducted themselves in a manner
which justified the presence of a large force to restrain
them from going to a dangerous excess.
CHAPTER VI.
THE FIRST POLITICAL DEMONSTRATION. THE WALDRIDUE
COLLIERY OUTRAGE. THE LONG STRIKE OF 1832.
EJECTMENTS AT HETTON AND FRIAR's GOOSE. MURDER
OF MR. FAIRLESS.
On the 13th of August, in the same year, the miners
of the two Counties of Northumberland and Durham, met
on Boldon Fell between Gateshead and Sunderland in the
County of Durham. During the forenoon, the roads in the
vicinity of the meeting place presented an unusual bustle,
the men walking in procession from the different collieries,
bearing flags and banners and accompanied by bands of
music. The banners were numerous, and of the gayest
description, nearly all being embellished with a painted
design, and with a motto more or less connected with the
recent struggle between the miners and their employers.
The object of this meeting was to vote an address to His
Majesty, thanking him for his beneficent attention to the
wants of his people in having assented to the Reform Bill,
and for the snpport he had given to his ministers. About
twelve o'clock the speakers, who consisted of a few of the
delegates from each colliery, mounted a cart and proceeded
to the business of the day. Mr. Hepburn first presented
himself, and recommended order, sobriety, and attention to
NORTHnttBESLAKB AND DFUHAH, 25
their religious duties^ as the best means they could adopt
to preserve the advantages they had gained, and to keep up
in the public mind that favourable feeling which had been
so generally exhibited towards them during the strike.
He was followed in a similar strain by Robert Arkle,
Charles Parkinson, B. Pile, and R. Atkinson, the latter of
whom recommended tliat Hepburn, who had been one of the
most active promoters and sustainers of the strike, should
be appointed and maintained by the union, to visit the
different collieries, and enforce the rules of the association,
the necessity of good conduct, and the duty o^ the men
attending to the education of the younger branches of their
families. The addresses, which were delivered with pecu-
liar fervour, were patiently listened to and loudly applauded;
but the topic least commented on was that which they had
met chiefly to discuss. They had no resolutions prepared
respecting the address to His Majesty to lay before the
meeting. It was, however, at length resolved that the
delegates should meet that day week and prepare an
address ; and that in the meantime, the signatures of the
workmen at each colliery should be procured for the purpose
of affixing them to it. Thanks having been voted to
the public for their sympathy, and to the King and
his excellent ministers, particularly Lords Grey, Brougham,
and Durham, the bands were ordered to strike up the
National Anthem, which they did very effectively, amidst
tremendous cheering. The inmiense assemblage then dis-
persed in a similar order to that in which it had arrived.
On the 24th December, upwards of 1,000 men assem-
bled together at Waldridge Colliery, near Chester-le-
Street, in the County of Durham, and, while from twenty
to thirty men were at work in the mine, they there stopped
the engine kept for pumping water, and then threw large
iron tubs, wooden cisterns, corves and other articles, down
the shaft, by which the workmen below were placed in the
utmost danger. For the purpose of securing the apprehen-
sion and conviction of the persons concerned in these out-
rages His Majesty's government offered a reward of 250
guineas, and a free pardon to accomplices ; whilst the owners
of the colliery also offered a reward of 250 guineas to any
but the real actors in the outrage. At the Durham Spring
c
26 THE MIXEBS OF
Assizes^ held oa the 2iid of March^ 1832^ seven men named
James Becketts, Cuthbert Tumbull, John Kippon^ Samuel
Brown, David Kelly, and Thomas Moore, were put upon their
trial for these outrages, and after a patient investigation, the
jury retired for about ten minutes and returned with a verdict
finding Brown, Kippon, Moor, Middleton, Kelly, and Becketts
guilty, and Tumbull not guilty. The first three were
sentenced to 15 months, Middleton and Kelly to 12
months, and Beckett to six months' imprisonment. It
appeared upon the trial, that the miners employed
at this colliery had refused to work, and in con-
sequence the owners had employed some lead miners, who
were down the mine at the time of the outrage. Mr.
Hepburn and other leading men connected with the union
deprecated in strong terms this misconduct, and said it was
not the proper way for men to proceed to get their grievances
a^usted. "And unfortunately," he added," the innocent were
suffering for the guilty, as the owners and authorities were '
determined to punish some one, and if he was only a miner
belonging to the union it is sufficient for them; for he knew
of some men who had been taken from their bed and impri-
soned, who were never near the riot."
In 1832 the miners made a further demand, and came
out on strike. On the 3rd of March in this year, the bonds
being near a close, a general meeting of the. men of the
two counties was held at Boldon Fell for the purpose of re-
viewing their position. The men began to arrive from their
respective collieries shortly after nine o'clock in the morning,
and by eleven o'clock there was an immense number on the
ground, the men from each colliery bringing with them ban-
ners, bearing various mottoes and devices. One of these was
surrounded with a deep border of crape, but was so with
reference only to the death of a person at the colliery
to which it belonged. The owners, jealous of the growing
strength of the Union, had decided that at the next yearly
binding, no man, being a member of the Miners' Union,
should be bound, and consequently should not to be allowed to
work at their collieries. The men who had joined the Associa-
tion had by this time become convinced of the advantage of
unity, and showed no disposition to leave, the Union at the
behest of their employers. The principal object of this
NOBTHUMBEBLAND AND DUBHAM. 27
meeting was, therefore, to take such measures as were best
calculated to defeat the owners ; the whole of the men being
determined not to bind unless the Union men were also
bound. Mr. Hepburn, chairman, urged upon his hearers the
necessity of all their future proceedings being strictly legal.
The other speakers were Waddle, Farkmson, Arkle, and
Atkinson, who all urged the necessity of supporting the
Union for the maintenance of each other, and asserted that
no less than £10,000 had been paid in the last twelve months
from its funds. After a few remarks liad been made depre-
cating the men on the one hand, for the outrages which had
been committed — ^and the unfairness of the authorities on
the other, for seizing whoever they came across belonging to
the Union, whether guilty or not, the assemblage was fur-
ther urged in all future steps, strictly to keep the peace.
The meeting then dispersed.
On April 14th in the same year, another large general
meeting was held on Black Fell. At 11 o'clock, Mr. Hepburn
was called to the chair, and after he had opened the proceedings,
several speakers addressed the meeting, all enforcing the ne-
cessity of supporting the Union, which they said would event-
ually baffle the machinations of their employers. Before closing
the meeting, Mr. Hepburn addressed the men in a very en-
couraging strain. "Let them," he said, "make a few sacriJSces,
and twelve months would teach them a great deal. Things
would come round in such a way tliat there would be need
of more miners than were ever employed in England before,
as pits were then being sunk to the north and south of
them in their own counties as well as in Yorkshire and Lin-
colnshire, all of which would want men to work them. It
had been said that they ought to get knowledge, and ho
would teach them how to do that. Let libraries be esta-
blished amongst the collieries, which might be done for
about a shilling a man in the yedr, and that he thought was
obtaining knowledge at a cheap rate. Li conclusion, ho
urged them to part quietly, and let the world see their
determination to support good ordei." The meeting then
broke up, the men fonned under their respective banners,
and left the place of meeting in a most peaceable manner.
All the collieries being now at a stand still, the owners
had in many instances engaged new hands to take the places
28 THE MINERS OF
of those on strike, but the latter still retaining possession of
their dwellings, which were now required for the strangers,
there seemed but one of two alternatives left for the
adoption of the owners, either to submit to their late ser-
vants, or to put those newly engaged in possession of the
houses. They determined on this latter course, and com-
menced the work of forcible ejection, which was first begun
at Hetton. Proper steps had been taken to prevent as
much as possible any disturbance, special constables were
appointed, a strong force of London police were in readiness,
assisted by a detachment of the Queen's Bays, and those
who refused to join the combined workmen were furnished
with arms for their own protection. While families and
furniture were handed to the door in the presence of the
authorities no resistance was offered, but as the evening
drew n.ear there were many ominous signs that the peace
which had characterised the proceedings by day would be
broken by night. Many of the union men assembled in a
large group, several of them well armed, and occasional
shots were fired by them. A terrible vengeance was taken
upon one of the bound men named Errington, who was
fomid the next morning dead. On the following Monday
morning the coroner, Mr. T. C. Maynard, arrived, and a jury
having been sunmaoned, they immediately proceeded with
the inquest, when, after a long and tedious investigation
which lasted about ten days, a verdict of " wilful murder,"
was returned against George Strong and John TurnbuU, as
principals, and against John Moore and Luke Hutton, as
accessories before the fact. These persons were committed
to Durham Gaol under an escort of cavalry, it being appre-
hended that a rescue would be attempted by their comrades,
by whom they were loudly cheered. Errington was one of
the few miners at Hetton Colliery who had consented to be
rebound. He had been a strenuous advocate of the union,
but had seceded from its councils before the commencement
of the strike at present under notice. More special con-
stables were now sworn in, and arms supplied them ; part
of their instructions being that whenever they found a few
miners standing together they were to take them and lock
them up either in the colliery stables, or in the empty
houses. The necessary results of such a general order as
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM. 29
tliis waSj that a large niimbei' of arrests were made, and
those taken were treated with great injustice and indignity.
Some of them were bound hand and foot against the man-
gers in the stalls all night, with neither food nor water, and
if they attempted to make the least resistance, a cutlass or
pistol was held to their faces. It was not the riotous and
disorderly persons that were mostly punished, but chiefly
those who had been taking leading parts in the miion, and
who had taken no part whatever in the disorders. All sorts
of inducements were held out to them to go to work during
the time they were nndergoing these pmiishments, and as
many gave way to threats and cajolery, the owners suc-
ceeded in getting the collieries to work again, in some
parts. Jealousy, too, was begimiing to make its appearance
amongst the men; and the owners' agents were very indus-
trious in their endeavours to foment this discontent and
dissatisfaction against the leaders, by freely circulating all
sorts of reports about them, as well as about other collieries
going to work. It was difficult to get any meetings up at
tlie collieries amongst themselves, as the men were not
permitted to congregate for fear of arrest, and as newspapers
were not much in circulation in those days, they had only
to rely on their delegate bringing the report of what was
going on from the delegate meeting.
After the work of ejectment had been finished at
Hetton, the ejecting party proceeded to Friar's Goose Colli-
eries, about two miles east of Newcastle. On reaching the
colliery they were met by a great number of miners who
were assembled there. Mr. Forsyth, who was leading the
constables, delivered to his men two rounds of cartridges
containing swan shot, with strict orders not to fire till
commanded. He then advanced, and was greeted by three
defiant cheers from the miners. This act of delivering shot
to the constables seriously exasperated the miners, and,
coupled with the insolence of those who were busy pufting
their furniture to the door, and who, not content with
bundling their furniture to the door as if it were rubbish,
kept calling them cowards, aroused in the breasts of the men
a very dangerous spirit. While the police were still proceed-
ing with the work of ejectment, having entered the house of
a miner named Thomas Carr for that purpose, a large num-
30 THE MINEBS OF
ber of miners attacked the premises appointed as a guard-
house, overpowered the sentry, and carried off the guns. The
noise and shouting brought Mr. Forsyth to the place, he
drew liis cutlass and endeavoured to make his way through
the immense masses of men to the assistance of the police,
and he was twice knocked down in his attempt ; but at
length with great difficulty he reached his companions.
The latter were most unhappily stationed in a narrow lane
which was overlooked by a hill on each side, and on which the
miners stood and threw brickbats, stones, and other missiles
at them. The constables, thus pressed, and considering their
lives in danger, fired amongst the crowd, and then, making a
rush, got out of their unfortunate position and gained a
rising ground near to the house of Mr. Easton, the viewer.
Some of the miners fired at them as they retreated, and five
or six of them were wounded, and one severely so. Mr.
Forsyth was wounded in the head and leg with stones, and
one of the special constables was also severely cut about
the head. The police, from the place of their retreat, sent
off two men express for the military, but the miners, sus-
pecting their object, obstructed their passage as much as
possible. About twelve o'clock one of these messengers
galloped through Newcastle on his way to the Barracks,
without his hat, with a huge cut in his face, and with one
of his ribs broken from the injuries he had received. The
soldiers set out without delay for Friar's Goose, attended by
the Mayor of Newcastle and the Rev, Mr. Collinson, Rector
of Gateshead ; but no further disturbances had taken place,
and by the time of their arrival the men had in a great
measure dispersed. The police proceeded to search all the
houses in the neighbourhood, and apprehended every man
they found in them, whether he had been present at the riot
or not. Two men, who said they had just come from a dele-
gate meeting, tried to explain to the police that they were
not present at the riot ; but they were knocked down and
tied in a cart. One, being more resolute than the other,
and knowing that he was innocent, tried to make his escape,
on which the police sat upon him with their knees on his
breast, and when they arrived at Newcastle Gaol he was so
much exhausted that they had to carry him, not knowing
whether he was dead or alive. There were upwards of forty
KOBTHUMBERLAKP AND DURHAM. 31
Others^ including three women^ taken at this time to New-
castle Graol. They were all subsequently . committed for
trial at the next Durham Assizes^ and after their committal
were taken to Durham Gaol under an escort of cavalry.
Many others^ who were arrested^ were either bound over to
keep the peace, or discharged.
The position of the miners was now a very dangerous and
difficult one. In most places they had the mortification of see-
ing their houses occupied by strangers who had come to usurp
their place at work. Their villages were filled with insolent
and tyrannical policemen or special constables who were
pampered by the owners with beer aud other refresh-
ments, and who showed their gratitude to the masters
by knocking down any of the men on strike who came in
their way, and by locking them up if they presiuned to say
anything. The owners were gradually and sensibly getting
the upper hand of the men, and crushing the union out of
existence, but notwithstanding this, and all the difficulties
and the many acts of injustice they had to contend with, a
number of the men still determined to stand out. On the
26th of May, another general meeting was held at Boldon Fell,
Mr. T. Hepburn in the chair, when several resolutions were
passed, but none of them contained anything betokening a
speedy arrangement of the diffisreuces with the coal owners.
Men, women, and children were seen begging about the district ;
the men, hounded and hunted by the police and military,
their wives insulted by the wives of other men who ought
to have had more generosity, and their bairns laughed at and
mocked at by other children. By the opposition of the
owners, the support the latter got from the authorities of the
country, and the punishments which several brave men
had to endure, more men were every week breaking away
from the ranks of the Union, and recommencing work, and
there was now a general desire to get to work.
On the 11th of June, about five o'clock in the afternoon,
as Mr. Nicholas Fairless, of South Shields, a magistrate for
the County of Durham, was riding to Jarrow Colliery, he
was accosted by two miners, who seized and dragged him from
his horse, and felled him to the ground. He was left lying
in an almost lifeless state, and from the dreadfril nature of
the wounds in the skull he expired on the 21st of June.
32 THE HINEBS OP
One of the murderers was apprehended, but the other escaped.
A reward of £300 was offered by the vestry of St. Hilda and
the Government for his apprehension, but he was never
found, though it is believed that he stopped in the district
till after the execution of his comrade, and fmally visited
his body where it was gibbeted on Jarrow Slakes, after
which he departed for America,
On the 16th of June another general meeting was held^
which was about the last one of this association, and there was
a great falling off in the number of attendants. The strike
had now lasted for upwards of two months, and had been
charaet^i^ed by great severity on the part of the owners,
and by occasional outbursts of violence and bloodshed on
the part of the men. The pits in most places, worked by
strangers and those who had returned dispirited to their
work, were now in almost full operation again, and it was
felt by many of the most sanguine that the men had suffered
a defeat. But they were not desirous of expressing their
belief in this respect, because they were aware that one
great object of the masters was to break their " rebellious
and mutinous spirit," as it was termed, and they had sagacity
enough to know tliat, if they capitulated too easily they
might bid farewell to all independence for some time to
come. Animated by this spirit, they therefore determined
to hold out in the face of so many difficulties, even when
prudence would have dictated the adoption of a different
course.
CHAPTER VII.
THE CONTINUATION OP THE STRIKE. THE MURDER OP
CUTHBERT SKIPSEY BY A POLICEMAN. THE TRIAL AND
EXECUTION OP JOBLIN6. THE END OP THE STRIKE, AND
DISSOLUTION OP HEPBURN's UNION.
though in comparative small numbers, the miners on
strike still continued to meet together at various places
to discuss their grievances and to endeavour to rally a few
adherents around their now fast dissolving union, but all in
vain. The men at work had all been employed con-
ditionally on their having nothing whatever to do with
this association, and if they were not prompted by any
NOSTBTTMBSSLAND AXD DUSaAM. 88
regard for honesty to keep their word to their employers,
the most of them had had too hard an experience during the
straggle to think of rnnning the risk of heing thrown out
of employment and proscribed again. Instead therefore of
making fresh converts to the nnion^ Mr. Hepburn and his
brave followers saw his band every week growing smaller.
At a meeting of men on strike which took place at Chirtoii,
near North Shields, on the 8th of July, an affray took place
between them and the special constables. Mr. Cothbert
Skipsey, a miner belonging to Percy Main, who bore
the character of being a very quiet, inoffensive man, at
this time was trying to make peace between the parties,
when George Weddle, a policeman, drew his pistol and
deliberately shot him dead on the spot. Mr. Skipsey was a
man very much respected at the colliery where he lived, and
by his tragic end a widow and six children were left to the
protection of the public. On August the 3rd, after a trial
which continued about twelve hours, Weddle was found
guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to six months imprison-
ment with hard labour. On the first of August, William
Jobling was tried at the Durham assizes and found guilty
of the murder of Nicholas Fairless as previously stated. He
was sentenced to be hanged on the tlurd, and his body to be
afterwards hung in chains near the scene of the murder. The
sentence was carried out soon after twelve o'clock, on the
8rd of August, on the drop erected in front of the County
Court at Durham.' Jobling exhibited on his way to the
scaffold the utmost resignation and fortitude, and denied
being the principal in the fatal transaction which led to his
ignominous death. His step was firm as he entered upon
the scaffold; but the power of articulation failed him, and
he was unable to address the spectators as he had stated it
to be his intention to do. Just as the fatal bolt was about
to be withdrawn, a person near the scaffold cried out
'^ Farewell, Jobling ! " and he instantly turned his hea& in
the direction whence the voice proceeded, which displaced
the cord, and consequently protracted his sufferings which
continued for some minutes. The voice was supposed to be
Armstrong's, for whom there was at that time such a large
rewaid offered. After hanging an hour the body was cut
down and conveyed to the gaol, where it remained till the
34 THB BOKBXS €P
gibbd; was ready. Fifty of the 8th Hussars, and 50 of liie
15th regunent of foot, were drawn up in front of the drop,
where they remained till the body was cut down. A
portion of these regim^ts had marched from Newcastle to
Durham for the purpose, as well as to escort the body to
Jarrow Slake. After the body was conveyed into the gaol
Ae clothes were taken off, and it was then covered over with
pitch. The clothes in which he was hanged were after-
wards replaced, and on Monday morning, 6th of August,
at seven o'clock, the body was taken in a small four-wheeled
waggon drawn by two horses, from Durham, escorted by a
troop of Hussars, and two companies of infantry, the imder-
sheriff, gaoler, and officers of the gaol, bailifis, &e. They
proceed^ by way of Chester-le-Street, Picktree, Sludge
Row, Fortobello, over the Black Fell, to White Mare
Pool, and thence by the South Shields turnpike road, to
Jarrow Slake, were they arrived at half-past ten o'clock.
The spectators were not numerous, there being perhaps
about 1,000 persons present. On the arrival of the cav-
alcade at Jarrow Slake, it was joined by Mr. Bryan Abbs and
Mr. William Lorraine, magistrates of the county. The
military were then drawn up, and formed two sides of a
square, the cavalry on the right and the in&ntry on the left,
aSd th; body wa^ifted from'the waggon. It^was cased i,;
flat bars of iron, of 2^ inches in breadth, the feet were
placed in stirrups, from which a bar of iron went up each
side to the head, and ended in a ring, by which the body
was suspended; a bar from the collar went down the breast,
and another down the back; there were also bars in the
inside of the legs, which communicated with the above, and
cross bars at the ankles, the knees, the thighs, the breast
and shoulders; the hands were hung by the side, and covered
with pitch; and the face was pitched and covered with a white
grave cloth. Being laid on a hand barrow, the body was
conveyed to the gibbet, which was fixed nearly opposite the
spot were the murder was committed, and about 100 yards
within the slake from high water mark. The gibbet, which
was fixed in a stone l-^- ton weight simk in the slake, was
formed of a square piece of fir timber, 21 feet long, and a
top projecting about 3 feet, with strong bars of iron up each
side to prevent it being sawn down. At high water, the
NOBTHUHBEBXJkND AKB DUBHAM. 86
tidd covered the base of the gibbet about 4 or 5 feet^ leaving
16 or 17 feet visible. The l^y having been hoisted up and
secured, a police guard was placed near the spot, and
remained there for some time. Jobling was the first person
gibbeted under the new act of Parliament, which ordered the
bodies of murderers to be hung in chains. The body when
gibbeted had on the clothes in which he appeared on his
trial — ^blue jacket and trousers, the heel quarters of his
boots were down, his head was thrown quite back so that
his fece appeared as if looking upward.
The indignation of the people was beginnmg to be
expressed m very strong terms as to the injustice of the
law, by its penalties being carried out to such an extent in
the case of Jobling for shooting a magistrate, whilst
Weddle, the policeman, who was convicted of the murder of
Mr. Skipsey, a miner, only got six months imprisonment,
when during the very dark night between the 31st of August
and the 1st of September, the body was stolen from the
gibbet and secretly disposed of by some anknown person;
nor was there any effort made to discover the parties, as the
authorities seemed only too glad that such a hideous sight
was removed from the district; in fact it was generally
thought that some one had been paid by the authorities to
take the body away. The strike by this time was now
&irly at an end, and the large numlber of new hands which
the owners had brought from other counties, gave them an
opportunity of choosing who they liked amongst their old
servants. Indeed so overstocked was the labour market,
that large numbers could not get work for a time; and as the
men who had gone to work dare not subscribe for them, if
even they had been willing to do so, thus many of the
miners and their families were at the point of starvation,
besides having no houses to live in, their furniture still remain-
ing in farmers' byres and hay lofts, in public house long rooms,
and by roadsides. This state of things happily did not
continue very long, for the coal trade striking out very
brisk at the time the greater portion of them got employed,
with the understanding that they should have nothing more
to do with the imion. But on no account could the leading
advocates of the union get work. Mr. Hepburn and others
who had fought so hard and faithfully for the welfare
36 THE MINEB8 OP
of the whole body of men, were now prevented from
getting work at any colliery in the two counties.
Hepburn commenced to- sell tea about the colliery districts,
but in many instances the men dare not countenance him,
whilst others who had the chance neglected him till he was
almost driven to starvation. The great man who had led
the miners during their struggles in 1831 and 1832, now
very shabbily clad, no one to converse with, broken down in
spirits, proscribed and hunted, had to go and beg at the
Felling for employment. The viewer, knowing he was a
man of his word, put this proposition to him, ^* I will give
you work if you will promise to have nothing more to do
with unions." He paused for a moment before consenting;
but he did consent, and on those conditions he was
employed at the Felling, and died very recently in Newcastle.
The seed had been sown, but Mackintosh, Hepburn and
others, like many other public workers, did not live to see the
results of their labours. Mr. Hepburn in his latter days
often used to say "great results cannot be achieved at once."
He also very often used the quotation: " To know how.ito
wait is the secret of success." " Time and patience," says the
eastern proverb, " change the mulberry leaf to satin," and
patiently relying on the work of time, this great man spent
his latter days, waiting for the success he had so ardently
fought for, and endeayoured to command in his youth.
Relying patiently on the effects of time, he had the satis-
faction of seeing the seed he had sown in the fertile earth of
men's minds germinating and putting forth verdant leaves —
leaves never more to be seared or withered, but which, nour-
ished by the pure air of truth, and simned hj the sunshine
of spreading intelligence and wisdom, should ultimately
blossom, and bear fruit that should be choice amongst the
choice fruits of the earth. In this calm reliance on the
future he would say " If we have not been successful, at least we,
as a body of miners, have been able to bring our grievances
before the public; and the time will come when the golden
chain which binds the tyrants together, will be snapped,
when men will be properly organized, when coal owners
will only be like ordinary men, and will have to sigh
for the days gone by. It only needs time to bring this
about." These were almost the last remarks Hepburn ever
made in public.
JIB. THOMAS HEPBURN,
In
•1
NOBTHUUBEKLAND AND DUBHAU. 37
CHAPTER Vm.
THE CONDITION OP THE MEN AFTER THE DISSOLUTION OP
THE UNION. FORMATION OP A NATIONAL UNION, THE
STRIKE AT WINGATE8 AND TIIORNLEY. DETAILS OP THE
PROSECUTION OP THE MEN.
The union of the mmers now being broken up, it seemed
I that the public cared little or nothing about tiieir affiiirs.
. The employers commenced making reduction after reduction
'n their wages, and the miners had no power to resist it^
oeing so dispirited with the recent struggles, and being
besides threatened to be turned away from the colliery if they
made the least complaint. The catalogue of their grievances
were black and manifold, and to resist those tyrannical
aggressions upon their rights, they formed themselves into
another association called the " Miners Association of Great
Britain and Ireland." The object of this combination was to
bring about the lessening of their hours of labour, to secure
themselves a fair remuneration for their labour, to agitate for
government interference, and for inspectors to be appointed
to enforce the laws enacted for the protection of the men.
It made but little progress in the year 1841, but began to
develope itself in 1842 and 1843. The Northumberland
. and Durham miners raised £500 towards what they called a
I law ftind, for the purpose of going to law with their employ-
ers to try any general principle in which they considered
injustice was done to them. This was the most gigantic
union that ever was known at the time, and had for its
leaders some of the ablest men, Martin Jude being at its
head. He was a calm, clear and honest worker, and did a
great deal towards getting measures passed for the better
T-Agulations of mines. He had around him some of the
aolest men in the colliery districts, such as Mark Dent,
Thomas Pratt, James Balantine, George Thompson, George
Charlton, Mathew Elliott, Edward Richardosn, William
Mitchell, Christopher Haswell, Thomas Hay, John Tulip,
T. Clough, Eobert Archer, William Stoves, William
Hammond, and many others. In the year 1843 the owners
at Wingate Colliery in the County of Durham, decided on
having wire ropes for hauling the cages to bank. To this
the men who were foolishly prejudiced, objected, which was
38 THE BUKSBS OF
the cause of a long strike. In the same year the men at
Thomley Colliery, one of the largest in Durham, came out on
strike, Warrants were issued against 68 persons at the
instance of the owners of the above colliery for absenting
themselves without leave from their employment on the
24th November. Mr. J. E. Marshall, of Durham, appeared
on the part of the owners, and Mr. Roberts, the miners'
advocate, for the prisoners.
Mr. Marshall in opening the case on the part of the
owners, said the men were bound imder the ordinary pit
bond, and he would read the material clauses bearing on
the case. The men, Mr. Marshall said, were under stringent
terms, and if they suffered from them they had themselves to
blame, since they agreed to pay certain penalties for the
infraction of certain rules.
Mr. Boberts applied to the bench to stop the case,
urging that as the weighing machine was admitted not to be
stamped according to the provisions of the act, the bond
was illegal.
Mr. Marshall objected, as the machine had been there
previous to the bond.
Mr. Boberts : I should like to have that taken down on the
notes of the Court, as I shall mpst likely apply to the Court
of Queen's Bench in the case.
Mr. Heckles, the resident viewer of Thomley Colliery,
was then called, and said : I am viewer for the Thomley
Coal Company. The partners are, Thomas Wood, Rowland
Webster, John Gully, and John Burrell. The bond was
executed in my presence by Thomas Wood, and it was read
over to the workmen. On the 13th November, I received a
letter from the workmen, written and signed by James
Bagley, as secretary to the workmen. The answer I made
was : I wondered why they didn't get some one who could
write a letter plainer. I sent word to say that if the letter
meant anything, they would have to send a deputation. On
the evening of the following day, fifteen men called upon me,
and half of them spoke. The overman, according to instruc-
tion, deducted 2s. 6d. fine for the day lost. On the evening
of the 23rd, a large body of workmen came up and asked
why the 2s. 6d. was deducted ? I told them they were ask-
ing the road they knew. — (A voice in the Court : "just like
NOBTHUMBXBXJJm AHD DUHHAH. 89
you.") — ^I offered, on the Thursday, to let the men work on
the pay Saturday to make it up. Some one shouted, ** it's not
likely we will work for it first, and beg afterwards."
Mr. Roberts objected to this evidence as none of the
prisoners were present.
The Chairman said they would take the evidence for
what it was worth. (A voice : '^ that's not mucby if we gef
justice.")
Cross-examined by Mr. Roberts: I know the weighing
machine now used. I do not know whether it is stamped as
required by Act of Parliament. I have been five years at
the colliery. It has not been stamped to my knowledge.
The bond has been more accurately enforced since the 20th
of November. I could not state the largest amount any
one man has been fined in two days. The everman knows
better. I don't doubt that one man may have been fined 22s.,
for two days. I do know that other men have been fined
8s., 7s., 68., and 6s. a day since that time.
By the Chairman : This is not the ordinary amount of
fines. No workman would subject himself to such fines.
Mr. Roberts : But the men have no other chance.
Cross-examination continued : Ton, Mr. Roberts, did ask
for the clearments of the men's wages, I will not give it
them now. I did not know that a man, Andrew Hope, had
been fined 22s. 6d. I had instructions from the owners at
all times to see that the men were fikirly treated, and never
harshly.— -(Sensation in the body of the Court.)
This was the case for the prosecution.
Mr. Roberts then commenced his address for the defence,
but was frequently interrupted by the Chairman.
He said it was the duty of an advocate to do whatever
he could for the benefit of his clients ; and he thought he
ought to be allowed to open his defence. In this case his
clients were deprived, of what had been called the ^* Safeguard
of British Liberties " — the trial by jury, and were not tried
by their peers, 'but by those placed above them in the scale
of society; and he was perhaps not doing wrong in asking
the bench on that account to extend their merci&l consider-
ation to this case. He did not wish to be misunderstood.
He did not speak of mercy in the ordinary sense of the term,
because he believed the men guiltless — ^because he believed
that their masters and Mr. Heckles ought now to be in the
40 THE BCmEBS OF
docky and those men now in that place ought to be stand-
ing as their accusers. But he asked for their merciful con-
sideration, because it was impossible to administer justice
fairly and honestly in such a case as this, unless thej fully
weighed all the- circumstances of the case. These men were
servants, most of them, unfortimatelj, hard bound ones,
frhey were men who had much to contend with, who had no
doubt much to learn, who had not received all the
benefits, or any portion df them, of education; who had
perhaps not received that portion of true religious instruc-
tion which the kindness of formeir ages gave the power to
the clergy to administer, but which, he regretted to say,
had not lately been extended to the poor as it ought to have
been. Let the magistrates consider this — ^let them look to the
advantages which attend the former, when the rich man
was on one side and the poor man on the other, and he asked
them to bring their most merciful consideration to the
matter. It had been proved in the evidence that a letter
had been sent to the masters, and he believed also that an-
other letter not proved had been sent. He did not wish to
rely on this except so far as showing what, on his honour,
he had found in the coal trade of the counties of Durham
and Northumberland, a desire on the part of the men to
consult on their grievances with, and to bruig them before
their masters to be argued, in order that they might be set
right if they were in the wrong, and that they might
mitigate the pain of a reftisal, if reftisal were unavoidable.
But the men and the masters did not stand on a par. The
utmost that the men could do was to summon their masters
for wages, where, perhaps, no jurisdiction could be found;
but the masters could send the men to prison, however gross
the fraud committed against them. It was reserved for
this country to have a law to give to the rich man the power
of inflicting imprisonment, whilst it did not give the same
power to the poor man. He brought this before the bench
to call their attention to another matter. The act gave the
magistrates power to decide in three ways : — ^to order the
payment of a fine, to break the contract, or send the
parties to prison. When the latter course was adopted it was
generally in extreme cases where gross ignorance or
violence had been used by the servants; they gave only
NORTHUMBERLAKD AND DURHAM. 41
a milder punishment in other cases, such as the dissolution
of the contract. But in every case in which he had
appeared, except in one at Gateshead, the prisoners had
been committed to gaol. Was it always to be imprisonment
— ^imprisonment — imprisonment, as if the men were all
criminals, and the masters all angels? The complaint in
this case was against the masters, and in favour of the men.
He said that in this case the masters had proved themselves
criminals in the eye of the law, and in fact, that if justice
was done them, they would find themselves within the walls
of that prison to which they were so eager to send their
fellow men. And what was the case brought before them by
Mr. Marshall ? Why, it appeared that Mr. Heckles had for
six months suspected that the weighnig machine was wrong.
True he suspected it was wrong in favour of the men, and
against the masters, but when did they find a viewer sup-
pose anything wrong in favour of the men ? Certainly not in
Northumberland or Durham. By the wisdom of the law
all the benevolence was to be considered as existing on the
one hand, and all the fraud on the other. It would be for
him to prove, in contradiction to what had been proved on
the other side, that the law had been complied with by the
men, so far as applying to the inspector went. He should
be able to prove to them that application had been made for
an inspector, and that the application had been refused.
Mr. Heckles said he did not know of the machine being
stamped. He should show that it was not stamped, that it
was incorrect, and incorrect too against the men; so it was
in the case of every machine in the coal trade. Here he might
say there was no case at all, because the Act of Parliament
referred to stated that no sale should be valid unless it was
by the weighing of a machine properly stamped; and for-
sooth that rule was to be applied to all the petty minutiae of
life; but to the grand thing which supported this country
and the world at large — that commodity which was the
foundation of our local greatness, and which above all things
ought to be protected, was not protected at all by this law.
He said if the men were to be sent to prison for reftising to
work with a machine, it was proper that they should have
that machine perfect. It might be a consideration, whether
this case should not be taken before a superior court.
42 THE MINERS OF
Something had been said about their suryeyor, and about
there being an exception in favour of lime and other things
of a like nature. Now there could be nothing more unlike than
lime and coal. Black and white^ justice and fraud, truth and
falsehood, were just as like each other as coal and lime. If
coal had been intended to be exempted by the Act, coal
would have been mentioned. It was clear that the bond was
invalid altogether, for the provisions of the Act of Parlia-
ment had not been complied with, and that the owners there-
fore could not invoke it against their men. The next point on
which he relied was, that the wages guaranteed by the bond
to the men, had not been paid in the manner stated in the
bond; and though he had heard some very strange decisions,
he had yet to hear that service was to be compelled from a
man, who had not been paid the wages he had previously
earned. He had got from the magistrates at Lanchester, a
decision that a man should be paid up for his work to the
moment when he was paid. The words of the bond were
that the men should be paid '^ on the usual and accustomed
day," but that did not at all do away with the force of his
objection, because it was not at all contrary to the acknow-
ledged principle, that he should be paid up to that day
when payment was made. He contended that if these men
had not been paid on the 24th November for the work
done on the 23rd, the masters had no right to insist on their
going to work on the following day. It was necessary that
the masters should come prepared to prove that every part
of the bond had been complied with; but it appeared from
the evidence on the other side, that on this point the bond
had not been complied with. It appeared that wages were
yet due, and he contended as a matter of law, of reason and
of justice, that the master who had not paid the wages of
his men according to the strict letter of the law — ^he did not
say he had a right to demand his work, but he did say, that
if a man was paid up to the latest moment, and to the
utmost farthing, he was not the man to come forward and
ask for those men to be sent to prison. These were cases
which had been proved by the other side. He should have
other cases to prove, in his reply, that this was a cruel
and inhuman bond, and that it could not possibly be com-
plied with. Mr. Marshall had said that the law was, that
«5
NORTHUMBBBLAND AND DURHAU. 43
the men should be bonnd bj their bond. He did not think
that Mr. Marshall would say so in his sober senses^ for if a
man had entered into a bond, which it was morally impos-
sible for him to fulfil^ which would involve him in utter
destitution, he must contend that though, under such a bond
a master had a right to come upon him for damages, yet he
had no power to call on the magistrates to send the man to
prison. Rather than submit to such a bond, the men whom
they saw filling the galleries would rather all go to prison.
They could not live more solemn evidence of the
oppressiveness of the bond than that. Those men could
voluntarily declare, so help them God, that they would not
go to work till the men sent to prison had been released.
The men trusted the agreement would not have been acted
on with strictness, till the last week or two, and they said —
before they returned to work they must have a new agree-
ment. They would have gone on working, and Mr. Heckles
knew that he (Mr. Eoberts) had induced them to return to
work, because he understood, and had told them, that a beam
and scales were set up, but that had not been done, or at
least not till yesterday. Why, how many days had elapsed
between the 30tli November and the 7tli December. The
magistrates must know that two- thirds, nay, nine-tenths of
these cases which came before them, came on the assertions
of the men, — that they had been defrauded by fraudulent
weights or measures — ^and yet, on so material a point, no
redress had been afforded to the men. Thus then, there were
three points on which he relied : — That the agreement was
unstamped and incorrect; that the men could not under the
bond gain a livelihood; and that the wages were not paid to
the men as guaranteed by the bond at the time when they
were called on to answer. Another point on which he relied
materially was, that justice had not been done to these men,
and if he convinced them that strict justice had not been
done to these men, they ought to relieve them. In no other
collieries was such strictness laid down. In some there was
a fine for four quarts, in some three, and in others for two
quarts of foul coal ; but in none but Thornley was there a
fine for one quart of splint out of 6 cwt. He had found that
the men had no means of testing the accuracy of the quan-
tities of foul coals. They found that a man had been fined
44 THE MINEBS OF
228. during the time he could only earn 6s., and under cir-
cumstances like these, he called upon the magistrates to
break the bond and clear the men. On the way in which
the law was administered, they knew not to what extent the
prosperity of the coal trade depended in the two counties.
He would not speak so positively, but tliat he knew this to
be the case. He had endeavoured to set the men right, and
by the interposition of his own authority he had induced the
men to go to work again. But this passed a joke, and he
would not recommend them to go to work under such a bond
as that. He certainly had used his efforts to reconcile mas-
ters and men — to bring peace where ther6 had been war,
yet he could not recommend these men to return to work.
He warned the masters that, in the exercise of their author-
ity, they had • proceeded too far. Not one of those men
would go to work. He would tender them all as witnesses,
for the purpose of stating their injuries through the land —
for the purpose of showing that the masters exercised their
authority in a mischievous manner ; and he called upon them
to discharge the bond if he showed, as he was prepared to
do, that it was impossible for an honest man to work under
it. He then called —
John Cockson, who said : I don't think a man can get a
living if the bond is to be carried out in its strictness. If a
quart of splint is to be fined for, I am sure a man cannot get
a living. I will go to gaol before I will go to work under
such a bond.
Matthew Dawson : It is not so easy to obtain a living
now as it was three months ago, as the bond has never been
put in force till now. I recollect 228. being laid out for one
man : there were other tubs came up with as much in as
his ; more might have been laid out.
Thomas Dermot Moran : I cannot earn a living if the
bond is carried out. I will rather go to gaol than work
under the bond. I was fined 27s. the last fortnight I was
paid.
John James Bird : I doubt very much that an average
man can make a living under the bond. The steelyards have
been a complaint for the last ten months, the keeping off of
2s. 6d. was not the cause of the men striking. One of the
causes for the men not going to work was, that the scales
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM. 45
were not put up. I will rather go to prison than work
under the bond.
William Weannouth : The bond had not been enforced
before for a quart of stones, and if enforced, an honest man
cannot obtain a living. I will rather stop in gaol for ever
than work under this bond.
George Nesbit : I don't think it possible for an average
man to send up one tub without a quart of stone. It is the
feeling of the men generally that they will rather go to
prison than work for nothing.
The chairman inquired if Mr. Roberts had any evidence
of a different complexion to bring forward ?
Mr. Roberts said he could not make out his case fully
without bringing forward the evidence of every hewer who
could not make a living. He should be happy to have an
intimation from the Bench that he had already sufficiently
proved the case ; for, as it was a matter of opinion, he
thought he ought to make his case as strong as he could.
There were between 300 and 400 hewerS; and he proposed
to call every one of them, in order, by the accumulation of
evidence to show the real state of the case.
After some further discussion the case was adjourned
till next day at ten o'clock, Friday December 8th, to see
if any agreement could be made between the masters and
men. And on the court sitting the next day the chairman
inquired if any arrangements had been come to during the
night.
Mr. Roberts replied that none had been come to, and
then preceded to call the following witnesess :
William Henderson, was of opinion no man can make a
living if the bond be enforced, he would rather go to prison
than work again under that bond ("all will, all," resounded
through the court).
John Stephenson said : No man can earn a living under
the bond. The black brass and splint comes down amongst
the coal. In some places the men work by the light of the
Davy lamp, it is impossible to separate the black brass
from the coal. I have been a hewer for 20 years, and will
rather go to gaol till the 5th April, though I have a wife
and five children.
Joseph Longstaff : No man can earn a living if the bond
is enforced.
46 THE MINERS OF
Newrick Walton: I was one of the deputation that
went to the inspector of weights at Easington, to get him
to come and examine the steelyards. The magistrates
refused to grant an order for the inspector to come. Will
rather go to prison than work under the hond.
John James Bird: Applied by the advice of Mr.
Eoberts for a summons against the master for ill-treatment.
He said he wanted a summons for the nonpayment of three
shillings, wage. Mr. Barry, a magistrate, said " What !
for the small sum of three shillings ? '* Answered, " three
shillings is not a small sum for him." Mr. Barry would not
grant a summons. Mr. Barry is on the bench now, will
swear that he applied for a sjammons and was refused.
John Creswell : No man can get a living if the bond is
enforced. It is better to go to prison than to work all the
fortnight for nothing, and to be counted dishonest men^
when we cannot pay our way.
William Wilkinson : Didn't know what we were fined
for till we got boxes. We were fined at random, sometimes
Is., thought it a deal; would go to prison before work again;
believes the other men speak the truth; he mixes with the
men a good deal; was fined 64 quarts with his marrow last
Wednesday. Mr. Heckles asked him (witness) how he could
presume to receive the sacrament.
Mr. Roberts, exclaimed, pointing at Mr. Heckles, "Good
Grod! does he presume to take the sacrament I wonder?"
William Turner : Had complained about the scales, has
applied to Mr. Heckles three times about old steelyards, and
has been promised a beam and scales when he (Mr. H,) had
time, but he had something of more importance to attend to.
No man can get a living as things are, will go to prison
first.
The bench then adjourned till Wednesday; and on
re-assembling on Wednesday, the Court was filled in
every part immediately after opening the doors. Mr. Roberts
continued to give evidence : —
William Anderson was called, and said : It is impossible
to send up a tub without a quart of foul, I cannot get a
living if the bond is enforced. There are noxious gases in
some places, in others not. Fined 28. 6d. if he went too
high. The lamp was at some distance, and had a bad light;
NOBTHUHBERLAKD AND DURHAk. 47
could not see sufficiently well to separate black brass from
coal. Had been bound to receive 26s. a fortnight ; had re-
ceived for one fortnight^ 3s. 7d.; another, 17s. 6d. ; another,
27s. ; had got 26s. a fortnight about six times. Was to
have a comfortable dwelling-house provided, had been sent
in with another family, who had one small room. Have
worked at other collieries ; never found any so strict as this,
men were afraid to go to Mr. Heckles. Wouldn't like to go
to prison, but would sooner go than work under the bond. —
(A loud huzzaing here took place by the miners, which was
repressed by the Chairman.)
William Ord, William Kay, John Bates, William Toplis,
Augustus King, Robert Toplis, Robert Walton, Reuben
Forster, Charles Willet, George Edwards, Henry "Willis,
Joseph Burnett, William Farkes, Joseph Kirk, Edward
Clarke, Joseph Walker, Robert Parker, and Robert Richard-
son, all gave similar evidence, choosing rather to go to gaol
than work under the bond.
Andrew Hope was next called : The bond was not read
when he was bound ; is the son of the poor man in gaol ;
was fined on the three dajrs. Only received 7d. for his
work on those days. Had 90 quarts laid out, although
worked fairly and honestly.
Jabez Wonders : The bond was read when he signed it.
Works in five-quarter seam, was fined 12s. for three days*
work, and stood 3s. in debt. He threw down 5s., and told
the overman to take pay, he refiised. He had no copy of
the. bond ; did not know he should be fined for each quart ;
will go to gaol rather than submit.— (" We'll all gan," re-
sounded throughout the Court.)— Mr. Heckles had asked
him where he could go to better himself?
Mr. Roberts, now begged to tender his own evidence,
and after some little hesitation on the part of the bench, he
was Sworn, and read slowly from a paper as follows : — I am
the attorney employed by the miners of the two counties
Northumberland and Durham, to defend their interests
before magistrates, and to act as their general legal adviser.
In that capacity during the last two months, I have been
several times called upon to advise with the men of Thomley
Colliery. They have complained to me about the steel-
yards. I directed them to apply to the viewer on the
r
48 • THE MINERS OP
subject^ and also to go to the inspector of weights for his
advice. I was afterwards informed this was done without
any good result. I recommended the men still to continue
to work. On the 19th November, I heard the men were
unsettled, in consequence of the steelyards not being adjust-
ed, and other grievances. I drove over to Thornley and
saw several men the same night. I held a meeting of the
men at six o'clock the following morning, and succeeded in
persuading them to return to work, provided I could obtain
any redress of their grievances. We all went to the house
of Mr. Heckles the viewer. He came out and I addressed
him in the presence of the men. I told him the men com-
plained of the weighing machine, that it was unjust^ and
earnestly requested him to erect a beam and scales. He
said he would, but could not do it immediately as he had
other things to do. I pressed the point upon him, and he
then agreed to erect it directly. I then spoke of the " laid
outs," these the men had complained of, and I asked him
to be more lenient. I read from a paper furnished me by the
men. He replied " No, he should enforce the bond." I
remonstrated against this — that it was impossible for a man
to earn a living under the bond. He answered, '^e did not
care about that, he should do it.*" I then walked away, and
returned immediately, and asked him — as he meant to enforce
the bond, and the men could not live under it — to give the
men their clearance. This, he refused ; after this I left him.
This is my case, and I demand an honourable acquittal for
these men.
Mr. Marshall then proceeded to reply, and said he should
not feel it necessary to engage the attention of the Court for
any length of time. He would address himself to the points
of defence as briefly as possible. The fii-st question was : had
these men committed a breach of the law, or had they not ?
The men had bound themselves by a bond to serve the
Thomley Coal Company for 12 months. The bond declares
the men shall not absent themselves from their work. These
men did so. It would be a question, whether, under any
circumstances of oppression on the part of their masters they
would be justified in leaving their employment. He con-
tended they would not. But here it was quite clear the men
had no such wrong to complain of as would excuse them for
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM. 49
committing any such breach of the law as this. His wish
was to conciliate the parties, and not to say anything but
what was required at his hands on the part of the owners of
the Thomley Colliery. The magistrates retired, and on re-
turning into Court, the Chairman said the delay in giving
judgment was not because there was any doubt on the minds
of the magistrates as to the course they should pursue, for
they were unanimously of opinion that the law had been broken,
and the defendants must stand convicted.— (The prisoners
here said they would rather go to gaol.) — It was, therefore,
his (the Chairman's) painful duty to pronounce the prisoners
severally guilty ; and the sentence of the Court was that
they should be imprisoned in the House of Correction for six
weeks, to reckon from this day.
Immediately after the trial Mr. Roberts obtained a writ of
habeas corpus, and the men who were in prison were
renttoved to the Court of Queen's Bench, where, upon an
informality, they were acquitted.
We have dwelt at some length on this great trial with the
Thomley men, as it points out with great clearness the
position of the miners of the two counties at that period, and
afibrds a fair mdicatiou of the petty tyranny which was
exercised over them previous to the great strike of 1844.
CHAPTER IX.
THE PRELIMINARIES OP THE GREAT STRIKE OP 1844. THE
CIRCULAR OP THE UNION TO THE COAL TRADE. LARGE
MEETING AT SHADON's HILL.
The many grievances referred to in the long police court
case in last chapter were fast becoming unbearable by the
men. It was not only that their wages were reduced, and
that they were cheated and defrauded at every turn by
unprincipled and dishonest agents, but they were subjected to
such an amoimt of contemptible and petty tyranny, such mean
despicable domineering, which was all the more galling and
irritating from its very meanness. Matters had been pushed
to such an extent that the cry for redress had become
almost universal throughout the two counties, and early in
D
50 THE MIXERS OF
the year 1844, the members of the miners' association drew
up the foUoving address and sent it to the coal owners: —
To THE Coal Ownebs of Qbeat Britain and Ireland.
Gentlemen^ — ^We, the members of the Miners' Association of
Oreat Britain and Ireland, do hereby set forth and declare what our
objects and intentions are in forming the above association; and we
feel it our duty to do so on account of the many and serious reports got
up and set abroad by parties whose own conscience must decide the
motive for so doing. Our object in forming the above association is to
better our condition, and we beg to apprize you that we would rather
by far that that could be done by an amicable adjustment of all
differences, than by having recourse to a strike, which we feel inclined
to believe is equally disadvantageous to you as to us, and the inevit-
able result of which would be to engender feelings of such a kind as
ought not to exist between master and servant. We intend to lay
before you the following specific and simple plan, viz. that each
colliery owner shall be f umieiied with a copy of such prices as shall be
thought necessary and reasonable, and in which it is intended to go on
the principle of making the cost price, as far as labour is concerned,
equally or nearly so on every colliery in the trade, and to such
uniformity of cost price the masters to add what they deem a proper,
and reasonable return for their capital. It being our firm and decided
opinion that, as we risk ourselves and you your money to dig from the
bowels of the earth a commodity on which it may truly be said the
existence of QreRt Britain as a nation dependS) it is not too much to
request that the price of that article shall be such as to give ample
remuneration to both the labour and capital employed. Something of
this kind must be done. We have had to submit this year to a very great
reduction in prices, and this we opine, if you as coal owners get once
into the path of ruinous competition by underselling each other in the
market and then endeavouring to reduce the wages to still keep a
market, is a process which is alike ruinous to both parties, and wluch
must have a tendency to keep up a contentious war of strikes and
stagnation — ^labour and capital contending for the mastery ; while the
public, who are consumers, reap the benefit, without so much as soiling
a finger in the dangerous undertaking of raising an article indispensably
necessary to their comfort and existence. The moral and physical
consequences of a contentious warfare between capital and labour,
appear to us to be fully illustrated by the fable of two noble
ammate combating or fighting for a piece of ^rey, and while the
comboC was going on, another animal of diminutive size and strengtii,
came and carried off the prize ; while neither of the two, such was
their state of exhaustion, could prevent him. To conclude, we entreat
you to bestow on this, our earnest and sincere requisition, your careful
and best consideration, and if you should be pleased to agree with us
as respects the principle on which it is founded, it will be alike
creditable to your judgment and interest.
We remain, yours, &c.,
The Members of the Miners* Association.
v/
XOBTHUMBEBLAXB AND DURHAM. 61
This address though written in a mild respectfnl and
conciliatory spirit, and though coming from the representa-
tives of thousands of men, met with nothing hut silent
contempt, for no notice, official or otherwise, was taken of it
by the gentlemen to whom it was addressed.
On March the 2nd, 1844, a great meeting was therefore
held at Shadon's Hill, between Wreckenton and Birtley, a
place which since that time has become famous as the
trysting place of the miners. The meeting was attended
by the pitmen of the two counties, there being at least
20,000 men present. The men from the collieries on the
Tyne began to arrive at about 8 o'clock in the morning in
Newcastle, leaving the latter place for Shadon's Hill at ten
o'clock ; whilst the men of the Tees and Wear were seen
wending their way to the Hill towards 12 o'clock. Great
numbers of the men had walked from twenty to thirty miles
to be present, and as the weather had been very bad during
the week, much snow having fallen, a convincing proof was
thus offered of the great interest these brave fellows took
in their union, and of their determination to support it.
Mr. Mark Dent was called to the chair, and the following
resolutions were moved and seconded by the undernamed
gentlemen, who supported them in excellent addresses:
Messrs. C. Haswell, Thomas Pratt, E. Richardson, W.
Mitchell, G. Charlton, and W. Hammond. Mr. Roberts, the
miner's attorney general, also addressed the meeting.
The 1st resolution was as follows: — " That, considering the
vast amount of good that has already been effected by our
union, this meeting pledges itself to stand by and support
the same, come weal, come woe." The 2nd resolution
was: — "That we consider restriction of our labour the best
method that can be adopted to secure our rights; con-
sequently this meeting resolves to carry out the resolution on
tluKfe 8ilfa)eel;" whilst the third was : — "That this meeting
agrees not to bind into any agreement with the masters,
imtil after the Glasgow conference, which meets on Monday,
March 25th."
Mr. Mitchell proposed, and Mr. Martin Jude seconded
the proposition, that the following petition be forwarded to
the House of Commons, which, Uke the other resolutions,
was carried:—
52 THE MIKEBS OF
" To the Honourable the Knights and Burgesses of the
United Kingdom oj Great Britain and Ireland, in Parlia-
ment assembled, — The petition of the coal and other miners
of the counties of Northumherland and Durham^ in public
meeting assembled, humbly sheweth : —
" That your petitioners, miners of the coal and other mines
of Great Britain and Ireland, have, by sad and manifold ex-
perience, been subject to frequent disastrous explosions of
inflammable gas whilst following their respective employ-
ments, which have been invariably attended with great sacri-
fice of human life, and consequently entailing a serious and
extensive amount of privation and misery. We, therefore,
humbly pray that your honourable house would be pleased
to enact and direct that the plan or method of James Ryan,
Esq., be taken into consideration, and investigated with a
view to its application as a remedial measure, it having been
demonstrated, beyond all controversy, to be worthy of such
investigation.
"That your Honourable House would be pleased to enact
and appoint inspectors of mines (as of factories) to see to
the safety of ropes and other machinery connected with the
danger of life and property, also to inspect the ventila-
tion at proper periods, so as to prevent the recurrence of
explosion, partial or extensive.
"That your Honourable House would enact and make
provision for the prevention of the application of wire ropes
for the purpose of miners descendmg or ascending on the
same, they being by their nature and texture subject to
deterioration from extreme heat and extreme cold, and
consequently rendered unsafe by this liability to damage.
" That your Honourable House would cause to be enacted
a law compelling proper weighing machines, on the beam
and scale principle, so that your petitioners may have the
produce of their labour accurately weighed, and such
weighing machines to be under the surveillance pf the proper
authorities, and subject to be tested and adjusted by them,
without notice, at all seasonable times, with a power to
remove and condemn the same if found defective.
"That your Honourable House would enact and pass
into law, that the wages earned by your petitioners be paid
weekly and up to the last work performed, with the excep-
KOBTHUMBEBLAND AND DUBHAH. 63
tion of one day allowed for the making up the accounts
thereof.
" And your petitioners as in duty bound will ever pray."
After adopting these resolutions the men returnd to
their homes, quietly to await the result of the conference in
Glasgow before taking any further action, and each and all
resolving to be guided by the leaders of the union in all
they did.
CHAPTER X.
THE NATIONAL COXFEBEXCE AT GLASGOW. THE XATUBE
OF THE men's GBIEVANCES. A SECOND CIBCULAB FBOK
TH£ UNION TO THE COAL TBADE.
On the 25th of March, 1844, the National Conference
of the Miners' Association of Great Britain and Ireland was
held in the Mechanics' Hall, Trongate Street, Glasgow,
when upwards of 70,000 miners were represented; Messrs.
Christopher Haswell, Mark Dent, Martin Jude, Thomas
Weatherley, Mr. Tulip, Edward Richardson, Benjamin
Embleton, and others, representing the Counties of
Northumberland and Durham. '
Amongst the many important resolutions discussed at
this conference was that as to whether there should be a
general strike in Northumberland and Durham or not. Mr.
C. Haswell moved there should be a strike, as it was the
opinion of his constituents that if they did not resist the
shamed bonds and unjust proposals of their masters
they would never have the least opportunity of benefiting
their condition; and that they had been insulted and oppressed
until they could bear it no longer.
Mr. Ben. Embleton said he knew as much of the miners
of Northumberland and Durham as any man, and he fully
believed if they would allow them to fight their own battle,
and keep their men fi:om filling their places, they would come
off victorious.
A delegate firom Ashton-under-Lyne said if they agreed
to have a strike at the present time, they might make up
their minds to attend the funeral of the association.
Martin Jude thought that not one half of the means had
been used, as regarded Northumberland and Durham, to
o4 THB MINEBS OF
prevent a strike, and that many things could yet be adopted,
and many plans tried.
After a long discussion for and against, the report was
ordered to be brought up, when it appeared that the numbers
were
Against a general strike ... 28,042
For ... ... ... .•• 23,357
Majority against ... ... 4,685
Mr. Haswell then moved that a committee of the whole
conference should be formed for the purpose of devising
the best means to assist the men in Northumberland and
Durham in their peculiar position, which was carried unani-
mously; and, after a long discussion, the following motion
was passed : — ^^It is the decision of this committee that the
men of Northimiberland and Durham ought, after using
every other lawful means, and not yet gaining their end, to
be allowed to rej^se to work under the masters' agreement,
which is to take place on the 5th day of April next ; and we,
the delegates from the different parts of the kingdom, do
hereby pledge ourselves to do all in our power to assist them
in their struggle, and also to prevent men from coming in
amongst them; and, if possible, still forther to restrict our
labour."
From the ample correspondence which took place at this
time with a view to lay the grievances of the miners before
the public, the following may be taken, as it will fully ex-
plain, and perhapsjustify the miners in the course they took
in subsequently coming out on strike.
West Holywell Collieby. — "We work the tubs at
4^d. per tub, and when ^the tubs are laid out, we are fined
6d., and paid nothing for hewing the coals. They fine us
for sending small coals to bank, at the same time they are
selling them for 6s. per chaldron."
Elemore Colliery. — " The rule at this colliery is to
pay fortnightly every Friday. Last pay-day they would not
pay us on the Friday, but they said they would pay us next
morning. We went for our money at 7 o'clock in the morn-
ing and we were kept waiting till 5 o'clock in the afternoon,
while they knew our wives had a great way to go to buy a
bit of meat. The viewer at this colliery was not very long
NORTHUMBEBLAXD AND DURHAM. 55
ago a coal hewer. He appears to have forgot liimself. Oli
God ! how long are the miners to suffer this oppression? "
Jarrow Colliery. — "A deputation waited upon the
viewer to show that the tubs were 2^ pecks more than had
been paid for. He kept them standing three hours at the
back door on a cold morning, his carriage came to the front
door, he got in, and left the men standing. Such robbery,
and contempt h-om the parties who are the cause of it, can
surely not last long."
Tyne Main Colliery. — " The laid out is something
fearful here. A man sent nine corves to bank, eight' of them
w^ere laid out because they were not chalked. He is a hewer
in a place two yards wide. One part of the place was
bright coal, and the other, rusty. When the overman came
into the place, he asked him what he was to do, he said he
really did not know, but he might do so and so, " but do not
say that I told." Now, what is a man to do, when the mas-
ters do not know. When the coals were rusty the man was
to chalk them ; when bright, he had not to do so. This
man worked for Is. 6d., and there was 2s. kept off him ; so
that he laboured all day for nothing, and had to pay the mas-
ters 6d. for allowing him to do so. Kind Heaven look down
upon us, and guide us the way to get clear of this oppression,
for the miner's cup is about full. No human being can bear
the treatment which is daily inflicted upon us ! "
As the annual bindings of the miners of the two counties
were drawing to a close, the following circular was addressed
to the coal owners : —
To THE Coal Owners of Du&ham and Northumberland.
Gentlemen, — We, the miners of the said counties, beg respectfully to
apprise you that Ihe time is now at hand when we as workmen, and
you as masters, must enter into an agreement for the purpose of
carrying on the respective works, &c., and as during the present engage-
ment, prices hav^ been extremely low, we desire that you will give
us your attention.
Gentlemen, we have officially requested to be met by a deputation
from your agents the viewer^, which request remains as yet un-
attended to, we therefore deem it our imperative duty to solicit you to
appoint a deputation from your own body, to meet a deputation from
the Miners* Association, in order to arrange matters, so as to prevent
that last of all resources — a strike.
By order of the Delegate Meeting,
Durham, March 20th, 1844. MARK DENT, Chairman.
56 THE MINERS OF
Continuing their contemptuous conduct, and treating^
a large representative body as their agents treated individ-
uals at the various collieries, the gentlemen of the coal
trade took no more notice of this second circular than they
had done of the first. The men felt insulted by this con-
tempt, and, goaded by the insolence of their employers, they
resolved that the men in the two counties should cease
working until their differences were adjusted.
CHAPTER XL
COMMENCEMENT OF THE GREAT STRIKE OF 1844. GREAT
MEETING ON SHADON's HILL.
On the fifth day of April, 1844, the miners of Northum-
berland and Durham terminated the contract between
themselves and their employers which they had entered into
for the years 1843 — 4, and, as liad been previously arranged,
the men working at the whole of the collieries in the two
counties unanimously refused to enter into any fresh contract
till the matters in which they felt themselves aggrieved,
should have been considered. Tliis the masters refused
to do, and haughtily refused to treat with any one who
*^ presumed" to utter a complaint. The consequence was a
general strike, which had the effect of laying every pit in
Durham and Northumberland idle. Tlie first general
meetmg, after the men came out on strike, was held on
Shadon's Hill, when many thousand miners were present
and took part in the proceedings. On reaching the ground
there was presented one of the most splendid and magnificent
sights ever witnessed. The music of various bands was
heard, and flags and banners were flying in every direction.
The part of the Fell where the meeting was held was of the
shape of an amphitheatre, at the bottom of which was
placed a waggon, which served for a platform, from which
as far as the eye could reach, was observed a mass of human
beings, there being upon a fair calculation 35,000 to 40,000
men present. There were no sports nor anything to attract
their attention from the meeting, and the whole mass seemed
iu' earnest sympathy with the object that had brought them
together.
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM. 57
The chairman, Mr. Mark Dent, opened the proceedings by
speaking as follows: — ^Fellow men, We have long been
divided, but I hope this day is the uniting of the miners of the
Tees Wear and Tyne for the purpose of having our griev-
ances adjusted, for they are manifold and sovere. We have
long sought for redress, we have been tretited with scoruy
but now we are resolved to be free. We are an insulted,
oppressed, and degraded body of men. If the masters had
made anything like reasonable proposals we would have
accepted them ; but they have brought forward a miserable
proposition, an infamous bond, under which many men have
been working for a mere pretence; but we will do so no longer*
We will stand together till we obtain our rights. We axe
determined to be free, and I hope that the time is not &r
distant when we will not have to use such means as we
have had to resort to on the present occasion ; but that the
time of reasoning between master and mar will take the place
of strikes, and the working man will get a fair day's
wage for a fair day's work. Miners as a class are not looked
on with respect by the public, and the great majority of the
press seems to be agahist ue. Our employers use every
means to oppress us, and this is not to be wondered at, for
we have had no respect for ourselves. But now that there
is an understanding amongst us, are we any longer to con-
tinue to drag the chains of slavery, to bear the yokes of
bondage and toil in the bowels of the earth, as we have done?
He then introduced Mr. George Cliarlton to move the
first resolution, who, in doing so, said : The miners of Great
Britain had been insulted and ill-treated ; many persons
looked with scorn and contempt upon them because they
were not aware of the oppression and injustice inflicted upon
them by tlieir cruel task-masters; while the miners who felt
that oppression and injustice, who were daily robbed of their
wages, knew, and most acutely felt the degradation and
wrongs which they had too long submitted to, and which
they would endure no longer. Had not fell tyi*anny caused
thousands of their- fellow- workmen to be hurried from life
into eternity — to die of premature old age. And had not
thousands more been victimized, worn down by unrequited
toil and excessive oppression. He trusted they would
shortly bid farewell to tyi'anny — yes, to tyranny of every
od THE mXEBS OF
kind. What had caused them to leave their hemes and
families ? " 'Twas oppression." What a multitude stood
before him ! every one of whom had sworn to be free. He
sat down by moving the following resolution : — " That it
being the lawful and inherent right of every working man
in the kingdom to obtain the best possible price for his
labour, this meeting avows its intention and determination
to procure, individually and collectively, a better remunera-
tion for their labour than has heretofore been paid, and to
abstain froni working until such remuneration be obtained."
Mr. Robert Archer seconded the resolution, saying that
they had now stepped into liberty. They had long been
shackled and chained, and had acted against, instead of for
each other. Why ? Because they had not been united; but
though they had borne their chains long and patiently, the .
time had now come when they would proclaim before op-
pressing man and high Heaven that henceforward they must,
and would be free. Their labour was both dangerous and
hard, and the reason of its hardness was, they were paid so
little for it. They did not so much care for the laborious
nature of their calling, but they did want adequate remune-
ration to cheer and sweeten their dreary toil. From the
nature of their employment and industry they deserved it,
and, by the help of God, they were determined to obtain it.
The miners had been oppressed until they could stand it no
longer, and now they were determined to throw off the
shackles of slavery, and assert their freedom. They had no
ill-will against, nor did they wish to injure the coal-owners;-
all they wished was to be paid for their labour, and that was
just and right.
The chairman then put the resolution to the meeting,
which was carried with acclamation.
Mr. John Tulip came forward to move the next resolu-
tion. He said the masters thought to have caught many
"blacklegs," but they were mistaken. They expected the
Dalton men would have continued at work, but they were
disappointed, for he had the proud satisfaction of informing^
that meeting that the Dalton men were all on the Fell that
day.— (The whole mass of the miners rose to their feet and
gave long and tremendous cheering.) — ^After which, Mr^
Tulip continued to say : The miners wanted nothing but
KOBTHUUBEBLAND AND DUBHAM. 59
If hat was jnst and right, and nothing but what was lawfiil
and constitutional. Thej wanted their rights, and their
rights they were determined to have. He then rea4. t^®
resolution, which was as follows : — "That this meeting is
of opinion that the bonds proposed bj the masters are of
such a nature as to be highly injurious to our welfare con-
sequently we pledge ourselves, individually and collectively,
not to bind to them so long as they continue in their present
shape." This resolution, after liaving been seconded, was
put to the meeting by the chairman and carried with
unanimity, and by acclamation.
Mr. Edward Richardson moved the next resolution, as
follows : — "That it is the opinion of this meeting that the
bond drawn up by W. P. Roberts, Esq., and approved of by
the Durham Delegate Meeting, is reasonable and just, and
we pledge ourselves to stand by the same until all its condi-
tions and stipulations are complied with." He was glad to
see such unanimity amongst them — all determined to obtain
their rights, but only by lawful means. They only wanted
to be paid for their labour, so that they could support their
families, and educate their children. They wanted nothing
more, nothing unreasonable ; they could obtain all they
wanted by standing together in unity of purpose, and by
keeping the peace.
Mr. Thomas Pratt seconded the resolution. He defended
the clause in the men's bond, which stated that drivers and
trappers should only work ten hours per day. Was not ten
hours, he asked, long enough for young boys to be entombed
in the bowels of the earth? He then spoke against fly-
doors, and contended that such doors were highly dangerous,
and that they placed the lives and health of the miners in
jeopardy. The reason such doors were used was in order to
save the masters a few paltry shillings. He would ask the
meeting if Is. per day of ten hours, was too much wages for
these boys to receive. Did they ever hear of clout doors?
He could assure them they had some of these elegant doors
at Castle Eden, doors made of canvas daubed over with tar.
He came in contact with one of these, one morning, when
he was going to work, and for the life of him he could not
make out what it was. He then referred to the injustice of
great tubs; since their introduction great injustice had been
60 THE HUrSBS OF
practised on the men. They were a dangerous and a great
evil besides, by preventing a free current of air; they were
inimical to the miner's health, and they consequently ought
to be removed. He then reviewed the introduction of
Shetland ponies into the pits, and showed the danger to
which he and others were subject through their use. He
stated a case in order to show that the masters set more
value on one of these ponies, than he did on the life of the
miners. A miner was killed by one of these large tubs, and
the jury returned a verdict of accidental death. Well, one
of these ponies turned restive, was always wild, ran away,
and was killed, and the lad was fined £10 ; whilst another
lad was fined £5 because he had the misfortune to drive a
horse which had killed himself. It was a shame, a lasting
disgrace to a christian country. From this they would per-
ceive a pony was of more value than a poor collier. He
would heartily second the resolution.
It was then put to the meeting and all but unanimously
carried, one solitary hand only out of the immense mass
being held up against it.
Mr. Joseph Beeston moved the fourth resolution. He
said that hitherto they had had nothing to do with the
drawing up of the bonds, their feelings or interests were not
consulted in the matter, they were drawn up by the masters,
and such was the nature of the infamous system, that they
were compelled to sign or agree to them, even when they
knew they contained clauses, which were prejudicial to
their rights and interests. Let them only stand firm and
unite together, and they would pull oppression from its
throne, level it with the dust, and bury it in eternal oblivion.
He then moved this resolution: — " That the coal owners
of this district having refused to meet the deputation of the
workmen to arrange the differences at present existing
between the miner's and the coal owners, this meeting
announces that such a deputation is still willing to wait on
them, in order to settle matters, so as to prevent any con-
tinued cessation of labour, providing the said coal owners,
avow their intention to meet them for such purpose."
Mr. William Daniels, editor of the Miners^ Advocate,
seconded the resolution, and advised them strongly, above all
things, to keep the peace and use no violence, as it would
NORTHUMBEBIiAND. AlTD DURHAM. 61
give them great moral power, and would be to them a shield
of defence.
Mr. Richardson said Mr. Joseph Pease, the mild
qiiaker, the liberal politician, — ^he who told the old
women of Barnard Castle that he would obtain cheap sugar
and tea for them, and would " watch the tap," — and who,
when he got into Parliament, voted twenty millions of
money as compensation to the slave-holders — this friend
wanted the waggoners, masons, and joiners, to go down and
hew coal for him, but Joseph was deceived. These men
would not go down, and they had all joined the union.—
(G-reat cheering.)
The Chairman said it had been said, if they fell this
time they would fall for ever. He did not believe that doc-
trine. He trusted they were made of better mettle than
that ! There was every prospect of success, but if they were
defeated this time, they would rally* again. — (Applause.)
Yes, if they lost this battle, they would fight them
again. They would stand to their union, — and still they
would return to the combat ! Oh ! let them never despair in
a good cause, let them never despond, for right would yet
overcome might if they stood t'-ue to each other. They had
been told that the public and the press thought very little
of them. All their employers thought about was getting as
much work done for as little pay as possible, and when they
were not able to go any further, to turn them out of doors.
If they had come on to the field of battle, let them fight
nobly, and the day would be theirs. If they were ignorant,
what was the cause ? Had those who had profited out of
their labours done anything towards their education ? Let
them look back into the history of the miners, and even at
that present day, and say what school accommodation was
there provided for the workmen's children ? If a man be
ever so steady and wishful to provide for himself and
family all the comforts his income would allow, he had
not the privilege, like other mechanics in towns, to
provide comfortable apartments. The owners sank a
colliery, and built houses fur their workmen to live in ;
but they were not houses, and many of them were mere hovels,
clustered together. Those who had children were housed
on the same principle as those who had none. Some had had
62 THE 'UmsBisr <>F
as far as from seven to eight children grown tip to men and
and women, all living in one house, the whole room only
being four yards by five, with a small pantry to keep their
provisions in. This was the miner's castle, sitting-room,
bedroom, and parlour — ^his family brought up to men and
women all in this small space. It was a disgrace to the em-
plbyers, and a credit to the miners, that even with all those
difficulties, their morals were not more degraded than they
were at the present time. If there was one who dared
attempt to speak on unions, it had been their custom to hunt
him down till the poor fellow was fairly cowed, and had to
submit. In all ages tyranny could only exist so long, and
it was so in this case. The good time was coming. The
coal owners had introduced a monthly bond to strengthen
their position, for they thought by this monthly bond
to get clear of any one who took a part in the union. In
conclusion, he hoped the miners would not break the peace,
but that they would stand faithfully to their union, and he
had no fear but they would come off victorious.
After a vote of thanks to the Chairman, and three cheers
for the Union, the immense assemblage separated in a most
peaceable manner.
CHAPTER XII.
CONTINUANCE OF THE STRIKE. THE ACTIONS OF THE-
MASTERS AND MEN. GREAT MEETING ON BEHALF OF
THE MEN IN NEWCASTLE.
The strike was entered upon with great unanimity by
the men, and with great determination to fight it out to the
very last. The employers, seeing the men thus determined,
drew all the horses out of the pits with the object of quietly
awaiting the issue of the contest, and of starving them into-
compliance. The men at the various collieries formed them-
selves into committees to raise funds, and delegate meetings
were held very often, reporting to each other how the men
were standing out, and as to ihe prospects, if any, of a re-
commencement of work. The men seemed to have made up
their minds " to conquer, or die " in the struggle, and they
were supported in this resolution by their wives, who were
equally as determined. At almost every general and district
KOBTHUUBEBLAKD AND DUBHAM, 68
meeting resolutions were passed such as — "We pledge our-
selves^ individually and oollectively^ thiit we will keep the
peaee^ and should any man or men act otherwise, he or they
are not friends but traitors to the cause, and as such we
would treat them." The leaders of this strike manifested
great anxiety, from the very outset, to conduct the contest
in peace and good order, and with a view to carrying out this
plan, they lost no opportunity of bringing the importance of
proper conduct before the men whenever they were assem-
bled together in anything like numbers. With them it had
to be a fair stand-up battle between Might and Eight, and
they wanted no desperate or violent conduct on the part of
the men as auxiliaries in the struggle ; feeling sure that by
the one course they would gain — what was very important
for their success — public sympathy, and by the other they
would fail to gain it, and disgust those who might otherwise
be friendly disposed towards them.
A public meeting was held at Wallsend on April the 10th,
and the day being very fine there was a large assemblage. The
meeting was addressed by John Dobinson, E. Hall, Robert
Jobling, Wm. Bell, Geo. Hjinter, Wm. Jobliug, Wm. Bell,
William Beesley, Joseph Fawcett, Charles Parkinson, and
William Woodworth. On the 15th of the same month, ano-
ther public meeting was held at Fawdon, when a resolution
to the following effect was moved by John Bolam : — " That
it is the opinion of this meeting that the miners are fully
justified in refusing to work under the coal owners' new
bonds." Mr. Henry Young seconded this resolution, and it
was supported by William Thompson, James Hay, William
Lumsden, and William Sharp. — On May 2nd, a public meet-
ing of tradesmen and others was held on the Ballast Hills,
Newcastle, addressed by William Booth, George Hunter,
and Mr. William Daniels, when the following resolution
was proposed, seconded, and carried : — " That it is the
opinion of this meeting, from the statements made, that the
miners of Northumberland and Durham are an ill-used and
oppressed class of men, and deserve the sympathy and sup-
port of all classes of the community, and this meeting pledges
itself to use its utmost exertions to procure support for
them during their present struggle." It was by means of
such meetings that the miners succeeded in obtaining a little
64 THE MINERS OF
relief by which they were enabled to keep the wolf from the
•door, and to prevent their wives and children absolutely
Starving. The necessity was felt of educating public opinion
properly as to the real nature of their grievances, and for
this purpose a great and important meeting was held on the
7th of May, in the Lecture Room, Newcastle. This meet-
ing was called by printed placards, which stated that it was
for the purpose of examining into the condition, and protect-
ing the interests of the miners of Northumberland and
Durham. The spacious hall, the largest then in the town of
Newcastle, was crowded in every part. Many respectable
persons were present, among whom were a number of coal
owners and viewers, and several members of the Coal Trade
Committee.
Mr. Mark Dent was voted to the chair, and opened the
meeting by stating the objects for which it had been called.
He said they had been called together to consider the mani-
fold grievances of the miners of Northumberland and Dur-
ham, and thougk^e miners were said to be an ignorant class
of men, still they had moral courage enough to bring their
wrongs before the public ; and he thought, ignorant as they
were, they should be able to convince that immense meeting
ihat they were greatly oppressed. They might not possess
that intelligence and talent which some could boast of, but
they would endeavour to make themselves understood. They
would do their best, and nobody could do more. He was
sorry to say that the public press, he meant a great por-
tion of them, had greatly misrepresented their objects, and
had striven to make the public believe that their grievances
were more imaginary than real. He was sure, however,
that he would make them so clear and palpable that night,
that they would not fail to convince the intelligent inhabit-
ants of Newcastle that they were an ill-used class of men.
He knew it had been asked, "Why did you form your
present Union ? " His ftoswer was, " it was the iron arm of
oppression that caused us to unite ; besides, the masters set
us the example, for the masters formed a union for the
protection of their interests, and the miners have an equal
right to form one to mend their condition." The miners
knew by bitter experience that the masters' union had seri-
ously injured the men, for, by thus combining, they drew up
NOBTHUMBEBLAND AND DUBHAM. 65
^ dtriiigent bonds, and were enabled hy these means for
tin it three years to effect a material reduction in their
wages, and consequently their comforts were much abridged.
The reason why they had not opposed these shameful bonds
before was, because they had not the power. They were
disunited, and could not oppose them ; but it was not the
love they had for them that prevented them from opposing
them. It was want of union; every man was then striving
for himself, regardless of his neighbour ; and if a man singly
attempted to oppose the bonds, he was sure to be turned out
to the wide world with his wife and family. In fact, he
would be sacrificed, looked upon as a dangerous character,
and no one would employ him ; but now, thank Grod, their
eyes were opened, they were firmly united, and were deter-
mined to be free. Some persons had asserted that they had
no right to form an association in the present condition of
society. He denied this doctrine. It was perfectly lawAil
to unite, it was their interest to unite, and if they had not
united, they would, ere long, have been the veriest slaves
that ever breathed. When th^ formed the Miners* Asso-
ciation the interest of every%ian was consulted, the good of
all was blended together, so that they could not, if they were
true to each other, ever be broken up. When one thousand
men were convinced that they were oppressed, and united to
remove that oppression, ten thousand would soon respond to
them, thus showing that when one class of men were injured
all were injured. At the same time he hoped the miners
present would abstain from cheering, and let the meeting
decide for itself. He likewise expected they would allow
every speaker a fair hearing. He then introduced —
Mr. Clough, a miner of Thornley, who said they came
thus openly before the public in order, if possible, to secure
their sympathy and support. As to their present position,
they had done all they could to prevent a cessation from
labour. They wished to meet the masters to conciliate
matters, but they had thought proper to refuse to meet
them. He would repeat, the men had used every endeavour
to prevent the strike, and whatever might be the result, the
men would not be to blame. The truth was the miners
were compelled to strike, for by the stipulations of the
masters they could not obtain a living. They wished to pay
66 THE MINERS OF
their way as honest men ought to do, but they found they
were unable to do this. He knew it was the duty of work-
men to pay the tradesmen, or they would become bankrupts.
The miners could not do this with their late wages, hence
their present position. The statement of the Coal Owners'
Committee, that the miners could earn 3s. 8d. per day, was
a delusion ; for the best hewers, in eight hours in the most
favourable seams, could not earn more than 2s. 6d. or
28. lOd. per day, and it should be remembered that they were
not employed every day like most trades. Indeed, it could be
proved that during the last year the average earnings of the
miners of Northumberland and Durham, after taking off*
deductions for fines, doctor, coals, picks, <&c., were not more
than lis. per week. Was this sufficient wages for a miner
to receive ? It was said that the masters could not afford to
give them reasonable wages, on account of the depression of
the coal trade. He denied this — they could well afford it.
Why, there was only 6d. per ton difference between the price
of coals in the London market this year and the year 1831.
The only advance they asked was l^d. per ton ; surely they
could afford this trifie, whiclArould be a great consideration
to them. The bonds were always, before this year, drawn
up by the masters without consulting the men, but as they
were one of the contracting parties they were determined
in future to have a voice in the matter. He then referred
to the ventilation pf mines, and said the ventilation was bad
and improper. He had experienced its injurious effects upon
himself. He had been compelled, or else be fined 2s. 6d., to
work in a part of the mine strongly cliarged with carbonic
gas, and he had not been working more than half-an-hour
before his head was like to split ; and, ultimately, he was
carried out insensible, and lay in his bed three days. He
believed if 10s. had been expended on ventilation in that
place, this would not have happened. When he recovered,
he was set to work in the same place again ; — (Sensation.) —
the consequence of which was, he was laid off work for 1 o
weeks, and could not obtain any smart money. He thought
it very hard, when he had ruined his health by inhaling the
poisonous gas, tliat he should get no support, when, if a man
broke his arm he would obtain it. He had now stated, he
hoped, sufficient to them to obtain their sympathy and
support.
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM. 67
Mr. John Tulip next addressed the meeting. He said in
reference to the strike, that it had been forced upon them
by the unjust and shameful reduction which had been made
in their earnings in 1843, and the two preceding years.
He was sorry to say it had been stated that the pitmen were
a lazy worthless set of follows. It pained him much to hear
such vile calumnies, and he strongly denied their truth.
They were not lazy, they were not a worthless, improvident
class of men; and from his heart he believed a more indus-
trious, a more laborious, or useful class of men were not in
existence. Was it not a fact that they toiled in a dreary
mine for ten or twelve hours together — sometimes working
on their backs, sometimes on their sides, and sometimes
nearly suffocated with foul air, while they were in constant
danger of their lives from explosion or falling of roof, and
all this for wages that would not keep soul and body toge-
ther, or scarcely keep life in their wives and children. He
would again deny that the miners were a lazy body of men,
no men were more willing to labour, but they wished for
some recompense for that labour. If they had one fault
greater than another it was that they laboured too much.
By their great industry, by one man competing with
another, and striving how much he could do, they caused the
present low rate of wages. Year by year were their wages
reduced, and year by year they had worked harder and longer
hours in order to make their wages up, but they found this
course only added to the evil. They had now got wiser, and
they had restricted their labour. This had given great offence
to their masters, they were very angry with them for
doing this, which plainly showed they were on the right
tack. The principal object they had in view when they
adopted the restrictive system, was sympathy for their fellow-
men. It was to give them who were out of employment leave
to toil; and they had succeeded in thus giving work to
hundreds of men whom the owners said they could not
employ. By the guarantee clause they were fined 2s. 6d.
if they were absent one day; but the masters often laid the
men idle without any compensation at all, and as they were
bound to them for a whole year as their servants, it was
reasonable they should find them constant employment or
wages. Their wages only amounted to 248., per fortnight.
68 THE MINERS OF
and out of tkis they had to find powder, candles, tools, and pay
for coals and doctor, which reduced their wages to less than
eleven shillings per week. They were subject to unreason-
able fines, in the shape of "laid out'' and "set out" tubs,
by which they often worked for nothing, and were fined too
into the bargain. (Sensation.) Let them be paid for all
good coals, and they would be satisfied. They had also to
contend with fraudulent weighing machines, and if they
wanted them adjusted they had formerly to give them three
days' notice before it could be done, but that was too glaring,
so they changed it into a " reasonable notice." But what
did they want any notice for? Honest men were always
ready to make anything right that was wrong. He thought
that if the inspectors of weights and measures were to give
a reasonable notice to the shopkeepers that they were
coming to examine their weights, machines, &c., when
they did go, the shopkeeper would take precious good care
to be ready for them, and have all things snug. He had
no objection to the masters being protected, and unreasonable
men checked. The speaker then referred to the Thomley
case, and showed the unjust and exorbitant fines inflicted on
the men there. He also explained the separation system,
viz. separating the small coal from the round, and showed
they were liable to be fined 2s. 6d. for fiUing one peck of
small coals in one tub, which was what no man could avoid.
There were many owners and viewers present, let them
deny his statement if they could.
Mr. William Mitchell next addressed the meeting. He
said they wanted the sympathy of the public, and through
them that of their masters. G-od fi)rbid that he should
endeavour to set the men against their masters. It was the
interest of both parties to be friends. They ought to meet
together to settle their difierences, but unfortunately the mas-
ters" would not meet the men, which greatly irritated them,
and had a tendency to make them more stubborn. He was
sorry for that, but they could not help it; they had done all
they could as working men to settle the dispute, but had
been unsuccessful. He defended the course the miners had
taken; but they had not the remotest intentipn of injuring
the interest of the masters. All they wished was a fair
remuneration for their labour. The men had put out a bond
NOBTHUMBERLAXD AND DURHAM. 69
which had offended the masters^ and the masters had put out
one which had offended the men. But if they only met
together he had no doubt that they would jointly get rid of
the most difficult and knotty points contamed in both bonds^
and hereby effect a reconciliation. The masters thought to
starve the men into compliance with their terms,
for some of them had been saying '^ That they had brought
the men down to starvation point betore the strike, and
therefore they could not stand long." But with the help
of God they should be disappointed. The reason they had
ceased to work was, their low wages, the grievances which
had been explained to them, and the monthly bonds. They
could not Hve on the conditions put forth by the masters.
They had stood one month, and they would stand another.
{Loud applause, and a voice, "yes, twelve months.") They
wanted to be friendly and to unite with the masters; and he
firmly believed if they had been united that injurious tax on
export coal would not have been in existence, and that if
they only unite together now they would soon get it repealed.
They wanted better ventilation and more attention to
securing the roofs. They had only a small candle to work
by or a dim lamp; how, therefore could they see the stones
and black brass ? In consequence of the great heat of the mines,
they were compelled to work nearly naked. In such a state
were their bodies that they could scarcely bear a fiannel
shirt to touch them. Indeed such was the extreme heat,
that he had known his friend behind him (Fearley, of
Bishopwearmouth) take offhis shoes and pour out the sweat
from them. (Great sensation). Working m this state caused
great immorality, especially among the young; but only let
them get fair wages, and they then could properly educate
their children; by which means crime would be removed,
<H)unty rates lessened, and the public generally benefitted.
It had been said that the masters would turn them out of
their houses, he trusted they had more manhood and
Christian feeling than to turn them, and their wives and little
ones, out to the wide world. He then referred to the mis-
r^resentations of the press, and turning to the reporters
entreated them to do them justice. They wished to do
nothing that would disgrace either themselves or country^
for they loved their country.
70 THE MIXERS OP
Mr. James Forrest, of the Boot aad Shoemakers' Union,
moved the following resolution, which was seconded by
Mr. Fleming, of the Operative Tailors' Society, and carried
by a large majority — " That having heard the statements of
the preceding speakers, all practical miners, the meeting
is of opinion that the pitmen of Northumberland and
Durham are perfectly justifiable in the course they have
taken, and this meeting pledges itself to use every exertion
to support them during their present struggle."
Mr. William Daniels moved the next resolution: — ** That
the tax on export coals is not only an injury to the mining
and shipping interests, but to the numerous workmen
employed by those interests, and to tradesmen generally.
This meeting therefore agrees to petition the legislature to
repeal the above-named duty." He said he had been asked
why the meeting had not been called before, and why it was
not called by the mayor, and held in the Guildhall. In
answer to this he would say that the meeting had been
contemplated ten weeks ago, a committee had been
appointed to obtain signatures to a requisition to the Mayor,
wishing him to call the meeting, and they so far succeeded
in the object as to obtain the names of 275 respectable
inhabitants to the requisition, which was presented to the
Mayor, Sir John Fife, who at once agreed not only to call
the meeting, but also to preside over it. Sir John wished
the deputation to call again in a few days, when he would fix
the day on which the meeting should be held. In the interval
the requisition had got, by some hocus-pocus process, into
the lumds of a police inspector, and that busybody had
carried it round to a small knot of individuals who had
signed it, and prevailed on them to say they had never
signed it at all. Some said the heading was not the same
as it was when they ugned it, and one wiseacre declared it
had no head at all when he signed it. In consequence of
this dodge of some dozen renegade turncoats, the mayor
refused to call the meeting. The committee therefore had
called it on their own responsibility. He did not know
what motive these tricksters had in acting in this disrepu-
table manner, but he believed it was to prevent the miners^
getting the support and sympathy of the public. If this>
was their object he hoped they would be disappointed.
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM. 71
Mr. Byrne seconded the resolution, and said no one
could deny but that the coal tax was a great injury. What
was the foundation of Newcastle ? It was the coal trade,
and whatever tended to cripple that trade must tend
certainly to injure all classes connected with it.
Mr. Sinclair rose to move an address to W. B. Ferrand,
Esq., M. P., for his advocacy of the rights of labour, but the
chairman said they could not interfere with politics.
Thus ended one of the greatest and most important
meetings ever held in Newcastle, a meeting which did great
good by removing a vast amount of prejudice from the minds
of the inhabitants concerning the miners, and convinced
many of the justness of their cause. Similar meetings
were held in all the towns of both counties. The eyes of
the whole kingdom were now anxiously watching the result
of this tremendous struggle of capital against labour, and
the public began to see that the miners had some real
grievances, and that from 30,000 to 40,000 men and boys
would not have simultaneously ceased working, and thereby
brought great privation and suffering upon themselves,
their wives, and families, without some just and sufficient
cause.
CHAPTER XIII.
ATTEMPT ON THE PART OF THE OWNERS TO START THE
PITS. THE EVICTION OF COLLIERS. ATTEMPT TO STOP
THE MEETINGS OF THE MEN. THE INTRODUCTION OF
STRANGERS, AND CONTINUED EVICTIONS.
The effect of this cessation of labour was severely felt^
not only by those immediately concerned, but by all trades-
men in the locality ; and all were now beginning to feel the
value and importance of the pitmen. The employers, seeing
the men still as determined as ever to go on with the contest
till they got their own terms, had the horses sent down the
pits again, their object being to set them to work with
the off-handed men and officials about the collieries, together
with a number of loafers and blackguards which they raked
together from the large towns. Agents were despatched all
over England, Wales, and Scotland, to recruit for men to take
the places of the rebellious miners.
72 THE MINERS OP
By and bye, the owners got together a sufficient number
of men, of one sort or another, to enable them to set the mines
going again, though not in full work. As soon as the
strangers began to arrive, the necessity for providing for
their shelter arose, and as the men on strike still occupied
the cottages, it became apparent that they would have to be
evicted unless they volmitarily evacuated. This they reso-
lutely refused to do, and seeing that they had no place to go to, it
is no wonder tliat they should have held on as long as pos-
sible. The work of ejecting the miners from their houses
now commenced, the owners removing their furniture into
lanes a distance from the colliery. The men had been urged
from the first to keep the peace, but now their patience was
sorely tested. Bands of policemen, with low, mean, ragged
fellows, were ordered into the miners' houses, generally by
the resident viewer, and before touching the furniture, "will
you go to work ? " was asked of the pitman. The answer
being " No ! " the orders were given to remove all things to
the door. The yelling, shouting, and tinpanning, together
with the pitiful cries of the children, had no effect on those
inhuman beings who were engaged to do the work. The
colliery carts were loaded with the furniture, and removed
away into the lanes. In one lane, between Seghill and the
Seaton Delaval avenue, a complete new village was built,
chests of drawers, desk beds, &c., forming the walls of their
new dwelling ; and the top covered with canvas, or bed-
•clothes, as the case might be. It was summer time, and
they seemed to enjoy themselves imder their difficulties re-
markably well. Here and there, fiddles might be heard;
whilst the men grouped together, smoking, singing, or
chatting about the great battle, but never wavering m their
confidence, or in their determination to fight out the battle
to its bitter eQd.
Large numbers of men arrived from Wales, and other
places, guarded by the police, and in some instances soldiers
were brought on the scene to guard the new arrivals; but
their presence was altogether unnecessary, for the men held
to their determination to keep the peace. The miners got
hold of the strangers, and tried to reason with them. The
Welshmen said they had been misled, that they did not know
there was a strike, and that they would willingly go back to
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM. 73
their own country if they had the means to do so. Money,
though the miners could ill afford it, was paid for their
passage back ; but in many cases they received the money
and returned again to the collieries they had just left, not
so much to work, as to get what they could from both mas-
ters and men — ^the owners offering them larger premiums to
stay than they had at first agreed to.
A request was sent from Scotland for a deputation from
Northumberland and Durham to hold a meeting at Dun-
fermline, as some of the English viewers had been there re-
cruiting men. The deputation went, and a meeting of the
spirited inhabitants of the above borough was held in the
Masons' Hall on June 5th, 1844. Long before the time for
taking the chair (7 o'clock) the spacious hall was filled.
The greatest excitement was displayed in consequence of
the soldiers being under arms, ready to act at a moment's
notice, as were also the police. The magistrates were
sitting, and the sheriff of the county was in his carriage in
the street near the place of meeting. What was the mean-
ing of all this preparation and display ? Why, it had been
bruited about that the English delegates had come from the
Miners' Association into the town to make a riot, and, as a
matter of course, burn the town and murder the inhabitants.
What silly creatures these authorities must have been to have
believed such a very ridiculous story. But the real truth of
the matter was that their object was to over-awe the speak-
ers, and thus prevent the meeting being held. The meeting,
however, was held, and passed off in a .peaceable manner.
Similar meetings were held in the south of England, and in
many towns the authorities were terrified at the very name
of the miners. A meeting was held at 'Bedworth, in War-
wickshire, which was declared by Lord Lifford to be illegal,
and the Yeomanry were ordered to be in readiness. The
police were sent to prevent the speakers from speaking; but
they would not be stopped, and after the interference was
discontinued, the meeting passed off quietly. The miners
determined to have their grievances thoroughly laid before
the public, for they thought there was no other way of
getting any redress unless the public took up their case.
They had the great majority of the press to fight against,
and the strong power of capital. The coal owners, when
74 THE MINERS OT
speaking of the strike, would say — " We will never yield to
the men, we will force them to comply, no matter at what
cost."
Wholesale turning to the door commenced in almost
every colliery village ; pregnant women, bedridden men, and
even innocent children in the cradle, were ruthlessly and
remorselessly turned out. Age and sex were disre-
garded, no woman was too weak, no child too young, no
grandam or grandsire too old; but all must go forth. One
poor woman, expecting to become a mother every hour, was
turned to the door at one Colliery, and another was dragged by
the neck 100 yards along the railway; and proofs might
be multiplied to show that every vile scheme was tried, and
every mean trick resorted to, in order to throw the men off
their guard, and exasperate them, so that in a moment of
excitement they might be induced to break the peace. The
harsh and ruffian-like usage to which the miners were sub-
jected in being turned out of their houses, and left with their
wives and little ones to the mercy of the wild winds of
heaven; the breaking of their furniture to pieces, and throw-
ing their household goods, with their food, out into the road;
.the forcing of the aged, the sick, and the feeble women
from the homes of their childhood, in many instances with
little or no notice, was well calculated to induce angry pas-
sions in the breasts of the men. But they stifled their
wrongs, and determined not to be provoked by this usage to
break the peace ; nor yet by the blackguard and insulting
language which was used by the heartless minions, or their
still more heartless employers, whose bidding they gloried in
carrying out. What a pitiable and inhuman spectacle was
presented by the owners, viewers, and reverend gentlemen —
men professing to be Christians, with British hearts beating
in their bosoms — ^husbands and fathers themselves, who
could stand by and give orders, and exult in the ruin they
had made, the misery and destitution they had caused, and,
perchance, the hearts they had broken. Without dwelling
much longer on this brutal and unmanly conduct towards
the miners — ^we will give one or two cases that "occurred at
Pelton Fell Colliery, where the whole of the men were
turned out with their families. Among them was one old
blind woman, 88 years of age, who was left exposed to the cold
NORTHUMBEBLAND AKD DURHAM. 75
and rain. At another colliery a young man to whom a mis-
fortune bad happened was ruthlessly put to the doors ;
whilst at another, — where two young men had kept their
mother who had been bedridden for years — ^mother and sons
were all bundled into the street without pity or compunction,
Such^ then, was the position of affairs at this time. The
men, houseless and homeless, hungry and careworn, many
with wives and children pining for food which they could
not get for them, were still convinced of the justice of the cause
they had adopted, and still determined to fight in that cause.
Often, when the men were away at public or district meet-
ings, the policemen, with their ruffian auxiliaries, would
swoop down upon a village and turn all the defenceless
inhabitants to the door, so that when the husbands or fathers
returned, they would find their dear ones huddling together
amongst their broken furniture, beneath some hedge. But
ill-treatment seemed to have no effect in breaking the spirit
of the men, but rather to brace them up with sterner resolu-
tions.
CHAPTER XIV.
FURTHER MEETINGS OP THE MEN. PUBLIC SYMPATHY WITH
THE MEN. EVICTIONS AT DERWENT IRON WORKS COLLIERY.
PUBLIC DINNER TO THE MEN AT BLACKHILL. MORE
MEETINGS OP THE MEN.
While the evictions were being conducted with great
energy by the coal owners, the leaders of the strike move-
ment were displaying as much zeal in agitating the country for
the purpose of arousing public sympathy in favour of their
unfortunate constituents. Their only successful mode of
doing this was to organize public meetmgs in various places,
and this they did whenever there wai the least chance of
success attending their efforts.
A general meeting of the pitmen of the two counties
was held at Tantoby, near to Tanfield, on Tuesday, June
11th, for the purpose of considering the conditions of the
monthly agreement. The meeting was held in a large field
adjoining the village, and at the time appointed the numbers
assembled could not be less than 20,000, the whole of whom
came from their respective districts in procession, with music^
76 THE MINERS OP
fiags^ &c. In the middle of the field was placed a large
waggon, on the top of which a platform was erected for the
accommodation of the speakers.
Mr. M. Elliott, having been called to the chair, briefly
opened the meeting by requesting the men to be peaceable
and orderly, and to give a patient hearing to those who
would address them. He then called upon Mr. William
Bird to move, and William Bulmer to second, the first reso-
lution, which was to this effect: — " That this meeting is of
opinion that the members of the Miners' Association, after
having been ten weeks on strike, and during that time having
witnessed many diabolical attempts of the masters to make
them submit to worse than Russian serfdom; and considering
that as they have no other means of bettering their condi-
tion, than by firmly adhering to the principles of the
association, that therefore this meeting pledges itself to be
true to the union."
Mr. Joseph Norman was then about to address the
meeting in support of the resolution, when a troop of the
6th Dragoons, or Royal Carbineers, headed by Mr. R. S.
Surtees, of Hamsterly, one of the magistrates of the county
of Durham, suddenly made their appearance in the village;
and though at first considerable excitement and alarm
seemed to pervade the meeting, yet the men were soon com-
posed, and resolved to keep their position. In a short time
Mr. Surtees with the two officers in conunand, the Hon.
Captain Jocelyn and Lieut. Knox, rode forward, and having
expressed a wish to speak to the chairman, the men immedi-
ately opened their ranks, and they proceeded to the waggon.
On reaching the platform Mr. Surtees addressed the chair-
man, and requested permission to read the following address:
** To THE Chairman of^e Pitmen's MsETma to be held at Tan-
field Lea, this Eleventh Day of June.
Sib, — Complaints on oath having been made before us, the under-
signed magistrates, we beg to say that we will feel particularly obliged
by your impressing on the meeting the importance of orderly and
peaceable conduct, as well during its continuance as in returning home;
and also the necessity of all parties assisting in preventing any breach
of the peace that may be attempted by idle and disorderly persons,
under pretence of attending, or having been at, the pitmen's meeting.
We are, Sir,
R. 8. SURTEES,
Justice Room, Shotley Bridge, PETER ANNANDALE.
June 11th 1844."
NOBTHUMBERLAKD AND DUBHAM. 77
The chairman thanked Mr. Surtees for the gentlemanly
manner in which he had conveyed the request, and said he
would take upon himself the responsibility of saying that
everything should be conducted in a peaceable manner; upon
which Mr. Surtees and the Hon. Captain Jocelyn and Lieut.
Elnox left the meeting. During this interview, Col. Brad-
shaw of the 37th Infantry, and Major Wemyss, superin-
tendent of the Durham Rural Police, were observed riding
at the outskirts of the meeting.
Mr. George Armstrong moved and Mr. Thomas Hay,
seconded the following resolution. "That it is the opinion
of this meeting that the members of the Miners' Association,
after duly deliberating upon the conditions held out in the
master's monthly agreement, consider it inimical to their
interest and future welfare, and, in consequence, they pledge
themselves to stand out until the terms demanded by the
men on the various collieries be acceded to."
The chairman having put the motion, it was carried
unanimously, after which another resolution, to the follow-
ing effect, was proposed and carried: — "That the members of
the Miners' Association pledge themselves that, after
getting to work, they will settle all the debts they contract."
The meeting was afterwards addressed by two delegates
from London, who detailed the whole of the proceedings
there up to the time they left. They stated that they had
been well received everywhere, but as yet the amount of
subscriptions was trifling. The meeting then dispersed.
Another important meeting took place on Monday, July
8th, at Shadon's Hill, and was most numerously attended,
there being present not less than 25,000 persons, including
a great number of the fair sex. Many of the Tyne Collieries
walked in procession through Newoiatle to the meeting
with their flags flying and music pl&ying, and conducted
themselves in a most orderly manner. The following are
the resolutions which were unanimously passed. 1st,
moved by Mr. Norman, seconded by Mr. Hardy, and sup-
ported by Mr. B. Watson : — " That in the opinion of this
meeting, the master's monthly agreement is calculated to
break up our union and destroy our liberties as Englishmen,
therefore this meeting pledges itself to resist it by all legal
and constitutional means." 2nd, moved by Mr. Fawcett,
78 THE MINEBS OP
seconded by Mr. George Charlton, and supported by Mr.
Richardson: — " That in the opinion of this meeting the
struggle in which we are engaged is one of justice and
righteousness, and based upon these principles it cannot
fail to triumph, therefore this meeting pledges itself to con-
tinue the holy contest until our just claims are acceded to,"
3rd, moved by Joseph Beaston, seconded by Thomas
Pratt, and supported by R. Archer: — "That this meeting
having seen the diabolical attempts of our masters to force
us into a breach of the peace, therefore pledges itself to keep
within the pale of the law by firmly adhering to the prin-
ciples and objects of the Miners' Association." 4th, moved
by Mr. C. Haswell, and seconded by Mr. Daniels: — "That
the thanks of this meeting are due and are hereby given to
the trades of London, Edinburgh, Manchester, Birmingham,
Newcastle, the carpet weavers of Durham and Barnard-
castle, and to the trades of various other towns; also
to the miners generally of the United Kingdom, for the
support they have rendered during our present struggle,
which we trust they will continue until our contest is
brought to a successful close, and we pledge ourselves to
assist them in return, should they ever be placed in the
like circumstances."
After the meeting had broke up Mr. W. P. Roberts, the
pitmen's attorney-general, arrived, he having been detained
at Bishop Auckland attending some trials, and a supple-
mentary meeting was therefore held which was only addressed
by Messrs. Roberts and Beesley.
The owners of the collieries at Derwent Iron Works
commenced to turn their workmen to the door in July
as early as eight o'clock in the morning. Mr, Richard-
son, who was an ao^ve intelligent man, and a member
of the executive, was the first turned out. As he
refused to walk, he was literally carried to the door,
and when he reached the outside, he immediately jumped
upon a form, and commenced addressing the assem-
bled people. He said it was the proud boast of Englishmen
that the working man's house was his castle, but the miners
of Northumberland and Durham gave the lie to that, for
thousands of families now were houseless.
Upwards of 700 persons sat down to a most excellent
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM. 79
and substantial dinner^ consisting of beef, mutton, ham, pies,
&c., -which was voluntarily provided by the inhabitants of
Black Hill and Shotley Bridge, in order to show their dis-
gust and disapproval of the harsh proceedings of the coal
owners. After dinner a public meeting was held, Mr. J.
Olley, nail manufacturer in the chaii> when the speakers
were Messrs. J. Coxon, engineer, James Emery, mason,
William Atkmson, mason, and E. Kichardson. The meeting
was conducted and separated in an orderly manner.
There were forty joiners, masons, and blacksmiths at
this Colliery, and as only two would consent to assist in
turning the men out of their dwellings, the others were
discharged for having refused.
Another meeting was held at Willington, Mr. Charles
Reveley in the chair. The speakers were William Bell,
Percy Main; Robert Henderson, and Joseph Fawcett,
West Moor; and Alexander Stoves, who had been one of
the deputation to London. The following resolution was
proposed by Mr Fawcett and seconded by the Rev. J.
Spoor: — "That after the statements of the several speakers,
this meeting is of opinion that the miners of the counties of
Northumberland and Durham are an ill-used body of men,
and therefore we consider them perfectly justifiable in their
present cessation from labour." On being put it was carried
in the midst of cheering.
The day following a district meeting was held at
Scaffold Hill. Mr. A. Stoves presided, and after stating the
object of the meeting, he introduced Mr. E. Hall, Walker
Colliery, to propose the first resolution, which was as
follows: — "That after viewing the mean artifice of the
masters in order to break up the union, we feel more deter-
mined than ever to stand by the terms offered by us to our
late employers." This was seconded -ily Mr. J. Spoors, of
Percy Main, who in an able manner, snowed the stratagems
of the masters. It was also supported by Mr. Charles
Reveley, of Wallsend, and carried unanimously.
Mr. C. Has well moved the second resolution: — "That
we feel grateful to the public in general, and to the shop-
keepers in particular, for the support we have received from
them, and we therefore pledge ourselves to give them our
favours when we resume our work," which being seconded
80 THE MINERS OF
by Mr. William Lumsdon, of Gosforth, was carried unani-
mously.
The third resolution, proposed by Mr. Robert Henderson,
of West Moor, seconded by Mr. R. TurnbuU, of Seghill, and
supported by Mr. William Jobling, of Walker, was to the
following effect, "fThat we view the conduct of the police,
special constables, blacklegs, &c., with abhorrence, in
having drawn their cutlasses and presented pistols to in-
offensive men, to cause a breach of the peace, we therefore
pledge ourselves to do no injury either to person or
property."
A vote of thanks was then proposed to T. Buncombe,
Esq., M. P., for his able advocacy of the miners in the
House of Commons.
CHAPTER XV.
•
THE INHUMANITY OF THE EJECTIONS. ATTEMPT BY THE
MEN TO SETTLE THE DISPUTE. CONDUCT OF THE COAL
0WNEB8 GENERALLY, AND OF THE MARQUIS OF LON-
DONDERRY IN PARTICULAR. THE WORKHOUSE CLOSED
AGAINST THE MEN.
The coal owners continued to introduce into the villages
a number of idle, lawless vagabonds who had been gathered
from the low neighbourhoods of large towns throughout the
country, and induced to hire themselves as pitmen by promises
of high bounties and princely wages. The work of eviction
went on with briskness throughout the whole of the two
counties; in niany places the men on strike being evicted
before the owners had any need for their houses for new
comers. It is true that the masters had a right to do what
they liked with their own, but on the score of humanity and
fellow-feeling they mj||ht have refrained from turning their
old servants to the doors till they had new ones ready to
occupy their places. Throughout the counties of Durham
and Northumberland there were thousands of cottages
tenantless, whilst their late inmates were camping in the
open air, exposed to the inclemency of the weather. The
owners seemed to have no chance to beat the men down
without resorting to this cruel and dastardly revenge, and the
great wonder was, how the men could keep the peace under
NOBTHUMBEBLAND AND DUBHAM. 81
sucli trying circumstances. At the meetings which were
held^ it was often said, — ''May Grod defend the poor op-
pressed against the rich oppressor," and truly there was
cause for this expression.
The following address by the Committee of the Miners'
Association was drawn up, and sent to the Coal Owners'
Conmiittee : —
'* Gentlbmbn, — ^The pitmen of Northum'berland and Durham have
been off work now three months, and to all appearance will hold out
for many weeks longer sooner than go to work on the terms offered
by your agents, the viewers ; and they are seemingly as deteimined
not to agree to the terms offered by the men. Hius uie parties are at
opposite extremes, and one or both parties must be considered not only
culpable, but also amenable for any amount of distress or privation to
which hundreds of other persons are subjected, through the protracted
nature of the strike, seeing they do not move from the position first
taken up, so as to meet and make some approximation to an amicable
adjustment of all differences. Gtotlemen, we must be convinced that
what has been repeatedly stated (we beg to refer you to our foziner
reports) is proof sufficient that all means resorted to on our part for
obtaining an interview in order to effect an amicable adjustment of all
points in dispute, have been treated with silent contempt, or what is
worse, we have been told that no concession would be made to our de-
mands. Seeing then that every other means had proved failures, we
in the end proposed— and again propose to submit all matters of dis-
pute to the arbitration of disinterested persons — ^to be chosen by the
masters on one part, and by the men on the other.
** Beference has been' made to a vexatious line of proceedings to
which the masters have been subjected, which for the future they are
determined not to tolerate, without once specifying what the proceed-
ings are. Here it may be stated that the workmen have been consider-
ably annoyed by the attempts of the (so-called) masters to withhold
their earnings, and when those earnings were requested to be paid,
though :the application was ever so humble, it was generally treated
with contempt and insult; and such treatment frequently led the
workmen to adopt other proceedings, which might be considered by
the owners vexatious, and however determined they, the masters, may
be to put an end to such, the only effectual method would be to give a
fair remuneration to their workmen, and treat them with kindnesH and
consideration.
" Once more we appeal to you ; can we obtain an interview P Tell
us how, and bv what means ? From a consciousness that such an
interview would be highly desirable, we entreat you to bestow on this
our address your speedy and serious attention.
'* We are, gentiemen, on behalf of the miners of Northumberland
and Durham,
WILLIAM RICHARDSON.
EDWARD RICHARDSON.
JOHN CLARE, Distbict Sbcbxtaby.
MiNBBS* AfiSOCUTION, CoiOflTTSB RoOM, NbWCASTLB.''
82 THE MINEBS OF
The coal owners took no notice of the miners' proposi-
tion^ bnt treated them with the same contempt they had
shown towards them throughout, and every means was re-
sorted to to get men from other parts, and to induce the off-
handed men and mechanics of the collieries to go down the pits
to work. They also endeavoured to induce the weaker
members of the union to break away from its ranks ; and,
not content with using efforts which must in such a struggle
be regarded as legitimate by the belligerents, several colliery
owners gave notice to parties who had shops on their estates,
that if they supplied the miners with any provisions out of
their shops, they might look for a notice to quit their places
of business, and to have all their custom taken from. them.
Whffli the miners failed with their address to the coal
owners' committee, they addressed a letter to Lord London-
derry, requesting him to exert his influence to bring about
a meeting between the coal owners and their late workmen,
with a view to a settlement of the points at issue between
them. Nothing could be more fair and upright, more
correct or straightforward, than this mode of proce^eding on
the part of the men. It seemed to acknowledge a readiness
to yield to argument, when such argument should be sound,
as well as a resolution to maintain a cause so long as that
cause should be considered just. Though the men had by
making that offer done Lord Londonderry a very great
honour, by givmg him an opportunity of acting as medi-
ator in so important a matter, and though they had relied
upon his generosity and had appealed to his feeling as a
man, that nobleman was too obtuse to appreciate the very
great compliment paid him, and too devoid of the ordinary
feelings of a real nobleman to permit him to forget for a
brief moment his own paltry insignificant self, and to do,
for once in the course of his miserable life, a gracious and
generous act. Instead of responding with alacrity — ^as any
man with half a heart in his breast, or with any desire for
the good opinion of his fellow men, would have done — this
insolent purse-proud nobleman returned a saucy, impertinent,
and overbearing reply to the effect " that he had nothing
whatever to say to such committee." He then proceeded
in a self-sufficient and ostentatious manner to eulogise
himself and cry up his own charity, philanthropy, and
NOBTHUMBEBLAND AND DUBHAM. 83
forbearance. His lordship was compelled to act the part
of a trumpeter to himself, and although he had had a con-
siderable deal of practice, he acquitted himself indifferently
after all. There is no hypocrisy more abominable than this
conduct on the part of one of the richest hereditary senators
of England. But his tyranny did not stop here; it went to
more appaling lengths still. On the 20th July he issuetl
a notice to the effect that the tradesmen of Seaham Harbour,
a town upon this noble marquis's estate, should refrain from
giving any credit, or affording any supplies to the miners
not at work, nor even to their families. This was visiting
the sins of the fathers, if any sins there were, upon the
heads of the innocent little children with a vengeance.
What cold blooded cruelty was this ! The notice proceeded
to state that all tradesmen infringing this command should be
" marked men," and that all custom on the part of the
marquis should thereafter be withdrawn from them. Here was
awful tyranny — worthy only of those dark ages when feudal
barons ruled the land. Was it really a deed of modern date,
occurring in the middle of the nineteenth century, or a dream,
a figment of the brain, a romance, a fiction ? A real live
marquis, with wealth and all around calculated to give
comfort and happiness, condescending to behave himself in
this blackguard fashion ? A man who could rise in the
morning, and from the window of his dressing room survey
his ample estates, and say proudly to himself, "I am
monarch of all I survey," bemoaning himself to do so paltry
and contemptible an act ! A man, who enjoyed his princely
fortune without having to toil, denying to his poor neigh-
bours the possibility of a bare existence ! Impossible !
Unfortunately it was only too real, too true, too possible.
But there was another clause in this ordinance. Should the
tradesmen of Seaham Harbour persist in selling their goods
to the miners the marquis threatened to remove all his own
custom to Newcastle ! Thus a battle of Right or Wrong
was to be settled by starving out, and Right was to be
stifled, as it often had been, by Wrong. It was useless to
resist when one man had such engines as these in his power.
In his speech before the House of Lords in favour of Mr.
O'Connell, Serjeant Sir Thomas Wild stated that if half-a-dozen
people combined together to take away the custom from a par-
84 THE MINERS OF
ticolar tradesman that was actionable at law. Surely the Mar-
quis ofLondonderryhadcommitted a grievous offence in en-
deavouring to intimidate tradesmen against serving the pitmen
who had struck; for if it was a crime for customers to com-
bine against tradesmen it must be equally a crime for
tradesmen to combine against customers. Lord London-
derry acted upon the pretence or conviction that he was
in the right; but the pitmen also contended that they were
in the right. It was not because the marquis was a lord
that he was to be in the right. From amongst the pitmen
there were persons^ who, if they had not learned Latin and
Greek in the University, had learnt common sense, the best
of all knowledge, during the experience of a laborious and
not over prosperous life. They presented the assemblage of
many intellects opposed to one, collective against solitary
wisdom. It might be argued that the pitmen were self-
interested in their opinions. But was not the marquis self-
interested in his opinion? The lords who possessed gigantic
fortunes were often as mean iand pitiful in their financial
arrangements with their workmen as those workmen were
cautious and prudent in their own pecuniary bargains.
Altogether the conduct of the Marquis of Londonderry and
that of the other coal owners was disgraceful in the extreme.
The pitmen requested a meeting to discuss their grievances
with a view to the settlement of them, and this act of justice
was obstinately denied. The inference was that " Might"
alone was considered to constitute ^^ Right ** in this aSair.
The coal owners denied an opportunity of mutual explanation,
and thereby encouraged the belief that they were conscious of
being in the wrong; but still persisted through motives of
self-interest in their arbitrary and inhuman measures. If
each side was convinced of the justness of its proceedings
why not settle the points of dispute by arbitration? The
party which refused to accede to this proposal tacitly, but
emphatically admitted it was in the wrong. The coal
owners were not only punishing thousands of men, by expell-
ing them from their houses and compelling them to encamp
in the open air, but were also plunging multitudes of
unhappy women and innocent children into the depths of
dire, protracted and inefiable misery.
The pitmen had all along been subjected to a severe test,
,t..
NOBTHUMBEBLAND AND BUBHAH. 85
but now a new act of cruelty, unexampled in the annals of
English history, was perpetrated upon them. Even the
workhouses were closed against them, their hungry wives,
and starving children. Magistrates and clergymen alike
gave their sanction and protection to this holy work ; and
some of them even gave their presence and superintendence
to see that there was no breach of the peace in their illegal
and unjust orders being executed. Shopkeepers were threat-
ened with ruin who offered bread or shelter. The poor
creatures were turned from their hovels, they were menaced
with the appearance of the military located at every colliery
village; but they bor« every outrage and indignity without
physical remonstwce. They stood with tears in their eyes
and saw villanouB wretches throwing to the door articles to
which the memory of past years had given sanctity; but they
had been taught by their leaders that if the peace was
broken, they might bid farewell to their cherished union ;
and such was the power, eloquence, and advocacy of their
leaders, that the peace was not broken, even under such
trying circumstances. Not even the sight of their furniture
and relics of their childhood being dashed to pieces on the
stones ; of innocent babes carried out in their cradles to be
nipped by the chilly airs of heaven; of the inhuman expul-
sion of grandmothers who had been living with them, some
eighty years of age; of the cruel eviction of those who had
met with accidents in the pits before the strike commenced;
of barbarous turning to the door of poor women dreading to
become mothers every moment ; nay, not even the dragging
of a poor woman along the waggon- way at the West Moor,
for 80 yards, till she fainted, could make these men break
the law. It was not because they were cowards and dare
not do it; but they were taught it was the object of the coal
owners to make them break the peace, so that they could
fill the prisons, transport and hang them as they had done in
1832, and thus break up their union, and enslave the genera-
tions to follow after, and they nobly determined to set
** their superiors '' an example in the courageous forbear-
ance of their passions.
86 THE MINERS OP
CHAPTER XVI.
THE OPINION OF THE IRISH AND ENGLISH PRESS ON THE
CONDUCT OP THE MARQUIS OP LONDONDERRY.
Great excitement prevailed throughout the United King-
dom in consequence of the strike, and the miners of North-
umberland and Durham were the subject of conversation
in almost every circle. The press also grew very eloquent,
though, for the most part, in opposition to the men. The
following is an article which appeared in the Dublin
Monitor : —
" This most noble speciinen of humanity, who styles himself *Yane
Londonderry,* has been asserting the * Rights of property' upon his
wife's estates in Durham after a nght regal fashion. He is, as most of
our readers know, a coal owner, and derives not only his great wealth,
but the splendour with which he shines in the eye of the court and of
the public, from the labour of men and boys who seldom sec the light
of the sun. He is, in short, the premier marquis of carbonic nobility.
His eoat of arms is studded with black diamonds, and its supporters are
pitmen. Without the shafts, from which issue continual chaldrons of
round coals and slack, the * Yane Londonderry * would be a very su-
perficial person indeed, and therefore it seems no more then reasonable
that he should rest the pillars of the constitution itself upon those
dark foundations, and imajgine that the order of the creation depends
upon their being kept in proper trim and tackle. A rebellion in the
mines is as a grumbling and griping in the bowels of peace, law, and
order. It must be repressed by every means that fate and physical
aid have placed at the disposal of the lords of this upper earth. It
appears that the imderground villains of the Durham Collieries have
turned out lately for a larger share of the profits than their sublunary
masters are willing to allow them, and what is termed * a strike ' has
been the result. They will raise no more coal until the masters raise
their wages. What the merits of this claim may be we know not.
It may be a just one, although the owners are very indignant at it,
and have entered into a combination to banish from their native dens
and caverns all who shall contumaciously refuse to return to their
work on the old terms. This is so harsh a proceeding that the fair
presimiption is that it proceeds from the party habitually tyrannical
and oppressive, and therefore we feel almost justified in believing that
the c^ on the part of the miners for an advance of wages is fair and
reasonable. Lord Londonderry has taken just such a part in the
affair as any one might expect he would. He has issued a proclama-
tion, wherein he is amazed that any * well-thinking colliers * should
think of 'standing out in rebellion* — rebellion against the owners of
the whip at the mouth of the pit — and his amazement swells into
stupefaction when he contemplates * the Yane and Tempest pitiiien,
whose families had worked for successive ages in the mines.' Happ^
pitmen, stut si bona morint. The most noble 'Yane Londonderry ' is
amazed beyond expression (as well he may be) that they should be
NOBTHUMBEBLAND AND DURHAM. 87
indifferent to his 'really paternal advice and kind feelings.' Ah ! the
thick-skulled, black-skizmed rascals, they cannot comprehend the advan-
tages they 1^*6 perilling, not for themselves alone but for generations
of their descendants yet unborn, in turning the heart of such a tender
and feeling proprietor against tbem. It is most true, indeed. Lord
Londonderry stands towards those pitmen in loco parentis. He is their
natural protector — ^much disposed (as it appears) by sentiment and
affection, to consult their wdfare ; yes, and if he might say it with-
out offence, bound in a certain degree by a consideration of all the tens
and hundreds of thousands which the Vane and Tempest pitmen
drag out of the earth for the use of those illustrious houses, not
to ' exact their sweat ' too vigorously. But then what can he do
when a rebellion worse than fire-damp is ready to explode in the pits P
His * word ' is pledged, and in such cases the word of a noble lord is
often to be relied on. * Duty, too' — Oh, sacred duty ! — *to his property,
his family, and station,' would make lenity criminal. * I superin-
tended,'[8ays his lordship — and we can readily fancy the tears that stood
in his eyes when he wrote — * I superintended many ejectments; it had
no avail. I warned you next I would bring over workmen from my
Irish estate, and turn more men out ; you heeded me not. I have now
brought forty Irishmen to the pits, and I will give you all one moro
week's notice ; and if by the 13th of this month a large body of my
pitmen do not return to their labours, I will obtain one hundred more
men, and proceed to eject that number, who are now illegally and
unjustly in possession of my houses, and in the following week another
hundred sluul follow.' Bravo ! thou most potent, brave, and conscien-
tious Lord Londonderry ; never forget the duty you owe to your station,
to your family, and to year property. No Christian can neglect such
things. This is pure and undefiled religion in the eyes of this honest
world of ours. Turn all the varlets out, hundreds at a time, with their
wives and little children. To those families you owe no duty. They
have been long enough grubbing under the ground for you and yours.
It is time they should go forth and see the Hght of heaven. There is
a wisdom too (if you could understand it) in replacing them with
your Irish serfs. It will hide the working of the property system in
this country. An excellent mode it is of draining the overcharged
surface of Downshire, to carry off the superfluities a hundred fathom
or so beneath the spires of Durham Cathedral. Nevertheless, it seem-
eth unkind toward these convenient, easy tools of your marquisate's
high displeasure, at the very moment when you are using them for so
agreeable a purpose, that you should brand them as foreigners. * In
twelve weeks more,' you say, *the collieries will be peopled by
foreigners.* That is an ugly word, my lord ; Irishmen do not like it ;
nor is it just or prudent to employ it, when all but repealers wish to
strangle the beHef that the inhabitants of the severtd parts of the
United Kingdom are all of one name and kin. Some writers have
condemned Homer for representing Polyphemus during his horrid
feast in the cave (which by the bye may have been a coal pit) in such
hideous colours that the reader feels more inclined to laugh than to
shudder at those cannibal exploits. But Homer knew human nature
well. He was aware that the most absurd portion of mankind are
88 THE MINERS OF
irequenily the most miBchievous likewise. There is muich of farce in
the words and letters of this Marquis of Londonderry, but his actions
are terribly serious. He mouths it like ' Bombastes Furioso/ at the
same time that whole villages feel the real tragedy that is wrapped up
in his fustian. Is it not sad to think that such a man can threaten to
enforce tiie * rights of property ' in language like this, and sadder
still that the Groyemment of the country will place at his disposal the
means, both civil and military, of carrying those threats into effect
with his own hands. Thus he concludes his manifesto: — 'I will be
on the spot myself. The civil and military power will be at hand,
to protect the good men and the strangers, and you may rely upon
it the majesty of the law and the rights of property will be protected
and prevail.' Such was the declaration of Yane Londonderry; God
knows, vtiin enough."
EXTRACTS FROM "PUNCH," JULY, 1844.
"Thb Marquis of Londonderry's Pitmen. — ^There has been a
great turn out of the Marquis of Londonderry's pitmen, for which
incident, deny it as he may, we have litUe doubt that the marquis is
uncommonly grateful, and for this reason ; it affords him an oppor-
tunity for the exercise of his literary powers ; and that the marquis is
smitten with the fatal charms of pen, mk, and foolscap, who that has
read the noble writer's histories and travels can deny ; hence the
marquis has, from Holdemess House, sent to his pitmen several
epistles full of " paternal advice," the result of this is, the following
answer of the pitmen to their anxious father, Londonderr}"^.
Durham, July 22nd.
" Marquis , — ^We have received your letter that calls ujpon us to
leave the union and return to our work. In answer to this we say,
Oh marquis ! leave you your union, that coals may be cheaper, and
the pitmen's labour more abundant. You charge us with combining ;
we, marquis, charge you with the like act ; we combine with one
another that we may have the value of the sweat of our brows ; you
belong to the coal toide union, to the union of masters, banded
together to keep up the price of coals, to stint the supply of the
market, that it may always bring a certsiin price.. What, then, wealth
may combine, but labour not P You conjure iis to look upon the ruin
we are bringing on our wives, our children, our county, and the
country ; we in reply, conjure you to consider the misery, the wretch-
edness, the suffering, that every winter is brought upon the London
poor by the coal owners' union, that, obstinate for high prices, makes
firing an unattainable luxury. You say that you will come among
us, and proceed to eject us, taking especial care that the civil and
niilitary power shall be at hand, to support you. Oh father! is
it thus you will show your paternal love to your pitmen's little ones ?
Come amon^ us, marquis, pray come, and never cuream that we shall
want the civil and military power to settle the differences between us.
Ko, fear not, after a little talk, we shall agree in amity and love ;
and in the hope of this dear fatiier, we remain youf affectionate
children of the pit."
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM. 89
Lord Londonderry's second "ukase" warned all the
shopkeepers of Seaham Harbour against giving credit to
his rebellious pitmen. The egg declares the bird. If the
inhabitants of Seaham continued to trust the pitmen, Lord
Londonderry threatened that he would immediately go down,
and carrying the ocean from its place, in some bucket made
for the occasion, ruin the town for ever.
The Northern Star, in commenting upon the above
spicy article, wrote as follows : —
" After Yane Londonderry's audacious threat to " his ^opkeepers "
of "his town of Seaham" had appeared in the newspapers, Mr.
O'Connor met Mr. Alsop, an extensive and highly respectable, and as
highly cultivated city broker ; one of whose judgment Mr. O'Connor
had a very high opinion. Mr. 0' Conner said, 'Alsop, I wish you would
answer Londonderry's insolent decree;' to which Mr. Alsop replied,
* I have my answer ready written in my pocket ; and perhaps you will
take the^trouble of transmitting it to the miners ;' whereupon he took
a five-pound note from his purse, and handed it to Mr. O'Connor,
saying; — *If all feel as I do on this subject, all will answer it as I do,
according to their means ; and if I was a shopkeeper of Seaham, the
autocrat should find that I had some English blood in me notwith-
standing his vulgar Lish threat.' If all had acted with the same
spirit as Mr. Alsop, the Irish Nicholas would have had to take his
slaves to some other market."
EXTRACT FEOM " THE LONDON MERCANTILE JOURNAL."
" Coal Monopoly of the Tyne, the Weab, and the Tees. — The
dispute between the leviathan owners of coal mines in the North of
England and their workmen still continues unsettled, and I fear, is
likely to remain so for some time to come, as the former are realizing
immense fortunes at the expense of the pubHc, but of the Londoners in
particular, as the extra price now paid for this necessary article is an
extra tax on London alone of £700,000 per annum. But this is not all,
for the total quantity upon which this extra charge is paid exceeds
6,800,000 tons, reaUzii^ a total extra profit of £1,700,000 to this
over-grown monopoly, ^e-workmen turned out for an advance of wages
of twopence per ton, and yet the newspapers of the North continue
weekly to heap obloquy on the poor fellows, calling them * misguided
men,' 'duped men,' &c., and blaming their paid agents (as though they
had no paid agents) for duping them, but saying nothing against those
who have made princely fortunes out of their labour."
How did our immaculate local press of that period, and
their masters, the coal owners, relish this? Instead of
taking advantage of the opportunity which was thus afforded
them of making themselves a power with the miners of the
North, our local journals of that period, as they have often
90 THE lipKEBS OF
on other occasions done since, took the side of the masters
against the men. Some of them were subsidized by the
employers, it is true, but it was a melancholy sight to see a
" free press " pandering to the oppressive and tyrannical
passions of the wealthy and insolent minority, when their
proper mission was to advocate with force the rights and
interests of the oppressed majority. They looked no farther
than their own brief day, they pocketed the guineas of the
masters, and scornfully rejected the pence of the pitmen,
which would have developed theii journals into organs of power
instead of the drivelling puerile things which they afterwards
became when the temporary sustenance of the masters was
withdrawn.
CHAPTER XVII.
TACTICS OP THE COAL OWNERS TO GET FRESH MEN. IMr
PORTATION OP STRANGERS. RETURN OP MEN TO STAF-
PORDSHIRE. STRIKE AMONGST THE CORNISH MINERS AT
RADCLIFPE. THE REDUCED STATE OP THE MEN AND
. THEIR FAMILIES.
Having, by the foregoing extracts, given an idea as to
what some of the Irish and English journalists thought of
the strike, and of some of the leading coal owners connected
with it, we will return to the villages and the camps in
which the pitmen and their families had been living for
weeks. Happily the weather was fine, it being in the
height of a beautiful summer season, and the out-door life
was therefore less severe than it would have been had they
been turned out in winter time. Still it was hard enough
in all conscience, and the uncouth and savage nature of their
dwellings was rendered the more unpleasant by the almost
entire absence of food ; for though many shopkeepers behaved
very nobly to the men, and though the leaders by their
industry gathered large sums of money together, still the
shopkeepers had to live themselves, and all the subscriptions,
large as they were, were found miserably deficient for the
purpose of feeding thousands of healthy hungry persons.
In spite of being houseless and hungry, in spite of seeing
their places occupied by men with whom they could have no
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM. 91
sympathy or feeling in common, in spite of many insidts
which were daily heaped upon them, the men bore up with a
wonderful courage, which only a consciousness of right could
induce.
John Greenhorn, an overman, at Mar ley Hill Colliery,
who went to Staffordshire to endeavour to obtain men, told
the men there that the miners of Northumberland and Dur-
ham had got their strike settled, but that Marley Hill being
a new coUieryjust commencing, and having got twenty-four
men, they wanted ten more to stock the colliery. He also
told them the men were earning from 50s. to £3 10s. per
fortnight; whilst, at the same time, he knew they were pay-
ing the few " blacklegs " they had working at the colliery
3s. 6d. per day. Had they been working at the old rates,
and paid by score price, they could not have earned more
than 10s. per fortnight. In spite of the brilliant prospects
and fine promises, he could only succeed in inducing four
men instead of ten to accompany him. He brought them
to Marley Hill, and left them at a farmhouse, though he had
previously promised them he would take them to his own
house. As soon as the union men hoard of their arrival they
managed to obtain an interview with them, when they told
them they had been deceived, and that they were still on
strike. The Staffordshire men were much astonished, and
declared they would not start work. They were taken to
the union house. Greenhorn followed them, and there they
accused him with the lies he had told them. The men went
back to Staffordshire, and vowed that if ever Greenhorn .
came there again they would " mark " him. This Green-
horn was a professing Christian, but as the play goes ^^ like
master like mian."
The agents of Radcliffe Colliery, in the North, by
false pretences brought thirty-two Cornish miners to
supplant their old pitmen, and engaged them for twelve
months at 4s. per day. On the first pay they received but
3s., 2s. 4d., or 2s. 6d., according to their respective merits ;
the consequence of this was a strike for two days, during
which time a great deal of abusive language, in broad Cor-
nish, was used; one tithe of which conduct would have sub-
jected any of the native miners to the dungeon cell. At last
another agreement was entered into for a fortnight at the 4s.
92 THE MINERS OP
per day ; and this was fiiMlled at an immense sacrifice to the
owners, for these men could not hew above four tubs per day
on an average. It was reported that this insane system cost
the owners of Radcliffe Colliery £90 per fortnight, and yet
they said the demands of their own miners were unrea-
sonable, and to comply with them would be tantamount to
delivering up to them the property they were possessed of;
though their just demands were not, by one half, as much as
the wages guaranteed to the strangers, all of whom were
totally unacquainted with hewing and pit work in general.
After the second fortnight the viewer offered these men 4d.
per tub, and they all, with the exception of four, absconded.
But even this price was more than the native miners were
asking. A reward of £50 was offered for the apprehension
of the runaway Cornish men. The Newcastle police cap-
tured four of them, brought them to Amble in gigs, together
with a posse of police. The poor fellows were kept from
the Monday night till the Wednesday morning under strict
surveillance, and on the Tuesday night they attempted to
make their escape. What a beautiful row was then kicked
up ! Such a running of police and special constables hither
and thither, that the otherwise quiet town of Amble was
thrown into a state of alarm. These worthy conservators of
the public peace made far more riot in chasing and hunting
these four poor fellows than would have transported 14 or 15
pitmen. One energetic and intelligent officer got " hoisted on
his own petard" with a vengeance, for, in a general melee
which took place, he got pummelled with his own staff to
his heart's content. Next morning great excitement pre-
vailed on seeing the overman, banksmen, understrappers,
and police, riding and running over hedge and ditch, through
standing com, and overhauling the poor " campers," with
whom, it was asserted, the strangers had taken refuge. One
of the very clever officials maintained he saw a Cornish foot-
mark near the camp, but, in spite of his keen observation,
they escaped. The others who had absconded were arrested
by the North Shields police force, and a steam-boat, carrying
the police force and the special constables, was sent to bring
them to Alnmouth, and thence to Alnwick, to answer for
their conduct before the magistrates. At the Special Just-
ices' Meeting, held at Alnwick, on July 25th, Mr. Bushby,
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM. 93
solicitor for the Cornish men ; and Mr. Thomas Brown, for
himself and partners ; a decision was given in favour of the
strangers, to the great delight of the pitmen on strike. So,
after all the braggadocio, the company had to pay the piper.
Mr. Bushby, with a blue and white sash, and his clients with
cockades of the same colour, paraded through the streets of
Alnwick, and then returned to Amble in the evening amidst
the cheers of the populace.
At this period almost every colliery in the two counties
had commenced work with officials about the collieries, and
strangers who had been imported into the two counties by
their agents. The strike had now continued fifteen weeks,
and reports began to be industriously circulated, that men
were breaking away from the ranks. The unionists became
alarmed at such reports, and district meetings were held
almost every day in some part of the two counties. The
misery and destitution of families who were encamped in the
lanes, exposed to all kinds of weather, in many cases with
sickness amongst them, now beggared all description. The
support the miners got from the general public was not
sufficient to meet the crying wants of their little ones;
and resolutions were passed at the meetings held by the men
at the various collieries, that before they would submit to
go to work on the old terms they would pawn or sell every-
thing that belonged to them. They did not only formally
resolve to do this, but arrangements were made, and com-
mittees formed to take goods away to pledge, and in hun-
dreds of cases eight-day clocks, watches, and other valuables,
even to the wedding rings from the poor women's fingers,
were yielded up in order that food might be bought for the
starving creatures. . In this strike there was a very remark-
able communal feeling exhibited, for the pitmen and their wives
did not demand to have returned to them the whole of the
value which the articles they had given up had produced,
but willingly allowed the food bought with the money to be
meted out fairly and impartially, as well to those who had
not contributed towards its purchase as to those who had.
Starving, as they were, these poor, ignorant, and uneducated
creatures were yet capable of teaching by example a fine
moral lesson in humanity to those self-styled " superiors,"
their recent employers.
94 THE IVaNEBS OB"
CHAPTER XVm.
ANOTHER LARGE MEETING ON NEWCASTLE TOWN MOOR.
GREAT PROCESSION AND DEMONSTRATION. ATTEMPT TO
STOP THE PUBLICATION OF THE "MINERS* ADVOCATE."
LARGE MEETING AT BISHOP AUCKLAND.
The local press now began to teem with reports very
damaging to the union, asserting and reiterating that the
strike was only kept going by a few of the leading agitat-
ing agents of the defunct union, for motives of self-interest,
and that the great majority of the men had returned to their
work. The miners therefore determined to hold another
general meeting on the 30th July, in order to show the public
that they had . not yet given up the contest, ^^to conquer or
die" having been their motto from the beginning; and con-
sequently a general meeting was called to take place on the
Newcastle Town Moor, by the consent of Sir John Fife, the
Mayor. The meeting was announced by large placards,
which stated it was called " for the purpose of taking into
consideration the present position and future prospects of
the pitmen of Northumberland and Durham." It also stated
" that in order to convince the inhabitants that there had
not such a great number left the union, a procession would
take place. The Tyne Collieries will meet at Sunderland
^Road End, Grateshead, at eleven o'clock, and will there be
joined by the brethren of the Wear and Tees, and walk in
procession through Gateshead and Newcastle to the place
of meeting, chair to be taken at one o'clock." This placard
was headed, " Peace, Law, and Order." To prevent con«
fiision in such a large body of men forming and walking in
procession, the following order of procession was published.
*^ All the collieries coming in by the Wreckington Road to
halt before coming to Sunderland Road End, on the right-
hand side of the said Wreckington Road. All the. collieries
coming by the Low Fell or Durham New Road, to halt
within the said Road End on the right-hand side. All
collieries coming by the Sunderland Road to halt within
the said Road End, on the left-hand side. The collieries,
from the North to pass on and to form a line on the left-hand of
the Wreckington Road. On the signal being given by Mr,
Daniels to move forward, the men on the right-hand of the
KOBTHUMBEBLAND AND DUBHAM. 95
Wreckington Road (No. 1) to take the lead, to be followed by
the men on the left-hand of the said Road (No. 2), then the
men on the Durham New Road (No. 3) to fall in behind
the above, and the men on the Sunderland Road (No. 4)
to fall in last. The order of the procession to be as follows;
passing along High Street, Church Street, Newcastle
Bridge, Sandhill, Side, Dean Street, Grey Street, Blackett
Street, Northumberland Street, Barras Bridge, and keep-
ing the turnpike road to the Moor. Conductors of the
procession, Messrs. Dodds, Daniels and Jobling. At the
time appointed the men assembled in thousands, with their
flags, headed by their bands of music; and by the judicious
arrangements of the conductors were soon marshalled into
procession in perfect order, and on the concerted signal
being given, the immense body began to move towards the
place of meeting. Some conception may be formed of the
numbers from the fact that the procession was upwards of
one hour and a half in passing the Theatre Royal, Grey
Street. There were seventy-two flags belonging to the
diff*Qrent collieries, most of them formed of silk, and beauti-
fully painted, bearing appropriate mottoes. Nothing could
be more imposing than the sight of the men marching in
procession as they came on to the Town Moor. As far as
the eye could reach for near a mile, were seen flags flying
in the breeze, men walking in perfect order, while " ever and
anon " were heard the dulcet sounds of the different bands.
Mr. Mark Dent, having been called to the chair, made
a few preliminary remarks, and introduced to the meeting,
Mr. James Hardy, who said that he really thought that
the procession which he had that day witnessed passing
through Newcastle to the Moor, would give a " broadsider"
to those who had been at such pains to misrepresent them.
He was really at a loss to know where all these men came
from, they were indeed the hard-working sons of toil, and
glad was he to witness the same determination that existed
sixteen weeks ago to stand out until their full demands
were acceded to. They had truth on their side, they spoke
the truth, and their statements were never contradicted.
They told the people of Sunderland what was the effect of
their grievances, and they all agreed that they had been
ignorant of them. He never was so confldent of success as
96 THE MINBKS OF
he was in the week gone by. They all knew that the last
kick was the greatest kick of all, and this the masters were
beginning to exhibit. They must wait patiently, and they
must be content to suffer a little more. If they could get
to their real employers he believed they might then be at
work. Let their motto be, "to conquer or die." They talked
of starving them into compliance, but it could not be done. .
Whatever they did, let them stand firm ; never mind those
few that had left them, and they might rest assured that
they would triumph. He concluded by moving the follow-
ing resolution: — "That, as the miners of these two counties
have now struck work upwards of sixteen weeks, and having
at various intervals offered to meet the owners, in order to
come to some amicable arrangement, rather than risk the
ruin of the trade, and though those overtures on our part
have been met with insult and contempt, yet this meeting is
of opinion that all unpleasantness of this kind should be
forgotten, if they, the owners, would at the present time come
forward and endeavour to adjust all differences."
Mr. Thomas Pratt, of Castle Eden, seconded the resolu-
tion. He said the weather was so very unfavourable that he
would not detain them. — (Cries of ^' cheer up, and go on lad,
nevermind the rain.") — The first effort of the masters, he
went on to say, was to stop the supplies by using their influ-
ence with the shopkeepers. They told them if they would
only withdraw their support from the pitmen, they would
be starved into compliance. They had had to concoct plans
to support some of their more indignent brethren ;'they had
some funds in their Association at the commencement of
the strike, but these were soon distributed to those who had
not been prepared for the struggle. Many of them had been
turned out of their houses and homes, and they were now
living on their pledged goods, and he thought that it was
the determination of every man present to pledge everything
he had rather than give up this cause. He had known the
aged and infirm to have been ejected from their houses ; and
he knew one man, Henry Barrass, in his 80th year, with his
wife in her 75th, turned out. The old man had worked on
the collieries belonging to the Marquis of Londonderry, for
30 years. He thought he might say to the world — " hear
this, you feeling part of mankind, and be astonished." Ought
NOBTHUMBERLAKB ANB DURHAM. 97'
not this old man to have had his house and fire free, with a
reasonable pension to live on ? Two days ago the foundation,
stone of a monument was laid on Pensher Hill to the late
Earl of Durham, in the presence of thirty thousand persons,
the cost, exclusive of the stone which was given by the*
Marquis of Londonderry, being £3,000. If the marquis
thought this noble deed should be recorded in history, let it
also be recorded that Barrass was a working man, and had
worked in his pits for thirty years, and that he was then, in*
his 80th year, houseless. (He, the speaker, then raised
himself up and shouted at the highest pitch of his voice —
" The day of retribution will come.") He urged every man
to stand to his colours. The last week had not yet come,
and should they lose their point, they would give them
another rally after. The union should never die. The
speaker resumed his seat amidst tremendous cheering, and
the resolution was carried.
Mr. R. Archer, of South Hetton, proposed the next
resolution. He said that he felt very unwell, and would not
therefoiie detain them; still he felt a pleasure in coming
amongst them to lead them to the accomplishment of their
object. It was a fact that th? strike had now lasted for six-
teen weeks, but they had not been without friends, and he
hoped they were all prepared to keep the promise which
this resolution pledged them to. They had received supplies
from many quarters, and they ought to be grateful, and re-
member that "a friend in need is a friend indeed." He
trusted that they would show that they had a disposition
and a determination to keep to this promise. — (Cries of " we
will ! ") If they had come into the field single-handed, let
them bear in mind the truths they were endeavouring to
advance. The public were watching their movements, and
let them remember the precept inculcated by Scripture,
— ^^*Not the sayer of the law, but the doer of it shall be re-
warded." If they said there that day what they would do,
they should do it. He concluded by reading the resolution,
as follows: — "That in the opinion of this meeting, our gra-
titude is due to those shopkeepers, and other friends, who
have so kindly supported us in our present struggle, and
we fully expect they will continue to do so, m order to
enable us to discharge, in an honourable madiier, all pur
98 THB XIKXB8 OF
obligations^ and at the same time to assist us in bringing the
present struggle to a successful termination."
The chairman here announced that he had received a
communication^ informing him that two &rmers in Bishop
Middleham had contributed for the men employed in that
colliery four rows of potatoes^ which announcement was
received with loud cheers.
Mr. T. Wakenshaw seconded, and Mr. T. Hay supported
the resolution, which was ultimately carried unanimously.
Mr. Charles Reveley proposed the next resolution amid
a shower of rain. He jokingly remarked that it was a very
fine day and would make the potatoes grow. He was sorry
to be under the necessity of proposing the resolution, still
he considered it his duty to do so. He did not like to be the
bearer of bad news, yet he thought the men ought to know
the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
Some miscreant had laid an information against the organ of
their association, the Miners^ Advocate. This was another
blow of the enemy at their association, but would they suffer
their paper to be thus put down ? — (Cries of **No, never.")
No, he thought not, it would only make them support it the
more, and exert themselves to make it a stamped paper.
Would they do that? — (Loud cries of "we will.") He
hoped they would stand between the publisher and all danger;
in &ct, he knew the association would do so. It was a
working man's paper, therefore it was to be put down ; but
the base informer would find it was not so easily put down
as he imagined. He might say with the dramatist that—
" Tis a veryg«x>d world to live in,
To lencL or to spend, or to give in ;
But to beg or to borrow, or to get a man's own,
1% the very worst world that ever was known.**
They should look to themselves, support their paper,
have no flinching, and they might depend the battle would
ultimately be their's. He concluded by proposing the
following resolution : — " That, in the opinion of this
meeting, the prosecution commenced against the organ
of this association, viz., the Miners^ Advocate^ is unjust,
oppressive, and totally uncalled for; inasmuch as the paper
has reached its eighteenth number without being disturbed;
it therefore shows a spirit of malice and vindictiveness un*
KOBTHUMBSBLAKD AKD DURHAM. 99
worthy of the age we live in. We, therefore, pledge our*
selves to staad bj and support that paper more firmly and
energetically than hitherto, and to exert ourselves in making
it a stamped paper as soon as possible :-~
''For the more oppressors bind vta,
The more united they shall find ns."
Mr. WiUiam Bird, of East Cramlington, seconded the
resolution. He said a writ had been issued, headed— '' The
Attorney Greneral versus Dodds," against the printer of the
Miners* Advocate, because it was not stamped. It was only
a trades' paper, and did not contain general news, or meddle
with politics or religion ; it had been established near a year,
and they had just found out that it was not stamped. Per-
secution generally defeated itself, and, instead of destroying
the paper, it would do it good. He entreated them to stand
by those who defended them, at all risks; to give the
paper their determined support, and recommend that it
should be stamped immediately.
Mr. Joseph Fawcett, of West Moor, proposed the next
resolution, and strongly urged them not to surrender their
principles. Let them continue friendly and united, and they
woiild become in the end triumphant. Let nothing induce
them to leave their association.— {Cries of ^^neverl")*-
He hoped not, it was their only shield of defence, their only
hope. The resolution he proposed 's^ :— '^ That, in the
opinion of this meeting, the state of the markets (as the
winter stock must of necessity be immediately got in), and
the conduct of the masters in using so many schemes and
plots to get them to work, warrants us in believing that
fresh conditions will soon be ofiered ; and this meeting re-
commends every man to stand out, and no surrender."
Mr. Edward Smith, of South Hetton, seconded the reso-
lution, which, like all the rest, was unanimously carried*
Mr. William Daniels proposed a vote of thanks to the
Mayor for the use of the Town Moor, and to the trades and
shopkeepers for their support to the men, which was seconded
and carried amid much cheering. After a vote of thanks to
the chairman, three cheers loud and long for the Union and
Mr. Roberts were given, and the immense assemblage of
men peacefully separated.
100 THE MINERS OF
This was one of the largest meetings ever held by the
miners up to that, time, much larger than any on Shadon's
Hill, large as many of them were. The Tyne Mercury
stated that there could not be less than 30,000 on the
ground at one time. A board was held up during the meet-
ing, bearing the following inscription, on one side : —
* Stand firm to your union,
Brave sons of the mine,
And we'll conquer the tyrants
Of Tees, Wear, and Tyne/
On the reverse side : —
* We'll never leave the union field
Until we make oppression yield.'
It ought to be stated that it rained heavily during the
time of the procession and meeting, notwithstanding which
the men continued unmoved in their ranks, and stood on the
wet grass till the close of the proceedings; a most con-
vincing proof of their determination.
Another large district meeting was held at Bishop
Auckland about the same time, when upwards of ten
thousand men assembled. Mr. M. Elliot, from Trimdon, in
the chair. Major Wemyss, of the police force, rode up to
the platform, and, congratulating the men on. their orderly
and peaceful conduct on past occasions, hoped they would
continue to conduct their meetings in the same orderly
manner. The chairman assured him his advice would be
attended to. The meeting was addressed by some of the
most intelligent and energetic advocates of the miners'
rights^ Messrs. J. Wilson, J. Fawcett, E, Archer, G.
Charlton, G. Emmerson, J. Beaston, N. Heslop and M.
Dent. The resolutions, which were carried unanimously,
were the sanie as those agreed to at the great meeting on
the Town Moor.
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM. 101
\
CHAPTER XIX.
THE CONDITION OP THE MEN ON STRIKE. EFFORTS MADE
TO RAISE FUNDS. SECESSION PROM THE RANKS OP THE
UNION AND RETURN OP MEN TO WORK, YIELDING
OP THE DURHAM MEN. MEETINGS ON THE TOWN MOOR,
AT DURHAM, AND AT SCAFFOLD HILL.
Hundreds of the men on strike were at this time away
in other parts of the country, some of them staying with
their friends and relatives, some working in other places
with their friends during the strike, whilst many who were
travelling the country to collect subscriptions, grouped toge-
ther in musical bands, met with harsh and unjust treatment
which would have discouraged less zealous men than they
were. Twelve of these musicians arrived in Whitehaven, from
the County of Durham, the greater number being from
Tanfield. They asked permission of the Rev. John Jenkins,
chief magistrate of Whitehaven, to play through the town,
but not to beg, and had permission at once accorded to them.
On the Monday, July 1st, two benefit societies of miners
held their anniversary, and paraded the streets with music;
but neither of these societies had the graciousness to employ
the musicians out of the County of Durham. These men,
ten in number, were one day playing in the street, the other
two being on the alert to receive any donation that might
be given them. They never went into any house, nor yet
nsked any person for anything, but suddenly one of them, a
man of the name of Thomas Dixon, of South Shields, was
taken into custody by police-sergeant Bell, brought before
Mr. Robert Jefferson, and charged with begging in th6
street, a charge which the prisoner denied. The magis-
trates asked him where he came from, and who he was;
he told the magistrate that he belonged to the County of
Durham, a miner, and out of employ for twelve weeks.
The magistrate read the clause in the Act of Parliament,
and said he was liable to 28 days, but he would oi ly commit
him to the House of Correction for 14 days. These poor men
met with very few friends amongst men of their own calling;
but received better treatment from a few carpenters of the
town, for, after playing a few airs, they presented them with
12s. and refreshments.
102 THK MINEBS OF
The owners had at length succeeded in getting a large
number of hands from other parts of the country; and the
strike having continued 18 weeks, great numbers of the men
began to break away from the ranks of the union and return
to work. Several collieries refused to set their old hands
on again, which caused them to besiege other collieries.
Rumours now got abroad that the union was broken up; and
the men who b&d been brought down to starvation point
and unable to endure the miseries of camping in tents or
the cries of their children for bread, were compelled at
length to yield to adverse circumstances. The Durham
miners were the first to give way, but let it be understood
that the pitmen of this county had suffered more hardship
by the cruel treatment of their late employers, than their
brethren in Northumberland. Besides, their resources &iled,
and want, in all its hideous forms, was present with them
and their wretched families. The miners of Northumber-
limd still felt resolute, for they were smarting under a great
accumulation of wrongs, and they shuddered at the idea of
returning to work tmder their employers' terms. They
therefore determined to hold another general meeting on
the Newcastle Town Moor, on the 13th of August, and
recommended that their brethren of the Wear and Tees
should do the same. A meeting accordingly took place,
but there were only from ten to twelve hundred present' at
tills meeting; Mr. Charles Reveley in the chair. The
following resolutions were unanimously passed: — ^Moved by
Mr. James Hardy, seconded by Mr. Mitchell, and supported
by Mr. Joseph Fawcett, *^ That after standing out 18 weeks,
and seeing the base and unmanly, conduct of our masters,
who have, by promises, threats, and intimidation, succeeded
in getting a number of men to work to suit their present
purposes, and thereby entailing misery on the present and
friture generations, to prevent this direful calamity, this
meeting, therefore, calls upon all such as have been deluded
by the &lse promises of the masters, to join the ranks of the
miners' association." — ^2nd, moved by Mr. W. Bell, seconded
by Mr. William Bird, and supported by Mr. E. Richardson,
** That in the opinion of this meeting, the miners of this
district ought to be very careful and guarded against reports
emanating from parties in the garb of ministers of the
KOBTHUHBKBLAND AKD DUBHAM. 103
gospely persuading the men to go to work, by painting our
position in false colours; this meeting, therefore pledges
itself not to believe any report unless it bear the stamp of
authority from our association." Mr. Christopher Haswell,
moved the third resolution: — '* That this meeting pledges
itself to standby the association, and to continue united, tmtil
we obtain our rights." Thanks having been voted to the
ehairman and to Sir John Fife, for the use of the ground^
the meeting broke up.
A similar meeting to the above took place the day after,
on the sands near the City of Durham, of the collieries of
the Wear and Tees, about ten thousand being present. The
same resolutions were passed, and the same chairman pre-
sided. The speakers were Messrs. Dent, Pratt and others.
Great numbers of the Durham pitmen were making their
way to the collieries on the Tyne; but the Northumberland
miners still determined to hold out. An enthusiastic meet-
ing of twenty-seven collieries of the Tyne was held on
Scaffold Hill, when it was resolved to fight the battle out
to the last. It was resolved to send two men from each
of the Tyne collieries to the Wear and Tees, to endeavour
to induce their brethren there to again j6in them in the
battle for Labour's rights, and to advise them to stay away
from the Tyne, but before the men got away to the different
places to where they were appointed, hundreds of men had
made their way to the Tyneside collieries, and took work
wherever they could obtain it.
CHAPTER XX.
BESOLUTION OF THE MEN TO YIELD. RETURN OF THE
MEN TO WORK. END OF THE STRIKE.
The battle which had been fought between capital and
labour, between might and right, between the oppressors
and the oppressed, was now drawing quickly towards a ter*
mination in favour of capital, of might, and of the oppressors.
Labour, starved, ill-treated, scorned, and mocked at, felt the
ground giving way from beneath its feet ; right, crushed and
stifled for the time by the force of might, lay bleeding and
104 THE MINERS OP
humiliated; and the oppressed, still more oppressed than
ever with the miseries of their suffering dear ones, their
wives and children, and with a keen and poignant sense of
the great cruelty which had been perpetrated by their em-
ployers, felt the time for throwing off the yoke of slavery
had not yet arrived, and reluctantly yielded to the force of
circumstances* Poverty and indigence, unable to cope with
wealth and affluence, gave up the contest; wrong triumphed,
and right was defeated. The leaders of the men now, seeing
there was no chance to hold out any longer, called meetings
at the various collieries, at each of which the following re-
solution was passed : — " Seeing the present state of things,
and being compelled to retreat from the field through the
overbearing and cruelty of our employers, the suffering an4
misery of our families, and the treachery of those who have
been their tools during the strike, we, at the present time,
deem it advisable to make the best terms with our employ-
ers we can," A second resolution was passed to the effect
that no single individual should go to the colliery office for
work, but all go in a body and meet the resident viewer; and
after the binding, another meeting should be held.
This determination being .come to on the Saturday
at the collieries, on the Sunday the miners were all in a
state of confusion. Few, if any slept that night, they were
in mourning, many of them with tears in their eyes. On
Monday morning, the men at Seaton Delaval Colliery met
in a body at the Hastings Arms, and went to the colliery
office. The head viewer, Mr. William Oliver came out, and
said : — *' Now, lads, I suppose you request an interview with
me ? " Their hearts seemed to be too full to answer. He
said : " I know what conclusions you have come to. You
mean to commence work on the employers' terms. Well,
things will be just as they were before you left off work,
with the exception of the monthly bond." He expressed a
strong desire that all bad feeling would be laid aside, for
both had enough to do, and he hoped that this would be the
last strike between the miners and their employers. It was
agreed that all men who had been off should be at liberty to
return to their work as soon as pit room could be got, and
that every man should have his own house again as far as it
could conveniently be carried out. As there had been a
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM. 105
large number of men brought to the colliery, who occupied
the houses, these of course could not be shifted. After a
few more friendly observations the binding comimenced, and
when all was agreed to, they returned to their meeting
room, and it was unanimously agreed to still stand by their
union. Similar meetings at the East Cramlington, Seghill,
West Moor, and the other collieries, took place, and the
same resolutions were passed at each.
The strike of the miners of the North of 1844, a strike
which still lives in the memory of many, and which for
magnitude and the determination of the men, has never yet
been surpassed, was now at an end, and the men were com-
pelled by sheer necessity to return to work on the terms and
conditions offered by the coal owners. This trial of strength
between the workmen and their masters did not originate
in consequence of a mere question of wages, but to settlq the
future terms of labour, and to rectify a number of abuses to
which the unfortunate operatives were victims, for the
miners were compelled to submit to every injury and insult,
oppression and injustice, cruelty and annoyance. They
adopted the only means in their power to assert their rights
and obtain redress, and they were laughed at, trampled on,
and insulted by the tyrants who had wronged them. Every
method to persecute, destroy, and crush them, was adopted
by such men as Lord Londonderry and his confederates.
The very tradesmen on the estates of those feudal barons
who dared to give credit, or even supply food for cash to the
miners who had joined the union, were the victims of
oppression. The condition of the unfortunate miners
became too desperate to be supported, although the cause
was justice itself. Moralists and religionists assure'us, that
virtue always triumphs in the long run; here is a case
which appears to belie the doctrine. But an imperious
necessity compelled them to give way to their severe task
masters; for they had no alternative between that, and
seeing their wives and little ones perish with starvation.
The strike is over. Arbitrary power and immense wealth
proved stronger than the courage excited by a good cause..
In fact, justice itself was trampled under foot by aristocratic
tyranny, aided by unlimited riches. Thousands and thou-,
sands of unfortimate men were driven by a stem necessity
106 THB aONEES OF
back again to a condition of abhorrent slavery. But this
victory achieved by the coal owners was only another item
to swell the awful catalogue of wrongs for which a proud
aristocracy will shortly have to account for to a democracy,
rising in its power and its might, when the day of retribution
sliall come.
CHAPTER XXI.
BEPBISAXS OF THE MEN ON THE STBANGEBS. RIOTS AT
BEATON DELAVAL AND HOLYWELL. ABREST AND IM-
PRISONMENT OF THE MEN. TREATMENT OP THE WELSH-
MEN BY THE NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM PITMEN.
Although the men had lost the strike it was acknow*
ledged by many of the coal owners that in consequence of the
losses they had sustained during its progress, it would have
been better for them to have given the men the price
they had asked for at first; but as they had a union amongst
themselves, one could not agree without the whole. The
loss to the district by this strike was estimated at half a
million sterling. According to a return published at the time,
the following were the mumbers of miners employed in April
in the several districts. The Tyne 1 5,556 ;Blyth 1,051 ; Wear
13,172; Tees 4,211; total 33,990.
The soldiers who had been located at Seaton Delaval dur-
ing the greater part of the strike still remained for some time
after matters had been adjusted between the men and the
owners. The men who had been out on strike and those who had
been at work during the strike as ^^ blacklegs," never met on
friendly terms, and the former gave indications that they would
take the "first opportunity to have a day of reckoning with the
latter for their conduct while the strike was pending. During
the twenty weeks the strike continued there was little, if any,
breaking of the peace. On the 11th of August, however,
a brakesman belonging to Ravensworth, named Thomas Rob-
aon, was shot dead in a field near to that place whilst in com-
pany with a watcher named Jefferson, and though it was
believed the crime was connected with the strike, the
perpetrator was never discovered. On the 15th August
the greatest riot that took place at this time occurred. The
way in which it originated was this. The Double Bow
NOBTHUMBEBLAND AKB Q^riilibc. 107
in Seaton Delaval was then all occupied by Welshmen or
men who had been at work during the strike. Two of the
Welshmen went from this row to the Hastings Arms Inn,
then kept by Mr. Bell, with a stone bottle, locally known
as a " grey hen," to get it filled with beer. They were met
by two Northumberland pitmen, and a fight commenced
between them. In the course of ten] minutes or a quarter
of an hour hundreds of men had drawn together — ^including
English, Welsh, and Irish, and a fair pitched battle
commenced, all present arming themselves with whatever
they could get hold of. They tore off the garden
railings, got pick shafts, and in fact anything that
was easily portable, or that would deal a blow. The
fight had not continued long before every lane leading
towards Delaval was thronged with reinforcements from
other collieries. Mr. Atkinson, the underviewer, came up
amongst them and tried to make peace; at \vhich time
picks and stones were flying in all directions. Mr. Atkin-
son had a little favourite cocker dog, which foUpwed him into
the crowd, when a pick thrown by some one fell at Mr.
Atkinson's feet and went right tlu:ough the dog itito the
ground. Mr. Atkinson at once ran off to the farm where
the soldiers were billeted and gave orders for them to come
out, asserting that if they did not every man would be
murdered on the road. The officer in the conmiand of the
military refused to take his men on to the scene of action,
saying that his men should not stir till the riot act was read.
A dispatch was then sent off to Shields for a magistrate to
read the riot act. Within less than an hour from the com-
mencement of the affiray there were thousands of men upoii;
the ground, all of them labouring under great excitement and
passion. The Welshmen now began to yield, and finally fled
in numbers, making their escape over the railway, down behind
the hedges, and so into the houses where they were living.
Rumours were raised on all sides that the soldiers and
police were coming out, and but for this, beyond all doubt
the Englishmen would have followed and destroyed both
them and their houses, so greatly were they exasperated against
them. As it was, great numbers were wounded and severely
injured on both sides, but more particularly on the part of
the Welshmen. None however were killed* During the
108 THE MINERS OF
following week the police arrested large numbers of the
combatants^ the Northumberland miners being selected, of
course in the impartiality of the law; their mode of taking
them into custody being to go into the houses of those
against whom they had a case when they were in bed, and,
raising them from their slumber, secure and handcuff
them. When they had got them thus secured they marched
them off to the stables of the colliery farm, where they kept
them till the morning, when they were taken to Shields for
magisterial examination. They were conveyed in a long cart,
with cavalry soldiers and police marching before, behind, and at
each side of them, and were driven through Seaton Terrace,
Holywell, Earsdon, and thence to Shields. The inhabit-
ants of the villages on the line of route became much excited,
and when the imposing cavalcade arrived at Shields it
created a great deal of excitement, hundreds of persons
turning out to see ten poor pitmen in a cart, all handcuffed
to each other and thus rendered thoroughly helpless and
harmless, guarded with a force of soldiers and police
that would have been sufficient if they had had all the
miners in Northumberland in charge. The ten pitmen thus
dealt with were, John Padinson, Thomas Robsou, William
Gardiner, William Garrat, William Richardson, George
Giles, Thomas Colins, Robert Laws, David Robson, John
Miller.
The rioting thus commenced, spread like an infection,
and scarcely had that at Seaton Delaval been properly
quelled, when another broke out at East Holywell. Here
the men who had been put in to supply the places of the
men on strike were principally Irishmen, and it was amongst
these that the rioting mostly occurred. This disturbance,
however, was not so extensive and serious as that at Seaton
Delaval, but there was more injury done to the " blacklegs."
Seven pien were taken prisoners for this riot, including
one man who was arrested at Seghill for breaking a man's
arm; but the man who was taken was not the person who
had really committed the offence. Such riots as those at
Delaval and Holywell accorded with the ideas of certain
individuals, who often wanted to break the peace during the
strike, and settle the difference by an appeal to brute force.
If such had been done, they contended, the " blacklegs '*
NOBTHUMBEBLAKB AND DURHAM. 109
would never have been introduced in sufficent strength to be
of any service to the coal owners.
.The masters who had got their turn served by the
Welshmen left them to the tender mercies of the men whom
they had helped to keep out of employment, and though it
is not to the credit of the unionists, still in all fairness it
must be recorded that the manner in which they treated
those poor wretches was such that had the ill-treatment
occurred during the strike they would have been transported
for it without much compunction. The reins of government
were taken out of the hands of the leaders, since the strike
was now at an end, and the men, feeling in no way respon-
sible to any authority, in many instances gave way to their
revengeful passions to an mordinate extent. In the mines
all manner of tricks were played on these poor strangers in
order to punish them. Great numbers of the Welshmen
had sons working in the pits as trappers, drivers, putters,
and hewers; and the boys of the union men never lost on oppor-
tunity of upbraiding them with being " blacklegs." But
unfortunately they did not stop here, for these little ones
were subject to a great deal of ill-usage, such as having clay,
candle grease, dirty water, and coal dust thrown in their
faces, or having their candles knocked out, and being left in
the dark for hours in the mine. The bigger boys who
were engaged in driving were subjected to the unpleasant
results of such tricks as pulling the plates up, or laying
timber across the road where they had to pass along, or
the extinction of their candles. But the putters who were
engaged to bring the tubs from the hewers to the drivers,
had a more miserable life of it still, and what is usually
called a " mother gate board," afforded their persecutors an
ample opportunity of playing a mischievous and withal dan-
gerous prank upon them. This "mother gate board" is a.
main road leading from the other parts of the workings to
the flat, mostly on a steep incline. The trick was to sus-
pend a rope across the main way from one prop to the other,
letting it swag a little in the middle. As it was usual for
the putter to come down at great speed with his head
above the tub, the rope, hanging down across the tramway,
caught them in their faces, and often threw them on to their
backs. This was a severe punishment, and so terrified the
110 THE mNERS OF
poor fellows that they were compelled to go double behind
the tub in order to escape the traps that were laid for them.
But worse still was the practice of defrauding them of their
earnings, for as their "tokens" were put on to the outside of
the tubs it often happened that hundreds were taken off and
thrown away; so that they often found, to their exceeding
chagrin, when they csme to bank, that after having put up
with all the abuse and ill-treatment in the mine they had
got little or nothing for working all day. The hewers who
were working " in the face " had their tokens taken off and
thrown away and stones thrown amongst the coals they had
hewn, so that they would be lost to them by the overlooker
laying them out. Whenever there was a chance their clothes
were stolen from them out of the working place, and they
had frequently to go home without any clothes after being
hard at work all the shift; whilst in many instances their
working gear, picks, drills, &c., were stolen and thrown into
the old workings; there being hundreds hurled down the old
pits at Cramlington, Delaval, and Seghill.
These poor wretches' lives at length became as bad as
that of a toad under a harrow. At the week's end they
never dared to make their appearance in any of the public-
houses to enjoy themselves, for if ever one of them was bold
enough to venture in, he was sure to come in for a share of the
debt that the union men had long promised to pay them. The
men at the collieries as a rule, and more particularly at
Seaton Delaval, would not descend or ascend with any of
the " blacklegs." It was no use of them complaining to the
masters of any ill-treatment, for they got little or no satisfac-
tion if they did so. They began to think that the masters
having got their services out of them, now left them
to fight for themselves; and, as there was no chance of
making peace, large numbers of them began to leave,
till at length all were gone with the exception of
one or two. One of the Welshmen remained at Seaton
Delaval after all the rest had gone, and though he
was punished terribly he put up with it all. He was
accused by the Welshmen as having been the cause of
their coming to the north, it being asserted that he was
sent by them to see if there was a strike and that he had
been got hold. of by the masters and paid a large sum of
NORTHUMBEBLAin) AND DURHAM. Ill
money to bring a number of fellow-workmen into Durham
and Northumberland. Whether this was true or not, it is
certain he was always regarded with suspicion and distrust,
and though he worked for 20 years at Seaton Delaval, his
company was never tolerated by the native pitmen.
A &ital and shocking accident occurred to another of
these poor Welshmen at Seghill, who was known by the
name of "Blind Davy," owing to his being very near-
sighted. He had been working while the men were on
strike, and when they returned to their work hfe went one
night on to the pit heap to descend before they came. He
had seven or eight picks on his back, and with these he
went right to the pit mouth, fell to the bottom, and was
killed. It was customary for the furnaceman to descend
before the pit " hung on " each morning, in order to fill the
small coal that had fallen to the bottom of the shaft from
the corves during the time the pit had been at work on the
previous day. He went down as usual, and not observing
the body lying before him he began to fill, when he found
some heavy resistance against his shovel. Putting his
hand down he discovered it was the body of a man. He
went and brought some men who were working not far off,
and taking the body up and looking at it, one remarked,
" what a bad job, poor fellow." The old fVirnaceman said,
" well, it might have been worse." On the other asking him
what he meant, he answered, " it might have been one of our
own men. He is only a Welshman, he is weel out of the
way." This instance is recorded as an evidence of the
feeling which existed between the North Countrymen and
the Welshmen, and shows how a man's natural feelings of
humanity may be perverted by the passions generated by
these strikes.
Great numbers who had been camping in lanes during
the strike, and after its settlement, now removed to the
coUiery houses vacated by the strangers who had left; but
here and there, some who had been refused work, remained
encamped. One man, in particular, who was not refused
work, and who had a house offered him to go into, preferred
living in the hut he had built for himself and family. He
was a miner belonging to Seaton Delaval, of the name of
Moseby, and had built a sod hut in the Irish fashion when
112 THE MINERS OF
turned out of his cottage. It was well secured against wet
and weather, and had glass windows, with a proper front and
back entrance. He remained in it a long time after the
settlement of the strike, and worked at the colliery. It was
situated between the head of Foreman's Row and Stickler's
Farm, where there is a wide space of ground on the roadside
between the hedge and the turnpike road, and which he con-
tended no one had any more right to than himself. Had the
owners not interfered, those who belonged to the ground would
have had some difficulty in getting him off; so determined was
he to continue in the occupation of his primitive residence.
CHAPTER XXII.
TREATMENT OF THE LEADERS OF THE LATE STRIKE.
RECOMMENCEMENT OF THE UNION AGITATION. FRESH
MEETINGS HELD ALL OVER THE TWO COUNTIES. THE
MEETING AT WRECKINGTON. MEN DISCHARGED FOR
ATTENDING THE MEETINGS. DISPUTE AMONGST THE
MASTERS.
Though the collieries on the Tyne, Wear, and Tees had
now generally resumed operation there were a few of the
pits in various parts of the two counties that were completely
laid off, and did not again commence working. The large
numbers of men caused by these pits being laid in, and the
extensive importation of strangers during the strike, glutted
the labour market for a time, and enabled the owners to
pick and choose from amongst their old servants. All
did not meet the miners as the Delaval head viewer had
done, and numbers were refused work, generally those who
had been most active, and had taken a leading part in tha
late strike. Mr. Christopher Haswell, Jun., who was,
previous to and during the strike, a member of the executive
council of the National Association, was an instance of this
treatment. He lived in the house with his father and three
brothers at Seghill Colliery; and when they went to apply
for work, the master agreed to find work for them all with
the exception of Christopher. He travelled to several
collieries in the two counties and tried to get work but was
refused, and the men of Seghill Colliery decided to employ
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM. 113
him in the powder store, to deal out powder and candles to
them. Being a single man at the time, he still lived in the
house with his father ; but the masters not having been able
to drive him away, gave old Christopher and his sons a
month's notice to quit the colliery. Young Christopher
went to Scotland, thinking that his father and brothers
would not be further disturbed; but such was not the case,
for the notice was enforced, and they were thrown out of
work. They travelled round a great number of collieries
in the two counties, and in many places, though men were
wanted they would not give them employment when they
told their names, the answer always being "we cannot give
you work." It was evident the name was on the " black
books," and a particular friend of the old man's advised
him if he wanted work in the two counties to change
his name, as he knew many men working at places
imder another name. The old man, who was very con-
scientious, and a strict Methodist, said "I was named
Christopher Haswell when I came into the world, and will
be Christopher Haswell till I go out of it." This was often
quoted in pointing out the honesty of old Mr. Haswell.
Charlaw Colliery was at this time advertising for men,
and he ultimately succeeded in getting work for himself and
family there. After he had been there a considerable time
the head viewer of Seghill meeting him one day, said he
hoped that things were all passed now. And then he asked
him to return to Seghill, promising to give him and his sons
-employment. He particularly asked after Christopher, who
had been the cause of the father and sons leaving Seghill,
and said " send to Scotland for him and I will give him
employment, for I* respect you and your sons for your
honesty." The old man liking Northumberland better than
the County of Durham, shifted back and remained at Seghill
till he died. Christopher, who when in Scotland got married,
brought his wife with him and lived at Seghill as long as
the owners had the colliery.
Numbers of the leading men put up with great hard-
ships before they got employed; some never went back to
the pits, whilst others got situations at distant collieries.
Indeed this was not the worst of the hardships that the
leaders of this eventful strike had to put up with, for both they
114 THE MINERS OF
and their &milies were not onl j prevented getting employment
and nearly starved in consequence of the active and
zealooa manner in which they had laboured through the
strike for their fellow-men^ but even the men forgot
themselves and their benefactors, and not only repaid them
with scant gratitude but often with positive insult.
The union now became very weak, a large number of
the collieries giving it up altogether. Those who had
pawned their feather beds, watches, clocks, rings, and every
article they could conveniently dispose of, or who had stood
bond for certain amounts of goods for tibiose who stood in
most need of it, now found themselves placed in a critical
position.
Martin Jude, who has scarcely been mentioned during
the whole strike, bitterly opposed it at the cotnmencement,
but when it was once begun^ no one laboured harder, and
more earnestly than he did while it lasted. He was the
great general, at the head in the private counsels. He now
raised himself up in greater vigour, and urged the men never
to give up the union. In 1845 the conference was sitting
in Newcastle, and it was resolved to hold a series of publio
meetings in the two counties. Large placards were accord*
ingly printed announcing that a number of meetings would
be held on the Tyne and Wear on Monday, July 7th.
West Cramlington held their meeting at Botany Bay, a
short distance from the colliery. The speakers were Messrs.
Hardy, Scott, and Duro, from Derbyshire. Another meet-
ing was held on Scaffold Hill, Mr. J. Fawcett in the chair;
the speakera were Mr. Welsby, from Lancashire; Mr. Anty,
from Yorkshire ; and W. P. Roberts, Esq., the miners*
attorney. At this meeting it was agreed to hold a general
meeting either on the Town Moor, or Shadon's Hill. At a
meeting held at Sheriff Hill, Martin Jude was chairman, and
the speakers were Embleton, Holgate, and Price. A reso-
lution was passed in favour of holding a general meeting of
the Tees, Wear, and Tyne men at some central place.
Another meeting was held at Coxhoe on the 8th July, and
addresses were delivered by Messrs. Swallow and Daniels,
urging the miners to join the union ; whilst a gathering of
the miners of Derwent Iron Works took place on Black
Hill on the 10th July; the chairman being Mr. James
KOBTHUMBKHLAND AND DURHAM. 115
Hardy, and the speakers, Messrs. Price and Duro. On the
16th another meeting was held at Walker, addressed by Mr.
Daniels; and Mr. Embleton, daring the month, addressed
meetings at Black Hill, Berry Edge, Seaton Bum, and West
Crandington. A camp meeting in favour of the union was
held on Sunday the 27th, at Scaffold HiU, and addressed by
Davis, Embleton, Mycroft, and Wakinshaw. Another
meeting of a similar character was held at Botany Bay, near
West Crandington, on the 10th August, addressed by Messrs.
Swallow, Embleton, Davis, and Smith, from Leicestershire.
A meeting at Wreckington took place on the 25th, of
the men of Springwell, of the King and Fanny, Sheriff Hill,
and Washington pits. At this gathering, Mr. Hammond,
a veteran pitman, was in the chair. He said that during
his long life he had been opposed to injustice, and
wherever oppression raised its brazen front he would
be there to oppose it. The pitmen were an oppressed
body of men. The newspapers had stated they wanted a
strike, he denied it. He thought past experience would
show the folly of strikes, and the evils resulting therefrom.
Mr. James Hardy next addressed the meeting. He said
they had come to try to persuade the men to act together, to
try to stop that internal war which was committing so much
devastation amongst them. Let them act like brethren to
each other, for the masters had power enough without the
men lending them theirs. Men were working against each
other, but let not the strong man imagine that the Almighty
had given him his physical powers to be abused. No, if he
violated the laws of nature, nature in the end would punish
him. Men's overworking caused a reduction of score pric&—
of which he gave several instances — and he was con-
vinced that there was never more need of their being united.
He did not want to see them in battle array against their
masters, he wanted them to unite to benefit themselves; to
cultivate a spirit of love, and to relieve the sick and unfor-
tunate, which was one of the objects of the Miners' Associa-
tion. He then introduced the question of ventilation, the
Haswell misfortune, and went into a long statement in order
to show the oppressions practised amongst miners, during
which he stated that some masters were turning men off for
merely attending a meeting.
116 THE MINERS OP
Mr. Duro, from Derbyshire, next addressed the meeting.
He spoke long on the benefits of union and the restriction of
labour. He was very severe on the local press for misre-
presenting the proceedings ot the pitmen, as well as on the
masters for turning men off for attending meetings. By this,
he said, they thought they would stop the men from taking
any part in the union; whilst, at the same time, they enjoyed
the privilege of union themselves. He contended that the
working men had as much right to join together to protect
their labour, as the employers had to protect their capital.
Mr. Daniel also addressed the meeting, and alluded to
the masters discharging men for attending meetings, which
he characterized as an extremely harsh and unjust procee-
dure. He proved that- according to the 5th and 6tli of Geo,
IV., their meetings and union were perfectly legal so long
as they abstained from intimidation. That Act stated that
no person should be subject to any pains or penalties, or suffer
any punishment for attending such meetings, but the masters,
having more power thau the Queen, the Lofdb, and the
Commons, thought differently, for they discharged a man,
and thus subjected him and his family to many privations,
perhaps to want ; and that he thought was punishing with a
vengeance. He said that this plan would not avail them in
the end, they had a good cause, and that cause would rather
be advanced than retarded by oppression. But to such an
extent was the turning of the men off for attending meetings
carried, that they became fairly terrified, and they had great
difficulty in getting men to act as delegates, or take any part
in the union, because men knew that to do so was tanta-
mount to dismissal.
When the speakers had addressed the assemblage and
the resolutions had been carried, the meeting separated in a
peaceable manner.
At this time a happy event for the miners took place,
being no other than a dispute among the coal owners
resulting from the late strike in 1844. The coal .owners
had a rule in their association for fixed quantities of coal to
be wrought at each colliery, and a fine was levied upon the
firms which vended more than the stipulated quantity, whilst
others who had not worked the fixed amount, were allowed
to make up the quantity the next year. In consequence of
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM. 117
the strike of 1844 the work in some collieries was quite
suspended;, and the "shorts" on the 31st March, 1845,
were 475,973 tons, whilst at the other places where the
mines had been kept in operation, the "overs" were 199,163
tons. By the fixed fine on "overs," the amount due from
those owners where the excess had been worked was
£18,789; but the committee proposed to commute this siun
for £11,273, and divide it amongst the collieries having
** shorts." Neither party being satisfied by this proposition
the regulations were abolished. By tliis decision there came
to be a greater demand for men, and the persecution of the
acting men of the strike was now almost at an end.
CHAPTER XXIII.
THE EMPLOrERS AGAIN UNITED. AWAKENING OF PUBLIC
SYMPATHY WITH THE MEN. ICTION TAKEN FOR PAR-
LIAMENTARY REDRESS OP GRIEVANCES.
The coal ownfers, however, who laboured so hard to
prevent unity amongst the men were much too prudent to
remain long separated, and very soon therefore peace was
patched up between the contending parties. In the meantime
the agents of the miners had been travelling all over England,
Scotland, and Ireland, advocating the cause of the men, laying
their grievances before the public, and inducing the public,
with more or less of success, to take up their quarrel and to
feel interested in their behalf. One of the first efforts of the
masters after they had made up their quarrel was .to make
arrangements for the purpose of opposing any measures that
were likely to come before Parliament in the interest of the
men, and to send deputations to London to watch the pro-
ceedings afterwards.
It was different with the men. Instead of being so
firmly united as they ought to have been they weft very
much the reverse, and instead of closely watching the pro-
ceedings in Parliament, where measures affecting their
interests might have been looked for, they took no interest
in the doings of the legislature, the.men having been broken
in spirit and the leaders having been so much abused by th©
masters and the local press. As an evidence of the vitu-
11^ THE nEomn -OF
peration which was poured out on the devoted heads of
the leaders by a portion of the press the following quotation
from the Newctistle Journal, of the 12th July^ 1845, may
be quoted: —
** The annual conference of delegates of the miners* associaiioacom*
menced its sittings in this town on Monday, at a beer-shop kept by
one of the delegates named Martin Jade. It was pmdently resolved
to exdade reporters, least the constituents of these delegates should
become aoquamted with their proceedings. It is imderstood, however,
that the first subject of discussion was mmished by Mr. Jude himself
who refused to ' score the pints/ or fill the pewter, till satisfied as to
the mode of payment, there being, it was stated, ' a long score * stand*
ing on the old account. An anangonent was finally effected by a
dieque on the consolidated fund. When this difficult had been ^;ot
rid of, the delegates proceeded to develope their plan for another strike
cf the pitmen of Northumberland and Durham. The delegates have
since been continuing their sittings at Martin Jude's, where they will
of course remain nU the 'consolidated fund* evaporates in the
evanescent fumes of 'beer and bacca.* The magistrates of the
County of Durham have determined to act with promptitude and
decision in the event of any attempt bebig made to create disturbances
in the colliery districts, and the number of the military has been aug*
mented by accession from the neighbouring garrisons."
Martin Jude wrote in reply: —
'' The worthy editor of the above paragraph has been twice whipped
for detailing perwrnal slander in his paper, yet as the poor gentleman
has to please his masters to obtain a little bread for his wife and
family, it is impossible for him to refrain from following the occu-
pation he was hired for, viz., " that of throwing cold water on any
movements of the workixig classes to better their condition.*' But as
Bums says: —
' Folks mim dae something for their bread.
And sae mun death.*
The union of the miners of Northumberland and
Durham was only living out a miserable existence in 1847,
and shortly after this it became a total wreck* Martin Jude,
who had always stood true to his post, and had carried
out a ^eat agitation almost single handed, as &r as the
miners of Northumberland and Durham were concerned,
now laboured hard in getting signatures to the following
petition for the appointment of inspectors and the better
ventilation of mines, which was drawn up on behalf of the
miners and sent to Mr. T. S. Duncombe M.P., for presen*
tatien to the House of Commons in April, 1847.
NORTHUMBERLAKD AND DUBHAM. 119
To TBM HONOUBABLB THK HoUSE OF COKMONS OF GbXAS BBITAIir AND
Ibblaitd, in Pabliambnt assembled.
The Humble Petition of the Collisbs whose names are hereunto
subscribed;
HuMBLT SHEWBTH,~That your*Petitioner8'are GoLLiEBS, working In
the Coal Mines in the Coal Districts of England, Wales, and Scotland.
That they have seen and heard with great satisfaction that several
laws have Men passed of late years to better the condition of working
menindifferenttiBdeR, andfor their own and their children's protecdonana
safety from injury and accident, and to assist in the improvement of
thdr mind and habits. And your petitioners with great confidence 8ub>
mit to your Honourable House that the colliers have at no time in no
wise been behind hand in honesty, peaceful conduct, and lovalty, and
they therefore approach your Honourable House in the full nope that
they will receive m>m your Honourable House consideration ana atten-
tion. Your petitioners believe that much may be done by Judicious
Laws for the oenefit of your petitioners and the colliers in general, with,
out wrong or injury to any one.
: Your petitioners desire to direct the attention of your Honourable
House to the many deaths continually happening from bad ventilation
in tiie mines, and also to the distressinff accidents which stiU more
frequently occur boni the same cause, ana frx>m which your petitioners
are put to heavy expenses and lose their work for long periods of time;
but whidi accidents unfortunately for your petitioners do not come
before the public, unless they occasion death. In many mines the air
courses are not made with sufficient care, nor attended to with sufficient
vigilance and caution : in many the air has to travel too long a distance
from the down-cast shaft to the upH»st shaft : in many there is great
neglect by the underlookers and otners whose duty it is to look after the
mines and colliers; air doors are broken where they ouffht to be perfect
— open when thev ought to be shut — ^in wme cases sheets have been
hung up instead of doors— and many other neglects occur from ov^ con-
fidence caused by previous freedom from accident. Your petitioners
admit that many of your petitioners have been neglectful and over con;
fident; but thev are many of them very poor, and their position with
their masters does not often allow them to speak freely of facts as they
reattvare.
That your petitioners have heard, and many of them know it to be
true, Uiat great good has been effected in cotton factories frmn the
appointment of Inspectors, and l^ the provisions for railing off m»-
enmery, and to prevent neglect and accidents, and they submit that some
similar plan for the miners would do much in guarding against danger
and aociaenti
Your petitioners submit to your Honourable House that Inspectors
should be appointed to visit all the mines, and that some of these Inspec-
tors shouldi be men practically acquainted with colliery work; that such
Inspector should see that accurate nuffis are made of ul the workinffs in
the mines ; that these Inspectors should grant licences to mines ^ere
thev consider that due provision and care have been used to prevent
accidents and ensure g;ood ventilation; and that without such Licence no
mine should be permitted to work. That penalties of One Hundred
Pounds at the least, should be inflicted in case of any deviation fr^om the
orders of such Inspector, and that such penalties should be paid half by
the landlord, and half by the tenant of the mine, and should fonn a fund
for the support of the families of those who die from ezplodoiis or other
120 THE MINERS OP
accidents in tlie mines. Your petitioners submit tliat small fines in these,
cases are not felt and are of no use whatever.
Your petitioners submit to your Honourable House that the appoint-
ment of Inspectors would not only ensure a better system of ventilation,
but would also remove or lessen many other causes of death — such as
roofs falling — ^water rushing in — defective chains, and engines. These
and many other instances of want of due caution would become much
less frequent if proper Inspectors were appointed to visit the mines, and
were invested with sufficient power to enforce a compKanee with their
directions : such Inspectors giving no notice of their Intention to visit
the mines, and at all times going tnere when they were not expected.
Your petitioners have heard that the Government of the country have
been and are endeavoiuing to discover some plan by which accidents
&omL bad air may be altogether prevented in mines. But your petitioners
fear that such discovery will be verv difficult and distant, if not alto>
gether beyond the power of man. And your petitioners are well aware,
and they submit to your Honourable House, that^ accident from sudden
and unbooked for accumulations of bad air are not so frequent as has been,
represented, but that in almost all cases it would appear on inquiry that
it was known for some time before that there was bad air and that there
was danger. And your petitioners believe from lonof observation that for
every one accident which could not be foreseen nor guarded against, fifty
at least happen which might have been prevented by proper precaution.
And your petitioners believe that no laws or rules that your Honourable
House could make would ensure good jentilation or proper care, unleiss
Inspectors were appointed to see such.fiules and Laws attended to.
Your petitioners have observed with much satisfaction the laws com-
pelling the masters, in factories to provide some amount of education for
the children who work there, and your petitioners submit to your
Honourable House that a similar plan would be of great use to the
children of colliers. Unless your Honourable House assist your petition-
ers in carrying out this wish, that their children may be educated, not
one in a hundred of the generation of colliers now growing up will be able
to write or read. As the colliers are placed — and your Honourable
House will, on consideration, see the truth of this assertion— the diffi-
culty of obtaining education for their children is much greater than
4»yer it was for the parents of factory children.
Your petitioners inform your Honourable House that many accidents^
occur in the mines from persons being entrujsted with the care of the
engines who have served no regular apprenticeship and are incompetent
for the work. Your petitioners submit that no person ought to be so
entrusted until he has served-a regular apprenticeship of at least three
?ears, and is twenty-one years of age, and has been examined by an
nspector and received a certificate of his been fully qualified— many**
valuable lives would be saved if a law were made to that effect.
Your petitioners submit to your Honourable House that a Public
Begistry should be kept* of the owners and tenants of mines, and that
before a mine is licensed, such owners and tenants should sign a declara-
tion that they would do all in their power to enforce tiie laws for the
good mani^ment of their mines, and the protection of the lives of the
colliers ; — and that they would attend at all times and give evidence and
Information when required hj the Inspectors Or by magistrates. At
present in cases of complaint it frequently happens that no one knowa
who is the projper and responsible person to apply to.
Your petitioners ask yovir Honourable House to inquire into the truck
system, and the maimer in which the law made for. the pnrpose of putting
NORTHUMBERLAKIJ AND DUBHAK. 121
down that system is evaded. Many colliers in Scotland and in other
parts are, by various ingenious contrivances, compelled to submit to this
system, ana cannot protect themselves from it. And your petitioners
submit that a person offending against the laws for the abolition of truck
ought to be tried as a criminal^ and punished with a degrading punish-
ment; and not suffered to be discharged on paying a fine.
Your petitioners submit to your Honourable House that much misery
and loss is occasioned by the svstem of payinp^ colliers* wages at lonjg
Intervals ; one consequence is that the collier is obliged to purchase his
goods from the truck shop. Your petitioners ask your Honourable House
to make a law that wages shall be paid every week, or at not greater in-
tervals than once a fortnight. Your petitioners gnitefullv ac^owledge
the good effected by the law against payment of wages in beershops: and
the mw which thev now ask for, would, they assure your Honourable
House, be equally beneficial in its operation. And your petitioners assure
your Honourable House that such a law would go further than any other
remedy to do aw«^ with the truck systeni.
Your -p^iiiimen atlo ask your Honourable House to make a law that
the colliers shidl be paid for their work by weight and not by measure.
It has been found moit satisfactory to coal masters and the piiblic to sell
and buy their coals bv wdght and not by measure ; and your petitioners
assure your Honourable House that payment by weight is much more
f idr for all parties than by measure. And your petitioners also ask your
Honourable House to enact in the same laws that coals may be weighed
by beams and scales, as that mode of weighing is less likely to be wrong,
and would give more satisfaction.
Your petitioners humbly^ pray your Honourable House to take the
matters of this petition into your consideration, and to pass such laws
as to your Honourable House shall seem just and pro^r to carry into
effect the wishes of your petitioners. And your petitioners will ever
pray, &c.
Martin Jude next turned his attention to getting up sta-
tistics of accidents in mines through fire-damp^ and^ in writing
to Mr. Duncombe, he says : — " I have known many hun-
dreds of our fellow-men launched into eternity, where, if
better regulations had been adopted in mines regarding
ventilation the country would uot have been startled with
such catastrophes as there have occurred, and which are
still liable to happen at the present day unless the public
takes the question up and enforces Parliamentary legislation
on the subject, as the masters say they have done all they
can do."
The public were now beginning to feel some interest in
the cause of the miners, and to take the trouble to consider
their complaints, a thing which they would not even do pre-
viously. Writers in the press began to discuss the merits,
or otherwise, of their grievances, and the local poet thus
paraphrases the pitmen's appeal : —
122
THE MINEKS OF
Think on us hinnies, if you please.
An ' it war but to show yor pity ;
For a* the toils and tears it gi'es
To warm l^e shins o' Lunnun City.
The fiery " blast *' cuts short wor lives,
And steeps wor hyems in deep distress ;
Myeks widows o* wor canny wives,
And a' wor bairns leaves faitherless.
The wait'ry " wyest," mair dreadful still.
Alive oft barries huz belaw ;
Oh dear ! it m^eks wor blood run chill.
May we sic misery nivver knaw:
To be cut off frae kith and kin.
The leet o* day te see ne mair.
And left, frae help and hope shut in.
To pine and parish in despair.
If ye could on'y tyek a view.
And see the sweet frae off us poorin' —
The daily dangers we gan through.
The daily hardships we're endunn !
Ye wad send doon, aw ha'e ne doubt,
Some chaps on what they call a " mission,"
Te try if they could ferret out
Somethin' to better wor condition.
The following statistics furnished by Martin Jude to
Mr. Duncombe, will show the number of men killed at a few
of the collieries in Northumberland and Durliam, during the
few years for which they are given : —
DATE.
COLLIEKY.
CAUSE.
LIVES LOST,
Sept.,
1817 ...
Jarrow
• ••
Explosion
• •
6
April,
1820 ...
do.
• • •
do.
• • •
2
Jan.,
1826 ...
do.
• • •
do.
• •
34
Mar.,
1828 ...
do.
• ••
do.
• ■
8
Aug.,
1830 ...
do.
• • •
do.
• •
42
Nov.,
1836 ...
do.
• ••
do.
• ■ 4
2
Aug.,
1845 ...
do.
• ■ •
do.
Total
41
ia5
Aug.,
1817 ...
Wallsend
• ■ •
Explosion
• •
4
Oct.,
1821 ...
do.
• • •
do.
• •
52
Oct.,
1832 ...
do.
• ■ •
do.
• •
1
June,
1835 - ...
do.
• • •
do.
• •
. 102
Dec.,
1838 ...
do.
• • •
do.
Total
• •
• •
11
170
NOBTHUMBEBLAND AND DUBHAM.
123
DATE.
COLLDEBT,
CAUSE.
LIVES LOST.
May, 1812 ...
Felling
• ••
Explosion
• ••
92
Dea, 1813 ...
do.
• ••
do.
• ••
24
Oct, 1821 ...
do.
• •a
do.
• ••
6
May, 1822 ...
do.
• • •
do.
• « «
1
June, 1847 ...
do.
• ••
do.
• ■•
6
Total
• • ■
129
May 90, 1826 ...
Townley
• ••
Explosion
• ••
38
Nov. 20, 1828 ...
Washington
• ••
do.
• ••
14
Jan. 28, 1836 ...
Hetton
• ■ •
do.
■ ••
20
Jun. 28, 1839 ...
Hilda, South Shields do.
• ••
50
Sep. 28, 1844 ...
HaRweU
• ••
do.
• •■
95
May 3, 1816 ...
Heaton
• ••
Inundation
• ••
75
Total
292
The explosion at Felling Colliery was one of the most ter-
rific, if not the most fatal on record. Though it occurred in
May, it was not till the 17th or 18th of July — six weeks
after — thatticcess could be gained to the workings, nor were
the whole of the bodies removed before September, four
months after the explosion. An obelisk to commemorate the
sad event was erected in Heworth churchyard, and on its four
faces brass plates were inserted, containing the names of the
91 men and boys who had lost their lives.
The miners found a firm friend in Mr. T. S. Buncombe
who then represented the Borough of Finsburry. —
"Something must be done" said he, "to protect the miners
from the dreadful effects of explosions in mines ; " and he
did all he could to get a measure introduced into the House
of Commons for that purpose. In Lord Ashley, Mr. Dun-
combe found a very useful and active assistant in the work,
and the latter in writing on the subject said : — " I will lose
no opportunity of pressing on Her Majesty's Government
the necessity of attending to the ventilation of mines." The
following is a copy of the letter sent to Mr. Daniels, of
Newcastle, by Mr. T. S. Duncombe : —
DsAB Sib, — On Friday last I put a question to the Government upon
the subject of the dangerous state of the mines arising from bad ventila-
tion, and in some places from inundations of water, and inquired
whether any objection existed to a Commission issuing, for the purpose
of inquiring into tiiat important subject ; also into the allegation that
124 THE MIXERS OF
4.
women are employed in coal-pits; also into tlie practice of keeping back
men's wages for some weeks mstead of paying them weekly, whereby an
encouragement was given to the iniquitous s^rstem of '* truck." lam
sorry to see that the morning papers have given no report whatever,
either of the question, or Sir James Grskham's answer. The cause ox
their silence I am una Die to conjecture, but I give you the substance of
his reply :— 1st, That as the Grovemment were about to issue a com-
mission for the purpose of inquiring into the alleged unhealthy nuisances
in large towns, composed of Professor Faraday, Dr. Flayfair, and Sir
Henry Delabicne, all scientific men, he promised that they should also
inquire into, and report upon the qu^tion of a bett^ ventilation of
mines, and, he added, that of danger from flooding. 2nd. — He pro«
mised that the illegal employment of women should be inquired into by
other competent authorities, as also the system of truck, and that where-
ever it could be proved to exist, the parties guilty of it should be prose-
cuted at the public expense, and an example made of them. I think
you will agree with me, that the course the Grovemment are about to
pursue is very satisfactory, and is as much as we could at present expect;
therefore, the numerous petitions which I have had the nonour to pre-
sent, I do not think have altogether failed in the object the petitioners
had in view.
I remain, dear Sir, yours faithfully,
T. S. DUNCOMBE.
CHAPTER XXIV.
THE INTRODUCTION OF THE MINES AND COLLIERIES* BILL.
THE DISCUSSION IN PARLIAMENT ON THE BILL, ITS
WITHDRAWAL.
This action on the part of Mr, Duncombe was very soon
afterwards followed by the introduction into the House of
Commons of the " Mines and Collieries' Bill." It was enti-
tled " a bill for the better ventilation of mines and collieries,
for the protection and preservation of persons employed in
and about the same, and to make other provisions relating
thereto," and was endorsed with the names of Mr. T. S,
Duncombe, Mr. Bemal, and Mr. Aglionby. The following
are the leading provisions of the proposed measure : —
Clause 1 recites — The Queen to appoint three inspectors. 2. The
Treasury to pay them annual salaries not exceeding a simi left blank in
the biU. 3. The inspectors to enter and examine every mine or colliery
in their respective districts, at least four times a year, and may do so
whenever they choose, by oay or by night without notice. They mav
examine on oath any person connected with a mine or colliery, and call
to their aid whomsoever they choose. "Whatever they may ooserve in
the mine that is dangerous or defective, so as to threaten or tend to
bodily injury, they shall notify to the owner or his agent, and direct him
MB. MAETIN JUPE,
NOBTHUMBEBLAND AND DUBHAM. 125
to alter, repair, or improve, as they may deem proper and advisable; if
he diBobe^r, he (the owner) shall forfeit £100. 4. The Secretary of State
may appoint sub-inspectors, who are to be invested with like powers of
entry and examination. Such sub-inspectors shall visit and examine any
mine or ooUienr in their respective districts whenever they receive notice
to that effect from miners, colliers, or persons employed therein. 5. 24
Geo. II, to be extended to the protection of inspectors and their subor-
dinates in the exercise of their duties. 6. An Office of Inspectors of
Sdines and Collieries to be established in London or Westminster, for the
use of inspKBctors, and for the preservation of mine or coUiery records.
7. Regulations to be made for the management of the office. 8. Eveij
owner of a mine or colliery in operation to send to the office annually his
name and address, the name taid situation of his mine or colliery, the
ntmiber of persons he employs, the mode of working, the style ot the
firm under which the mine or colliery is worked^ and a map or plan of the
works, machinery, &c. 9. If an^ miner sustain injury preventing him
from returning to work before nme o'dook in the morning, the owner or
agent shall send a notice thereof, within 12 hours, to the nearest sub-
ine^)ector, with a statement of the place of residence of the person in-
jurod, or the place to which he may have been removed. 10. The
sub-inspector shall proceed to the mine or coUiery— investi^te the cause
of injury — and, accompanied by a surgeon, visit and examme the person
injured. Within 24 hours he must make a report to the central office;
and he is to award the surgeon any fee from 3s. to 10s. 11. The Secre-
tary of State may empower an inspector to proceed by action for the re-
covery of damages for bodily injury. 12. Any damages which maybe
recovered shall oe applied for the benefit of the injured person. This
clause also makes provision for cases in which the defendant may obtain
a verdict. 13, Owner or agent to give notice of death to the nearest sub-
inspector, who shidl send notice to the central office, and also intimate
the time and place of inquest. 14. Coroner to give the nearest sub-
inspector at least two days' notice of the time and place of inquest. 15.
Inspectors to attend the inquest, and may summon and examine wit-
nesses. 16. The Secretary of State, on receiving an inspector's report,
in case of death, may empower hun to hripg an action for damages,
according to the circumstances under which death occurred. 17. u
damagesoe recovered, they shall be applied for the benefit of the husband,
wife, parent, or child, of the person whose death has been thus caused —
as the case may be. 18, 19, and 20. Provisions as to actions. 2L
Wages for getting, raising, or removing coal, to be according to weight,
as ascertained by weights, beams and scales. Breach of this clause to be
punishable by penalty, not exceeding £10. 22. Wages to be paid weekly.
23. Wages to oe paia to each person separately, and not to one person
lor several others. 24. Abstract of this act, and of 5 and 6 Vic, cap. 99,
prohibiting tiie employment of women and girls, and regulating the
employment of boys in mines and collieries, to be conveniently placarded
near the entrance of every mine, and wherever an inspector or sub-
inspector may direct. Names and addresses of inspectors and siib-
ini^iectors to be also placarded. 25. Inspectors to report annually to the
Secretary of State, and their reports to oe laid before Parliament. 26.
Inspectors also to report to the Secretary of State whenever required.
27. Expenses of the Act to be borne by a duty of a farthing per ton on
every ton of coal sold in Great Britain. 28. Provides for the collection
of the duty. 29. Surplus, after payment of expenses, to be applied to
educational purposes m collieries. 30. Owner to have an opportunity of
acquitting himself of responsibility, whenever the statute has been
126 THE MIXERS OF
violated, and throwing it upon his afi^ent, servant, or workman, if the
latter be ^the actual offender. 31. GomplaintB to be preferred within a
given time. 32. ComplaintsshaJlbeheardbytwoor more justices; and
pa3rment of fines and costs may be levied by distress and sale. 33 to 52.
I^rovisions for insuring the due operation of the preceding clauses of tiie
act
On the evening of Wednesday, the 30th of June, 1847,
Mr. T. S. Buncombe, the member for Finsbury, rose in his
place in the House of Commons, and moved the second read-
ing of the bill introduced by him for the better regulation of
mines and collieries, upon which —
Sir George Grey (Devonport), on the part of the
Government, said he hoped the hon. member for Finsbury
would not press his motion for the second reading of this
bill. It was, he admitted, a bill of great importance, owing
to the explosions which had lately taken place in mines and
collieries; but the subject had been taken into serious con-
sideration by the Government, and he had that day received
a report from gentlemen of great practical experience, who
had been appointed to inquire into the subject, suggesting
certain precautions with a view of preventing the recurrence
of such accidents. Whether these suggestions would be
effectual for the object in view he did not know, but he
hoped the hon. gentleman, having brought the subject before
the House, and knowing that it was under the consideration
of the Government, would not deem it necessary to do more
at present. He (Sir G. Grey) had received a communication
stating that the most extensive owners of mines and collieries
were ready to enter into communication with Government
in order to devise the best remedies that could be found for
preventing accidents. The subject was one of too much
importance to be hurried forward during the present session,
and he hoped that the hon. gentleman, having brought it
under the consideration of the House and of the public,
would be content to leave the measure to be matured in the
next session of Parliament.
Mr. Duncombe said he should wish the bill to be read a
second time, if for no other purpose than to affirm the prin-
ciple that the House would interfere to prevent the causes
of accidents in mines and collieries, by which lives were
perilled every day; and to declare that they had arrived at a
point when it had become necessary to legislate for the better
NOHTHUMBERLAND AND DUBHAM. 127
regulation of mines. Accidents from the sudden accumula-
tion of bad air were not so seldom as was generally
supposed. In almost all the cases^ it had been known some
time before that there was bad air in the mine^ and that it
was dangerous. In so large a proportion might these acci-
dents be prevented by proper precautions, that only one in fifty
was unavoidable. He knew tliat when legislation was talked
of, coal proprietors were always ready to promise to take
precautions for the preservation of life, but it was necessary
to compel and enforce such precautions. If there was neg-
ligence on the part of the men, regulations were therefore
necessary, which must be enforced; and nothing but legisla-
tive interference could do this. The miners were likewise
subjected to other grievances which he wished to see
removed. In some places they were compelled to work by
measure instead of by weight. In Scotland, Northumberland,
and Durham, he believed they worked by weight, but in
Staffordshire they worked by measure, and in consequence
they suffered great impositions. They asked to be allowed
in all cases to work by weight, and they asked also to have
their wages paid more regularly. They were now at the
mercy of a class of middlemen who drove them to the truck
shops, and the consequence was that they found their way
unavoidably to the public-houses, where their wages were
spent. They desired to have their wages paid at once, and
there must be some legislative enactment that the men
should be thus paid their wages, or that the Truck Act
should not be evaded. He believed that if the House would
consent to the second reading of the bill — he did not press
the details — it would be a very great satisfaction, by holding
out a prospect of protection to the mining population, con-
sisting of 400,000 or 500,000 persons, of whom, at least 500
lost their lives by accidents every year. He did not know
why protection should not be afforded to this meritorious
class, as well as to persons employed in factories. Of late
years there had been many fatal accidents in coal pits. In
the Haswell mine, three years ago, no less than 95 lives
were lost; and other serious accidents had since occurred.
The commissioners had reported that the time had arrived,
and that the subject was ripe for legislation. The only
practical measure was to appoint Commissioners of Inspec-
128 THE MINERS OF
tion, with ftill power to visit all the mines in the country,
and to report on their condition as to ventilation, &c. The
hon. member concluded by moving that the bill be read a
second time.
Colonel Sibthorp (Lincoln) said it was the duty of the
Grovernment not to dissolve Parliament until provision had
been made to protect the lived of those of her Majesty's sub-
jects who were employed in the dangerous occupation of
working the mines and collieries of this country. He thought
it was the first duty of all governments to protect the lives
of the people in every possible way, and the bill before the
House was of infinitely more importance than Highway
Bills and Health of Towns Bills. He hoped the hon. mem-
ber for Finsbury would not be gulled and quieted by the
interposition of the right hon. gentleman, the Secretary for
the Home Department, but would proceed with his measure
at once; and as to there being no time for it because the
session was to terminate on the 20th July, he was prepared
to sit the whole of the year, and the whole of the next year,
to pass so important a measure. He should support the
second reading of the bill.
Mr. Liddell (North Durham) had hoped, after the
Government had expressed their view with regard to this
measure, that the Hon. member for Finsbury would have
withdrawn it. Not having done so, he (Mr. Liddell) from
a sense of duty, should move that the bill be read a second
time that day six months. He at the same time should not
be opposed to a measure properly drawn up, and such as
would give security to the lives of individuals employed in
mines and collieries, if brought forward upon competent
authority. But the means proposed for carrying this bill
into efiect were the most inadequate, and he might say
ridiculous, that could be imagined. The hon. member moved
that the bill be read a second time that day six months.
Mr. Bemal (Weymouth) thought that all the details
of the bill with which the hon. member who had just sat
down foimd fault, might be amended or altered in committee.
The bill called on the House to affirm a most important
proposition, namely, that it was the duty of the Government
to adopt measures for the preservation of the lives and limbs
of a large portion of Her Majesty's subjects. The Govern-
NOBTHUMBBBLAND AND DUBHAM. 129*
menty however, had not given anj assurance that they would
introduce a measure on the suhject, and it was most import-
ant therefore, that the principle of the bill before the House
should be affirmed, although there was no possibility of the
measure being passed this session.
Sir G. Grey said it had been asked what peril was
inctlrred by allowing this bill to be then read a second time?
He would ask what advantage would be gained by it?
There had been no dissent from the proposition with which
the hon. member for Finsbury had concluded, that it was
the duty of the House to provide, as far as possible, against
the recurrence of those frightful accidents that had so
frequently occurred of late, and for the protection of Her
Majesty's subjects who were engaged in mines and collieries.
He thought however, that great disadvantages would result
from their reading the bill a second time; for, although it
contained some important provisions, which he thanked the
hon. gentleman for submitting to the public, yet it also con-
tained provisions very objectionable, and if the House were
to read it a second time, the public might be led to suppose
that they were prepared to legislate upon the principle
embodied in those provisions.
Mr. E. B. Denison (West Riding, York), said he was
not opposed to the principle of the bill, but hoped the hon.
member would withdraw it at so late a period of the session.
Lord Harry Vane (South Durham) expressed a similar
opinion.
Mr. Wakley, (Finsbury), said the interests of the poor
were always staved o% but if one noble lord had been blown
out of a coal pit, instead of hundreds of miners, not only
would a measure have been at once introduced, but he
doubted if the matter would not have been mentioned in the
speech from the throne. (Much laughter). He thought the
voice of humanity called loudly for some interference to
prevent the frightful loss of life which so frequently occurred;
and the late period of the session was no argument against
proceeding with the bill, as there could be no necessity for
the House to rise on a particular day. He thought his hon.
colleague was bound to persist in the motion. If some of
the provisions were objectionable let those be struck out,
and let the rest of the bill be passed. It was notorious
130 THE MINERS OF
that these accidents entirely happened from the grossest
negligence. All that was required to prevent them was
efficient ventilation. Was there anything unreasonable in
asking that that might be provided for.
Mr. Newdegate (North Warwickshire) and Mr. Aglionby
(Cockermonth) both agreed in the principle of the
measure, but thought, under all the circumstances of
the case, that the safer course would be to leave the matter
in the hands of the Government.
Mr. P. Howard (Carlisle) thought that the time had
arrived when the owners of mines should set, not their
houses, but their mines in order. The principle of in-
spection having been assented to in the case of factories,
it could not be resisted in the case of mines. He hoped
the Government would take up the measure with energy,
and endeavour to improve the condition of a class which so
well deserved the consideration of the philanthropist. He
was glad to hear that several hon. members connected with
the mining interest had assented to the leading principle of
the bill.
Mr. Forster (Berwick) observed that nineteen out of
twenty accidents that occurred were imputable to the
carelessness of the men themselves, and did not arise from
any cause which it was in the power of the coal owners to
remove. He had looked over the bill, and did not perceive
a single clause directed against the notorious carelesness of
persons employed in mines and collieries. It should be
remembered that when accidents occurred, they often
occassioned the owners of mines losses that amounted' to
several thousands of pounds. Surely such losses must pro-
duce more effect upon their minds than any £100 penalties
that a bill of that kind might inflict. In his opinion there
ought to be no legislation on this subject without the report
of a committee.
Mr. Osborne (Wycombe) said that if the right hon.
baronet opposite would give a pledge, that the Goverment
would proceed with some such measure, he ventured to
hope that his hon. friend, the member for Finsbury,
might for the present be induced to drop his bill.
Sir G. Grey replied that he could give no distinct
pledge on the subject. He could undertake to say that the
KORTHUMBEBLAKD AND DURHAM. 131
serious consideration, of the Government should be given to it
during recess. If they could find an opportunity for propos-
ing a measure on this subject in a satisfactory manner during
the next session, he did by no means say that they would
be indisposed to do so.
Mr. Buncombe said he considered that the subject had
been most fairly met by the other side, but what he coiii-
plained of was the manner in which it had been met by the
coal owners, and by some gentlemen on the opposition side
of the House. He found that the same parties who had
interfered with factory labour, refused to admit the prin-
ciple of interference in the case of coal miners. He had
now the same difficulty in dealing with the coal kings as
the Government had recently had in dealing with the
cotton lords. After the recommendation of the Govern-
ment commissioners the bill ought not to be made the subject
of ridicule, and he hoped that in a future session of Parlia-
ment legislation would take place, and be attended with
beneficial effects. There had been some attempt to cast
ridicule upon the measure which he had thought it his duty
to bring forward, and upon the whole proceedihg; but he
begged to say, it was no joking matter — ^it was no joke to
the poor people who lost their lives. The report of the
commissioners on accidents in mines and collieries distinctly
recommended such a system of inspection as should not
amount to undue intermeddling with the affisiirs of the
owners, but which should give security to the lives and
limbs of the working people whom they employed. The
farthing a ton for paying the expenses of inspection was
said to be ridiculous, yet he had derived the leading features
of his bill from the recommendation of the Government
inspectors. He had now only to add, that he left with
confidence the whole matter in the hands of the Govern-
ment, and he should not put the House to the trouble of
dividing.
The bill was then withdrawn.
132 THE MINEBS OF
CHAPTER XXV.
INTRODUCTION OP ANOTHER BILL TO PREVENT THE USE OP
GUNPOWDER AND CANDLES IN MINES. FORMATION OP A
FRESH UNION. STRIKE IN NORTHUMBERLAND AND DUR-
HAM. MURDER OP 6R0R6E HUNTER AT COWPEN.
OUTBREAK OF THE CHOLERA.
The attention which had now been directed to the case
of the miners had a most beneficial effect, and though it did
not result in any immediate advantage, yet it led the way
to changes of a very important character which subsequently
took place.
On the 6th of July in the same year, Mr. Buncombe in-
troduced another bill, the object of which was to prevent
the use of candles and gunpowder in fiery collieries. It
was hoped that if the measure could be passed much good
would result, and many accidents would be prevented till
such time as the matter could be dealt with in a thorough
manner.
Sir George G-rey, the Home Secretary, on the introduc-
tion of the bill, stated that he should not support it on the
second reading.
Mr. Buncombe informed the House that he had intro-
duced the bill in consequence of the rejection of a larger
measure on the same subject. His object was to protect
the lives of a meritorious and industrious body of men.
Sir George Grey regretted that Mr. Buncombe had
proposed a bill of this character at so late a period of the
session, after the very decided opinion which the House had
already pronounced on this subject. He believed that
legislation upon it, however desirable, would be very dan-
gerous at tlus moment, for as yet sufficient time had not
been given for consideration and inquiry. He requested
Mr. Buncombe to withdraw the bill for the present, and said
that if Mr. Buncombe would not accede to his request, he
must move that his bill be read a second time that day six
months.
A conversation of some length then took place, in which
Messrs. W. Fatten, Liddell, Newdegate, Maule, Trelawmy,
and Forster opposed, and Messrs. Wakley, Ferrand, R«
Yorke^ and Bouverie supported the motion. Messrs. Hutt,
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHABC. 133
BemaJ, Hindlej, Escott and Lord H. Yane, unwilling to
condemn, and afraid to support it, took a middle course and
suggested to Mr. Duncombe to withdraw it, but Mr. Dun-
combe was not to be wheedled out of his bill. He pressed
it to a division when the numbers were
For the amendment ... ... 56
Against it ... ... ... ... 23
Majority in favour of amendment 33
So the bill was lost for that session.
The public mind was now too deeply impressed with the
miners' position, their danger and drudgery, to let such an
important matter drop. Though the union at this time
was wrecked, still there was a feeling amongst the men,
whenever they got a chance to get together, that they
should be united again. They became desperate, and it was
often suggested that nothing but ceasing work till their
grievances were adjusted would bring them any relief.
This went on to a fearful extent in both counties. If the
monthly bonds gave the owners the privilege of turning
men off they wished to get rid of, the men took the same
advantage and were frequently giving in their notice and
leaving, and thus the owners were never sure of the pits
working with any regularity or any degree of permanency.
The next two years were passed without anything of
interest to the miners having taken place. True, the
leaders as well as the influential friends they had found in
Parliament did not abate their labours to bring about a
better state of things, but nothing assumed a definite shape.
On the 13th of March, 1849, the tocsin of union was again
sounded throughout the two counties by the Seaton Delaval
men, who for several years past had taken an active part in
all the leading movements for the emancipation of their fellow-
men, and who were looked upon as the vanguard of liberty.
Feeling once more that their own weakness constituted the
strength of their opponents, they resolved to form them-
selves into one united body and have for their rallying cry
** The better ventilation of mines, and the Government inspec-
tion thereof." Active measures were at once taken, and
Mr. Robert Turnbull, of Seghill, was appointed as the first
134 THE MINERS OF
agent to go and proclaim the glad tidings to the surrounding
collieries that the men of Seaton Delaval were determined
to leave no means untried until the Mines Inspection
Bill became the law of the land. But such was the servile
condition of the miners at this time that at several of the
collieries visited by Mr. Turnbull they were afraid to go
near him for fear that their masters should get to know of it,
and they would be discharged. But very few of the old
veterans that took an active part in the union of 1844,
having felt the effects of the men's ingratitude, could be
induced to come to the front again. The old spark remain-
ing, soon however began to blaze, and a large portion of the
Northumberland miners got united and were determined to
rouse up their brethern of the Wear and Tees. Mr. William
Bell, of Seaton Delaval, was appointed secretary. Mr. John
Hall and Mr. George Young, (the father of Mr. Ealph
Young, the respected treasurer of the Northumberland
Miners' Association) together with others, formed, the first
committee. They went to work in the two counties and
succeeded in getting a large number of men both in the Tyne
and Wear to join the union. It was difficult to get meet-
ings at many places, and old Ben Embleton was seen on
many occasions going about the collieries with a tin pan, or
a sheet of iron, commonly called a ^'bleazer " to attract the
attention of the men and induce them to come out. His
favourite speech was, " Lads, I know the position the masters
have you in, and nothing but your union will liberate you
from the oppression you have to bear." A favourite quotation
of his was " some one will have to bell the cat." Ben Embleton
and his other colleagues were ever ready to address the
meetings, till the union began to get a firm hold. But, as
in the case at the formation of the previous unions, no
sooner were the men united, than they wanted all their
grievances shook off at once, and the consequence was there
was always a large number of collieries on strike at the
same time. Seaton Delaval and Cowpen were on strike
together, and collieries in the County of Durham were out
in the same way. This prevented many collieries from
joining the miion, as there was a heavy levy to pay to sup-
port those on strike. This action on the part of the men,
and that of the masters in turning the men off who belonged
NORTHUMBEKLAND AND DURHAM. 135
to the union, prevented the union of 1849 from reaching
the dimensions of that of 1844.
Cowpen Colliery was eleven weeks on strike, and resulted
in a gieat loss to both masters and men, as trade was very
brisk at the time. It also led to a very unfortunate afiair.
A man named George Hunter, a pitman at Cowpen, on
returning home, was attacked by some one and injured so
severely that he died in a few days. Hunter was not a
union man, and was disliked by the men of the colliery.
Some of the miners were apprehended, but as the authorities
could not prove any charge against them they were dis-
charged, and those who had caused his death were never
found out.
The cholera having broke out at this time with great
violence in the colliery districts, the attention of both em-
ployers and employed was turned towards the improvement
of the sanitary condition of the villages, and union matters
were laid aside for a time, as great numbers of the workmen
on the collieries were dying daily, struck down by the dire
disease. Among those who fell victims was Mr. William
Bell, the secretary of the General Union, whose death took
place at Seaton Delaval.
CHAPTER XXVI.
FRESH STRIKES IX BOTH COUNTIES. THE ADHESION OF
THE BARRINQTON MEN TO THE UNION. STRIKE AT
HARRINGTON AND DISORDER AMONGST THE MEN. ' FINAL
COLLAPSE OP THE UNION.
When the violence of the cholera began to abate, the
men of West Moor Colliery again turned their attention to
their position, and finding no other remedy at hand came
out on strike. It was seen by some of the older men who
had taken a prominent part in, the battle of 1844 that this
was likely to be a terrible struggle, and they were there-
fore not easily drawn out to take any part in the movement.
In time, first one and then another began to buckle on their
armour and come to the front. Mr. Thomas Weather ly was
136 THE MINERS OF
appointed secretary of the associatiou in the room of Mr.
Bell ; and Mr. Kendal, president.
After Seaton Delaval had been on strike three weeks,
the dispute was settled by arbitration. Marlej Hill, a large
colliery in the County of Durham, next came out on strike,
and continued out for some weeks. Mr. Nicholas Wood,
viewer of the colliery, brought a large number of men from
Scotland to supply the places of the men on strike, and an
attempt was made by the union men to prevent the strangers
from comjnencing work. This strike, however, ended by
the men giving in to the masters' terms.
Hetton Colliery, where Mr. Wood was resident manager,
also came out on strike. Mr. Wood and the men had an
interview, but as they could not agree, he gave them three
days to reconsider their determination. They still deter-
mined to hold out, and then he proceeded, with the police, to
turn the whole of the miners out of their houses. After a
short strike, these men also resumed work on the masters'
terms.
Another strike took place at Lord Durham's collieries.
High Grange, near Durham. The agent, Mr. Morton, had
an interview with the men, but they could not come to
terms. The officials of the colliery thereupon, with a strong
force of police, proceeded to the village and had all the
miners ejected from their houses. The pit was then set to
work with " blacklegs';" but after a month the men returned
to work on the masters' terms. He took back the majority
of the men, but refused to re-engage those who had taken
the acting part in the union, though many of them had de-
clared themselves opposed to the strike at first. One of
those who were rejected had an interview with the agent,
and tried to reason with him; but the agent would not hear
him and he had to leave. He recited the following lines in his
presence, and left the County of Durham, and came to the
Tyne :—
"Tyrants* chains are only strong,
When slaves submit to wear tnem ;
For who could bind them on the throng
Determined not to bear them ? "
As several collieries were not in the union in the district
of Bedlington, it was resolved to hold a district meeting at
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM. 137
Horton for the purpose of bringing in those outside collier-
ies. Barrington colliery at this period was not in the
union, and in order to secure the attendance of the men
working at the pit, the youths of the colliery village were
got together on the Sunday night, and encouraged to tell
their seniors that the pit was to lie idle on the following
day. This the youths readily consented to do, and com-
menced between nine and ten o'clock at night. The first
house they went into they found those who were in the first
shift preparing for bed, on which the youngsters said : —
** Lads, hev ye no heard tell the pit's gan to be idle the
mom ? " Such intelligence is more welcome to the miner
on the Sunday night than on any other night during the
week, and particularly is it so to young men. As Barrington
was a pit which had just been opened out, the great major-
ity of the men employed there were young ones, and but
little disposed to question the truth of the assertion. Every
house was visited, and the same story told as to the first,
the effect of which was that the pit was laid in the next
day. A meeting wns called at the pit early in the morning,
and it was then and there unanimously resolved to attend
the meeting at Horton. When they reached the place of
meeting there was already a large body of men present,
who had arrived from various collieries in the district.
The men from West Cramlington came soon after, with a
banner, and Thomas Bamsay, the late agent for the minors
of Durham, playing the fiute at the head of them was the
only musician they had. The meeting was addressed by
Martin Jude, Edward Richardson, John Richardson, Thomas
and Robert Ramsay, and Joseph Wilson, the agent for the
Sailors' Association, North Shields. The men of Barring-
ton resolved to join the union at this meeting, and shortly
after they came out on strike. There was more trouble with
the Barrington men being on strike than with those of any
other colliery in Northumberland. They resolved not to ad-
here to the principle of keeping the peace, and whenever any
attempt was made by the owners to get the pit to work,
great destruction was done to property, so much so, that
large forces of police and soldiers had to be sent for. The
more thinking part of the leading men at other collieries
became alarmed at the Barrington men's conduct, and with
138 THE MIXERS OF
a view of bringing them to a proper sense of their true
position, they resolved to hold another district meeting at
the colliery. As the strike had continued for some time,
and the men and their families were in consequence suffering
from the effects of hunger, it was suggested that every man
attending the meeting from pits which were still at work,
and who could afford it, should bring a loaf of bread to the
meeting. This caused a great attraction, and the meeting
was very numerously attended. Hundreds of loaves were
laid out in the fleld, and were formed into letters making tlie
texts: — "Go thou and do likewise," "a friend in need is a
friend indeed ;" " help one another ;" The pit had now been
got to work with the officials and some men that they had
brought from other places ; but at the meeting the majority
of the union men stuck to their former resolutions not to
return to work until their demands were acceded to. Though
the necessity of keeping the peace inviolate was strenuously
advocated at this meeting, the men found themselves unable
to follow the advice of their leaders, but very soon afterwards
they let their passions have way again, and indulged in a
number of excesses for which no palliation whatever can be
offered. One night a number of them went into a house
where lived a man who had been the means of bringing a
lot of "blacklegs" to the colliery. On the entrance of the
men into his house he made his escape up into the garret,
and pulled the ladder up after him to prevent the attacking
party from following him up. They did not attempt to go
up the trap-hole, as he threatened he would kill the first
man who came up after him. This could readily have been
done, as he stood at the top of the hatchway. Great num-
bers of them then got props and knocked, up the loft boards
in order that he might fall down in amongst them. Seeing
what their determination was, he climbed up on to the beams
which stretched across the garret. Several stones and props
were then tossed up at him, and he received some very heavy
blows. On leaving this house they followed some other
men who were working at the colliery, principally officials.
One of these, however, fired a pistol amongst the union men,
and then they fled and took refuge in the colliery office. They
were followed by the men in great numbers, and thinking that
the door would not long resist the vigorous attack yrhich was
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM. 139
being made upon it, they broke a hole through a wall at the
back of the office, and made their escape into the fields. The
night was dark, and they could not be pursued any further.
This led to several warrants being taken out against the men
for breach of the peace, and a groat number of them there-
fore fled into the County of Durham; but some were taken
prisoners. In this way the men were divided and scattered
abroad, and the strike was finished; the men being defeated
by their own headstrong and lawless behaviour. Those who
remained at the colliery had to go to work on the employers'
terms; but this protracted strike, together with the other
expenses which came against the colliery, was the cause of
a great loss to the owners.
Large numbers of strikes also occurred at other collieries,
to give a detail of which would but be a repetition of the
same circumstances. The men became desperate and
careless in many cases, in others they gave way, for to
resist with the resources they had at their command was
but to unhouse their wives and families and bring greater
misery on themselves, if greater could be. The union
might therefore be said to be almost at an end in the year
1852, with the exceptions of one or two collieries in the
County of Durham, together with Seaton Delaval, West
Cramlington, and Cowpen, which held out till the latter
part of 1853. The colliery agents at Seaton Delaval dis-
charged upwards of thirty men, amongst them were the
leading men, together with a lot of young men who took no
part. This was to hoodwink the public into the belief that
it was not the leading men alone they were discharging; but
whichever way it was, the most active men of the union weie
included amongst them. One case by way of illustration: —
Mr. Edward Richardson, who we have previously mentioned
in the unions of 1844 and 1849, was one of the most intelligent
miners of the two counties. He had a son Matthew who was
hewing. He was brought home almost lifeless, so much in-
jured that there were men appointed to attend him night and
day for some months. When this unhappy event occurred,
he had gained strength to go out on crutches. He lived
in the house with his father, and as Edward Richardson
was one of the thirty who were discharged, it resulted
in his son's smart money being stopped. The men of
140 THE MINERS OF
the colliery, determined not to have their union broke
up, volunteered to subscribe largely for the maintenance
of those men till they got work. The agent then had
the whole of the men turned to the door. Amongst
them was Edward Richardson with his son, who was
then walking on crutches. He then proceeded to the
colliery office with his son and asked the agent what he in-
tended to do with his son who was disabled from work.
The reply was, " we have nothing to do with you or your
son, you have brought it all on yourself, you might have
"been in a better situation than you are, had you looked to-
wards your own interests." All the collieries left the union,
but Delaval; and the subscriptions became less and less.
Edward Richardson went to Shields to live, and was offered
a situation as a life insurance agent. He was an excellent
scholar, but however he did not succeed in his new office.
His last effort to get bread for his wife and family, was to
sell the books he prized so much. He died in South
Shields from sheer want, and it was reported at the time
that there was not as much in the house as would break the fast
of any of the inmates. Though he was* an intelligent man,
he was too independent in spirit to let his wants be known.
CHAPTER XXVII.
PASSING wOF THE MINES REGULATION BILL. MISREPRE-
SENTATION OF THE FIRST INSPECTOR UNDER THE ACT.
While the strikes and contentions between the men and
their employers were progressing in the North of England
the Mines' Regulation Bill was under discussion in the
House of Commons, and finally the measure was passed into
law in the Parliamentary session of 1850. Soon after it
had passed and had received the Royal assent, Mr. H.
Seymour Tremehere, the commissioner who had been
appointed under the provisions of the Act 5 and 6 Vic, cap.
99^ to inquire into the operation of that Act and into the
state of the population of the mining districts, paid a visit
to the collieries in the Counties of Northumberland and
Durham. The miners of the two counties were not aware
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM. 141
that he had been there till his report was printed, as he
never went amongst any of the men, but went instead to the
agents of the collieries.
The following are extracts from his reports on the miners,
and their unions. In one case he said **the policy of the
pitmen's delegates, who directed their proceedings, has been
the cause of strikes at one colliery at a time, in the expecta-
tion that the owners of the collieries finding themselves in the
position of seeing their trade pass into the hands of their
neighbours, would submit to the pitmen's demands." He
ftirther said "the strike of 1844 was organized by delegates
of the miners' union. The obj ec t of their union was to stop all
the manufactories in the kingdom until they could secure
the rate of wages they demanded. The colliers were under
the instigation of the Chartist delegates. Local Preachers —
chiefly Primitive Methodists or * Ranters* — ^and showed a
strong disposition to violence." In speaking of the Hetton
strike he said, " the owners orfered to redress any grievances
that their men could prove, but they could prove none. The
under viewer of one of Lord Durham's Collieries, Mr.
Morton, favoured me with the following account: *I
endeavoured to reason quietly with them, I praised their
former good conduct, and said how much regret I should
feel if I were compelled to eject them from their houses.
I could make no impression on them. I was compelled to
give them notice. They refused, and I had every one of
them ejected." At Seaton Delaval he made his inquiries
of the agents of the colliery as to who were the leaders of the
union. The answer he got was, that "they are led thereby
about 20 young men of the colliery, under 30 years of age,
fluent speakers, popular and resolute. Some of the 20 are
Ranter Preachers and two-thirds belong to no religion at
all." He also adds: — "The agent further informed me that
when the men were spoken to privately, they said they
knew the union was injurious to all parties, and the well
disposed of them could not trust one another."
His report, made up from beginning to end of a tissue of
misstatements, was presented to Sir George Grey, Home
Secretary; but Martin Jude, with his ready pen, did not
leave one stone unturned in contradicting this false report
of the commissioner's. "Tremehere," he said, "did not
142 THE MINERS OF
come to get a correct report, or at all events if he did, he
had not gone the way to get one. Instead of taking evi-
dence from all parties, he only went among the petty officials
who had heen raised up into situations, some of them from
working men, and who were now cutting high capers over
the poor miners; the commissioner was shown over the
houses these little bodies were then living in, taken to the
colliery office, and courteously escorted to the station by the
officials; but the men were not in any single instance
consulted. He took it for granted, that all the agents told
him was true, and as such presented it to Her Majesty's
Secretary of State for the Home Department, perhaps to form
the basis of future legislation for all he knew or cared."
CHAPTER XXVni.
THE HISTORY OF THE SCOTCH MINERS. THEIR SERFDOM.
THE EMANCIPATING ACTS.
Having reviewed the history of the Northumberland
and Durham Miners, we will now turn back and give some
account of the many difficulties and dangers which beset
the paths of the poor miners in Scotland, for if the miners
were in an unfortunate position iji England, they were
infinitely worse off in Scotland. It is not our intention to
go very deeply into the history of the Scottish miners, but
the following general facts will prove interesting to the
reader, and furnish a pretty coiTect notion of the state of
slavery in which these poor fellow-creatures of ours were
held in the early portion of the nineteenth century. With
much force may the lines of the local poet, writing on the
English miners, be applied to their case.
** Whene'er aw Dan the Deevil, had —
Or some sic hell-hound — ^f or a man'ow,
Maw life, aw's sure was full as bad
As ony tyed's belaw a harrow.
The slav'ry borne by Blackymoors
They've lang been ringin' i' wor ears ;
But let them tyek a luik at wors,
And tell us which the warst appears.
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM. 143
•
If ony, then, o* blacky's race
Ha'e harder cairds then ^vors te play,
Wey, then, poor dogs, ower hard'e their case,
And truth's in what wor preachers say.
Thou knaws for weeks aw've gyen away
At twee o'dodc o' Monday momin.
And niv vor seen the leet o' d&y
Until the Sabbath day^s retumin/
But then, thou knaws. Jack, we are free ;
And though we work as nyek'd as them.
We're not sell'd inte slavery.
Far, far away frae f rinds and hyem."
There was in the vicinity of Niddry Mill, near Edinburgh,
in the beginning of the nineteenth century a wretched assem-
blage of dingy, low-roofed, tile-covered hovels, all resem-
bling each other, and inhabited by a rude and ignorant race
of men, bearing about them the soil and stain of recent slavery.
Curious as the fact may seem, all the older men of that
village, though situated little more than four miles from
Edinburgh, had been born slaves, and many actually were
slaves at the commencement of the present century. When
Parliament issued a commission to inquire into the nature
and results of female labour in the coal pits of Scotland,
there was a collier then living that had never been twenty
miles from the Scottish capital, who could have stated to
the commissioners that both his father and grandfather had
been slaves — that he himself had been born a slave, and that
he had wrought for years in a pit in the neighbourhood of
Mussleburgh, ere the colliers got their freedom. His father
and grandfather had been parishioners of the late Dr.
Carlyle, of Inveresk, and were contemporaries with Chatham
and Cowper, with Burke and Fox, and though they lived at
a time when Granville Sh«arpe stepped forward and effectu-
ally protected the runaway negro who had taken refuge
from the tyranny of his master in a British port, no man
could have protected them from the Inveresk laird, their
proprietor, had they dared to exercise the right, common to
all Britons except themselves, of removing to some other
locality, or of making choice of some other employment.
Strange enough, surely, that so entire a fragment of the bar-
barous past should have been thus dovetailed into the nine-
teenth century ! The colliery women of this village, poor
144 THE MINERS OF
over-toiled creatures, who carried up all the coal from under-
ground on their backs by a long circular wooden stair, built
up around one of the shafts, continued to bear more of the
marks of serfdom about them than even the men. How these
poor women laboured, and how thoroughly, even at this time,
were they characterised by the sullen nature of the slave !
It has been estimated by a man who knew them well — ^Mr.
Robert Bald — that one of their ordinary days' work
was equivalent to carrying one cwt. of coal from the
level of the sea to the top of Ben Lomond. They were
marked by a peculiar type of mouth, which distinguished
them from all the other females of the country. It was
wide, open, thick-lipped, projecting equally above and below,
and exactly resembling those features found in the prints
given of savages in their lowest and most degraded state.
Fortunately, however, this peculiar and unhappy type of
features, has with the lapse of the last twenty years almost
entirely disappeared in Scotland. It was also accompanied
by traits of almost infantile weakness. These collier women
have been seen crying like children when toiling under their
load on the upper rounds of the wooden stair that traversed
the shaft, and have been met, when they had emptied their
coals, returning scarcely a minute afterwards, with their
empty creel, singing with glee. The colliery houses were
chiefly remarkable for being all alike, outside and in ; all
were equally dingy, dirty, naked and uncomfortable. The
act for emancipating the Scotch colliers was passed in the
year 1775, and though it was only such colliers of the village
as were above 50 years of age at the beginning of the present
century, who were born slaves, yet the men of 30 years old
had actually, though not nominally, come into the world in
a state of bondage, in consequence of certain penalties
attached to the Emancipation Act, of which the poor igno-
rant workers underground were both too improvident and
too ignorant to keep clear. They were set free, however,
by a second act, passed in 1779. The language of both these
acts, when regarded as British statutes passed in the latter
half of the last century, and having reference to British sub-
jects living within the limits of the island, strikes one with
startling effect : —
"Whereas," says the preamble of the older act, that of
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM. 145
1775, "by the statute law of Scotland, as explained by the
judges of courts of law there, many colliers and coal-bearers,
and salters, are in a state of slavery or bondage, bound to
th6 collieries or salt works, where they work, for life, and
are transferable with the collieries and salt works," &c.
A passage in the preamble of the act of 1799 is scarcely less
striking: it declares that, notwithstanding tlie passing of the
former act, " many colliers and coal-bearers still continue in
a state of bondage " in Scotland.
The history of the Scotish colliers is a curious and
instructive one. Their slavery seems not to have been a
relic of the ancient times of general serfdom and villaoihge,
but to liave originated in comparatively modem acts of the
Scottish Parliament, and in decisions of the Court of Session
— in the acts of a Parliament in which the poor ignorant
subterranean men of the country were, of course, wholly
unrepresented ; and in the decisions of a court in which no
agent of their's ever made appearance in their behalf. It
was a considerable time after their emancipation before
the Scottish miners made any stir towards improving their
position, but, with the growth of a new generation, a strong
and powerful union sprang up, and it was by means of this
union that they ultimately succeeded in securing some con-
sideration for their position at the hands of their employers.
So far as we have hitherto gone our record has been one
of little else than struggles between capital and labour, or of
contentions for the political and social rights of the miners ;
but now we propose to turn aside for a short period, and
detail the many catastrophes which have occurred in con-
nection with mines, and which exhibit the careless manner
in which the mines were managed in the early days of the
present century.
I
4
H
146 THE MINERS OP
CHAPTER XXIX.
ACCIDENTS IN MINES. THE INTRODUCTION OP THE DAVY
LAMP. A LIST OP ACCIDENTS. AN INQUIRY INTO THE
CAUSE OP EXPLOSIONS IN MINES.
Pitmen and pit work have occupied more or less the minds
of the greatest philosophers and scientific men of this
country for tjie last half century. Previous to the introduction
by Sir Humphry Davy, of the Davy lamp, the hewers at
fiery collieries had to work almost in the dEirk, for in those
dftys there was nothing better than the flint and steel mills
to illuminate places where candles could not be burned.
The flint was so arranged as to catch the steel wheel which
kept up a continual flight of sparks as long as the wheel
was kept turned. As may be readily imagined the light
which a machine of this description would afford, could only
be of the feeblest kind; but though the system seems so
very antiquated in the present scientific age, there are many
pitmen still living who have in their youth had to hew their
coals by the dingy light given by the flashes of fire flying
from the flint and rotary steel. The Davy lamp having
been introduced, the well known Mr. Buddie gave it as his
opinion that it was a safe lamp for miners to work with
in fiery collieries, and all collieries adopted it as such.
Experience, however, proved that they were the most
deadly instrument ever devised in mining operations, and
were the cause of more sacrifice of human life than ever
had occurred before. The fact was the men, having con-
fidence in the lamp, the use of which was a guarantee of
safety, did not take the same precautions as they would have
done had they not had any lamp at all, and to the reliance on the
efficacy of the invention is to be traced the cause of many
of the accidents that occurred. It was proved by scientific
men that if the dangerous elements in mines were met by
skilful combination, and the calm promptitude which could
only belong to instructed minds, their power would melt
away, and the miners would be saved. The men, however,
unfortunately had not instructed minds, and the result was
that too often the feelings of humanity were harrowed up
by the recital of some horrible disaster in which a number
of fellow creatures had been suddenly hurried into eternity
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM.
147
without a moment's warning. But still the men were
sufficiently endowed with natural instinct to be observant
of the effect of the wind upon the ventilation of the mines,
and even as late as the year 1822, before barometers and
thermometers were generally used in the pits to indicate the
state of the temperature, the men and boys employed at
Walker Colliery when called in the morning would examine
the weather, and if the wind was blowing from the south
east and threatening rain, they would return again to their
beds, for they knew from unhappy experience that the
pit would be full of gas. The viewer who had charge of
this mine, stated this as the usual practice, when giving
evidence before a committee of inquiry on mining accidents.
The following list of accidents in the coal mines
of Northumberland and Durham is compiled from the
minutes of Mr. Buddie's evidence taken before the select com-
mittee, 1835, and from a manuscript list furnished by Mr.
T. J. Taylor; and though it is undoubtedly incomplete,
many of the minor accidents being entirely omitted, it is yet
sufficiently full to indicate the terrible prevalence of these
disasters in the last half of the past and the first half of the
present century: —
DATE.
1710, Jan, 18
1743,
1756, Aug. 11
1757, June 10
1760, June 16
1761, Dec. 1
1765, Apr. 2
1766, Mar. 18
Apr. 16
Aug. 22
1767, Mar. 27
1768, Dec. 21
1773, Dec. 6
1776, Oct. 6
1778, Dec. 8
1780, Aug. 21
1782, May 17
„ Oct 11
1784, Nov. 6
»f
«»
COLLIEBT.
... North Biddick
Bensham
Chaytor's Haugh ...
... Kavensworth
Long Benton
... Hartley
Walker ...
... Walker
South Biddick
... Lambton
Fatfield ...
... South Biddick
North Biddick
... East Bainton
Chaytor*B Haugh...
... Birtley
Fold Pit (aateshead)
... Wallsend
do.
NO. OP
LIVES LOST.
... 17
70 to 80
4
... 16
1
5
8
... 10
27
... 6
39
• • • ^^"^
19
... a
23
... o
4
1
3
148
THE MINERS OF
NO.
. OP
DATE.
COLLIERY.
LIVES LOST.
„ Dec 12 ...
... Wallsend
• ••
• ••
2
1785, June 9
• • • CIO* • • •
• ••
1
.• .L/ec. 4 •«•
• • • Uvl« • • •
• ••
• ••
2
1786, Apr. 9
• t • Ul/» • • •
• ••
6
1790, Oct. 4 ...
do.
• ••
• ••
7
1793, „ 27
Sheriff Hill
• ••
14
1794, Jan. 9 ...
... Picktree
• • •
• • •
30
1793 and 1794
Washington
• ••
2
99 •••
• • • IXvl* • • •
• • •
• • •
2
* 9
Lambton (A) Pit
• ••
1
,, ...
(B) Pit
• ••
... Several.
>f
Lambton Lady Ann Pit ...
2
1794, Jan. 11 ...
... Sarraton
• • •
• ••
28
„ Nov.
Globe Pit
«••
2
1795, Apr. 24 ...
... Benwell
• ••
• • •
11
1796. Feb. 12
New Washinffton...
7
• 1 ^VX/A • • • •
do.
• ••
• ••
2
1798, Feb. 27
Washington
• ••
7
„ May 28 ...
... Globe
• ••
• ••
4
1799, Oct 11
Lumley
• ••
39
„ Aug. 13 ...
... Newbottle
• • •
• ••
1
>f >»
Oxclose (A) Pit ...
• • •
1
18a3, Sep. 25 ...
... Wallsend
. • •
• • •
13
' •» »»
Morton Pit
• ••
3
1805, Oct 21 ...
... Hebbum
• ••
• • •
35
„ Apr. „
Oxclose (A) Pit ...
«••
,
2
„ Nov. 29 ...
... Oxclose
• • •
*
• ••
38
1806, Mar. 28
Killingworth
• ••
10
1808, Aug. 31 ...
... Shiney Row ...
• • •
• •»
2
„ Nov. 29
Harraton
• ••
4
,, ,, oO ...
... FatfieM Hall ...
• • •
• ••
2
1809, Sep. 14
Killingworth
• ••
12
1812, May 25 ...
... Felling
• • •
• ••
92
„ Oct. 10
Harrington Mill (Pensher) . . .
24
1813, July 17 ...
... Collingwood Main
• ••
• ••
8
„ Sep. 28
Fatfield Hall
• ••
32
. „ Dec 24 ...
... Felling
• • •
• ••
22
1814, Apr. 5
HowdonPit, Percy Main...
4
„ Aug. 12 ...
... Hebbum
• • •
• ••
11
„ Sept 9
Leafield
• •%
4
1815, June 2 ...
... Newbottle
• •«
»••
57
.. ,, 27
Sheriff Hill
• ••
11
, , .L/ec. Xx . • .
do.
• ••
• •»
5
,, „ IS
Townley
• ••
1
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM.
149
NC
►. OF
]
LIVES
1 LOS
„ June 30
Row Pit, Harraton
t • •
38
„ July 21 ...
... SheriflP Hill
1
,, Aug. 5
Wallsend
• t •
4
„ Sep, 27 ...
... Jarrow
6
„ Nov. 3
Owsten
• • •
1
„ Dec. 18 ...
... Plain Pit, Rainton
27
1819, July 19
Sheriff HiU
• • •
35
„ Oct. 9 ...
... George Pit, Lumley
13
1820, Apr. 29
Jarrow
• ••
2
1821, July 9 ...
... North Pit, Rainton
1
»> »»
Goxlodge
• ••
1
„ Oct. 19 ...
... Nesham*8, Walbottle
6
1821, Oct. 23
Wallflend
• • •
52
»i >» •••
... Felling
6
1823, Feb. 21
Owston
• ••
4
„ Nov. 3 ...
... Plain Pit, Rainton
59
1824, Oct. 25
Greorge Pit, Lumley ...
• •»
14
„ Nov. 19 ...
... Dolly Pit, Newbottle
11
1825, July 3
Juliet Pit, Fatfield ...
• t •
11
,, Oct. 5 ...
... Hebburn
4
1826, Jan. 17
Jarrow
• ••
34
„ May 20 ...
... Townley
38
„ Sep. 5
Heworth
• t •
5
„ Oct. 27 ...
... Benwell
2
1827, July 20
Charles Pit, Lumley ...
• ••
1
„ Sep. 5 ...
... Fawdons
2
1828, May 15
Jarrow
• • •
8
„ Sept. 1 ...
.. New Pit, Houghton-le-Spring
7
„ Nov. 20
Washington (1) Pit ...
• *•
14
1829, May 13 ...
... West Moor
1
„ June 26
Dorothy Pit, Newbottle
t • •
1
„ Dec. 3 ...
... Willington
4
1830, Aug. 3
Jarrow
• • •
42
1831, July 9 ...
... King Pit, Washington
3
„ Sept. 20
Willington ...
• • •
7
1832, Nov. 13 ...
... Heaton ...
1
1833, May 24
Great Lumley
• • •
2
Q
,.. Springfield
47
„ Nov. 8
Black Fell
• • •
3
If f» 22 ...
... Mawsley
6
1834, Nov. 24
St. Lawrence ...
• ••
3
1835, June 18 ...
... Wallsend
102
„ Nov. 19
Burdon Main...
• ••
11
1836, Jan. 28 ...
... Downs Pit, Hetton
22
150
THE MINERS OF
NO
1. OP
DATE.
COLLIERY.
LIVES LOST.
1^7, Dec 6
Springwell
30
1838, „ 19 ...
... WaUsend
11
1839, Jan. 28
St. Hilda
51
1840, June 16 ...
... Haswell
1
1841, Apr. 19
WillinKton, Bigge's Pit
32
„ Aug. 5 ...
... Thomley...
9
,, ,, 17
HaBwell
1
1842, Mar. 2 ...
... West Cramlington
1
1843, Apr. 5
King Pit, Wreckington
28
1844, July 18 ...
... West Moor
5
„ Sep. 28
Haswell
95
„ Oct. 15 ...
... Ooxlodge
1
„ Dec. 1
Seghill
2
1845, Aug. 21 ...
... Jarrow
39
1849, June 5
Hebbum
31
The second accident on the list occurred on the first
attempt being made to work the Low Main Seam in the
neighbourhood of Newcastle. The coal in the pit at Walls-
end caught fire at the explosion on the 11th October, 1782,
and the mine had to be flooded with water in order to extin-
guish it. The explosion in the month of November, 1784,
was supposed to be the result of a spark from the steel mill,
with which the hewer was at work ; but the explosion at
the same colliery in the following year was distinctly traced
to a spark emitted from a steel mill. The accident at the
Low Pit, Harraton, on the 30th of June, 1817, by which
38 lives were lost, was occasioned by a viewer wilfully
unscrewing his Davy lamp, and lighting a candle from it in
defiance of the rules of the colliery. According to the above
list it will be seen that the number of accidents by explosion
has been increasing in the districts of Northumberland and
Durham since the middle of the 18th century.
If we class the rnunber for each successive ten years,
commencing with 1756, the following result is obtained: —
EXPLOSIONS. DEATHS.
Prom 1756 to 1765 inclusive
1766 „ 1776
1776 „ 1785 „
1786 „ 1795 „
1796 „ 1805 „
1806 ,, 1815 „
61 734
5
■ ••
U
6
• • •
• • •
101
9
■ ••
41
12
• • •
•• •
105
12
• *•
151
17
• • •
• • •
302
1816
to
1825
inclusive
...
20 ... 296
1826
ft
1835
»
• ••
23 344
1836
t9
1845
•
9>
c*
15 ... 328
1846
99
1849
»»
• t*
1 • 31
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM. 151
The Davy lamp was introduced about this period, and
the number of explosions became more frequent, and with
more fatal results : —
From
tt
ti
if
59 999
The maximum number is found in the period from 1826
to* 1835; viz., 23 explosions in ten years, with a loss of life
amounting to 344 persons, or above 34 each year. The
year in which the greatest number of explosions occured in
any single year, is 1817; viz., 6 explosions resulting in 77
deaths. The year in which the greatest number of deaths
by explosion occured is 1812; viz., 116 deaths. In 1835,
113 deaths were caused by explosion, and in 1844, 103.
Notwithstanding the disastrous nature of this statement
there are many hundreds of poor miners who have been
blown to atoms, and whose deaths have never been heard of
beyond the circle from which they were missed. All
attempts to combat the dire enemy of the miner appeared to
be in vain, though the men were bouyed up with empty
promises which were never or seldom fulfilled.
A committee of inquiry appointed by the Government
to investigate the cause of explosions in pits, at the con-
clusion of their inquiries drew up a report favourable to
improvement, and gave it as their opinion that more shafts
were required in order to secure better ventilation in working
the mines. In the report of 1835, the committee said
** the practice of placing, wooden partitions or brattices in
ventilating shafts, is to be reprobated; the slightest explo-
sion may remove them, thus the whole system of ventilation
is destroyed and no timely aid can be rendered to the tem-
porarily surviving sufferers. Your committee have reason
to believe that this opinion is generally adopted in the coal-
mining districts. To this point they attach an importance,
inferior only to the provision of a sufficent number of up-
east and down-cast shafts. They consider the evidence
justifies the suspicion that the foul and free air courses are
frequently too near to each other, the communications not
152 THE MINERS OF
adequately protected, and that the lengths of air coursings
are excessive, giving opportunities for leakage, interruption,
and contamination, and that the temporary nature of the stopp-
ings—often boards imperfectly united, sonletimes mere heaps
of small coal — and their frequent derangement, inevitably
produce dangerous consequences."
Mr. R. Smith, miningengineer, who deserves the thanks
of the present and future generations who are and will be
concerned in mines, stated his opinion that carburetted
hydrogen gas is not beyond control, or the power of man to
subdue its destructive Influence in gaseous coal mines ; and
in support of that opinion he submitted to the committee
indisputable calculations.
Every effort was made to oppose the adoption of more
shafts by the owners, for proof of which assertion a refer-
ence to the statement of the late Mr. John Buddie on this
subject when examined in 1835 is only necessary. "Can
you give the committee any idea of the expense of sinking
a shaft? " he was asked. "I cannot; but I believe there are
some that have cost £40,000 and upwards to reach the coal.
The cost varies according to circumstances, so that it is
impossible to give an accurate account. I mean the cost
including all the outfit of the engine and machinery, and
everything of that kind."
" Supposing a pit to cost £40,000, would it be a saving
to have two pits, taking into consideration the loss of
keeping the brattice in repair? " — "I would not say that, but
when gentlemen have expended £50,000 or £60,000 in sink-
ing one pit, it might not be convenient to spend £20,000 more
to sink another merely to avoid the chance of any accident
that might eventually happen; in fact I conceive if there
were any legislative interference on that point, it would
tend to extinguish a very large proportion of our coal
mines.
"You sink pits as sparingly as possible?" — "We do."
" Does not that in some degree tend to increase the
danger of the mine? " — " It does in some degree, but if the
committee look to the plan of Wallsend Colliery they will
see there are more pits in it than in any other colliery in the
North of England, for there are no less than five shafts for the
ventilation of 100 acres, which is only equal to 20 acres for
NORTHUMBERLAXD AND DURHAM. 153
each pit. I believe it is a rare instance ; I do not believe
there is auy other colliery that has such a number of pits
for the like extent of workings."
Such was the opinion of the late Mr. Buddie. Mr.
Mather, however, when examined, estimated the sinking of a
shaft at £5 or £6 per fathom, except they met with great
difficulty, and Mr. Woodhouse reckoned it from £10 to £20
per fathom, thus it would not exceed £2,000 for 100 fathom^
in ordinary cases, an estimate somewhat different to Mr,
Buddie's.
The evidence given by scientific men proved that when
collieries were worked with one shaft, and excavated such
a large area, they were not safe for human beings to work
in, nor was it a gain to those who invested their capital in
the collieries. A writer on the subject said that neither
fear nor favour should be shown in this matter, and that
stringent measures were necessary to protect this humble
and long oppressed class of operators. Sir H. T. De la
Beche, G.B., F.R.S., who was director general of the
Geological Survey of the United Kingdom, and director of
the Museum of Practical GeolcJgy in London, for thirty
years connected with the Geology and Mineralogy of this
Kingdom, and employed by Government upon various in-
quries connected with it, gave the following evidence — " The
accidents in the smaller collieries are usully unheard of to
any extent. It very rarely happens that in them there are
more than two or three persons burnt or killed at a time,
and this is rarely reported, except in the neighbourhood,
nor is it usually much thought of there. I may mention
that when we were engaged in the report, we applied to the
Registrar General to endeavour to obtain through him, and
by means of the coroners, a somewhat detailed account of
the needful facts, as we were aware that the case was as
before represented. It then appeared that coroners had not
kept proper accounts of such accidents, and in very many
cases there had been no inquests at all; so we arrived at no
other than a general conclusion to the effect that, not only
looking at the great number of those collieries, as compared
with the larger ones, but also at their general defective state,
the accidents in them were collectively very considerable.
The accidents m them do not excite the notice which is
154 THE MINEBS OF
occasioned by explosions in larger collieries. When seventy
persons may be swept off it causes general attention, but it
is otherwise where two or three only are killed; a great
many are occassionally disabled who are never heard of, but
who go upon the parish. A great many persons go upon
the parish in consequence of injuries which no one ever
hears of^
Men and boys were frequently destroyed and no account
given of them, and not even an inquest was held on their
bodies to inquire whether they had been slaughtered, or had
died by accident or naturally. The survivors of those
killed, and others who had been disabled had in nearly
every case to seek an asylum in the workhouse, or wander
through the world as beggars.
CHAPTER XXX.
THE WALLSEND EXPLOSION. CORONERS' INQUESTS. THE
INACCURACY OP RETURNS OP CASUALTIES IN MINES.
Having detailed in a general manner the many accidents
which have occurred in the two counties of Northumberland
and Durham during the last half of the 18th and the first
half of the 19th century, I will now refer in a more length-
ened manner to those that were more extensive and
characterized with more disastrous results than the great
majority. An explosion took place at Wallsend Colliery by
which 101 men and boys lost their lives, and four others
were seriously injured. Eleven horses also, which were in
the pit at the same time, were killed. Directly after the
accident eight men volunteered to go down in the hope of
rescuing some of their fellow-workmen; but on descending
they were so nearly overpowered by the impure air, that it
was with extreme difficulty they regained the ropes, and
were almost insensible when drawn to the top. Mr. Buddie,
the viewer, with assistants, went down the C. pit, but
the workings were found in so ruinous a state that many
tons of rubbish had to be brought to " bank " before the
bodies could be reached. In the afternoon of the dav follow-
ing the explosion the remains of two men and nineteen boys
were got out and a hideous sight they presented. Some or
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM. 155
them were black, shrivelled, burnt, and terribly mutilated;
but the greater number, having been suffocated by the fire-
damp, had the appearance of being in a profound and
tranquil sleep.
One of the redeeming features of these great catas-
trophes, which occasionally shock the feelings of the world,
is that they not unfrequently furnish rare examples of
human unselfishness and self-abnegation. Men, as a rule,
are too apt in the presence of danger to forget their neigh-
bours and to care for nothing beyond saving their own lives;
but there are glorious and heroic exceptions to the rule,
and whenever such exceptions happen it is necessary they
should be recorded in order that those who survive may be
the better for the lesson in humanity which such deeds
teach. In connection with the terrible calamity at present
under notice an act of real heroism was performed by a
deputy overman named Lawson. He and eight boys had
been working in one of the dangerous parts about 500 yards
from the pit shaft, and within 160 yards of this point of escape
they were all foimd dead together. In front of the body of
Lawson were six of the boys, on each side of him was one
of the youngest, and near them were the Davy lamps the
boys liad been using. The obvious conjecture is that poor
Lawson had been attending to his duty, that the explosion
in a distant part of the mine had alarmed him, and disdain-
ing to leave his young charges to battle for themselves
against the danger, he had hastily collected the lamps,
hurried the six elder boys before him through the mine,
and, taking each of the two lesser ones by the hand, had
travelled till the after-damp had terminated at once their
progress and their lives.
About ten o'clock on the evening of the 20th — the
explosion having taken place in the afternoon of the 18th,
three men and a boy were brought up alive. They were all
more or less burnt, and the intellects of two of them
appeared to have suffered by their immolition. Although
they had been underground at a depth of 145 fathoms for
sixty-five hours, fifty-six hours of which they had literally
been entombed alive, it was said that they did not appear
to have suffered from hunger. And no great wonder, for
one may reasonably suppose that during the awfiil state of
156 THE MINERS OF
suspense, alternated by concern for their slaughtered re-
latives and anxiety regarding their own fate, the thought of
food would be a matter of secondary consideration with
them. One of them, whose leg it was necessary to ampu-
tate, died on the 3rd of July following, and is therefore
included in the annexed summary of those who perished by
this disaster.
Total number of men and boys dead .., 102
Remaining alive ••• ••• ••• ••• 3
Total in the mine 105
Women deprived of their husbands ... 17
Widowed mothers, deprived of their sons 8
Children, under the age of 14, left fatherless 48
Total left unprovided for 73
The hewers had fortunately finished their shift, and had
ridden to "bank," leaving the coal they had hewn to be
brought to the bottom of the pit by the putters and drivers,
consisting of young men and boys, otherwise the loss of life
would have been much greater, and the number of widows
and children lefk to the protection of the public consequently
considerably augmented. At the inquest which was held
on the bodies of some of the men, the coroner, in summing
up said: — "This unhappy occurrence which has taken
place might on any day, at any instant of time, for the last
fourteen years past, have happened (the period since an
explosion in the same mine occurred, when fifty-two men
were killed), and can it therefore be said that providence has
been unwatchful of the lives of the numerous individuals
who have gained their bread in this perilous employment?
For reasons of Infinite Wisdom, inscrutable to the human
mind, it has been sufiered to take place. The fiat went
forth, and 100 human beings have instantly been swept away
from the face of the earth? But are we to suppose this
awfiil visitation will pass away without any ultimate benefit.
May it not be the means of leading to investigation in the
highest quarter? Men of science and learning will devote
their thoughts, and their energies to the inquiry. And
who dare deny that the same providence that so long arres-
NOBTHU^klBERLAND AKD DURHAM. 157
ted, and has now willed this deplorable event, may direct
some superior individual, whose gigantic mind may success-
ftilly grapple with the latent foe, and generations yet unborn
look back with gratitude to the cause of future protection.
Thus good may spring out of the evil."
With reference to the manner in which deaths in mines
from explosion and other causes werfe recorded, the following
taken from a report of the commissioner who was appointed
by Goverment, will be read with interest. ** I believe," said
he, " from the inquiries I have made, that deaths from ex-
plosion frequently occur in mines, which are concealed from
the knowledge of the coroner and the public." I may also
refer my readers to the return ordered to be printed by the
House of Commons, dated 11th August, 1834, purporting to
show the number of persons destroyed by " choke-damp " and
"fire-damp," in mines and in collieries in England and
Wales since 1810, so far as the same could be ascertained by
the Clerks of the Peace from returns made by the respective
coroners; and a frightful exposition that document presents.
Li many instances it is admitted that no returns have been
made at all by the coroners, whilst for the County of
Denbigh, the Clerk of the Peace says, " as the coroner
neither makes a return to the Clerk of the Peace, nor ex-
presses in his bills the precise cause of any person's death,
I am unable to supply the information required." The only
clearly detailed returns appear to have been made by Mr.
H. Smith, coroner for Stafford, for these contained the name
of deceased, date of death, parish in which the accident occur-
red, and the cause of death in 104 cases. In referring to
the Counties of Northumberland and Durham, where
collieries were numerous and extensive, and accidents by no
means less in number or in magnitude, I find under the head
of " Durham" the following: —
28th of June, 1834.
*^ Sir. — ^I beg leave to inform you that no returns what-
ever have been made by the coroners to my office, and in
order to further the object in view, I have sent a copy of
your letter to each of the four coroners, with a request that
they will, as soon as possible, transmit to you the returns
required, so far as it is in their power to do so: —
158 THE »aNEBS OF
T. C. Maynard Esq., coroner of Easington Ward.
Michael Hall, Esq., G-ateshead, coroner for Chester Ward.
William Trotter, Esq., Bishop Auckland, coroner for
Darlington Ward.
Thomas Henry Faber, Esq., Stockton, coroner for
Stockton Ward.
(Signed)
JOHN DUNRY,
Deputy Clerk of the Peace.
To S. M. Phillips, Esq."
The following replies from the coroners were furnished:
" No such accidents have occurred in Darlington Ward,
since my appointment to the office of coroner in August,
1831; and further, from the information I can collect, no
such casualties have happened in this ward since 1810.
(Signed)
W. TROTTER,
Coroner for Darlington Ward.
1st July, 1834.
*^ As coroner for Stockton Ward, I beg to state that I
have held no inquests on persons who have been lost or
destroyed by choke-damp or fire-damp in mines and collieries.
(Signed)
J. H. FABER,
Coroner for Stockton Ward.
Stockton, 3rd July, 1834."
This appears at first sight to be a highly satisfactory
state of affairs. No fatal accidents in two divisions of the
large and important County of Durham, and no return what-
ever made by the coroners of the two remaining divisions,
would naturally lead to the conclusion that nothing had
occurred to disturb the peace and tranquility of the mining
population. To this subject, however, I shall have occa-
sion again to allude, but meanwhile I will refer to the return
famished for the County of Northumberland. There are
two coroners for this county; one was appointed in 1814
and the other in 1815. The former usually acts for Castle
and Tindale Wards, and the latter for Morpeth, Coquetdale,
Bamburgh, and Glendale Wards. The Clerk of the Peace
for the County of Northumberland in answering the
NOBTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM. 159
questions put to him as in the case of Durham, says: — '^I
have made inquiry from each coroner, and I find from the
coroner for Castle and Tindale Wards (being the principal
colliery district of this county) that* since his appointment
in 1814 he has held inquests upon seventy-six persons killed
by choke-damp. And I find from the coroner of the other
district that since his appointment in 1815, he has only
held an inquest on one person killed by this cause." Thi&
again is apparently very gratifying intelligence; but unhap-
pily it is hampered with one very serious qualification, and
that is, it is simply untrue. I do not say it is untrue to say
that inquests were held in instances not recorded; but yet I
do say that the reports as frirnished give an untrue and imper-
fect statement of the amount of mortality which occured at
this period in the mines of Northumberland and Durham.
Nor do I suppose that either of these gentlemen would pur-
posely omit any case brought officially under their notice;
but I confess I am at a loss to know why these numbers
have not been considerably increased, if such public
inquiries had been instituted in all cases of fatal results
from colliery explosions. In Durham we find a return of
"none" frona two of these public officers, the other two
making no return at all; and for Northumberland one reports
76 deaths and the .other 1, thus showing a total for the
two counties of 77- . But the public may ask, and that very
naturally, why have such fatal catastrophes been kept secret?
Or in other words, why have not the necessary in-
quiries been instituted before the respective coroners of the
district in which such calamities have occurred, as the law
demands? The unsatisfactory returns to which I have al-
luded is not only delusive but exhibits the utmost want of
courtesy towards the legislature of this country and the
public in general, for whose interests such returns were
required.
In addition to the many omissions to hold inquests at
all, which must have occurred, since no record of any is fur-
nished to Government when required, a very loose system of
conducting these inquiries prevailed, as will be sufficiently
exemplified by the following facts. An inquest was opened
before Mr. Stephen Eeed, coroner, in consequence of the
deaths of upwards of 100 human beings; but the immediate
160 THE MIXERS OP
subject for inquiry was as to the death of William Craster.
The inquest was held on the 22ud, 23rd, and 29th of June,
and after 19 witnesses Jiad been examined, the court decided
on the folio win jy deliverance: — *^ An inquisition taken for
our Sovereign Lord the King in the parish of Wallsend, in
the County of Northumberland, on the 22nd day of June,
in the fifth year of the Reign of our Soverign Lord, William
the Fourth, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Ireland, King, defender of the faith, and
in the year of our Lord 1835, before Stephen Reed, Esq.,
one of the coroners for our said Lord the King, for the said
county, on view of the body of John Giles, then and there
lying dead, on the oaths of Anthony Easterly, John Wright,
John Armstrong, Patrick Rye, William Jameson, Robert
Henry Coward, Mathew Elliott, Joseph Mordue, John
Hornsby, John Brough, George Shanks, John Falcus,
Charles Weather ly, and Washington Potts, good and lawful
men of the said county duly chosen; and who being then
and there duly sworn, and cliarged to inquire for our said
Lord the King, when, where, how, and after what manner,
the said John Giles came to his death, do upon their oath,
say the said John Giles, on the 18 th day of, June in the
year aforesaid, at the parish and in the county aforesaid,
being at work in a certain pit or coal mine, called the G.
Pit of Wallsend Colliery; it so happened that the inflam-
mable air, accumulated and contained in the workings of the
said pit, from some cause or causes, and in some part or
parts thereof, to the jury luiknown, ignited and exploded,
by reason and means whereof he, the said John Giles, then
and there accidentally, casually, and by misfortune, received
divers wounds and contusions in and upon his body, or other-
wise was burnt and suffocated, and thereby presently died.
And so the jurors aforesaid, upon their oaths aforesaid, do
say that the said John Giles, by reason and means aforesaid,
and hi manner aforesaid, accidentally, casually, and by mis-
fortune came to his death and not otherwise. And that in
the opinion of the said jurors, there has been no want of due
care and precjiution on the part of those who had the direc-
tion and management of the said mine."
Here then we find, at the opening of the proceedings,
that the witnesses were examined touching the death of
MR. JAMES MATHEH.
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM. 161
William Craster ; but the jurors in conclusion returned a
verdict to the effect that John Giles came by his death
^^accidentally, casually, and by misfortune," without the
slightest allusion to William Craster, into the circumstances
of whose death they were sworn to inquire, or yet to the
remainder of the unfortunate victims, whose lives were
saci^ificed by the same explosion. This might be the usual
course in such cases in Northumberland, where probably the
first and last persons exhumed were alone the subjects of
inquiry; but even adopting this view, there appears to be an
anomaly perfectly inexplicable in the procedure as regards
the death of William Craster, or John Giles. Under any
circumstances there is nothing in the verdict to indicate the
extent of the calamity, and therefore we need not wonder
at the want of correctness in any report derived from such
sources.
However parties may desire to conceal from the public
the enormous number and extent of such casualties, I cannot
conceive tliat any such feeling should be carried to the extent
of deceiving the House of Commons, when that honourable
body, the representatives of the British public, calls for a
return such as it did on the occasion alluded to. If the
death of the unfortunate John Giles, or that of William
Craster, were alone recorded in lieu of 104, it is only a very
fair inference that the 77 deaths reported for the two
counties included in tke return to Parliament, represented
not less than 777 tleaths.
CHAPTER XXXL
THE SOUTH SHIELDS EXPLOSION. THE COMMITTEE OF
INQUIRY INTO THE CAUSES OF EXPLOSIONS. THE
HASWELL EXPLOSION.
The present age, and ages to come, have cause to be
grateful to Mr. James Mather for the very active and intel-
ligent part he took in endeavouring to prevent this wholesale
sacrifice of human life in mines. Mr. Mather was not one
of those men, who, carriecl away at the moment by excite-
ment and enthusiasm, go amon^the crowd murmuring their
162 THE MINEKS OF
wrongs. No, he was a man bold and resolute, calm and
clear-sighted, and one who had an extensive knowledge of
mining engineering.
In 1839, the South Shields pit exploded, and fifty men
and boys lost their lives. Mr. Mather, on this occasion,
went down the pit as soon as any person after the occurrence,
and, with some of the colliery officials, rendered great ser-
vices in carrying stimulants to the sufferers below, and in
restoring to animation several of those who had fallen into a
state of asphyxia. His object in going down the pit was
to see, if possible, what had been the cause of the explosion.
A meeting of the inhabitants of South Shields was called
for the purpose of raising a fund for the relief of the sufferers,
and at that meeting Mr. Mather was present, and stated
what he had seen down the pit. He suggested that there
should be a much more minute inquiry into the cause of
accidents in mines, and that they should not merely content
themselves with relieving the sufferers when any such acci-
dent occurred. The practical outcome of that meeting was the
appointment of a committee, with Mr. Mather and Mr. Salmon,
the town clerk of South Shields, as secretaries; and the mem-
bers of which were Mr. R. Ingham, chairman ; Dr. Winter-
bottom, Mr. Shortridge, Mr. Roxby, Mr. John Clay, Mr.
Errington Bell, Mr. R. Walter Swinburne, Mr. W. Eddows,
and Mr. Anthony Harrison. These men applied talent, time,
and money, for the purpose of lessening the dangers to which
the coal miners were hourly exposed; but none ef them were
connected with the collieries. They were all men of great
ability and activity, and many of them being practical
chemists, they applied their knowledge to the analysis of the
gases in the mines, and conducted an inquiry into the causes
of explosions in a most scientific manner, and with much
minuteness and zeal for a period of three years. They
visited the mines in the district frequently, consulted with
the most able and practical viewers, corresponded with some
of the most scientific men of the day, and made experiments
at every opportunity that was afforded them, with lamps and
other instruments. Their decision was, that the Davy
lamp in the hands of the ordinary miner would frequently
lead to accidents. When the report was published, Mr.
Ingliam, their chairman, in giving his evidence before a
NOBTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM. 163
Select Committee on Coal Mines, on June 7tli, 1862, said :
— " That, substantially, the entire merit of the inquiry of
the South Shields Committee rested with Mr. Mather, he,
having been down the South Shields pit immediately after
the explosion."
The following are extracts from the account of what
Mr. Mather saw there: — " The deadly gas, the resulting
product, became stronger and stronger as we approached.
We encountered in one place the bodies of five men who had
died from the effects of the gas, and had apparently died
placidly, without one muscle of the face distorted. Then
there were three more that had been destroyed by the explo-
sion; their clothes burnt and torn, the hair singed off, the
skin and flesh torn away in several places, with an expression
as if the spirit had passed away in agony. Going with a
single guide, we encountered two men, one with a light, the
other bearing something on his shoulders. It was a black-
ened mass, a poor dead burnt boy he was taking out. A
little further on we found wagons that had been loaded,
overturned bottom upwards, and scattered in different direc-
tions. A horse was lying dead directly in the passage, with
his head turned over his shoulders, as if in falling he had
made a last effort to escape: he was -swollen in an extraor-
dinary manner. At one point in another passage, we sud-
denly came amongst twelve or fifteen men,' who, in striving
to reach the places where bodies or survivors might be found,
had been driven back by the surcharged atmosphere of this
vast common grave. Their lamps were burning dimly and
sicklily, with a dying red light, glimmering as through a fog.
All were feeling the effects of the poison. One poor man,
especially, was so sick and ill that he had to be brought out
in a fainting condition; and after having had something given
him to assist his recovery, he seemed still much affected.
He was asked where he felt most oppressed ? and he an-
swered, in a broken voice of suppressed agony, * I am not
well. Sir, I have two sons in there.* The men who were
exerting themselves for the recovery of their unfortunate
friends, acted with a solemn, high-wrought, steady courage,
without bustle, scarcely with a remark, and what remarks
were made were such as were necessary, brief and decided,
and generally in a subdued tone, such as human nature
164 THE MINERS OP
assumes in its most vigorous, perfect, and ennobling mo-
ments. We beheld there the deepest sympathies of the
heart, combined with a courage that had never been sur-
passed. Their companions were brought out insensible from
the overcharged atmosphere, struck down at their feet
almost without life."
On April 19th, 1841, Mr. Mather visited Willington
(Bigges' Pit), where 32 lives had been lost by explosion.
We next find him at Wreckington, where, on the 5th of
April, 1843, 28 lives were lost ; and then on September 28,
1844, at Has well Colliery, where 95 were lost. The explo-
sion at Haswell was very terrible in its effects, and created
a deal of excitement throughout the country. An eye-wit-
ness of this terrible disaster says : — "At the time of the
explosion there were four men in the little pit, whose lives
were saved. These were — John Thompson, John Smith,
William Chisholm, and John Davison. They happened to
be near the upcast shaft, and the flame did not reach them ;
it having been stopped in its destructive passage by a wagoH
and a horse, and a number of empty tubs, which, by the
force of the explosion were all jammed together in the
roUey way. Two boys were also saved by the same protec-
tive agency. All felt that something had happened, though
they could not tell what. The candles of the bpys were
blown out, they saw a flash, and the furnaceman (Chisholm)
observed that the air was stopped. Thompson went towards
the workings. Smith having first given the alarm to the men
in the engine pit, ascended by the down-cast shaft, and com-
municated his fears to Mr. Scott, the under viewer, who was
then at the colliery office. Mr. Scott then descended the
shaft — others joined him — ^but, after going about 500 yards,
they were unable to proceed further in consequence of the
choke damp. The first body found was that of John Willis,
a boy of thirteen. It was brought to bank about 9 o'clock,
and others followed; the last reaching the surface about nine
on Sunday morning. The delay in getting out the bodies
was occasioned by the pit being entirely filled with choke
damp; the "stoppings" liaving all been blown down by the
blast, and it being necessary to replace them in order to ob-
tain a current of air. Till this was done, no effectual pro-
gress could be made. The boy, Willis, was much burnt, and
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM. 166
as the body was washed the skin and parts of the flesh peeled
off; one thigh was broken in two, with the bone of the
upper part protruding. Others were much more burnt —
the features being quite black, and drawn up as if in agony;
whilst, in very many cases, the head was broken as if it had
been dashed against the wall. Those above referred to were
killed by the flame; but those killed by the choke damp were
not disfigured at all, and for the most part had no expression
of pain in their features. Some had placed their caps in
their mouths, no doubt with a view of preventing their inha-
lation of the choke damp. At one part of the mine, at the
Brockley Whins Flat, there were about twenty putters
found who had been in the act of getting on their clothes.
Some were quite dressed, others nearly so, in preparation to
leave their work. In the pit, it must be understood, the men
work nearly naked, their only dress being a small body shirt,
and short trousers half down the thighs. These poor fellows
were lying huddled together as if they had felt what was
coming, and had so clasped each other to die. Death from
choke damp is not instantaneous, and probably most of them
lived for a quarter of an hour or more, and some much
longer — ^with the certainty of quickly coming death. On
the Monday afternoon the funerals of the bodies recovered
began, and by Wednesday all who had thus lost their lives
in this violent manner were interred. Some were buried at
Easington, the parish church of Haswell; some at South
Hetton; and some at Hall Garth; all three places being near
Haswell. The love of kindred is strong with the miner;
and one was brought to Long Benton, 25 miles off^ where all
his family were; while three lie at Gateshead, 18 miles from
Haswell, brought there for the same reason.
This explosion occurred on Saturday, the 28th Sep-
tember, and the inquest .was appointed for the following
Monday morning, the 30th, at 10 o'clock, at. the Railway
Inn, Haswell. At that hour the coroner, Mr. T. C. May-
nard, and the jury, composed of farmers and shopkeepers in
the neighbourhood, proceeded to view ^ye of those who had
been killed, viz., Thomas, George, Robert, and James
Dryden, and Edward Wilkinson. AH were lying at one
cottage, and it was arranged that the inquest should be held
on them only; the evidence as to one, of course, applying to
166 THE MINERS OF
all the others who were killed. The inquiry lasted through
the Monday and the following days, and was then adjourned
for the convenience of the coroner and jurymen for a week,
till Wednesday, the 9th October. Mr. Marshall attended on
behalf of the owners; Mr. Roberts for the relatives, as well
as on behalf of the other pitmen of the colliery. He was
ably assisted by Mr. Jude and Mr. Clough. On the first
day of the inquest Mr. Roberts made an application that
Mr. Matthias Dunn, a viewer, bearing a high character for
candour and integrity, as well as for great practical skill,
should examine the pit on behalf of those whom Mr. Roberts
represented, and give his evidence thereon. This, however,
was refused, the coroner declining to enforce it, and Mr.
Forster, the viewer, refusing to permit it. Mr. Roberts
then applied for an adjournment of two days, in order that
he might obtain the attendance of some person who might
watch the proceedings on the part of the Government; but
this also the coroner refused. On the adjournment of the
inquest, Mr. Roberts took advantage of the time affi)rded
for securing his object, and after consulting with Mr. Mather,
and one or two other friends of the pitmen, he went to
London, and thence to Brighton, where he obtained an in-
terview with Sir Robert Peel. The result was that Pro-
fessors Lyell and Faraday were appointed to attend and
assist at the adjoamed inquest. On Wednesday the 9th of
October, the inquiry was resumed, and after continuing till
late in the evening, was adjourned till the following Friday.
On the Thursday intervening, the pit was examined by
Messrs. Faraday and Lyell, and by Mr. Stutchbury firom
Bristol, who also had been deputed to this service by the
Grovemment. On Friday the inquest terminated by a verdict
of " accidental death," and on the suggestion of the coroner,
the jury added that, in their opinion, " no blame attached to
any one." This very unsatisfactory termination of the
inquiry was the reverse of acceptable to those gentlemen who
had undertaken the cause of the miners, and especially was
this the case with regard to Mr. Mather and Mr. Roberts.
The latter, with that indomitable perseverance which he
ever displayed in advocating the cause of the miners, again
applied to Sir Robert Peel, then at the head of affidrs in this
country, and was informed by that gentleman that the
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM. 167
Government had determined to bring the whole subject
before Parliament early in the following session.
CHAPTER XXXII.
THE JARROW EXPLOSION. THE RESULTS OF MR. MATHER's
ACTION. THE EXPLOSIONS BETWEEN 1849 AND 1860.
On the 21 st of August, 1845, an explosion occurred at
Jarrow Colliery, near the mouth of the river Tyne, by
which thirty-nine poor fellows were suddenly hurried into
eternity. Having been in a measure baulked in their last
attempt at Haswell, the miners determined that, on this
occasion, they would insist upon a full and complete inquiry
into the cause of the accident, and also as to whether some
one was not responsible for its occurrence. In order to carry
out this object, Mr. Mather, in conjunction with Mr. M.
Jude and Mr. Horn, were chosen. Mr. Mather sent a letter,
, saying that he was not able to attend the inquest, as he had
been down the pit two hours the day of the explosion, and
was sujffering from the effects of after-damp. Mr. Jud&
therefore requested the coroner to adjourn the inquest to
enable Mr. Mather to be present, but this he refused to do.
Mr. Horn then asked leave to put a few questions, and sug-
gested that the witnesses might be allowed to be cross-
examined; but this was also refused. The coroner said he
considered himself competent to conduct the inquiry, and to
manage his own court, and he would not allow any cross-
questioning there. Mr. Horn said he considered the ends of
justice demanded that there should be a strict and fair
inquiry, and that the pitmen themselves were not acquainted
with the forms of courts; but the coroner cut Mr. Horn
short by saying he could not allow the time of his court to
be taken up with argument, and at once proceeded to examine
the witnesses.
It is impossible in a work of this limited dimensions to
follow Mr. Mather through all his investigations at the dif-*
ferent collieries, nor would it be profitable to do so; but
after he had laboured long and arduously for many years, h&
168 THE MINERS OF
gave it as his opinion that if legislation be wisely, effec-
tively, and energetically enforced, not only will those deplo-
rable catastrophes be averted, but that waste of the mineral
wealth of the country, sometimes amounting to 60 per cent.,
in the mines by the appointment of inspectors.
Mr. Mather had seen the miners shattered to pieces and
under every variety of agony and torture, and he had seen
their heroic attempts to rescue each other. " Deeds have
been done," he said, ^^ in the darkness of the mine, and
amidst the most appalling dangers, which ennoble our
common nature, and which, if done in the light of day and
before the world, would have covered those humble miners
with glory. Their deeds are forgotten, and their names
only remembered by their sorrowing friends and families."
He laid the dark and dangerous deeds of mining operation
before the world, and showed that it was only money that
was necessary to prevent such catastrophes as had occurred
from occurring again. He showed the necessity of periodical
examination of mines by properly qualified inspectors; he
went into the most dangerous mines — ^not contenting himself
with going into the main air-way and measuring the air that
was passing — ^right into the workings, and exposed the
rotten system of ventilation that was practised up to within
a few years ago. It was a general practice for men to take
off their jackets before going into their places, and shake
them about to clear away the foul air before they dare take
a lighted candle in. The fore-deputy of collieries went early
in the morning to examine the working places, and when the
men went to work they often found, when the "bord " was
excessively foul, their pan shovel stuck up at the bord
end, with the words ^* dad [shake] here " chalked upon
it as an indication of danger. This was the process
adopted to secure the safety of the miner, and in numy-plfteeB
where the deputy had neglected to give this notice, severe
accidents resulted. Another practice was the use of gun-
powder for blasting down the coal, a practice that has been
the cause, from time to time, of the loss of hundreds of lives.
The fore-deputy fired the shots in the fore-shift from three
o'clock till eleven, but in the back-shiit there were in many
cases no deputies, as they generally went home. Before doing
80, however, they usually unlocked all the safety lamps, and
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM. 169
left all the liewers to fire their own shots, thus cutting off
the only protection the miners had. The working places
were frequently filled with foul, stagnant air, and the smoke
that came from the powder hung upon the men nearly the
whole of the day. It is to such gentlemen as Mr. Mather
that the gratitude of the miner and owner is due for the ex-
istence of a better and more safe method of working the
mines. It was through the instrumentality of Martin
Jude that Mr. Mather was induced to take an interest in this
question, and to acquire such an extensive knowledge of the
dangerous working of the mines as he ultimately possessed.
Mr. Mather brought the influence of the scientific world to
bear upon the British public, and induced legislation for the
better education, and for the protection of the miner ; and Dr.
Murray, in speaking about Mr. Mather, says, " to my simple
understanding Mr. Mather has demonstrated, equally and
clearly, the necessity for legislative interference. I sincerely
admire, and, as a member of the community I greatly appre-
ciate Mr. Mather's manliness. I love his straightforward
honesty, and unflinching purpose. Truth appears to be the
pole-star to which he keeps a steady eye, and philanthropic
zeal seems the impelling power."
In the ten years included in the period between 1849
and 1859, ^ve explosions of a serious nature occurred in the
two Counties of Northumberland and Durham, resulting in
an aggregate loss of ninety lives. The first of these was
that which occurred at Washington Colliery, in Durham, on
the 19th of August, 1851, when thirty-eight lives were
sacrificed. This was followed soon afterwards by an explo-
sion at Houghton, in the same county, on the 11th November,
1851, by which twenty-six men and boys were killed. In
the case of the former colliery, the danger had been indicated
by an explosion on the 26th of May previous, by which two
men were killed, and again by another explosion in July,
just one month before that which resulted so fatally. It was
stated in evidence at the coroner's inquest that for six
weeks previous to the explosion the men had been much
alarmed at the dangerous condition of this pit, and had often
complained of it to the deputy. One man had left his work
through fear; another, alarmed for his safety, took with him
his father and left the pit. They were both saved, while
I
170 THE MINEES OP
two other sons who stayed in the pit were destroyed. The
Killingworth pit exploded no less than four times in eight
days, the first occasion being upon the 23rd October, 1851,
killing one man; next upon the 27th ; again on the 28th;
and again on the 31st of the same month — killing the last
time nine people. The evidence tendered at the inquest
which was held on the bodies of the men killed showed that
the pit had been in a bad state for ^\e weeks, and that com-
plaints had been made from time to time to the overman on
the subject by the pitmen, and that one man had left hi&
work through fear. It was also shown that this pit had not
more than 30,000 cubic feet of air per minute, and that its
old workings were the most extensive in the neighbourhood,
amounting in 1835 to more than 100 miles of passages. On
the 30th September, 1858, an explosion took place at Page
Bank Colliery, in Durham County, by which ten persons
were killed; and on the 22nd of October in the following
year four men were killed in a similar manner at Wash-
ington.
Before closing this chapter, it may be stated that in
the year, 1850, the Act of Parliament making the appoint-
ment of inspectors of mines necessary was passed into law.
This act was the result of the agitation which had been
fomented by Mr. Mather and others, and has beyond all
question proved of great service to the miners of this king-
dom.
CHAPTER XXXIII.
THE BURRADON EXPLOSION. THE HETTOX EXPLOSION.
THE HARTLEY ACCIDENT.
In the early part of 1860, on the 2nd of March, the
world was startled by the report of a terrible catastrophe at
Burradon Colliery, in Northumberland, for though the lives
that were lost were less in number than the loss which had
been sustained at the explosions in the beginning of the
century — such as at Wallsend for instance — ^yet the manner
in which the terrible news was circulated by the agency of
the daily press carried it into almost every household in
the United Kingdom in which coals were used. This great
NOBTHUMBERLAKB AND DUBHAM. 171
calamity occurred on the Friday about half-past two o'clock
when upwards of 100 men and boys were in the mine. The
pit fired slightly in the first instance, and two brothers named
George and Robert Allen, alarmed at the occurrence ran
off. When they had got about three-quarters of a mile out-
bye a second explosion occurred, and, though they succee-
ded in reaching the shaft, one of them was struck in a
violent manner with a stone impelled along the main way
by the blast. The alarm having been given by the first
explosion some 17 or 18 men and boys ran off and reached
the bottom of the shaft in safety, though with great diffi-
culty. As soon as the news of the disaster spread a crowd
collected round the pit's mouth, and Mr. W. Kirkley,
fore overman, at once descended, followed by numbers of
willing assistants, to begin the melancholy work of looking
for the dead. For several days this work was continued,
and at length the bodies of 72 men and boys, some horribly
disfigured, were brought again to the upper world which
they had left so short a time previously full of life and hope
and vigour. There was weeping and wailing for many and
many a day and night in Burradon and Camperdown, and
few who had the unhappiness to take part in the melan-
choly proceedings will soon forget it.
Unfortimately the dangerous condition of the mine was
known at the colliery for weeks before the catastrophe, and
discussed amongst the miners, as well as the officials.
Some of the most intelligent miners of Northumberland
were lost at this explosion, amongst them being Mr. George
Maddox, W. Urwin, and others, who had taken an active
part with Mr. T. Weatherly in trying to establish the
Miners' Permanent Relief Fund, with which the latter gen-
tleman has from the very first up to the present time identi-
fied himself.
On the Monday after the explosion one of the workmen,
Thomas Messer, who lost a brother there and who is now living
in Waterloo, Blyth, went into Newcastle for the purpose
of making arrangements with Mr. H. L. . Pattinson, of
the Felling Chemical Works, to secure the services of
counsel and a solicitor to watch the proceedings on behalf
of the workmen, and to endeavour to gain compensation for
those who had lost their natural protectors. The services
172 THE MINEBS OP
of Mr. Sergeant Ballantine, of London, Mr; B. B. Black-
well, Barrister-at-Law, Newcastle, and Mr, W. S. Daglish,
solicitor, Newcastle, were secured, the latter agreeing to
send out his clerk to Burradon to meet Mr. Messer, in
order to get up the case for counsel. Mr. Daglish however,
withdrew from the case, and Mr. Pattinson wrote to Mr.
Messer, asking him to meet him again, when he gave him
a note to go to Mr. Longstaffe, solicitor, Grateshead, who
took the case in hands and at once sent out his clerks to
Burradon to collect evidence ready for counsel, prior to the
commencement of the inquiry. In the meantime the ser-
vices of Mr. W. P. Roberts, of Manchester, were secured
through the instrumentality of Mr. J. B. Langley, then
editor of the Newcastle Daily Chronicle , and this gentle-
man memorialized the Home Secretary, Sir George Grey,
to have a full and fair investigation of the cause of the
catastrophe. Mr. Matthias Dunn, Government Inspector of
Mines for Northumberland, was instructed by the Home
Secretary to get some lawyer to assist him in the discharge
of his duties at the inquest, and he engaged Mr. Lockey
Harle, solicitor, Newcastle; the coal owners being represen-
ted by Mr. Ralph Park Phillipson, Newcastle. In this
case Mr. James Mather was again in attendance daily.
He descended the mine and gave both his advice and assis-
tance in the perilous task of recovering the bodies from the
mine, and when asked by Mr Phillipson to give his opinion of
the cause of the explosion, his answer was short, but point-
ed, " too much gas and too little air." Ete also attended at
the inquest, as did also Mr. Hugh Lee Pattinson, J. B. Langley
and several others who took an interest in the matter.
This inquiry, which extended over a period of thirteen
weeks from the time of the accident, failed in the object
aimed at by these gentlemen, viz., to secure compensation for
damages, and resulted in the ordinary foimal verdict of
"accidental death." A relief fund was in the meantime
formed in Newcastle, the Mayor acting as chairman, and a
mixed committee was appointed for the disbursement of
the funds, which rapidly flowed in from all quarters. Ample
provision was made for both widows and orphans. Mr.
Weatherly was appointed by the committee to pay the al-
lowance to those who had a share in the fund, and he has
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM. 173
discharged the same duties from that time till the present
day. From the evidence adduced at the inquest there can
be no doubt that the pit had been in a bad state for some
time; and it was also proved that more were killed by the
fire-damp than were burnt by the explosion.
On the 20th of December, 1860, an explosion occurred at
the Hetton Colliery, Durham, by which 22 men and boys
were killed. Fortunately this occurrence took place in the
evening soon after some 200 men and boys had ridden to
bank, and when none but the stone-men were down the pit,
or the result must have been terribly fatal. There does
not appear to have been any suspicion of the presence of
gas in this case, for the reports as to the ventilation, timed
up to within a very short period before the disaster, exhibit
a deal of confidence in the freedom of the pit from that dan-
gerous element.
Following comparatively close upon the Burradon
explosion came the greatest and most appalling accident
that ever shocked the fepilngs of humanity or decimated
the ranks of industry in modern times. Fortunately
such disasters as that which took place at Hartley, in
Northumberland, on the 16th of January, 1862, are of
but rare occurrence; happily rare enough to prevent man-
kmd from regarding them as mere events happening as a
matter of course, or from growing callous at the immense
sacrifice of human life which they entail ; but still they are
much too frequent. The explosion at Burradon, followed as
it was by another in the same year at Hetton, had hardly
been abandoned as a theme of general conversation, ere news
came from the hitherto almost unknown village of Hartley
that the beam had suddenly broken, fallen down the shaft,
and, blocking it up, had entombed alive no less than 204 human
beings. The thing seemed so horrible as to almost be
beyond belief, and it was not till the shocking details came
to be published in the newspapers day after day, that a
perfect idea of the extent of the calamity could be formed.
Not only in the North of England did the direful news
create a profound and painful impression, but throughout
the entire kingdom all were anxiously on the alert for
information concerning the labours of the band of willing
workers who volunteered their services to endeavour to
174 THE MINEBS OF
relieve their unfortunate brethren, hoping against aU hope
that some of the large numbers of their fellow-creatures
might still be brought back to life. The thrill of horror
entered the carefully guarded precincts of the court, and
wrung from the Queen herself an expression of womanly
sympathy, which found an echo in the heart of every true
woman in the kingdom. The manner in which this
accident occurred was this. The Hartley Colliery was
worked with only one shaft, in which also was fixed a set
of pumps, the pump shaft being separated from the main shaft
by means of brattices extending from the top to the bottom.
On the 16th of January, 1862, just after the back shift men
had gone down to relieve the fore shift, and when some of
the latter had succeeded in reaching the bank, the beam of
the pumping engine suddenly snapped asunder and a large
portion of it fell down the shaft with a fearful crash, carry-
ing away all the gearing, and ripping away the walls with
it in its terrific descent. In connection with this accident
one of the most remarkable instances of providential escape
occurred that has ever been recorded. At the time the beam
broke, the cage was ascending the main shaft with some men;
but though the cage was wrenched, and twisted, and
shattered to fragments there was not one man of those who
were riding to bank in it but what came out of the pit
alive. It seems truly marvellous how they could escape,
but escape they most assuredly did. When the first alarm
consequent upon the occurrence of such a very unusual and
serious accident had in some measure abated, some men des-
cended the shaft in order to see the extent of the mischief
which had been wrought by the fatal flaw in the beam, and
then it was found that the shaft had been entirely denuded
of all its lining and fittings, and that the bratticing and
spars were all carried to the bottom where they were
jammed tightly together. Nor was this all, for the
walling of the shaft had been torn away, and a great
quantity of stone had also descended, and was still descend-
ing, completely blocking it up, and rendering all chance of
egress by that means hopeless, at least for a considerable
time. Then the real nature of the catastrophe began to be
painfully apparent to all practical men about that ill-fated
mine, and the awful result began to be anticipated, though
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM. 175
none of all those brave fellows were brave enough to give
utterance to their fears. It was known that there were
upwards of 200 men and boys in the mine, and it was
palpable that unless something could be done to clear the
shaft — the only causeway by which they could be brought
to the upper earth again — the whole of these must inevit-
ably perish. Mr Matthias Dunn, who was the Government
Inspector of Mines in this district at the time, had pre-
viously suggested that staples should be sunk from the low
main to the main coal seam to enable men and boys to get
from the one seam to the other in case of accident, and to a
certain extent this suggestion had been adopted, for a staple
was so sunk.
He had further advised the sinking of another subsidiary
shaft in the yard seam, so that the men could go there for
refuge in case of accident, and had this been done the whole
of the men and boys would have been saved. The chief
ground of the inspector's suggestion was the presence of a
large quantity of water in the pit, but Mr. Carr, the manager,
knowing that the water was fast being got under, and that
any danger from that source was getting with each week
more and more remote, as they were draining the standing
water from the old Hartley Mill Pit, deferred adopting the
advice tendered. If an accident, such as the breaking of a
pumping beam could have been foreseen, no doubt the shaft
would have been sunk, but the possibility of any such casu-
alty never entered into the speculations of any one in
authority there.
This accident excited more inquiry into the nature of the
work of miners, and attracted more sympathy towards them
as a class, than any other casualty had ever previously done.
In almost every town in the kingdom— certainly in every
town which could be regarded as a centre of industry — large
meetings were called together for the purpose of devising
means to succour the wives and orphans thus suddenly
thrown upon the public for support. And at these meetings,
not only were funds raised with great liberality, but the
work of the pitman was canvassed, and an active interest
began to be taken in their general welfare. At the Mansion
House, in London, a relief list was opened, and soon the
amount subscribed had accumulated to a sum hitherto unpre-
176 THE MINERS OF
cedented. This fund was daily augmented by liberal sub-
scriptions which poured in from all quarters — contributions
being sent all the way across the Atlantic from America —
and finally there Was sufficient raised to place those deprived
of their bread-winners beyond the possibility of want. This,
to a great extent, must have been consoling to the many
poor creatures who had thus suddenly lost their natural pro-
tectors, but after all there were left voids in aching hearts
which no public liberality could occupy or dispel.
Directly the real danger to the men in the mine became
apparent a great number of working men volunteered to
work in the shaft in order to endeavour to extricate their
fellow-creatures entombed below. Volunteering to work in
a shaft from which the spears and timber fittings had been
ruthlessly torn, was no easy task, for the walls, deprived of
the restraint which the presence of strong battens secured,
became very unsafe, and loose stones were perpetually falling
down the dreadful black hole with a hollow, awful sound,
accumulating a. mass of rubbish, chokhig the shaft, and ren-
dering its clearance more difficult. But scorning personal
danger in the face of danger to the multitude, these brave
fellows, with Mr. Coulson, a well known sinker, at their
head, went down to clear away the wreck ; but it was some
days before the bodies were got at; and when foimd they
were all, as it had been feared, dead. One resolute young
man, named John Gallagher, appeared to have been making
a desperate effiDrt to clear away the shaft above where the
men were located, judging from the position in which he was
found. In this really noble and courageous work, Robert
Turnbull, now at Newsham, took a very active part from
the first, and never left his position till the whole of the
bodies were got out. His duty was to report to the anxious
inquiries of the relatives and friends of those who were
buried in the mine any information he had to give them, and
he stood night and day to his post.
When the rubbish in the shaft had been sufficiently
cleared to enable the relieving party to get down to the bot-
tom of it, the bodies of the men and boys were found there.
Then commenced a painful and melancholy task, that of
getting them to bank with all possible speed and care.
They were hung in the middle of the shaft, two or three
NOBTHUMBEBLAKD AND DURHAM. 177
together, and gently drawn up, their names being reported
to the eager and anxious multitude crowding around. There
were present a large number of medical gentlemen, eager
and willing to render any assistance they could, but each
form drawn up out of the ill-fated shaft had long before
passed beyond the power of man to restore it again to life.
When the names of the bodies rescued were announced, it was
painfully interesting to watch the feeling of exultation which
took possession of some of the poor creatures waiting for the
cold forms of their husbands, their sons, or lovers; for
though hope had left their breasts they still seemed to feel
some relief in having the inanimate bodies of their loved
ones restored to them. They were dead, it was true, but
they had them once more beside them, dead though they
were, and even this was a joy in their great affliction. In
all the large village of Hartley there was scarcely a house
into which death had not been introduced: whilst in some
there were two, three, four, and even five dead forms laid
out. It is idle to write of the grief which prevailed, for no
writer can adequately describe the universal mourning which
took possession of the whole community.
On the Sunday following the recovery of the bodies, the
funerals took place, and the mournful procession from Hartley
to Earsdon, where they were buried, presented an appearance
indescribably agonizing. The numerous friends of the de-
ceased, with a large number of people who had come from
the neighbouring towns, congregated for the purpose of dis-
charging the last sad and solemn duty towards those so
suddenly and recently cut off from this life. The various
little communities from the neighbouring collieries sur-
rounded the now dismal dwellings of their late friends ; but a
grave-like silence prevailed, and was only disturbed by
the heart-broken sobs of the forlorn and wretched surviving
relatives. The closed shutters throughout the village of
Hartley, and the generally gloomy aspect of the place had a
very depressing efiect, and could not fiail at such a moment to
awaken in the mind of every one present a sense of the
great danger to which the lives of miners were daily exposed.
In muffled undertones the men, gathered together outside of
the houses, discussed the nature of the accident the effects of
which had drawn them all there upon such a sad and
178 THE MINERS OF
solemn errand; whilst those within the cottages, borne down
by grief and dispair, were engaged in taking a reluctant
farewell glance of their relatives ere the lids of the coffins
were screwed down, and the objects of their affection were
shut out from their sight for ever. The ties of relationship
were so extensive, that there was scarcely a house in the
village in which the calamity was not felt, and from which
one or more of the coffins were not brought forth. The
coffins were borne to the graves uncovered, for there were
no palls thrown over them, and the sound of the mourners'
steps was drowned by their loud lamentations as they
wended their way towards the sacred edifice and yawning
graves. It was a si ght not easily to be forgotten by those who
had the misfortune to take part in it. The greater number
of them being buried at Earsdon Church yard, a monument
was placed there to the memory of those who had lost their
lives; a sad testimonial to the power lessness of man, and
the great mutability of the things of this earth. May that
mournful procession be the last which the eyes of mankind
shall ever be called to look upon, and may that monument
be the last which the loving hearts and hands of those who
mourn shall ever have a cause to erect on such a sad and solemn
occasion.
The danger of working in mines at the present day, great
though it nndoubtedly is, is but trifling compared with the
perils which beset the miner at every turn half a century
ago. There are many pitmen living now who know this,
and can appreciate the change which has taken place; but
the rising generation of miners, who know nothing of this,
are too apt to forget those men who took a bold position
in the agitation which resulted in this beneficial alteration.
Accidents are now happily much more rare than they used
to be, and with each year they will become still more so,
for men of science have now turned their attention to the
question, and the results of their patient and earnest
thought is being applied in a hundred different ways and in
a hundred ingenious contrivances, the main object aimed at
in each being to render work in the coal pits more and more
secure. There are men to whom the mining commimity
owe a deep debt of gratitude for this happy state of things.
NORTHUMBEBLAND AND DURHAM. 179
and the foremost amongst these honoured names is that of
Mr. James Mather. By their appreciation of such men the
miners will stimulate and encourage others to do likewise,
for they of all classes of working men, stand most in need of
friends.
CHAPTER XXXIV.
THE SEPARATION GRIEVANCE. STRIKE AT SEATON DELAVAL.
LARGE MEETING ON THE TOWN MOOR. PASSING OP
THE MINES INSPECTION BILL.
Having dwelt at considerable length on the painful, yet
withal interesting subject of accident's in mines, we are led
back by the natural course of our narrative to a considera-
tion of the social and political condition of the miners,
taking up the thread where it was dropped previous to the
digression concerning the casualties. For a time the whole
of the men might be said to be in a perfectly comatose state,
so listless and indifferent did they for a brief period appear;
but this was the calm which invariably succeeds a storm,
the lassitude which takes the place of physical activity when
the body is capable of no further exertion. However, this
indifference did not last long, for soon the men aroused
themselves again to a sense of the manifold wrongs under
which they were suffering, and in 1859 commenced a
vigorous agitation against the rules relating to the separa-
tion of the coals. At this time, and even up to a much later
period, the hewers had to separate the small coals from the
round. There were inspectors appointed on the pit heaps,
and all tubs that contained a certain quantity of small in
them were forfeited to the owners. This practice made
many a man, after working hard all day, come to bank in
debt; and though it was acknowledged by eminent viewers
that the separation system was not a fair one, they said they
had no other chance of keeping their trade than by
having the best of the round coals only brought to bank.
The rules regarding separation at Seghill Colliery were con-
sidered the most strict of any in force in the two counties;
for the men not only had to rake the coals with a rake, but
180 THE MUTEBS OF
every two men had a riddle, and the coals were first raked
by them, then riddled and emptied into the tubs. On coming
to bank, the first practice of the pitmen was to look at the
chalking board, which was a large board whitewashed over,
and ruled in columns, so that when any tub was laid out the
number of the hewer was put upon this board. The hewer
knew how much he had worked for at the face, but never
could tell until he got to bank how much of his earnings
would be left for him. One man who had just come to bank,
and being rather near-sighted, as all pitmen are when they
jfirst ride from the black mine into the brilliant daylight, was
standing looking earnestly on the board, when two gentle-
men, who were going down to inspect the pit with the
viewer, inquired why all looked at this board when they
came out of the pit? The viewer, who knew perfectly well
why the men looked, but who, being a bit of a humourist in
his way, said: " What are you looking there so hard for this
morning. Bob? " The reply he received was, " I am luicking
for what I div'nt want te find, maister." Mr. Peter Burt,
the father of the much-respected secretary of the Northum-
berland Miners' Association, worked at this colliery, and one
day when he had filled eight tubs he found on coming to
bank that there were seven of them forfeited. In spite of
the chagrin which such wholesale and unjust confiscation
could not fail to induce, the old gentleman could not restrain
his characteristic humour, but turning to another man stand-
ing near, he exclaimed : —
" Aw'b shnre Tommy Niel this day has me sair hurt,
He's laid seven out of eight for poor Peter Burt."
This couplet seemed, for some reason, to tickle the fancy
of the workmen at Seghill, and it was a familiar quotation
amongst the youths long after Mr. Burt had left Seghill.
The wholesale system of " laying out," which the above inci-
dent illustrates, continued to be practised till the men deter-
mined that it could no longer be endured. But it was difiicult
to get the men stirred up in unison with each other, for
whatever the nature of their grievances might be, they were
not allowed to meet to discuss them; because any one who
attempted to get up meetings of the kind was almost sure
to be discharged. Nor could a room in which to meet be
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM. 181
very easily procured either, for the innkeepers of the two
large houses in Seghill were in the very reverse of a free
position. They did not dare to allow the men to meet in
their houses on pain of being ejected, as the public houses
belonged to the colliery owners. Whenever meetings were
to be called it was done in an off-handed indirect way,
the originators saying to their fellow-men, in an incidental
and indifferent manner, " I hear there's going to be a meet-
ing to night in Back worth lane," the favourite place of
meeting of the Seghill men. The words would pass through
the men " there's gan to be a meeting, men," but its object
was never stated, for they were afraid not only of the masters
but of many among their own ranks, who werei» always
ready to discover anything to carry to the masters. There
never was at any colliery men wanting who, for a smile
from the masters, would betray their fellow-men and do
much injury to themselves. It is true there were not
many, but even the few could, and did, do a power of harm
to both the employers and the employed, as they misrepre-
sented facts and sometimes imagined them, rather than lack
a story to tell. The Seaton Delaval men had had but few
meetings, for there being no organization amongst them
they seldom met, and their grievances accumulated and
became insufferable up to the year 1859. One day when the
back-shift men went on to the pit heap to go down, the "laid
out " board was almost covered with numbers, many of their
comrades then at work down the pit having had every tub
taken from them. One bold and desperate man amongst
the number shouted out on the pit heap, " men, how long
will ye bear this?" and was answered by them, "not
another day." The men became excited and confused, and
it appeared almost as if they were bent on doing some
damage to property. A hasty resolution was however
come to, and the back-shift men, instead of going down the
pit, went home.
A meeting was called the same afternoon at the Hastings
Arms Inn, and it was then and there resolved not to go to
work until they got their grievances adjusted. Before
coming to this conclusion the question was discussed for
hours, but all the debating led to the same result, that the
injustice to which they had been subjected was intolerable.
182 THE MINERS OF
The more intelligent men on the colliery contended that it
was not legal to stop the pit in this abrupt manner, and
though they felt their grievances as bad as any of them,
they maintained that the only legal way to get them
redressed was, to 'give in their notices, work till the notice
was up, and then coase work. On the resolution being put,
however, it was carried by a majority that the pit should be
laid idle, with all its consequences. Pitmen as a class do not
care to go against the majority, and though they may feel
that the action of the majority is unjustifiable they generally
prefer to sink their own opinions and throw in their lot
with the rest when persuasion is of no avail. There are
hundred^ of cases in which pits have been laid idle in a
similar manner, and those who have moderate and rational
views have had to suffer for the acts of the immoderate and
irrational. There were nine selected from the men of this
colliery and taken before the magistrates at North Shields
on July 21st, 1859, for breach of contract; and as it invari-
ably happens, they were the most intelligent men on the
colliery. Most of them were members of the Methodist
Societies, far advanced in years, and every one of them at
that time teetotalers. The names of those taken were as
follows: William Ritson, Robert Burt, Alexander Watson,
Thomas Wakinshaw, Amos Eatherington, Henry Bell,
Anthony Bolam, Edward Davis and Thomas Beaney. Each
of them was sentenced to two months hard labour in
Morpeth Gaol, with the exception of Thomas Beaney, who
being subject to fits and having taken one that morning,
was released. The cases of all were very hard but that of
one was particularly so. This was Robert Burt, the uncle of
Thomas Burt, a man between 50 and 60 years of age, and who
was always looked upon as one of the most reasonable among
his fellowmen. His wife was lying on her death bed, and
on the morning he was taken away, she had been given
over to death. He was a devoted husband, and being be-
sides an earnest Christian, he was praying at the bedside of
his dying wife when the police entered and took him in
charge. Can any one imagine a piece of greater cruelty ?
Not only was he punished with ordinary imprisonment, but
during the whole of the time his mind would be anxious
concerning his wife, that he might never see again. How-
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM. 183
ever she did not die during his imprisonment, but a very
short time after. The manager was spoken to by the men,
and told that the men who had been taken and put in prison
were the very men who opposed the strike, and were the
most respectable and law-abiding men they had at the
colliery; and he replied: — " I know that, and that is what
I have put them in prison for. It is of no use putting
those in who cannot feel." This is a fair index of the state of
feeling existing at this time between the employed and the
employer. We have selected those collieries as they were
the largest, and considered models in management, so that
when such a state of things prevailed at the model collieries
the reader can perhaps readily enough imagine the general
condition of the miners of Northumberland and Durham up
to this late period.
There was a growing desire amongst all thinking men
that a union should be established, but the question which
required much consideration was, how was it to be done ?
The men knew by experience that whoever attempted this
was sure to be a marked man amongst the coal owners, and
few were hardy enough to dare the united wrath of the
powerful capitalists. The desire to commence a society
amongst the miners for the purpose of providing against
accidents was also very strongly felt by the thinking and
intelligent part of the men, but nothing short of such ap-
palling accidents as that at Burradon, could rouse the general
body of miners at this time. Mr. J. Baxter Langley, then
editor of ihe Newcastle Daily Chronicle, made himself ac-
quainted with many of the miners' grievances, and began to
take a very active interest in them, with a view to the
amelioration of the condition of the pitmen. At his suggestion
an important meeting of miners was held on the Town
Moor, Newcastle, on the 23rd June, 1860.
Mr. Young at this meeting proposed " That the plan of
the proposed Miners' Provident Association deserves the
cordial support of the miners generally, and that the rules
and regulations recommended by Mr. J. Baxter Langley,
and approved of at several public meetings called together,
be adopted by the meeting, and that it be recommended
that sub-committees be formed in each colliery to carry out
tlie application of those rules. That the Mines Inspection
184 THE MINERS OF
Bill now before Parliament deserves the attention and sup-
port of the miners of Northumberland and Durham." Tlds
was seconded by Mr. Nichol and carried unanimously.
Mr. J. Watson then addressed the meeting on the Mines
Inspection Bill, which had been twelve months before the
miners.
Mr. Thomas Messer, moved " That this meeting is of
opinion that the investigation into the cause of the explo-
sion at Burradon Colliery has been useful, but that to secure
the full benefits that would arise from such inquiries, action
should be taken to make the masters responsible for the
accidents which occur in coal mines; that this meeting is
also of opinion that the conduct of Mr. S. Reed on the
inquest referred to, was grossly partial and unfair, and that
the following memorial approved of by a meeting of dele-
gates at Seaton Delaval, be adopted and signed by the chair-
man of this meeting."
The memorial represented that on occasions antecedent
and subsequent to the Burradon inquest the conduct of
Mr. Eeed had not been of that impartial character befitting
an ofiicer and judge in a solemn and important investigation,
and it concluded therefore by praying that Sir George Corn-
wall Lewis, would suspend the aforesaid coroner, till he
had satisfied himself by full investigation of the truth of
these allegations.
Mr. J. B. Langley seconded the resolution amidst loud
cheers. He spoke at some length on the conduct of the
coroner at Burradon, and also on the question that was
raised in the northern districts of England, whether or not
the masters were to be held responsible for the lives that
were lost in the pits. It was to their interests to have
accidents in mines thoroughly investigated, to have such a
Mines Inspection Bill as would bring all these facts before
the public, and would secure their children against an im-
proper amount of labour which interfered with their
education.
This meeting, which was of a very successful and
useful character, .was organized and arranged by a
few of the miners, who paid most of the expenses out
of their own pockets. They were assisted by Mr.
Wilkinson, of the Victoria Hotel, who built them a plat-
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM. 185
form gratis, and gave them £2 to assist them in carrying
into law the Mines Inspection Bill.
A delegate meeting was held after the general meeting
in Mr. Wilkinson's, Victoria Hotel, and a resolution was
carried to the effect that a levy of 3d on each man be made,
to be divided equally between the Bur radon Defence Fund,
the Mines Inspection Bill, and the Miners' Provident
Association, as none of these movements had any funds at
their command at the time. The principal clauses of the
Mines Inspection Bill which was then before Parliament,
were as follows: —
" That no boy under twelve years of age be allowed
to go into any mine, unless he can produce a certificate that
he could read and write. That all boys between ten and
twelve will have to go to school five hours in one day every
week not being Sunday. That all persons under 18 years be
prohibited from taking sole charge of any engine or ma-
chinery. That all possible and accessible places must be pro-
perly ventilated. That the entrance to all places not in actual
working be properly fenced off. That places of refuge at
the side of every engine plane, not more than twenty yards
apart, be made for the workmen to go into if the set be
running. That a general rule, providing that all coal or
iron stone shall be weighed, with proper weighing machines to
be placed at the bank of every colliery. I'hat the workmen
be at liberty at their own cost and charges to place a man
to see the coals weighed. That special rules, drawn up by
the owners or agents for the guidance and working of each
colliery, must be hung up in some conspicuous place for 14
days, to allow the workmen to see them before they are pre-
sented to the Secretary of State for approval. That the
payment of wages in any office contiguous to a house where
intoxicating liquors are sold be prevented, and that all wages
be paid in money; a penalty of not more than ten pounds
being fixed for non-compliance. That no owner of a mine,
or any relative of such owner, sit as a magistrate to adjudi-
cate at any trial with such owner and his workmen employed
in mines."
The bill embracing the above clauses, was passed, and
came into force in July, 1861.
At the latter end of August, 1860, Mr. Martin Jude,
186 THE MINERS OP
whose name has been so often mentioned in these pages,
and one of the immediate results of whose labours was
the Mines Inspection Bill just referred to, died in
North Shields, in very abject circumstances. He was
buried at Elswick Cemetery, on Sunday, the 2nd of
September, and though he had been the moving spirit
amongst the miners for nearly half a century, his remains
were laid to rest without the passing tribute of any but
that of two or three warm-hearted friends. Referring to
this truly great man the editor of the Chainmakers Journal
has the following : —
Martin Jude, the true friend of political and social reform,
the veteran feoldier in many a severe struggle of labour against
capital, the earnest worker for the amelioration of the con-
dition of the miners of the North, is now no more. In the
fifty-sixth year of his age he shuffled off this mortal coil, and
bade adieu to the many friends who admired his talents, and
were conscious of his civic virtues. On Sunday, September
2nd, we followed his remains to their last resting place in
St. John's Cemetery, Elswick, and dropped a melancholy
tear over the bier of our departed friend. For upwards of a
quarter of a century Mr. Jude was an efficient labourer in
various political agitations, and, as is well known, took a
prominent position in the unions of the miners of Northum-
berland and Durham, to which class he belonged in early
life, and whose interest he watched until the end of his days.
For some time past he was in declining health, but his
death took place more suddenly than was expected. Of great
and varied intelligence, his conduct was characterised by an
entire absence of egotism. Firm, yet conciliatory towards
opponents, his modest and respectful manner gained him
many friends amongst those who differed with him in opinion.
As our great dramatist hath it —
* The elements
So mixed in him, that nature might stand up,
And say to all the world, This was a man,*
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM. 187
CHAPTER XXXV.
THE CO-OPERATIVE MOVEMENT. THE STRIKE AT WEST
CRAMLINGTON.
Having gone thus far with the union, it is necessary to
turn aside for awhile to record the sudden uprising of a
movement which has not been without its influence in the
amelioration of the condition of the miners. Amongst the
manv combinations and organizations which have had such
a beneficial influence on the miners, none have exceeded the
co-operative movement, which, springing from a very small
foundation, has spread over the face of the large and densely
populated Counties of Northumberland and Durham, and
drawn together some thousands of honest industrious per-
sons. West Cramlington has the honour of having com-
menced the first local co-operative store. It is customary
at colliery villages for men to associate together in small
groups, and as each had their different topics to discuss,
co-operation was the principal subject debated in one of those
small companies of men. It had been discussed in its various
aspects, and at last it was decided to make an effort. A
meeting was called at Mr. Henderson's, innkeeper; but there
was a very small number present. The object was explained
amongst the few, they agreed to put their names down as
members, and as a test of their sincerity, to pay sixpence per
man to defray expenses, sho.uld the movement fail. These
men, however, did not believe in the word failure. Another
meeting was called, which was attended by a large number
of workmen. One of the most intelligent men on the col-
liery was asked what the meeting was about, and replied, " I
cannot tell, but they say it is for every man to have a shop
of his own." A little work, published by Mr. George J.
Holyoake, called " Self Help," was read and explained — a
book that cannot be too often read, even at the present time,
in Co-operative Societies. But the very name of the author
terrified many, and a number of objections were started by
the sceptical, and those whose interests were to be touched
by the success of the movement. The religious feelings of
188 THE MINERS OF
the author of " Self Help " were seized hold of as a h^dle^
and the disciples of his co-operative doctrines were described
as atheists. But they were no atheists, and some proved
themselves to be the real Christians — men who wished " to
do unto other a as they would that others should do unto
them." The real reformers persevered through these
difficulties, they held various meetings, and finally sub-
scribed a fund, in all about £20. They then took a small room
at Cramlington village, and commenced to buy fixtures; an
old dresser serving for a counter, a small coffee mill, weights,
scales, &c., the whole not amounting to above £7. Two of
the members were appointed to go to Newcastle, and make
the first purchases. They laid out the money to the best of
their ability, amongst their merchandise being a cask of
herrings, a side of bacon, a firkin of butter, a small quantity
of coffee, tea, sugar, tobacco, &c., and all other things they
thought they needed; not omitting lucifer matches, into
which they went largely. The return of the traders was
anxiously looked for. Cramlington being upon a hill, with
two roads leading from Newcastle, men were seen walking
from oue lane end to the other, like old smugglers looking
out for a lugger on the coast. The cart was a long time in
making its appearance, and its delay created no little excite-
ment, for would-be prophets were trying to establish them-
selves as the wise men of the day by energetically pre-
dicting that no cart would come with the goods. Some of
the shopkeepers pointed the men out as lunatics. They did
not doubt their honesty, nor that they had paid the money
away, but they sneeringly asserted that they would never
see it again. The more energetic amongst the number were
walking to and fro with excitement, and with ill-concealed
distrust. At last a little spring cart made its appearance,
which caused some to come out of their houses and places of
business, and stand with their hands in their pockets, laugh-
ing and making game of the (as they called them) madcaps.
*rhe cart having got to the little room, the shop was opened,
and competent parties were appointed to sell out the articles.
The people thronged about the doors and windows to have
a look at the new shopkeepers, who were men with horny
hands, but clean; unpolished about the hair, and in other
little items which go to make some men up; These men
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM. 189
bad nothing of that about them, but they had what was
hettit, honesty of purpose and perseverance. Their idea
was with the poet : —
" Work on though slow your progress be,
Yet proudly keep yourself from sinking,
If hands will not peilorm your task,
Gro back and have recourse to thinking."
The members' wives began to make tbeir appearance in
the shop, for the women were as anxious to get on as the
men themselves. The reader can imagine how the parcels
would be made up by inexperienced men, but the purchasers
had their weight. The stock was nearly sold out, with the
exception of the lucifer matches, on the first Friday night,
and the next day two men were sent away to buy more.
Some had fears that if they left the shop, it would be broken
into, and so in order to provide against this, two men were
appointed to watch the shop all night. They provided, before
shutting themselves in, some ale, bread, cheese, tobacco,
and pipes, as well as an old gun, with a small quantity of
gunpowder, determined if any should make their appearance,
to give them a fright. But the night passed without their
being molested.
They went on in this way for the first three months,
doubling and trebling their orders, till at last the dividend
was declared. The prophets now began to . see they had
prophesied ff^lsely. The number of members rapidly in-
creased, insinuations began to die away, the men who had
been fettered to a shop by the credit system all their lives,
began to investigate for themselves; whilst the ladies in the
district also set to work, and, in place of attending Newcastle
every fortnight, or running up a ruinous account at the shop,
they became shareholders and energetic supporters of the new
movement. It took some time, however, before the great
majority got properly convinced, but the regular division of
the profits, quarter after quarter, soon removed the obstacles.
At the close of the first ten weeks the sum of £200 had been
raised, and when the first quarterly balance sheet was pub-
lished it showed tliat £449 14s. 2id. had been received for
goods sold, realising a nett profit of £38 15s. lOd. In con-
trast to the first quarter may be given the receipts of the
quarter ending March, 1873, amounting to £23,152 8s. 5jd.,
190 THE MINERS OF
on which the sum of £2,478 12s. 9^. was realised as prgfits,
whilst the total amount received since the establishment of
the store up to December, 1872, is £375,260 Os. O^d., of
which the large sum of £31,571 14s. 3^d. has been worked
for and paid back to the members in the shape of profits.
The number of members on the books at the close of the 1st
quarter was 80, whilst the number enrolled at the end of the
quarter in March last was 1,688. The history of the society
at Cramlington is the history of the whole of kindred soci-
eties in the two counties. Starting with strong and deeply-
rooted prejudices to fight against, and with almost insur-
mountable difficulties to contend with in want of funds, they
have gone on increasing in u umbers till there is hardly a
village of any pretension in the two counties that does not
either possess a store, or is connected with one. Cowpen
Store commenced on the same principle in one of the work-
men's houses in Cowpen Square, Bebside, Bedlington,
Choppington, Newbiggin, Cambois^ Backworth, Seaton
Dekival, Newsham, and other places followed their example,
and have now thousands of pounds at their command, which
they would not have had, had it not been for this great
principle, which has been so well managed by the Northum-
berland miners. The fame of success which had attended
the trading speculations of the Northumberland miners
soon spread to the County of Durham, and the men in that
county were not long in following the good example set
them. Stores sprung into existence with remarkable rapid-
ity, from small beginnings they passed to large dealings,
and from conducting their business in low, wretched-looking^
buildings, the co-operators of the two counties passed into
magnificent palaces of commerce built hy themselves out of
their own hard earnings, augmented by wisely uniting their
strength. From distributive co-operation in the shape of
keeping shops, they have now passed on to productive co-ope-
ration, and ere the present generation shall have entirely
passed away, many of those who have laboured down the
dark mines in a state of absolute serfdom, working like
slaves for a miserable pittance that would scarcely suffice to
eke out a wretched existence, may perchance descend the
shaft with the proud consciousness of going to work for
themselves in their own pit. The Co-operative Mining
UB. GEOBGE BAEEB FOBSTBK.
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM. 191
Society was first called into existence in the beginning of
the present year, and at a meeting of the members held at
the Mechanics' Institute, Newcastle, in August last, the
chairman, the Rev. Dr. Rutherford, announced that they had
then 3,000 shares subscribed, a capital of £15,000, and
£9,000 of it paid up that was almost exclusive of any
society. A current-going colliery had been offered to them
on favourable terms, not far from Manchester, and the com-
mittee would have entertained the offer if they had had suf-
ficient capital to do so. With respect to their present project,
their mining engineer, Mr. George Baker Forster, liad
advised them at once to secure the Diamond Boring Com-
pany's apparatus, and they had accordingly done so, and would
commence to bore very shortly at Steeton Hall. In proof of
the success attending co-operative mining, I may here quote
from the last half-yearly report of Messrs. Briggs, Sons, and
Co. (Limited), whose collieries are worked on the co-opera-
tive principle, the following: " The past 12 months have been
the most prosperous yet enjoyed by the Company. Including
the balance brought from last year, and deducting the interim
dividend paid in February last, and the interest on new
shares, there remains an available balance of £71,797 3s. 3^d.,
out of which the directors recommend the payment and ap-
propriation of the following dividends and bonus free of
income tax — ^a dividend of 18s. 9d. per share, being 7^ per
cent, on the paid up capital, making a total distribution for
the year of 25 per cent. A transfer to the fund for payment
of bonus to the employes of the company of £14,256 5s.,
leaving a balance to be dealt with of £32,592 9s. 6^*
During the year the directors have purchased the Whitworth
Main CoUiery for £55,000." Then again may be mentioned
the fact that the newly-formed Industrial Coal and Iron
Company declared a dividend of 3| per cent, for tlire&
months, being at the rate of 15 per cent, per annum.
In concluding this chapter, which I have devoted almost
exclusively to co-operation, it will not be out of place to
quote an abstract from a paper on co-operative coal mining,
read by the Rev. Dr. Rutherford, Newcastle, at the quarterly
meeting of delegates connected with the Co-operative Asso-
ciation in Manchester and the North of England, held at the
Temperance Hall, Barnsley, in September last — Mr. T.
192 THE MINERS OP
Hughes, M.P., in the chair. After giving a number of sta-
tistics as to the condition of tlie coal trade at the present
time, the rev. gentleman goes on to say: — " The capital em-
ployed in the coal trade is probably not more than £20,000,000.
Supposing the average increase of price of coal last year to
have been 7s. 6d. per ton, the difference to the consumer
would have been £45,000,000 ; and of this amount not more
than £10,000,000 went into the pocket of the miner, and not
less than £30,000,000 into the pocket of the coal owner.
Where the coal owner has also been the iron manufacturer,
the profits of one year's trade equalled, and in some instances
even exceeded, one half of the amount of the capital invested.
These are some of the facts that reveal the importance of
the coal question, and the vast field which it presents for
co-operative enterprise. The present system, even where
most considerately managed, is full of conflict. The manu-
facturer is crippled, and is tempted to economise where eco-
nomy is most dangerous to the quality of his manufactures.
The miner is not wholly satisfied, for although he has better
wages he has mostly to live in the same wretched hovel
as before the era of great prosperity; and, moreover, he does
not wish to prosper at the sacrifice of the nation's welfare.
The coal owner will even say that if he has more wealth, he
lias more worry: and the poor householder, most to be pitied
of all, finds that owing to the high price of coal, disease and
death have a firmer foothold in his household. It is every-
body's interest — it is the interest of the nation — to put an
end to this anomalous and vexatious state of things. Whether
it is the nation's duty to buy up all vested interests in the
coalfields of the country, and to work them for the nation on
the broad principles of the greatest economy — the greatest
good — is a question which we cannot to-day consider,
although the day may come when it will be forced upon the
consideration of Parliament; but we are here to-day to ex-
press our conviction that the application of our principles
over any considerable area of our coalfields would very soon
put an end to the coal famine, to all its sad consequences,
and would introduce harmony between the conflicting inte-
rests of capita], labour, and trade. All over the country
efforts are being made to establish co-operative mining soci-
eties, and considerable amounts are already subscribed for
NORTHUMBEBLAND AKD DURHAM. 193
-w^orking coal. The question now is, whether, at all events
at the commencement of the movement, those efforts would
not gain strength by such an arrangement; concentration
might destroy the possible competition between such societies
for coalfields, and would render the purchase of mining pro*
perties more easy. The larger capital thus secured in the
hands of our society would be inspiring greater confidence,
facilitate such purchase, and possibly secure better terms.
It would contribute to economy both in the purchase of
shares and in the distribution of products. By having a
number of collieries in different parts of the country, there
would be a greater probability of success from distribution
of risks. Then there would be a better selection of proper-
ties, and probably a more uniform, scientific, and therefore^
economical working. With general unity, there should be
local committees for superintendence of mines,so as to lessen
all risks, and the adaptation of general principles, with special
modifications. Such were the requirements at the present i
time to prevent a scarcity and famine of coal." '
Leaving this important and interesting question here,
for the present, we come back again to the efforts of the
men at the various collieries to free themselves from the
universal thraldom that was now apparently about to settle over
them. With the passive conduct of the men, the employ-
ers had grown bolder, and every now and then new and
irritatmg regulations were being introduced by them, the
tendency of all of them being to limit the earnings and
liberty of the men as much as possible. Scarce a month
passed at this time without there being a strike in some
parts of the two counties. Now it was in Durham, and
then it would be in Northumberland, but these for the
most part were not only productive of no good but often
brought about unpleasant results to those who had taken
part in them. West Cramlington Colliery, from the first
conmiencement up to the 22nd year of its being worked,
had had no less then 23 strikes, thus making an average of
one strike in every year, and two in one year. The last
strike which occurred at this colliery took place in April,
1861. The men gave in their notice for an advance of price,
and a few days before their notice expired one of the work-
K
I
194 THE MINEHS OF
meuy who was sapposed to have a great deal of influence
over the men^ was sent for to the colliery office^ where he
had a long interview with the manager. He declined
taking upon himself the responsihilitj of deciding for his
brother workmen, or of urging them to withdraw their
notices, on which the manager at the close of the interview
said to him: — " If the pit lies idle I will blame you for it,
and not give you another day's work." The answer he re-
ceived was a very proper and deserved rebuke, for he was
told, " You can do as you please, but such conduct is not
gentlemanly.". The pit -was laid idle two days previous to
the expiration of the notice, the men leaving all their
work tools in the mine together with the coals that were stand-
ing on their way from the face to the shaft, and, many of
them, all the coals they had hewn on the previous day.
The agents thought by this to get the. men to work to fill
their coals, so that it would enter into a fresh month's en-
gagement, but the men came out on strike with a very deter-
mined temper, and would not even go and fill their loose coals.
The head viewer met the men at the colliery ofiice and endea-
voured to arrange matters, but as ho had nothing to offer, the
interview terminated without any arrangements being come to.
When he found that the men where disposed to stand to
their terms he marched into the village at the head of a
band of policemen and bailiffs, and commenced to turn them
out of their houses. At this the men became desperate,
and the miners from Dudley, Seghill, and Cramlington,
coming in force to resist their ejection, it was found that
the policemen were not sufiiciently strong to keep back the
crowd. The position of the bailiffs began to look very
dangerous indeed, when those who had some influence over
the men called them to aside, and after some discussion a
deputation was sent to the viewer, and the oflUcial in com-
mand of the police force. But for this timely interpositiou,
a riot would certainly have occurred. The harsh and illegal
proceedings of turning the men out of their houses when
the colliery owners were still in their debt for work
which had been done and not paid for, was pointed out to
them and they, seeing the force of this argument, gave
orders to the bailiffs to cease operations. This being done the
MR. HUGH TAYLOB,
I
\
NORTHUMBEBLAND AND DUBHAM. 195
crowd at once dispersed^ and the peace was not broken. The
next day Mr. Htigh Taylor^ one of the owners^ came out
and met the men^ and bad a friendly discussion with them.
He proposed that the men should go to work at once^ work
for a week^ and that a proper average should be taken of
the week's work^ promising that if after this was done it
was found that the men's demands were right he would
willingly grant them. The men resumed their work^ and after
the end of the week Mr. Taylor met them again. He said he
found upon examination that their demands were fair and
reasonable^ and at once granted them. In addressing the men
Mr. Taylor expressed a hope that " bygones would be by-
gones," and that both the men and the agents would go on
harmoniously together, and forget the temporary impleasant-
ness that had taken place. Thus by the timely and judicious
interference ofMr .Taylor a very unpleasant dispute was settled
in a manner satisfactory to both parties. The peace that was
then restored between the owners and the men has never since
been broken, for though up to this time there had been an
average of one strike a year at this pit as we have previously
stated, since that year up to the present time there has never
been any fresh disturbance.
CHAPTER XXXVI.
HEETIXGS CONCERNING THE HARTLEf ACCIDENT. MEET-
ING TO ESTABLISH A PERMANENT RELIEF FUND. THE
RELIEF FUND ESTABLISHED.
The fatal accident at Hartley colliery in the early part
)f January, 1862, which has already been referred to in
mother chapter, having carried off upwards of 204 men and ^ '
)oys, a meeting to raise a fund for the relief of the widows
md orphans left destitute was held in the Guildhall,
•Newcastle, on January 24th^ 1862. The mayor of New-
iastle, Mr. I. L. Bell, presided, and the Bishop of Durham,
jord Durham, Sir M. W. Ridley, Bart., Alderman Laycock,
,nd a large number of other influential gentlemen were
present, and took part in the proceedings. Mr. Joseph
196 THE MINEBS OF
Cowen Jiin., introduced a deputation of working men. to
this meeting for the purpose of expressing the desire of the
working men to have three of their .number appointed on
the committee for the purpose of carrying out the objects of
the fund for the relief of the widows and orphans. This
was readily agreed to by the meeting.
On the day following a large public meeting was held in
the Lecture Room^ Nelson Street^ Newcastle, when Mr. W.
Grieves presided.
The first resolution submitted to the meeting was,
^'That in the opinion of this meeting, the resolutions
agreed to at the public meeting held in the Guildhall
yesterday were satisfactory to the workmen." This was
carried with great unanimity. Mr. Thomas Weatherly
moved the second resolution which was as follows: — " That
the workmen in each coUiery and factory in the two coun-
ties of Durham and Northumberland be requested to organise
a collection amongst themselves at the earliest possible date,
and that they transmit the same to the general committee
in Newcastle with as little delay as possible." This resolution
on being put to the meeting was also agreed to.
Mr. James Mather spoke at this meeting. He said he
felt that the miners were certainly not the intelligent men
he had conceived them to be, if they did not learn a lesson
from their sad experience, and make provision for such
catastrophes as this which had taken place at Hartley. It
was also proper that the public themselves, who derived so
much from the mines, should be aroused when the terrible
calamity had taken place, and it was a proud thing to him
on the preceding day to be present, and behold the fine
generous warm feeling which was exhibited at the meeting.
It was a happy thing to see that a great coal owner, in the
person of the Earl of Durham, in the few remarks which he
made, and the deep emotion which he exhibited in making
them, showed that he felt it a deep responsibility to be an
owner of coal mines; and that no means or schemes should
be spared to secure the safety of the miners. He wished his
lordship would often show himself to the public with such
noble sentiments. This terrible misfortune unparalelled in
the history of mines, was not the only thing that drew their
KOBTHUMBEBLAITD AND DURHAK. 197
attention, and which would cany conviction of the necess-
ity of approving of the resolution which he would submit
to them^ Let them go back to Burradon. What did they
Bee there ? Scarcely had the shadow of death gone from
that pit till another more terrible visitation had occurred to
them^ and why might the men in that case not have been
recovered alive ? Why were they destroyed ? It was no
use mincing the matter^ He blamed no man, but he blamed
the system, and the system was terrible and destructive.
It was wealth against life. He concluded by moving the
following resolution, '^ That a petition be sent from this
meeting to the two Houses of the Legislature, praying that
a special Parliamentary committee be appointed, to inquire
into the general question of accidents at collieries, with a
view of devising some plan by which a repetition of the fright-
ful calamities that have lately taken place can be avoided;
and that in the opinion of this meeting, no colliery should
be worked without two shafts having been first sunk for
the security of the men and the mines."
Mr. Joseph Cowen, Jim., seconded the resolution. He
said the whole question of accidents in coal mines would
have to be inquired into, and at once. But while he said
this, he did not mean to cast any reflections on the owners
of the particular mine which had been the scene of the late
horrible catastrophe. Hartley Pit was no worse than many
other pits in the district. Messrs. Carr, instead of being
worse, were very much better masters than many the miners
had to deal with. The only feeling that existed in the dis-
trict amongst all classes towards the very unfortunate
owners of Hartley Colliery, was one of sympathy. They
had simply acted in accordance with a very general custom
in working their mines; and in asking for a searching inves-
tigation into the entire subject, it was not individuals, but
the entire system they condemned. They must insist upon
all collieries in future having two shafts, or two good modes
of entrance and exit of some kind; and he believed that the
general adoption of such a system would conduce as much to
the advantage of the colliery owners, as it would certainly
do to the safety and comfort of the working men.
A miner rose to ask Mr. Dunn, the Government Lispec-
198 THE lamsBS of
tor, who was present at this meeting, if he had anj power
to order two shafts to be sunk where he thought they were
required ? The following colloquy then took place : —
Mr. Dunn said he was very glad that that gentleman had
given him a subject on which to speak. In the first place,
he had a circular from Sir Greorge Gr^y, showing that up to
this time Government themselves had not the> power of
making a double shaft; and every inspector was called on to
give him some information as to what shafts were single,
and what were double, ^any people in this country did not
tmder stand the object of this government inspection. The
inspectors could only deal with general principles. An in-
spector could not go into this, that, or any other mode of
working the pits, and it was the fault of the men themselves
if they did not call the inspectors more jfrequently. They
were bound to attend their calls, and he challenged any one
to say he did not attend a call when it was made. The men
were the proper persons to move the inspector. It was not
his place to know all the particulars of every colliery^
Changes were going on constantly in the management of
collieries, and these changes were made independently of the
inspector altogether. He was not bound to know, and he
had no means of communication. He stood alone, and he
could not do anything by virtue of his own exertions.
Therefore he hoped that they would take warning from this
event, and take the thing into their own hands, and make
the inspector work.
Miner : — I believe you have something like 150 collieries
to inspect ?
Mr. Dunn : — Yes.
Miner: — ^Twenty-eight in Cumberland?
Mr. Dunn : — ^Yes.
Miner : — Do you think you are able to inspect all these?
Mr. Dunn : — Well, the Grovemment thii^s I am able,
you know.
Another Miner: — Were you satisfied with the one shaft
at this colliery, if so there is an end to the matter ; if not,
what steps cQd you take to remedy the defect? Did you
apply to the Secretary of State, showing him that it was
defective ?
KORTHUMBEBLAXD AND DUBHAM. 199
Mr. Duun : — At this very moment there are three of the
largest collieries in Northumherland — SeatonDelaval, North
Seaton, and Newsh^ — managed hj the most talented men
in Northumherland, all with single shafts. Now^ what
would you have me to do ? Do you think it is my duty to
iCall in question the management of these pits ?
Miner : — Am I to understand this is an answer to my
question ?
Mr. Dunn : — Well, I am not so well satisfied as if they
had two, but I have not the power to alter it.
The chairman then made some remarks, observing that
there were many deficiencies, both in the shaft sinking, and
in the " inbye " working. He believed the matter could be
remedied, and he had no doubt if the public understood their
position, they would look to the men and support them in
advocating the reform of mines.
A miner said the men should look to themselves, and not
leave so much for the public to do for them.
Mr. Towers then ascended the platform and addressed
ithe meeting, stating that he had come there at the instance
of Sir Fitzroy Kelley, and other gentlemen, who had taken
a deep interest in the welfare of the British miners. He
said he should have much pleasure in handing over fifty
guineas to any conmiittee they might appoint. The meeting,
which was a very successful one, was soon afterwards brought
to a close.
A delegate meeting was held at Crook, on the 12th of
February in the same year, under the presidency of Mr.
John Howie, for the purpose of considering further the
proper course to be adopted in carrying out the resolutions
agreed to at the public meeting held in Newcastle. Dele-
gates representing 2000 miners were present, and after con-
siderable discussion, it was unanimously agreed that a
Permanent Relief Fuud be established.
The first general delegate meeting in connection with
this important question was held at the Wheat Sheaf, in
Newcastle, on February 15th, the main object of the meet-
ing being to consider the best mode of establishing this
Miners' Permanent Relief Fund. Mr. Benjamin Cree, of
Dudley, was appointed chairman. Mr. Thomas Gfificoigne,
200 THE MINEBS OF
Burradon^ who had acted as secretary up to this time, wa»
the first speaker called on. He said he had written to Mr.
Nicholas Wood, Hetton Hall, Mr. Hugb Taylor, Backworth,
and Mr. T. E. Forster, drawing their attention to the
project the men had in view, and he had received replies
from the two former gentlemen, but not from the latter.
Mr. Wood wrote as follows: — " I beg to acknowledge the
receipt of your letter of the 3rd inst, and to say that I
cordially reciprocate the feeling of the miners of Northumber-
land and Durham in establishing a Miners' Permanent
Relief Fund, and I further beg to add that they may de-
pend upon my cordial co-operation in accomplishing so very
desirable an object. I would however beg to suggest, as
my opinion, that such a fund should be a joint act of the
masters and workmen, and that to render it permanently
useful and effective it should have the sanction of Parliament.
If it be your wish, I shall be glad to be the medium of com-
mimication with the coal owners on the subject." Mr.
Taylor's communication was as follows: — '' I beg to ac-
knowledge the receipt of your note, and to inform you that I
have sent it to the chairman of the coal trade. I may men-
tion that I am decidedly in favour of a Miners' Permanent
Fund, and I shall be glad to promote it to the utmost. The
men should agree on some course of action, and then com-
municate with their employers."
Mr. John Howie moved, " That the opinion of this meet-
ing is that a Permanent Relief Fund be established amongst
the miners as early as possible." Mr. Alexander Blyth
seconded the proposition, and it was unanimously carried.
Mr. Thomas Grascoigne moved, " That this meeting ear-
nestly recommends to the Hartley Relief Committee that,
after the sufferers at Hartley are adequately and comfortably-
provided for, to devote the surplus, if any, towards forming
the nucleus of the Permanent Fund, to which the owners
and workmen of the various collieries in England will be
invited to contribute." Mr. William Grieves seconded this
motion, which was also unanimously carried.
Mr. Gascoigne further said that on account of the nature
of the employment he was then following he had not time
to devote to the duties of the secretaryship, and moved that
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM. 201
Mr, Alexander Blyth act as secretary. This appointment
was agreed to, Mr. Blyth was at once elected, and has filled
that office with great ability up to the present day.
At this time Mr. Towers came into the meeting with
Captain Milne, and said he had prepared a code of rules
for their consideration, and if they werq approved of. Sir
Fitzroy Kelley would revise them without fee or reward;
on which Mr. Howie moved, " That this meeting feels
deeply grateful to the National Asociation for their exertions
on behalf of the miners, and agrees to act in unison with
that association; and generally approves of the rules read to
this meeting, and recommends them for the adoption of the
miners generally." The motion was seconded by Mr.
William Grieves, but Mr. Weatherley moved an amend-
ment to the effect that a committee of twelve be appointed
to revise the rules, and after the men liad fixed upon
some definite plans, to lay them before the coal owners,
and invite their consideration and co-operation. This was
at once adopted by a very large majority of the meeting,
and thus was formed the nucleus of the Miners' Permanent
Relief Fund of Northumberland and Durham.
CHAPTER XXXVII.
AGITATION FOR AN IMPROVED METHOD OF WORKING
MINES. THE CONDITION OF THE COLLIERIES WITH
REGARD TO THE NUMBER OP SHAFTS.
The occurrence of the terrible accident at Hartley was
not without its beneficial, as well as its disastrous results;
for not only did it direct public attention to the miners as a
class, and to the many dangers to which they were exposed
in following their daily work, but it aroused and stimulated
the men themselves to fresh exertions to secure a* correction
of some of the many mischievous and dangerous systems
adopted in working collieries. Naturally enough, since the
accident at Hartley was rendered so terrible in its result
owing to the lack of shaft accommodation, this was the first
202 THE MINERS OF
question to which they tamed their attention; but in agi*
toting for an improvement in this respect, the men did not
forget that their lives were exposed to great risk each day
by other means than this, and which could easily be removed
if a little pressure was put on the coal owners. With this
end in view, a number of meetings were held at the various
collieries in the two counties, at most of which the estoblish-
ment of a General Provident Fund was considered necessary
in the first place, and a thorough and vigorous agitotion for
the immediate sinking of a second shaft at all collieries
where there was only one in existence at that time, as well for
the removal of a great many anomalous rules then in force,
and of which they were the victims. A large meeting was
hnld at Crook, with Mr. John Howie as president. He said
it rested with the miners themselves whether satisfactory
measures would be adopted for their future safety. The
whole country was at their back, and parliament at this time
might be induced to enact such laws as would make them
comparatively safe while following their arduous labours in
the mines. It was resolved at this meeting to commence a
General Provident Fund for the relief of those who met with
accidents in coal mines, and to agitote till some measures
calculated to insure the further safety of the miners was
passed.
On Saturday, February 8th, 1862, a meeting of delegates
was held in the Lecture Room, Nelson Street, Newcastle,
for the purpose of devising plans for a change from the
then existing system of mining operations, and for the
better preservation of the lives of the mining community.
There were about nineteen delegates present, and Mr. William
Grieves was called to the chair. A delegate suggested that
as nothing had been prepared to lay before the meeting a
committee should be appointed for the purpose of drawing
up resolutions embodying the objects of this meeting. Five-
delegates and the chairman were appointed for this purpose,
and on their return the chairman read the first resolution as
follows: — ^**That in the opinion of this meeting the present
system of working coal and ironstone mines is dangerous ta
the lives, and injurious to the health of the miners, and that
for the purpose of effecting a change in the system, peti-
NOBTHUMBBRLAND AND DURHAM. 203
tions pointing out remedies for such evils be agreed upon as
speedily as possible, and presented to both Houses of
Parliament." The second resolution was: — "That for the
better carrying into effect of the former resolution, an ex-
ecutive committee and secretary be appointed to draw up
the aforesaid petition." Whilst the third was: — " That dis-
trict committees be formed, each committee having a
treasurer and corresponding secretary, and that it be the
business of the committees to use the best means of attain-
ing the objects of this society." The committee appointed
for the purpose of drawing up a petition to the Houses of
Parliament met very soon, and after mature deliberation
the following petition was adopted: —
"T(0 the Honourable the Commons of Great Britain
and Ireland in Parliament assembled,
" The humble petition of the Coal Miners of Great
Britain,
" Respectfully sheweth —
" That from the frequent number of terrible disasters
occurring amongst miners produced by one shaft, as in the
last appalling catastrophe at Hartley Pit, your petitioners
are convinced that there is no safety for themselves, or.
security for their families from destitution, whenever your,
petitioners are exposed to the dangerous condition of single-
shaffced mines. That your petitioners have arrived at this
inevitable conclusion from sad experience amongst their
class. That every mine previous to working coal should
have two distinct shafks sunk, one at the dip and another
at the rise, with a view to the ulterior plans of the mine, and
also that in proportion to the extent of royalty to be
worked, a proportionate number of shafts ought to be put
down, not only for better ventilation and the security of the
miners, but also, in the judgment of your petitioners, for
the cheaper and more advantageous working of the mines.
Your petitioners, therefore, humbly pray that your Honour-
able House will cause inquiry to be made into the present
system of ventilation and working of mines, with a view to
tb« better protection of miners from the appfdling disasters
that are perpetually overtaking them.
And your petitioners well ever pray, &c., &c."
4C
204 THE MIKEBS OF
At another general delegate meeting, held on the 8th
ef March, and which was very largely attended, it was
agreed to send three men roand to all the collieries in the
two counties for the purpose of ascertaining the number of
pits that were worked with one shaft, and to deliver peti-
tion sheets at each colliery in order that they might be sub-
scribed to, and request the men to send them in with a
delegate to the next meeting to be held on March 22ndi
1862. This meeting was held in the Lecture Room,
Nelson Street, Newcastle-on-Tyne, for the purpose of
receiving the reports of the persons appointed \o ascertain
the number of pits worked with one shaft, and also to re-
ceive such petitions as had been filled up. Mr. William
Grieves, of Choppington, was called to the chair, and the
following report was then submitted to the meeting : —
"Prudhoe and Mickley Collieries. — These were very
extensive workings, and were connected with a drift, which
made them equivalent to having 2 shafts. At Wylam Pit
there were 4 shafts, 3 down-cast and 1 up-cast. Townley
pit was constructed similar to Hartley, having only 1 shaft,
and the pumping beam working over the pit mouth.
Blaydon had 2 shafts. Walbottle 4 shafts, 3 down-cast
and 1 up-cast. Walker Pit had 2 shafts, 1 up-cast and 1
down. At Harton and Hilda there were 2 shafts, 1 up and
1 down-cast. East Holywell had 2 down-cast and 1 up
shaft. Backworth only 1 shaft. Seghill 2, 1 up-cast and
1 down. West Cramlington 1 up-cast and 1 down. East
Cramlington, Dudley, and Shankhouse Pits, were * holed '
one through another; but they had 6 shafts in all, 4 down-
cast and 2 up. Seaton Delaval had 8 shafts, 2 for pumping,
4 down-cast and 2 up. Seaton Delaval, in the opinion of
the delegates who had drawn up the report, presented a
perfect model of a colliery. Burradon had 2 shafts, 1 up-
cast and 1 down. Killingworth Colliery had 1 shaft 14
feet in diameter, divided into 3 shafts. There was a pump-
ing beam working over the shaft mouth, 4 cages, and a
set of pumps, all working in the shaft in which the men
had to go up and down. It was a highly dangerous state of
things, the lives of the men being constantly in peril. At
Seaton Burn there was an up-cast shaft, a set of pmnps, a
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM. 205
steam pipe, and a ftirnace, all in the one shaft in which the
men had to ascend and descend. The men must necessarily
he subjected to much annoyance from the steam pipe, as the
steam leaked from every joint of such pipes, and through
this parboiling process, the men had to pass and repass in
going up and down. At New Delaval there was only 1
shaft, and the same state of things prevailed at New New/-
sham. Cowpen had 3 shafts, 1 up-cast and 2 down. THe
men had to ride in the up-cast, and and there was a steam
pipe in the shaft. Bebgide had two shafts, 1 up-cast and
1 down. Sleekburn had 5 shafts, and the Glebe and Sleek-
burn Pits were * holed ' through into each other. Netherton
had 3, and Choppington 2. North Seaton, a very ex-
tensive colliery, had only 1 shaft. Ashington had 2, 1
up-cast and 1 down. Eatcliffe, Broomhill, and Togston were
well provided with shafts. At Whickham there were 2
shafts, 1 down and 1 up-cast. Shipcote had 2, MarleyHill
2, Crookgate 1, Burnopfield 2, West Pelton 2, and the
Lintz Colliery 2. East Tanfield had but 1 shaft, but there
was a way out in some of the neighbouring pits. Tanfield
Lea had 1 shaft, and a way out. Tanfield Moor 1 shaft,
and a wuy out. Medomsley and Derwent had each 2
shafts, with a way out, but the means of egress was many
miles from the working places. Investon 1 shaft, Tyne
Mill 1, Berry Edge 2, Lizzie Pit.l, Bank Foot 1, and Pon-
top 2. The last three pits had a way out by means of small
holes. Barnhope 2, Quaker House 2, South Stanley 1,
East Stanley 1, Oxgate 1, East Beamish 2, West Beamish
2, Urpeth 1, Whit worth 2, Merrington 2, Bishop's Close 1.
Page Bank 2, Byers' Green 2, Black Prince 2, Ehn Park
1,. Farnley 1, Etherley Hope 3, Inkerman 1, Stanley 1,
Roddymoor 1, Grimsley 2, Whitelead 1, Job's Hill 1, Bar's
Close 1, Crook 2, Bitchburn 1, Annhope 1, Houghlea 2,
North Bitchburn 2, Hunwick 2, New Field 2, East Sunny-
brow 2, North Sunnybrow 2, Bean 1, LangleyMoor 2, Sacriston
2, Eaninsley 2, Framwellgate Moor 2, Ryhope 1, Seaton 2,
South Hetton 1 . This latter pit and Dalton were * holed ' into
each other, Haswell had 2, Shotton 2, Castle Eden was worked
in a similar way to Hartley. Wingate 2, Trimdon had a staple,
but there was no apparatus for bringing up the men in case
206 THE MINEBS OF
of accident. Trimdon Grange had but 1 shaft, though this
colliery, Kelloe New Winning, and Five Houses were all
connected. To Thomley and Great Hetton Collieries there
were six different pits, all * holed ' one through the other.
They were considered models of ventilation and good ar-
rangement. There were 2 shafts at Thornley, at Cassop 2,
Belmont 1, Kepier 2, Whitwell 2, Shineliffe and Hoffe 2,
* holed ' through into each other. At Coxhoe . there were
3 pits, two of them connected with each other. Haggers-
gate 1, Chilton 1, Leasingthom and Westerton 1 each,
Shildon Lodge 1. At West Auckland and St. Helen's plenty
of shafts, and this was also the case at Evenwood and
Etherley. Lady Londonderry's and the Earl of Durham's
Collieries were well arranged and * holed ' to each other,,
and they had not one colliery with but 1 shaft."
The chairman said he thought the step they had taken
was a right one to bring their condition before the public,
and he hoped that at some future time their appeal to the
Legislature would result in placing them in a position of
security, so that in future they would not, upon the occur-
rence of a misfortune, have to go and throw themselves upon
the benevolence of a sympathising public as paupers. If a
proper investigation were made into such matters, more
caution used in the working of mines, and more sci^itific
men placed over them, th^e would be less loss of life.
CHAPTER XXXVIIL
THREATENED RE-INTRODUCTION OF THE YEARLY BOND^
6REAT MEETING AT HORTON. COMMENCEMENT OP THE
PRESENT UNION OP THE NORTHUMBERLAND MINERS*
THE miners' permanent RELIEF FUND.
Towards the close of the year, 1863, the colliery owners
gave notice of their intention to re-introduce the system of
binding the men on the collieries for an entire year in place
of the monthly binding then in force, an intimation which .
created much alarm, and at once provoked a spirit of resist-
ance. The owners no doubt imagined that the men were
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM. 207
disunited, and that there would not be sufficient unity in
their opposition to the proposition to render it successful. In
this they were mistaken, for the men, viewmg the matter
with a grfive apprehension, displayed gi-eat alacrity in at
once organizing themselves for any struggle that might
occur. The initiatory meeting on the question, convened by
anonymous advertisements and placards, was held in a large
field at Horton, near Blyth, on Christmas Day, and was
attended by between 3,000 and 4,000 miners, representing
the collieries of Seaton Delaval, Holywell, New and Old
Backworth, Old Cramlington, West Cramlington, Burradon,
Seaton Burn, Seghill, North Seaton, Sleekburn, West
Seaton, Barrington, Cowpen, New Delaval, Bebside, and
Dudley. Old banners, that had been folded away in the
houses of some of the men, since the memorable strike of
1844, were brought out again, and unfurled in the frosty
breeze. Bands of music played merrily to the field of meet-
ing, and some of the old and well-tried heroes of the hard-
fought battle of 1844, were present. The chairman said
the pitmen of th County of Northumberland had been work-
ing for the last 18 years with a monthly bond, and were
never expecting at this time of the year that a yearly bond
would be brought forward. The meeting had been called
that day to allow them to give an opinion whether the
yearly bond was practicable and useful to the men at this
time of the year, and to show their determination to resist
the bond, if in their opinion its re-introduction would be to
their disadvantage. Their opinions would be given freely,
and when they held up their hands, they should do so, not
simply as a matter of form, but as an expression of their
determination to show the masters that they were not to be
imposed upon. Mr. J. Nicholson, of Sleekburn, then moved :
— " That it is the opinion of this meeting that we resist the
yearly bond, and make no agreement until the masters put
away that bond." Mr. Patterson and Mr. Thomas Baulks
then addressed the meeting, after which Mr. Nicholson fur-
ther moved : — " That the pitmen of Northumberland form
themselves into a union." Mr. Wilson, Seaton Bum, seconded
the proposition, and this, as well as the former one, was
unanimously adopted.
208 THE MINERS OF
A delegate meeting was afterwards held at the Folly
Inn, when Mr. Thomas Baulks was appointed treasurer, and
Mr. R. Patterson, secretary, of the new union, which the
larger public meeting had decided upon the formation of.
It was resolved that another delegate meeting should be
held at Seaton Delaval on the Wednesday following, the
30th December, and this meeting was held at the Hastings
Arms Inn, in the village. There were twenty delegates
present, and most of them reported that the owners had
withdrawn the yearly bond; whilst at Choppington and
Bebside, the owners had never introduced it. Many of the
collieries had commenced work at the old prices, but some,
however, had suffered a reduction of a halfpenny and a penny
per ton. At those collieries where the owners had not
withdrawn the yearly bond, it was agreed, should the men
come out on strike, to support them. Mr. Nicholson moved
that an executive committee of five men be appointed, and
that there should be a levy of a halfpenny per man to form
a sinking fund to be appropriated to the men when they
were turned off. It was agreed that each colliery should
keep its own funds, and that its contributions in case of
necessity be according to the number of members enrolled at
such colliery, and that they be sent to the executive com-
mittee when called for. Messrs. Elliot, Dixon, Wakenshaw,
Nicholson, and Wilson, were appointed as an executive com-
mittee, and it was also resolved "that a cordial invitation be
given to all the collieries or colliers to join in fellowship as
a trade union, as the only way of securing that independence
that Englishmen should enjoy, and which it is their duty to
secure in every legitimate way."
The average earnings of the Miners of Northumberland
and Durham were taken at this time, and amounted to 4s.2d.
per day. Several collieries, however were only working
half time, but the men had a very selfish practice of going
every day to work and hewing coals to fill the next day
the pit worked. There were no rules as to when a man
should go down the pit or come out of it, and many stayed
as long as their strength would allow them. It w|is
customary for men to take bargains at the colliery, at a very
low rate on account of the privilege of being allowed to
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM. 209
work eyerj day; and by this means a man was enabled to put
two days' work out in one day. These double days were
included in the average, whereas if it had been taken from
each day worked it would not have amounted to more
than from 3s. to 3s 6d. per day. To correct this state of
things, a resolution was passed at another delegate meeting
held on the 7th of February, 1863, at which there were
delegates from 23 collieries representing 2,903 members,
to the effect that no man should work longer then seven
hours at the " face," and that when the pit w^s idle no one
should go to work. This was the first reform effected by
the present union. Mr. William Crawford, now the agent
of the Durham Miners' Union, but who was then working
at Dudley, was appointed to draw up the rules and submit
them to the next meeting, and to act as general secretary
for the association.
A largely-attended meeting was held at Horton on
the following Good Friday, for the purpose of considering
and adopting the rules of the Northumberland and Durham
Miners' Mutual Confident Association, and to lay before the
miners of the district the necessity of restriction in the
hours of labour, and of organization amongst them. The
chairman having opened the meeting, the secretary (Mr.
Crawford) read the proposed rules of the society as agreed
on at the meeting of delegates. The objects of the associa-
tion were therein stated to be — the better protection of the
labour of its members, and as far as possible to lessen the
amount of loss of life and health. Each colliery was to
send delegates to meetings to be held in Newcastle half-
yearly. Each, member was to pay one penny per fortnight,
and each colliery to take care of its own funds. No colliery
was to come out on strike unless its case had been approved
of, and that course sanctioned by the managing committee,
and if any man was turned off through advocatiug the
rights of the union, he was to be supported as long as he
was out of employment. Each colliery was to appoint a
committee to act, if possible, in unison with the masters to
see that the health j^nd lives of their fellew- workmen were
preserved. This committee was to keep up a correspon-
dence with the general secretary, to enable him to lay any
210 THE MINERS OF
information before the managing committee for the purpose
of taking any steps they might deem necessary to remove
existing evils. The secretary here informed the meeting
that there were 3^500 men in the union.
Mr. Mather^ who had been invited to attend this meeting,
wrote a lengthy letter stating his inability to do so. He
offered many suggestions for the guidance of the association,
and pointed out what they should keep on their programme
till accomplished ; that was, " more safety for the miners'
lives, and better ventilation." He concluded by saying that
though he never interfered between employers and employed
but where life was concerned, he had always felt a deep in-
terest in the welfare of the miner.
Thomas Baulks, Joseph Sheldon, H. Henderson, and
T. Wakinshaw, then addressed the meeting, and after it
broke up a delegate meeting was held at the Folly Inn, .to
consider what modifications should be made in the rules, and
other business. At this period there was considerable
agitation going on throughout the country, and amongst the
miners, for the amelioration of the condition of the latter.
The National Association was advocated by many, by others
emigration was set forth as the only chance reserved to the
miner of throwing off^ his yoke, whilst the Miners' Per-
manent Relief Fund and the Miners' Mutual Confident
Association each in turn found numerous supporters and
advocates. There were difficulties in the way of the establish-
ment of any organization, for the employers did not, through
their agents, fail to keep a sharp eye upon the movements of
the men, and whenever they saw any attempt on the part of
the latter to become organized, they invariably dismissed
the men who had been most active. Out of all the above
movements, that which was regarded with the least sus-
picion was the Miners' Permanent Relief Fund, and in its es-
tablishment a large number of coal owners and influential
gentlemen interested themselves. This however gave rise
to suspicion amongst some of the workmen, as they believed
that the e^nployer and employed could never be trusted to
work together. Whilst there is no doubt that this jealousy
was felt by a great number of the men, they had cause for
it in a measure, for neither the employers nor their officials
KORTHUMBEBLAND AND DURHAIC, 211
m^^ coadesoended to meet their workmen to discuss anj
^nevanoes that existed between them. Time, with all the
mnttttions which it has^worked, has produced no greater
change than that which has taken place in this respect, and
only a few short years of mutual confidence and forbearance
hAYe demonstrated that it is for the benefit of both employer
and employed to have a good understanding with each other.
The men of Cowpen Colliery were strongly in favour of the
British Miners' Benefit Association as well as the union, and
they engaged at their own expense, Mr. J. Sheldon, who
had previously worked at the colliery, and had been dis-
charged, to lecture in the two counties for the purpose of
establishing this association. After he had laboured for a
long time, and to a great extent in vain, he wrote the follow-
ing letter to the Miner newspaper: —
**Deab Sir,
I have had the pleasure of attending large meet-
ings in the district, and have endeavoured to show my
fellow miners how they might elevate themselves; but
unfortunately in this north district the men are much divi-
ded; and although I will continue, to arouse them, I have
little faith in the redemption of the present generation.
Societies have become innumerable, but which the men will
stick to I cannot tell. We have some seventy or eighty for
the National Association. What is the cause of the men
being so backward I am at a loss to say. At this colliery
(Cowpen) we have a union five or six hundred strong, and it
seems to be the anxious desire of all the leading men here
that the National Association should be pre-eminent, for
they believe it is the only society, connected with the Miners*
Mutual Confident, that can work out their deliverance."
The real secret of the want of success of Mr. Sheldon
And his coadjutors in advocating the claims of the National
Association, was the very extensive existence of the jealous
feeling to which I have before adverted, and which was for
«b long time mainly instrumental in retarding the progress
of the men. There was no difference of opinion as to the
necessity of a strong union. First they could not bear the
idea of sending their money to London, for. one of the rules
212 THE MINEBS OF
of the National Association was that all the monies of the
various societies should be sent to the association in London.
This jealousy and lack of confidence in the integrity
of their fellow-men begat a very strong difference of
opinion, and from merely holding and advocating differ-
ent opinions, the advocates had recourse to personalities,
and so prejudiced even those who would not join their
society from joining the Permanent Fund. The advo-
cates of the National Association spent their time and
their talent, not in recommending men to join it, but in run-
ning down the Permanent Fund, whilst the members of the
Permanent Fund were equally as active in advising the
miners to have nothing to do with the London society, but
to join their's.
After many misrepresentations on both sides, the first
annual meeting of the Permanent Fund was held on May
2nd, 1863, in Saint James's School Room, Newcastle. Mr.
John Howie presided. This gentleman was, at the com-
mencement, an advocate for the National Association, but
seeing reasons for changing his views, he became a very
active promoter of the Permanent Fund, and is at present
the president of this very flourishing society. He opened
the meeting by saying: — " They had had many difficulties
to contend with, and it had been prophesied over and over
again, that they should become defunct — and in fact, that
they were defmict — ^but so far from that, the association was
full of vitality, and even their enemies had acknowledged
that the Miners' Permanent Fund had a standing, and was
now an accomplished fact." (Cheers.)
The secretary, Mr. A. Blyth, then read the following
report:^ — "This being the first annual meeting of this
society, the committee deem it their duty to lay before you
a brief sketch of its progress up to the present time. This
society was instituted on the 7th of June, 1862, and the
first contributions were paid on the 21st; these contributions
representing 2,000 members, and including 30 collieries.
During the first three months, the society increased very
rapidly, for the returns of October 29 showed the number of
members to be 7,560, and the collieries connected with the
fund were 61. We believe this rapid increase was in a great
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM. 213
measure owing to the labours of the agent who was ap-
pomted at the August meeting, and who was out eight
weeks. Since that time the accession of members has been
slow but steady. We cannot determine the exact number
of the members at the present time, owing to some of the
returns not being forwarded in proper time, but according
to a rough calculation we think the number will be some-
thing like 8,000. As to honorary members, several have
come forward to assist us without solicitation; but your
committee have not been in a position to make any great
efforts to obtain honorary members, owing to the delay that
occurred in getting the society properly registered, and, in
consequence, the difficulty in getting arrangements made for
the instalment of the trustees and other officers in office.
We have now, however, succeeded in getting all the arrange*
ments perfected with the exception of the president. The
vice-presidents that have accepted are the Right Hon. T. E.
Headlam, M.P. ; the Rev. G. T.Fox, M.A.; John Straker,
•Esq.; and H. L. Stobart, Esq. The honorary trustees are
H. Taylor, Esq., Backworth ; J. W. Pease, Esq., Darling-
ton; and Wm. Stobart, Esq., Sunderland ; and as our
solicitor, George Armstrong, Esq., Royal Arcade, Newcastle.
We would undoubtedly have been able to fill up the office of
president had not the committee been confined to certain
names, the office of the president being so important. The
committee deem it unadvisable to take upon themselves the
responsibility of selecting one to fill this office without the
sanction of a delegate meeting. The finances are in a very
satisfactory position. We have received since the com-
mencement of this society, on account of the relief fund, up
to March 28th, 1863, the sum of £942 16s. Id. We have
paid to two maimed men, five half-members, seven widows,
twelve children, four permanently disabled members, the sum
of £204 4s., leaving a balance in hand of £738 12s. Id. At
the diflferent collieries in connection with the fund 52 men
and boys had been killed since last May, only 14 of whom
were members of this society. We have received on ac-
-count of the management fund, £128 14s. Id. Paid for ex-
penses, goods, 4&C., the sum of £183 18s lid., being £55 4s.
^^d. more than the receipts. To balance this deficiency^
214 THE MINEBS OF
there is doe from yarions collieries for rules and cards, £25
15s. 0^; saleable stock on hand to the Talne of £12 10s.;
together with the working property of the society, such as .
books, &c. Balance dne to the treasurer, £16 19s. 8d.
Mr. W. P. Shield (Kepier Grange Colliery), having
been appointed by the Executive Committee to make the
neeeasary calculations to determine the amount of contribu-
tions that miners at different ages would have to pay in
order to secure an annuity of 5s. per week, after arriving at
the ages of 60, 65, and 70, had drawn up a report on the
subject, which had been printed and placed in the hands of
delegates present.
It was proposed by the Houghton-le-Spring society
that a superannuation clause be in connection with the fund,
and that the stated age when to receive relief be, when a
member attains the age of 60 years.
Mr. Henry Taylor (of Newcastle), informed the meeting'
that he had received a letter from Mr. Backhouse, of Sun-
derland, stating that something like £1,200 was lying in the
bank there, contributed to the Hartley Fund, but which had
not been forwarded; and he and his coadjutors were of opin-
ion that it would be better to hand it over to this fund.
(Cheers.) There was also £80 which had been subscribed by
different parties towards the Permanent Fund, which had
been sent to Wood's Bank, to the credit of the society*
(Hear, hear.) After a long discussion, it was at length
decided that at whatever length of time from the occurrence
of an accident, it should be satisfactorily proved that death
ultimately resulted therefrom, the member should be kept
upon the fund till death, and that his widow and children
should be entitled to the same benefit as though he had been
killed upon the spot.
It was also decided that the general secretary have a
salary of £5 for the year ending May, 1863.
The following were re-elected, with the addition of Mr.
Henry Taylor, of Newcastle, as honorary secretary: —
treasurer, Mr. John Baillie Leithead; secretary, Mr. Alex-
ander Blyth; vice-presidents, Right Hon. T. E. Headlam,
M,P., Rev. G. T. Fox, M.A., John Strakor, Esq., H. L..
Stobart, Esq. The following were elected on the general
ME. ALEXANDER ELYTH.
NORTHUMBEBLAND AND DURHAM. 21
committee^ namely: — Honorary members^ Messrs J. J.
Hunter, J. Richardson, and J. Bramwell. The other mem-
bers were Messrs. Shield, Dixon, D. Cole, W. Simpson,
Cruddas, Bailes, Burdis, Jos. Bell, John Brack, and John
Howie.
Mr. Stobart spoke at this meeting and said he was not
afraid to tell the delegates that there was a great amount of
jealousy between masters and men, and the day was coming
fast when that would be swept aside. The coal trade in a
great measure were afraid that the Permament Fund would
give support to strikes.
Mr. Henry Taylor said he was sorry there was some
reluctance on the part of some of the coal owners to acknow-
ledge the society. He believed the trade had a mistaken
idea as to the way the Permanent Fund was before them.
He concluded by saying that unfortunately for both masters
and men, there was a jealousy existing, but it always had
and would be until a proper feeling existed between em-
ployer and employed. The day was not far distant when
masters and men would shake hands with each other and
recognise each other as members of one human family.
This meeting gave a stimulus to this useful and benevo-
lent society, which has been progressing up to the present
day, and now has the large majority of the most intelligent
miners of the two counties as its members, together with a
great many honorary members. Happily no one now either
in the society or out of it, has any doubts as to its beneficial
mission, or any misgivings as to its being an evil. Nor
do the men any longer display any jealousy, or feel otherwise
than honoured for such gentlemen as Mr. Hugh Taylor, Mr.
Henry Taylor, Mr. H. L. Stobart, and others of influence
to be connected with them. The whole management of the
society is in the workmen's hands, they have universal
suffrage in sending their representatives to make the rulea
for the guidance of the society, and if there is anything
wrong in the government they have themselves to blame,
as the gentlemen above named take no part further than to
pay their subscriptions. Mr. Alexander Blyth still con-
tinues to act as secretary, and he has now for a com-
panion Mr. William Steel, a most intelligent miner.
216 THE MINERS OF
In contrast to the first report of this society may be
given that which was submitted to the annual meeting
held in Newcastle on the 7th of June 1873, and which will give
a perfect idea of the great progress which has taken place
since its establishment. The report of the Executive
Committee stated that upwards of 5,000 members had been
added to the fund, the total number of branches now being
230, with 30,000 members. This large increase was attri-
buted to the energy of the canvassing agents. The minor
accident fund had kept pace with the parent department.r
It now numbered 25,000, and was established in every branch,
but three. Over 3,000 individuals in this department had
been injured while following their employment, and had re-
ceived from one to 26 weeks' payments. This branch was
now in such a satisfactory position that the committee
thought they might safely authorise the amalgamation of the
permanent and the minor branches. The sick fund com-
prised 500 members, and had a balance of £150. The
report next remarked that the employers showed no signs
of faltering, but were ever giving proof of their desire to
help forward the society. There was only some half-dozen
owners in the two counties who held aloof from contributing
to the fund, which was devoted to the sustenance of the
widows and orphans, together with disabled miners who
were deprived of their ordinary income from accidents in the
mines. Reference having been made to the deputation to
Mr. Winterbotham on the truck system, the committee went
on to remark that there was still as great necessity as ever
for carefully husbanding the resources of the society. The
trying or testing point has not yet been fully arrived at,
however. The number of widows and children chargeable
to the fund was still increasing, as were also disabled mem-
bers. The balance-sheet showed .an expenditure for the
latter class alone of nearly £2,000, being an increase of
nearly 25 per cent, on the previous year, and without any
great extra calamity to account for such increase. With
respect to the Cleveland mines, the conmiittee had made
special efforts more than once to arrive at satis&ctory data
as the basis of negotiation regarding terms of admission, but
they had felt compelled to give further time, there not being
N0BTHUMBEBLA2n> AND DURHAM. 217
sufficient data in existence. This could only be hoped to be
obtained after the new Mines Regulation Act had been in
operation a sufficient length of time to furnish proper statis*-
tical information. The report then treated on the subject of
the remuneration of local committees, and next it was re-
marked that not one single case of arbitiation had occurred
during the year — a proof that there had been little or no
ground for disputes in connection with the administration of
the affairs of the society. The number of mei|^bers who had
died from accident during the year was 61^ being 9 fewer
than last year, and, taking the average number of members
At 27,000, giving a little over 2^ per 1,000. 38 were mar-
ried men, leaving 38 widows and 73 children ; 8 wer0
unmarried; and 15 were half members. 47 disabled mem-
bers had been placed on the fund during the year, and 43
had gone off. 8 widows had also gone off the funds, and 22
children. The number of recipients at the end of March
was as follows : — Widows, 196 ; children, 331 ; disabled
99; total, 626. The income of the year had been: — Contri-
butions, £8,890 8s. ; owners' per centage, £1,608 8s. 4d. ;
honorary subscriptions and interest, £514 4s. 5d.; total
income, £11,013 Os. 9d. The expenditure had been :—
Single members' legacies, £184; married members' legacies,
£190; half members' legacies, £180; widows and children's
allowances, £3,983 9s. 6d.; disabled members, £1906 19s.;
general management expenses, £720 3s. 4d.; local expenses,
£1,039 17s. 7d.; total expenditure, £8,204 9s. 5d.; showing
a gain on the year's account of £2,808 lis. 4d.; the balance
from last year being £13,431 10s. lid., the total balance
now amounted to £16,240 2s. 3d. Since the commence-
ment of the society there had been paid to widows, children,
and disabled members the sum of £31,387 12s, 3d. The
income of the minor accident department had been : Contri-
butions of members, £3,135 10s. Id.; entrance fees, £116
16s. ; total, £3,251 6s. Id. The expenditure had been :
for relief, £2,284 10s. 4d.; local expenses, £320 6s.; total,
j62,604 16s. 4d. The balance in hand on account of this
fund was £678 15s. 5d.
Mr . Haswell read the following statement of the invest-
noients of the society : Cash in Backhouse's bank, £2,534 8s.
4d.; Lambton's bank, £1,646 17s. 2d.; with Tyne Commis-
L
218 THE BnNERS OF
sioners, £4,500 : Blyth and Tyne Railway Company, £500 ;
North Eastern Railway Company, £2,340 ; Three per Cent.
Consols, £2,000; cash in deposit, £1,775; ditto at collieries,
£995; total cash and investments, £16,291 5s. 6d.
A report of the Finance Committee, which had been cir-
culated amongst the collieries, reviewed the present position
of the society, and pointed out the effect which the adoption
of the various proposals as to advancing the allowance to
widows and children, and disabled members, the increase of
pay to the various officers, and the alteration of time w^hen
the allowance should commence, would have on the funds.
The committee observed : — " After extensive inquiry, we
find that the future requirements of all the widows and cliil-
dren now on the society would amount to £15,530, and the
future claims of our present disabled members would amount
to £2,000, making a total of £17,530 as the value of our
existing liabilities. To meet these liabilities we have now
a balance of £16,240, and assuming the rate of interest at
3^ per cmt. per annum, the present value of our balance is
£16,96^ But our liabilities, as you see, are £17,530, being
£561 less than the future requirements of our present
widows, children, and disabled members. You will, there-
fore, perceive that the benefits cannot be increased unless
the contributions be increased at the same time." They,
therefore, came to the concluaion that, as there was no pro-
posal to that effect, the alterations suggested in the propo-
sitions were not consistent with the permanent interests of
the society. The closing paragraphs of this report were
devoted to the position of the management fund, the ex-
penditure for the year 1873 having, it appeared, exceeded
the income by £186.
KOBTHUMBERLAND AND DUBHAM. 219
CHAPTER XXXIX.
FOBHATION OP ANOTHEB GENEBAL UNION OP THE TWO
COUNTIES. OUTBBEAK OP THE STBIKE PETER IN
DUBHAM. PBOGBESS OP THE UNION.
Haying, in the last chapter, brought the history of the
Permanent Relief Fund down to the present day, it is not
my intention to return again to that institution, but to devote
the few remaining chapters to the present union of Northum-
berland, and to the rise and progress of theimionin Durham.
The union amongst the Northumberland men having spread
with comparative rapidity, it was deemed advisable to make
a furthermore effort to get up another general union for the two
counties of Northumberland and Durham. With this end in
view, a delegate meeting was held on the 6th of June, 1863,
in the Victoria Hotel, Newcastle. There were 30 delegates
present, twenty-seven representing the collieries of Northum-
berland, and the remaining three representing the collieries
of Whitworth, Spennymoor, Washington, and Usworth, in
the County of Durham, Mr. Joseph Sheldon presided over
this meeting. The secretary intimated that the rules had
been distributed amongst the members, at that time amount-
ing to 4,070. Amongst the other business transacted at
this meeting, it was agreed that the delegates should meet
quarterly, and not half-yearly, and that district meetings
should be held in the County of Durham, with the view 'of
moving the men of that county to join with them.
Mr. Joseph Sheldon subsequently visited Washington
and Usworth Collieries, when the miners employed there
unanimously agreed to join the union, and to use their best
efforts in getting the neighbouring collieries to join with
them. There was not much difficulty in inducing men to
attend the meeting, for they were at this time greatly
oppressed, the yearly binding being in full force in the
County of Durham. They heard of the success which had
attended the efforts of the miners of Northumberland, and
they readily came to the determination to join in with them,
and endeavour to shake off the fetters that then bound them*
In a short time a great number of collieries in Durham
220 THE HINEB8 OF
joined the union, and the Durham portion of it ultimately
became far larger than that of Northumberland.
But still, blind to their own interests, and impatient of
all delay, however necessary, the men were no sooner united
than they began to strike again, even before there were any
funds to support a strike with. Many seemed to imagine
that the moment they joined the union a large fund would
be accumulated, as if by magic, and though they had had
bitter experiences of the fallacy of such a very irrational
oonclusion, they set the rules of the association at defiance,
and ceased to work. It is no wonder, therefore, that the
men found themselves beaten, as they did on the present
and many subsequent occasions; for the union which they
had joined was but a shadow, and they dispersed even that
before it could have time to develop into any distinct form*
There were no funds in the union^ and nothing, therefore,
to maintain them with when out on strike, and they had, in
oonsequence, to fall back upon the voluntary subscriptions
and levies of the men. But at some of the collieries the men
did not even take the precaution to join the union before
turning out on strike, and many of them struck work, and
like the pilot, " trusted to Providence." A district meet-
ing was held at Thornley, on September 12th, to induce
the men of this colliery to join the union. There w^ere
about 600 present. Mr. Menomarrow. presided, and earn-
estly appealed for every man to join the union. Inkerman
Colliery, which had joined the union a short time before
came out on strike for an advance of wages. A deputation
of men waited on Mr. Elliot, who said he would meet the
whole of the men at two o'clock, and not a deputation. The
men a second time sent a deputation^ when he again
requested the whole of the men to meet him at the office.
Thereupon the entire body of men went, and were invited
into the office, and were then told by the viewer that those
men who were willing to go to work should remain in the
office, and those who were not might go out of the office.
All the men, true to each other, at once went out of the
office and left Mr. Sparks and his agents to consult together
as to what was best to be done. Mr. Sparks subsequently
stated to the men that those who would not work under the
terms of the owners should come to the office the following
KOBTHUMBEBLAND AND DtTBHAM. 221
day, and he would pay the wages due to them; and accord-
ingly the next day, the whole of the men met the cashier.
He paid the wages of all the men who were not living in
the colliery houses, hut refused to pay those who occupied
the houses. The men of Ashington Colliery, situated
between Choppington and Longhirst, also came out on
strike, and in the course of the strike a riot ensued. Several
men were taken prisoners and tried at the Moot Hall, New-
castle.
At the next quarterly delegate meeting, which was held
at the Victoria Hotel, Newcastle, it was found on the roll
being called that there were 14 additional collieries in the
-anion. At this meeting it was resolved that Mr. Crawford
should act as agent and secretary, and that another agent
should also be appointed. Mr. Sheldon, who had previously
been engaged by the Cowpen men, was appointed to this
office. The delegates also agreed that the first conference should
be held in October. A committee meeting was held at
Seghill on the 12th of September, to fix the differ-
ent collieries that the newly elected agents should visit for
the first six weeks of their office, when Mr. Sheldon was
appointed to visit the collieries in Northumberland, and Mr*
Crawford the Auckland district in the County of Durham.
Several active members about Spennymoor also visited the
neighbouring collieries. A deputation having visited Byers
Green, promised to return two days affcer, and arrangements
were made to get up a meeting of the men to hear them.
The men had a burial club at this place and used to hold
their meeting for the transaction of the business of the
club in Mr. B. Rhodes' long-room, where it was intended
that the meeting should be held. The landlord hearing
of this sent for one of the men previous to the meeting and
asked what the meeting was about. On being told that
it was to consider the necessity of organization for the
better protection of the lives and labour of the miners, he
said the men could not have the room for that purpose, and
that he would send word to Spennymoor to prevent the men
coming from there. This &d not prevent the men from
holding the meeting, for they obtained another room firom
Mr. Butter. The meeting was well attended and the mea
were unainmously in favour of the union.
222 THE HIKERS OF
A large demonstration took place at Crook on the 26tli
of September, at which Mr. Crawford urged the miners
to unite themselves together and do away with the yearly
bond. Mr. Henry Emery, of Oakenshaw, said that while
they were in small items like scraps of iron they could be
thrown about to any place when the owners thought proper,
but now they were getting welded together into a mass,
their solidity would stop them from so doing for the future.
Miners in all ages had been misrepresented, but never more
so than in the present day. Mr. Fletcher pointed to the
practice then prevailing of fining a man 2s. 6d., for lying
off work without a doctor's certificate, while at the same
time the masters could lay the pit idle as long as they liked
without in any way consulting the convenience of the work-
men. Mr. Thomas Eamsay, an old veteran in the cause of
unions, gave a sketch from the earliest days of unions
amongst the miners, and said there was never a time when
the miners needed unions more than at that time; whilst
Mr. Patrick Doyle pictured the position of a pitman with a
wife and four or five children depending on his small earn-
ings of from 2s. 6d, to 3s. per day. He was not exagger-
ating when he said this was the averagie wage of the dis-
trict. At the same time there were writers. Dr. Wilson
and others, who said that the miner's food consisted of plum
pudding, roast beef, and ** singing hinnies." He would
leave the audience to judge how much plum pudding and
roast beef there could be got out of the small earnings of
the miners of Durham. Instead of roast beef and plum
pudding their principal diet was coffee three times a day
without sugar, and bread without butter. Mr. John
Johnson, Dudley, next addressed the meeting, and quoted
from the history of Solomon and David in support of com-
bination. Mr. J. Sheldon, from Blyth, urged on the men to
join the union, and induce other collieries round the district
to do the same. He read a hand-bill which had been posted
about Crook, headed " Pitmen, beware of men going about
the country living out of you by agitation. You will com-
pel your employers to introduce machinery to hew coals,'*
and signed *^ Tlie Pitman's Friend." Mr. Sheldon, as a
paid agent, said he was not afiraid to tell them what he had
for his labour, and that was 25s. per week, his own house
MB. WILLIAM CKAWFORD.
KORTHUMBEBLAND AND DURHAM. 223
and coals to find^ and his railway fare to pay when the
distance was under five miles. He concluded by moving
the following resolution: — "That this meeting pledges
itself to assist the cause to the utmost of their power, and
to send a delegate to the next delegate meeting in New-
castle."
Mr. Crawford, who was delegated to the Auckland dis-
trict, met with great success. He commenced at Spenny-
moor on September 21st; Byers Green, 22nd; andNewfield
on the 23rd. The men at the latter place gave an awful
account of the labours they had to perform, and the small
remuneration they received for it. Mr. Crawford, in the
course of his remarks, commented in strong terms on the
inconsistency of Dr. Wilson, who had so falsely misrepre-
sented the miners. " I intreat you," said he, " to determine
to do something for yourselves to show to the world that
you are not the degraded beings which some suppose you to
be." The men took his advice in a very unanimous manner
at this, and at other collieries, and not less than 1,200 mem-
bers were enrolled in the union during the month at Cassop,
Thomley, Haswell, and Trimdon collieries.
At the next quarterly delegate meeting, held in the
Victoria Hotel, Newcastle, on October 3rd, four members
from the Northumberland and Durham Miners' Mutual Con-
fident Association were appointed to attend the National
Conference to be held in Leeds ; Messrs. N. Milburn, T.
Thompson, J. Sheldon, and William Crawford, having been
chosen for that purpose. It was also the opinion of the
meeting that the following subjects ought to have special
consideration at the conference : — (1.) A better supervision
of inspection, the amendment of the present Mines' Inspec-
tion Bill, and the appointment of one sub-inspector for every
4,000 men employed in coal mines in the United Kingdom.
(2.) That where coroners' inquests were held over persons
who had lost their lives by accidents in coal mines, the jury-
men on such inquests ought to be operative miners. (3.)
That a Ten Hours' Bill for boys in coal mines was highly
necessary, and ought, by every legitimate means, to be
sought for. (4.) That no boy ought to descend a coal mine
sooner than six o'clock in the morning, (5.) That it was
indispensably necessary for the safety of coal miners that
224 THE MINEB9 OF
only properly qualified persons should be appointed to re-
sponsible situations in coal mines^ and that all agents should
undergo an examination before some disinterested person
competent to the task,
A very large demonstration was held at Bishop Auck-
landy on the same day as that on which the delegate meeting
was held ; and though the day was wet, there were from
5,000 to 6,000 men present. The men from Byers Green,
Hunwick, and Newfield, came in a body with a flag, and
were the first on the ground. The Spennymoor, Whitworth,
Page Bank, and Bishop's Close men, headed by the Cassop
brass band, and one large banner, walked in procession
through Bishop Auckland to the place of meeting, where
they were joined by 150 men from Old Etherley; whilst a
large number arrived from Newton Cap, Wopdhouse Close,
and the neighbouring collieries. Mr. J. Johnson, Spennymoor,
presided, and the speakers were G. Barker, R. Walton, R.
Fox, J. Simpson, and G. Muckleroy. Mr. Barker moved
the first resolution, which was as follows : — " That, in the
opinion of this meeting, it is of the utmost importance that
we as miners become united for the protection of our lives
and labour." He gave an account of the success of the miion
from its commencement, and stated that almost every colli-
ery in Durham was in the union. Though they had thou-
sands who had put their names down as union men, there
was something more required of them. Every man must
act as a union man towards each other. Mr. Robert Walton
seconded the resolution, and in doing s6, dwelt on the various
ways in which the miners were imposed upon." George
Muckleroy proposed the second resolution — ** That in the
opinion of this meeting the hours of labour are too long, and
we pledge ourselves to use every legal means to shorten the
hours of labour, in order that we may have an opportunity
of improving our minds, and educating our children." Mr.
John Simpson seconded the resolution, and said the public
were under the impression that boys were only 12 hoiirs in
the pits. Even if this were true, it was too long ; but he
assured them that the boys where he worked were more
often 14 hours in the pit than 12; and he believed, hj
examining the two counties, it would be found that the same
state of things existed in both, for they had to be at their
N0BTHT7MBERLAND AND DURHAM. 22&
work 12 hours^ and it took two hours in going and coming
from it in the mine. These resolutions were carried unani-
mousljj as well as one in favour of the miners then present
at once joining the union.
Another large meeting was held on the 17th October^
at Tantoby, near Tanfield. Around the district of Tantoby
there were a great number of small collieries, each employ-
ing from 100 to 150 men, and the workmen from these pits
were nearly all present. Mr. Milburn, of Gateshead, pre-
sided, and in opening the proceedings he said that though
he was glad to see the miners once more united, he at the
ii&me time was sorry to see so many of them violating th^
rules they had drawn up for the guidance of the society, iti
coming out on strike. Mr. Crawford also spoke. He said
the question before them was one of great importance not
only to the present generation, but also to rising generations.
It was likewise a question of great magnitude, its ramifica-
tions extending as it was likely to do throughout the whole of
the British Empire. There were evils to redress, wrongs to
put right, and in trying to grapple with the question in
all its details, great caution and forbearance would have to
be observed. And it rested with themselves whether they^
would be free, or continue in the position they were in.
A resolution was unanimously carried pledging the con*
stituents of the meeting to join the union, and abide by the
rules of the society.
By means of such meetings a very considerable amount
of good was done to the cause of unity, for there was scarce
a village at which a meeting was held, in which a large
number of members were not registered. The numerical
strength of the union towards the end of the year was all
that could be desired, but as it had just been called into
existence that year there were no funds to fallback upon ill
case of a general dispute between the masters and the men
occurring.
I
226 THE MINERS OF
CHAPTER XL.
THE STRIKE AT WILLINGTON. CONDUCT OF MESSRS*
STRAKER AND LOVE. EVICTION OF THE MEN. PUBLIC
MEETINGS. OTHER STRIKES. FIRST CONFERENCE OF
THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION.
Unhappily when everything was going on so pros-
perously in both counties, when unity was fast taking the
place of discotd and disunion, and when many thousands of
men in the counties were binding themselves together in
one solid phalanx an event occurred, which did much to wreck
the union. This was none other than the unfortunate strike
which occurred at Messrs. Straker and Love's collieries at
Willington. There were other strikes in the county at the
same time, but this one was the largest, and attracted the
most attention. This dispute, which ultimately threw 1200
men out of employment, occurred owing to the system which
prevailed of setting out the tubs. After the tubs were
filled in-bye, and were packed as close as it was possible for
them to be filled in the low places in which the men had to
work, they often, from the jolting in going out, were shaken
down, and appeared at the bank just filled to the brim. In
order to obviate any deficiency which must arise from this
cause, and result in the tub being confiscated, the men had to
resort to " rocking " their tubs, an arduous and excessively
painftil operation. The weighman received a commission
upon every tub laid out by him, and naturally enough he
was only too anxious to find out " light " tubs. Matters be-
came so very bad — the miners losing from eight to ten tubs
on an average per fortnight, that they could no longer
submit to such injustice and illegal treatment. They ac-
cordingly asked to have every tub that came to bank
weighed, and to be paid upon the weight of coals which they
sent to bank, and not upon the number of tubs. They also
demanded an advance equivalent to five per cent, on the
score price. These terms Mr. Love, the acting partner,
refused to comply with, though he agreed that the tubs
should be weighed, that each should weigh 10^ cwt., and ir
they did not exceed 10 cwt. they should be laid out. Mr^
NOBTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM. 227
Love also expressed his determination not to employ again
any of the men who had been connected with the proceed-
ings he had taken at the Police Court against them. There
were 6 of these " marked men " at Brandon, 12 at Oakenshaw,
4 at Sunnybrow, and 10 at Brancepeth. The number of
miners belonging to the union at these collieries at the time
of the strike were, Brandon 214, Oakenshaw 237, Brancepeth
518, and Sunnybrow 220. Twelve men were selected as
ring-leaders, and warrants having been obtained for their
apprehension they were taken from their houses in the
dead hour of mid-night into custody, the crime of which
they had been guilty being the terrible one of having refused
to work. The people were naturally indignant at this treat-
ment, as unnecessary as it was unjust and cruel, for a more
befitting hour might easily have been selected as there was
not one tittle of ground for believing that any opposition or
resistance would have been offered. The men were brought
before the magistrates, when Mr. Marshall, of Durhain,
appeared for the owners, and Mr. Bush, of Newcastle, for
the men. The latter conducted the case with much ability
and success. The strike began on the 16th of October, and
on Tuesday, the 27th of the same month, notices were
given to the men to quit their houses, some on the 28thy
and some had till the 30th, allowed them to get out of the
wretched hovels that were dignified in the notices with the
names of houses. On Wednesday, the 28th of October, on
a raw cold foggy morning a force of sixteen policemen and
twenty-four men, gathered from the common lodging houses of
Newcastle and Gateshead, were marched into the village of
Sunnybrow at half-past seven o'clock. There were not
many people astir at that time, but the news of the invasion
having quickly spread through the village the men turned
out to have a look at them. They had, however, been taken
to a public-house where they were regaled with a sub-
stantial breakfast, and stimulated with drink in order to
inspire them with Dutch courage for the task they were soon
to perform. At nine o'clock the policemen and their gang
of rowdies, who were called " candymen " by the pitmen
and their wives,^ turned out in company with two young men
representing the owners. These officials went into each
house where notice had been given, and asked the head of
228 THE MINERS OF
the family if he would return to work on the owners' terms.
As in each case a negative answer was returned, they paid
the money that was due, but which was refused in one or
two instances and was left lying upon the table, and then
they directed the constables and men to remove the men's
furniture. It is needless to say with how much roughness
the articles of furniture, which in many instances it had
taken years to accumulate, were handled, for the great zeal
and energy of policemen in general is too well known. But
exceptionally rough and brutal were the policemen and
" candymen " on this occasion, for they broke and splintered
the various articles, and tumbled them into the colli^y carts
or into the road as the case may be, as if they were heaps of
rubbish rather than the much prized chattels of their fellow-
creatures. Ere the sun set on that foggy, damp raw day no
less then 37 families had been turned adrift to sleep in the
houses of their friends if they could, or beneath the incle-
ment sky, with the cold wet ground beneath, and a chill wet
mist dripping from the leaden clouds above. Tents and
camps were hurriedly improvised in a field near, and so a
boisterous night was passed, those who had to sleep in this man-
ner rising in the morning wet and cramped. On Thursday
the evicting party removed from Sunnybrow to Oakenshaw and
there with the same brutal indifference to the feelings of the
poor creatures around them, they emptied the houses in the
same way as at Sunnybrow on the previous day, the result
of their day's labour being that 38 married men, 37 wives-
some of them about to become mothers — 85 children and
single women, and 59 single men who were working, mak-
ing a total of 219 human creatures, were turned out of house
and home to seek shelter from the pelting, merciless storm
wherever they could. On Friday, the 30th of October, the
process of eviction was stopped^ although notice had been
served on many of the men to leave their houses on that
day. Saturday also passed off without any more men being
put out of their houses, as did also Sunday the first
day of November. Monday morning, however, was so
foul that even Mr. Love had not the heart to order his
myrmidons to turn more of these poor wretches out. An in-
terview between Mr. Grott, an agent of Mr. Love's, and
a deputation of the workmen took place on this day, and as
KOBTHUMBEBLAKD AND DURHAM. 229
the men contended that the tubs were not large enough to
hold the quantity they were expected to fill into them it
was proposed that six tubs should be filled on the pit heap
«nd weighed, and an average . of the whole struck, but this
Mr. Gott declined to have done. The men on being in-
formed of the result of the interview resolved to remain
-Brm. on strike, whatever might be the consequence of such a
etep. To make matters worse the owners forbade the poor
creatures they had turned out to seek for shelter wherever
they could, or to encamp in any of the fields belonging to the
colliery, and notices threatening dreadful consequences to
trespassers were posted all over the neighbourhood One
poor woman, more bold then her neighbours, ventured
on to the |wagon way to pick up a little coal to warm
herself by in the bitter wintry weather, and no sooner
was she seen by the police, ever on the alert at persecution,
then she was pounced upon; and because she very naturally did
her best to get away, she was shamefully ill-treated by those
men. She was expecting every day to become a mother,
but the zealous officers had no eyes to see such a condition,
and (it must be written) no heart disposed to show mercy
even if they had seen it. However, matters went on more
or less peaceftiUy till the 10th of November, when Mr. Love
proposed that the tubs should be sent to bank uiirocked, and
that the men should be paid by weight at so much per ton,
but that the price per ton should be fixed upon the same
basis as the score price had been. This the men refused,
and on the 17th of November, the candymen and policemen
once more appeared in Sunnybrow and turned to the door
all who still remained housed. The next day they went to
Brancepeth and did the same, and on the following day the
villagers at Oakenshaw were turned adrift. At Brancepeth
some of the women got rather noisy, and the men unable to
bear any longer the many indignities to which they were
subjected grew restive, and gave evidence of a determination
to do something desperate. Indeed some riotous proceed*
ings actually did occur, and it was deemed advisable to get
the candymen out of the place with all despatch in order to
save their unlucky necks from being broken. There were
now some thousands of human creatures starving with cold
and hunger in the fields and lanes, most of them women and
230 THE MINERS OF
children^ without any adequate covering to protect them
from an exceptionally severe winter.
This was the first strike that the miners had when the
public press seemed to be almost unanimously in their favour,
for there was scarcely a newspaper in the North of England
that had one word to say on behalf of the owners, or that
did not give publicity to expressions of sympathy with the
men. What made the case of the owners worse, was that
Mr. Love himself had been a miner, and had risen to the
position he then occupied. This the men did not quarrel
with, but they thought that a man who had himself laboured
in the mine might be expected to show some little degree
of consideration. Mr. Love also passed in the world as a
benevolent and Christian man, and people could not help
inquiring whether this gentleman deemed it consistent with
his profession to turn helpless women and their little ones to
the door in the middle of winter. It was not under these
circumstances to be wondered at that the sympathy of the
public was expressed so freely in the country on behalf of the
miners. Though the local press were on the side of the
men, they did not say that the men were right in the course
they had adopted, but maintained that they had been un-
justly treated, and were the victims of a most iniquitous
system. Mr. Love felt the scathing influence of popular
indignation and tried to vindicate his conduct by writing to
the local papers, but he was rebuffed, and his behaviour
towards his workmen and their families in the winter season,
of the year reviewed in a remarkably free manner, and contrast-
ed with the teachings of that religion of which he professed to
be such an ardent admirer. Mr. Love resided in a splen-
did stone mansion called Mount Beulah, at the outskirts of
the City of Durham, and he was looked up to in Durham,
where he was known as an ardent and influential Methodist.
He sometimes preached himself, very frequently presided at
the anniversary meetings in connection with the body; he
either built, or largely helped to build, many chapels, con-
tributed extensively to the funds of the Methodist New-
Connexion; and was considered the prop and stay of
that denomination in Durham. Now, these in themselves
were very good and praiseworthy traits of character, but
men began to look upon them as instances of mockery and
NOBTHUMBEBLAND AND DUEHAM. 231
hypocrisy, for they said, "what availeth preaching and
chapel building if the first principles of Christanity are dis-
regarded. If a man is scandalously unjust to his workmen,
and will, without remorse, turn helpless families to the door,
and leave them without a shelter in the middle of winter,
what shall his good works avail him ? " People failed to see
the consistency of such acts with a profession of piety, and
so they very plainly spoke their minds about Mr. Joseph.
Love, and remarked that such conduct brought religion into
contempt.
Much public sympathy was also expressed with the un-
fortunate miners, and various meetings were held up and
down the country for the purpose of raising funds to support
the men on strike. The largest of these meetings was that
held at Bishop Auckland, on Saturday, the 7th of November,,
when, in spite of the muddy weather thousands of men
mustered. The meeting was for the purpose of discussing
the principles of the union, the aspect of the existing strike,
and other matters affecting the interest of the men. Banners
were carried in front of the various bodies of men, many of
them bearing mottoes, one of them being the following para-
phrase of Coleridge's well-known lines.
<<
He doeth well, who doeth good,
To those of his own brotherhood,
He doeth better, who doth strive,
To keep his brethren all alive/
))
Mr. Johnson, of Spennymoor, occupied the chair, and the
meeting was successively addresesd by Messrs. George
Parker, Spennymoor; Cain Peart, Newfield; William Dixon,
West Auckland; William Henderson, Newfield; and George
Muckleroy. Mr. Henderson, in speaking on the principles
of union, said there were at that time 300,000 miners in the
United Kingdom, and he had been thinking that if these
300,000 men each contributed Is. per week for the year the-
sum of £750,000 would be raised. What coal-fields that
would buy ? Who could compete with men in possession of
such a capital as that ? But suppose these contributions
Were continued for five years, the capital raised would be
d£4,752,0OO, a most prodigious sum. That was what union
could do, and what union would have to do sooner or later.
A meeting, called together for a similar purpose to the
232 THE MINEB8 OF
<me above, was also held in the Lecture Roomy Newcastle,
on the 19th of November, when there was a large attend-
ance and some very good speeches delivered on the various
questions before the meeting. The conduct of Messrs.
Straker and Love was very severely criticised at this meet-
ing, and what was of much more practical value at that
time, a very fair amount of money was contributed towards
the support of the men on strike.
A strike occurred at Spennymoor Colliery, occasioned
by the flagrant misconduct of a deputy overman named
Parker. It appears the rope broke one morning, and the
putters having been kept idle for about two hours, applied to
Parker for some compensation for their lost time, to which
he answered " ye'll be asking for all the pit the noo." They
went to their work, but with a very discontented spirit, and
about eight o'clock they resolved to knock off unless they
got some satis&ction. They saw Parker again and he 'was
very insolent, on which they all left and came out-bye.
When they were in the cage and about to ride he said to
them '^ aw'il scumfish ye all," meaning he would stifle them.
He rapped for the brakesman to draw up the cage, and
when it was about half-way up he signaUed for it to be
stopped. The cage was stopped right in the centre of the
shaft, just immediately above where the heat and smoke of
three furnaces had their vent into the shaft. The men
accordingly demanded that a man who could be guilty of
such conduct should be discharged, and as this simple act
of justice was denied them they struck work, and remained
out. On the 11th of November, they were turned out of
their houses to keep company with Messrs. Straker and
Love's men at Brandon, Brancepeth, Sunnybrow, and
Oaken shaw.
Several other strikes occurred about this time, one of
them being at Page Bank, where the men reftised to work
if a man of the name of Marks was retained; one at Beamish
and Pelton for higher wages ; and one at Medomsley for a
similar reason.
The first National Conference, which had been looked
forward to with great anxiety by the miners, took place on
Monday, the .9th November, when delegates from nearly ail
the coal-mining districts of England, Lreland, Scotland, and
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM. 233
Wales, upwards of 50 in number, assembled at tbe Co-ope-
rative Hall, Leeds, for tbe purpose of considering the condi-
tion of the miner, and how it was to be improved. Mr.
Joseph Sheldon, Mr. William Crawford, Mr. Thomas
Thompson, Mr. N. Milburn, and Mr. John Hunter, repre-
sented Northumberland and Durham at the conference. The
representative from Scotland, Mr. A. Macdonald, moved
** that the conference meet on the following Tuesday under
three sections: — (1.) For the consideration of the gi'ievances
of the miner ; (2.) for discussing the state of the law ; and
(3.) for the consideration of questions of social economy in
which the miner was interested. Mr. John Towers was
elected general secretary of the conference; Mr. McDonald,
chairman; and Mr. William Pickard, of Ince, vice-president.
The following persons were elected chairmen and secretaries
of the different sections. Law : — ^Mr. William Crawford,
Northumberland, chairman; and Thomas Hickam, Kids-
grove, Staffordshire, secretary. Grievance: — ^Mr. William
Henry Miller, Dudley, chairman ; and Mr. John Farrell,
Corbridge, Staffordshire, secretary. Social organisation: —
Mr. William Brown, Hunslet, chairman ; and David Thorn,
Leeds, secretary. Mr. William Crawford proposed a Ten
Hours Bill for boys, and one of eight hours for men. This
was seconded by Mr. Sheldon, but after a long discussion it
was put, when only three hands were held up for it. In the
grievance department, Mr. N. Milburn, on behalf of himself
and brother-delegates from Northumberland and Durham,
handed in the following statement of grievances: — "That
the present system of laying-out miners' coals, as carried out
in Northumberland and Durham district, is considered to be
confiscation, and ought therefore to be abolished ; that the
provisions of the present Mines* Inspection Act are too
generally neglected; that employers do not employ officials in
mines where safety lamps are in use, without having due
regard to the qualifications of such officials; that the system
of separating coals in the screens at bank, as practised in
some of the collieries of the Marchioness of Londonderry, is
a very gr^t cause of complaint ; and that another grievance
in Northumberland and Durham is the paying of a certain
score price to a man working nine days, but if a man work
ten or eleven days, he is paid an extra price.'* It was
234 THE MINERS OF
stated at this conference that there should be a '^ National
Emergency Labour Fimd," left under the control of the dis-
tricts in which it was raised.
This conference sat seven days, and discussed many im-
portant subjects relating to the miners; but, notwithstanding
this, the proceedings did not give satisfaction to the general
body of miners, and more particularly was this dissatisfac-
tion expressed in Durham. It had been held out to the mea
by some of the advocates that if they only joined the union,
along with the National Association^ there would at once be
an end to all their grievances, and that everything that was
wanted would be got. Unfortunately, there were too many
ignorant men ready to swallow such extravagant statements,
but hundreds did not believe them, nor did they appreciate
this misleading mode of advocacy. As a natural consequence,
those who had hoped great things fiom the union, when they
were disappointed, began to leave it. One result of this
disaffection was that Mr. Towers, who had been very popu-
lar in the North of England amongst the miners, began to
decline in popularity, and what was still worse for the inte-
rests of the society, Sheldon and he, who had been great
friends from the first, now had a serious difference, and
resorted to making grave charges against each other's public
and private characters. Towers, the secretary of the Na-
tional Association, secretary of the conference, and the
editor of The Miner ; and Workman^ s Advocate, was
openly accused of dishonesty; and though he had succeeded
in a very short time in creating thousands of friends, he, by
some means or other, had double that number of enemies in
less time than it had taken him to make his friends. Well
might he exclaim with the poet : —
** Former gatherings and rash acquaintance
Have led to ruin and sad repentance."
A Committee of the National Conference was appointed
to hear the grievances of the miners of Northumberland and
Durham; but this committee soon found out that the task
that the association had put upon them was more than they
could carry out. At a meeting which they held in the Vic-
toria Hotel, Newcastle, on the 12th December, the following
resolution was passed : — " This committee are of opinion
that there seems too great readiness, in many instances, to
NORTHUMBEBLAND AND DURHAM. 235
bring matters prematurely before tbis committee. We,
tberefore, tbink tbere is a neeessitj for all collieries to
exbanst every proper means witbin tbeir power before
troubling tbe general committee, as sucb conduct will lead
to most unpleasant and unnecessary disputes between tbe
Coal Trade and tbis committee. Also we must, as a com-
mittee, insist upon all parties attending to tbe general rules
in all cases, and tbose wbo do not, tbeir case will not be
taken up."
Great numbers of men were now getting tbeir notices
for taking an active part in tbe union; and eacb week, more
collieries were coming out on strike. Tbe wbole trade,
tbrougbout tbe county of Durbam, was in a very disordered
state, and mucb privation was felt by large numbers of men
and tbeir families. Tbe winter was very severe and trying,
and many men were anxious to be at work again. Tbey
accordingly began to drop off from tbe union, one by one,
and tben in pretty considerable batcbes. Witb tbe bope of
counteracting tbis, a district delegate meeting was beld on
December 19tb, at Bisbop Auckland, Mr. Jobn Howie pre-
sided. Tbere was only one colliery out of tbe tbirty-three
in tbe district tbat was not represented, and tbis was Soutb
Durbam. Tbe following resolution was unanimously passed:
— " Tbat tbis meeting considers tbere was never greater
necessity for union amongst tbe miners tban at tbe present
day. We, tberefore, deprecate every action wbicb may bave
a tendency to cause disunion amongst us, let it come from
wbatever quarter it may."
CHAPTER XLI.
AGITATION IN DURHAM AGAINST THE YEARLY BOND. DIS-
PUTES AMONGST THE LEADERS OF THE MEN. ATTACK
ON MR. ROBERTS. DEATH OP THOMAS HEPBURN.
Tbe year 1864 opened on anytbing but a brigbt prospect
for tbe miners of Nortbumberland and Durbam, and espe-
cially for tbose of tbe latter county, for a great proportion
of the men were out on strike, many of tbem were bouseless
and starving, disaffection and disorganization were fast
spreading amongst tbem, and a strong repugnance to tbe
236 THE BONEBS OF
yearly bond was rapidly growing up all over the district.
On the 9th January, 1864, a large demonstration took place
on the Newcastle Town Moor, when the abolition of the
yearly bonds in the County of Durham was brought forward,
and a resolution, pledging the employment of all legitimate
measures to obtain the discontinuance of this distastefdl
system, was unanimously adopted. Mr. Holmes, of Lrceds,
spoke at this meeting, and threw out some valuable sug-
gestions for the amelioration of miners as a class, and incul-
cated the duty of union and co-operation. Mr. Smith, of
Crook; Joseph Sheldon, Blyth; Mr. Gammage, Sunderland;
Mr. William Grieves and Mr. Muckleroy also addressed the
meeting.
As the yearly bindings were beginning to draw near, the
men in Durham became very much agitated. Several colli-
eries passed resolutions of restriction, and looked upon others
as ^^ blacklegs " who did not do the same. Others tamed
their attention to the question of raising the means for men
to emigrate, in order to remove some of the superabundant
labour in the country. At a delegate meeting held at Bishop
Auckland, on the 30th January, it was resolved: ^^ That all
men who were ' sacrificed ' for taking an active part in the
union should be entitled to the first claims upon the funds of
the society if they chose to emigrate, but should there be
more ' victimised ' than the funds would send . out, they
should be balloted for, and those who were left were to have
the chance of the next ballot drawn."
Never was a strong union more necessary than at this
moment, and yet, unfortunately, the leaders of the union
began to set a bad example at quarrelling, a practice which
was not without its evil influence in the various local
societies.
At a meeting of the Council of the Miners' National
Association, held in Leeds, in February, it was stated that the
Kelloe district having got into a quarrel with their execu-
tive council, wished to join the National Association,
because they expected to get support in strikes, and on other
occasions, for the payment of one penny per man per month,
Mr. Pickard also remarked that they wanted to send six«*
pence to get £5 back; whilst Mr. Mitchell clinched the
whole by saymg their house was on fire, and they wanted to
NOBTHUMBEKLAND AND DUBHAM. 237
insure in the National Office. These remarks naturally gave
considerable offence to the men of Kelloe, and the following
reply was sent to the council, by direction of a special
meeting : —
Sir, — ^At a delate meeting of the Thomley district^ held at the
ijueen's Head Inn, Coxhoe, Satiuday, March 5th, L as chairman of the
above meeting, was requested to write to ** The Miner" newspaper to
refute the libellous and unwarrantable statement of Joseph Sheldon, at
the Leeds Council, with regurd to the KeUoe district. Mr. Sheldon said
at that assembly, that the ICelloe men had got into a quarrel with theis
Bxecutive Council, and now they wished to join the National Association
because they expected to get support in strilces, and on all other occa-
alons. for the payment of one penny per month.
Now, Mr. Sheldon, I beg to iniorm you, and all who have read the
above paragraph in The Mirier^ that your statement was abase falsehood;
in fact, the words spoken b^ you from beginning to end are as false as
ever were published. I am instructed by m^ brother dele^tes to say
that we never had the slightest difference with our Execunve CoundJ^
nor are we wishful to do anything that ma^r cause us to be disunited: but
my opinion, and the opinion also of parties better versed in such im-
portant matters, is that there never will be a perfect understanding in
any country where there are two crowned heaas, as has been proved by
experience. Therefore we, as a body of delegates, think that the pre-
sent union cannot be carried on in a friendly and amicable spirit asiong
as ^ere are two councils.
But, Mr. Editor, if we overstepped the bounds of our duty and
general rules, was it not Mr. Sheldon's duty, as a paid servant of the
miners, to try and put us right, instead of laying such an unfounded and
malicious accusation against us ? We had not the most remote xntmtion
to strike; and it is an absurdity to think that we could expect to be sup-
ported, if we were so unfortunate as to be compelled to strike, for the
payment of one penny per month.
We called a specialdelegate meeting at Durham, on January 2nd, for
that county alone, to adopt some plan to abolish the yearly Dindings.
That appears to have given offence to Sheldon and Co. ; for at a general
' delegate meeting helof in the Town Hall,. Durham^ on the 19ui ult.,
there was a resolution passed: — "That this meeting exonerates the
Thomley district from all blame, but in future to abide by their Execu-
tive CounciL" So much for Joseph Sheldon and the manner in which he
represented us at the last council meetiz^.
One or two words to Richard, of Bamsley, not forgetting friend
Fickard. The latter eentleman used all the sarcasm he was master of
in a few words, when he said " it was sending 6d. to get £5 back."
Never mind, Mr. Fickard ; I will treat your scoffing with the contempt
it deserves.
But Mitchell cast them all in the shade when he said our house was
on fire, and we wanted to insure in that office. Richard, read the lead*
ing orticle in TJte Miner of March the 5th, and there you will see an item
of £32 16s. 2d. From that you can see whose house is likely to want the
assistance of the fire brigade, yours or ours.
Yours truly,
JOHN SMITH,
Chairman to the delegates of the Thomly district.
€oxhoe, March 7th, 1864.
238 THE lOKEBS OF
Whilst the men in charge of affairs were bickering^
amongst themselves the miners at Willington were staxving,,
with no prospect of being able to get work again at the
colliery, as their places were rapidly being filled by ^^ black-
legs." It was, however, considered that something should
be done towards putting a limitation to their miseries^ and
at a quarterly delegate meeting held on Friday, March 4th,
in the Town Hall, Durham, and at which upwards of 100
delegates were present, the following resolutions were
adopted: — 1st, "That 2s. per man be paid towards assisting
the men on strike at Willington to emigrate, the men
to be supported in the meantime, any surplus being leffc
to go to the emigration society." 2nd, "That the
general committee choose two of their members to make
all arrangements for the emigration of the Willington men."
It was further resolved, " That a petition, asking the coal
owners to abolish the yearly bindings be printed and sent to the
coal trade, and that the executive committee watch the pro-
ceedings most narrowly with respect to bonds; and when-
ever anything occurs in connection with such bonds, the
general secretary be written to stating the circumstances
so as to enable the committee to take the best possible steps;
but in the meantime let every miner in these two counties
discountenance by every means in his power, the yearly or
that kind of monthly bond named in the petition. And
we strongly recommend all men to stay at their own
collieries during the bindings."
A strike took place at Ravensworth colliery, at the
latter end of February, and a deputation from the union
waited on Mr. Burden, at his residence in Newcastle, with a
view to settle the difference between them, when they were
informed that he positively refused to see them. In March
the men of SeghiU colliery also struck work for an advance.
The Steam Coal Association held meetings to consider the
demands made by the men, when it was determined to resist
the demands the men were making. A call was made on
the owners' association to raise a large sum of money, and it
was agreed to support those collieries that might be stopped
work in consequence of the demands of the men.
April being the time when the yearly bonds were en-
tered into in the county of Durham, it had been anticipated
KORTHUMItEBLAND AND DURHAM. 239
that in this month there would be a great struggle between
labour and capital in Durham; but the nearer this period
approached less fear was there of anything of the sort. Th&
men where rapidy becoming disorganized and falling out
amongst themselves, and worse then all the National Con-
ference that was called into existence in November to put •
an end to all strife, in the place of healing old wounds only
aggravated them more, and produced numerous fresh ones.
Towers and his party, who had been the means of establish-
ing the National Association and the National Conference,
were now prohibited from going into the conference room
and from taking any part in its deliberations. The con-
ference also shut out the representatives of the press, and
employed a special reporter of their own, ^and even went
the length of prohibiting all reporters from The Minevy a
step which could not fail to bring upon them the suspicion
of their contemporaries. The miners of the north were really
offended, and some lengthy letters were written, condemning
the council for their secresy. Mr. McDonald, in defence of
the conference, wrote the following letter to The Miner,
explaining why they had employed a special reporter: —
Sib, — In a leadini? article in your journal of the 5th inst., you pass a
mild censure on the council for having employed a reporter to report
their proceedings. You think they mignt have left the reporting to the
press, and thereby have saved the expense of two guineas per day. The
council, as far as I have seen them, would do an^^hing to save the out-
lay of money for any unnecessary purpose, but tney were afraid longer
to trust the press in giving a full report of all their doings, and they
deemed that these fully required, at the last councdl meeting, a
proper report. The council felt deeply grateful, as members of confer-
ence, for the excellent reports that appeared in several journals of tiie
deeply interesting proceedings of that body during its sittings in Leeds
in November, 1863. They, however, were then well aware (and are so
now) that all the proceedings of the conference were not published in
any pai)er ; that miportant votes, resolutions, and divisions on certain
subjects were not even hinted at, which if they had been, would I believe
have saved much of the language that has been used against the counciL
The points thus omitted by the press, to which I have alluded, might
seem not to be of general interest, yet I hold they were of vital import-
ance in keeping the del^ates sent to the conference right with their
constituents, and ought to have been made fully known to keep the
council ri&^ht with the various districts. Again, the council met in De-
cember, their first meeting, and at that meeting not a single member of
the press made appearance, not even from Thb Miner, and the work of
re^rting was left to any individual of the council who chose to take notes
of its proceedings and send them to the press. These at best, however,
were mere extracts. Under these circumstances, the council determined
they should have no uncertain sounds of their proceedings on the last
240 THE MUnSBS OF
occasion ; he&ce their appointing a reporter. They wanted all their
records to go to their constituents officially, so that should they receive
them for their guidance, they would really understand what they were.
These your numerous correspondents could either accept or condemn.
Ab an individual, my desire was and is to have all our actions made
known to the miners of Great Britain through various mediums. If
these ffive satisfaction to them, let us enjov their confidence. If on the
other hand, thev do not give satisfaction, let us he removec^ sent to the
rirht-about, and other good and true and trusty men he put m our places.
We do not plead for place — ^we do not plead for power— we only wish to
tary to do our best for the interest of the poor miner— his little boys, his
outnwed daughters. Some of us could speak of " railway teaveUinnf," of
*' nights on the railway," and such mean dodges to curry favour or cause
the cry of " Martyr ! " to be raised. I think, however, I am warranted
in saying for the whole council, that they as a body, and as individuals,
would scorn to stoop so low as to address to rational and intelligent men
such t^ra^dle. Trusting that the explanations now given for our hiring
a special reporter will satisfy your numerous correspondents and yoursdlC
I remain, yours truly,
ALEXANDER M'DONALD,
President of the Miners* National CounciL
Holytown, March l^th, 1864.
The Editor of The Miner inBerted this letter in his
paper, but tacked the following foot note on to it : —
Accepting Mr. McDonald's explanation as- regards the appointment by
the council of a special rejporter, still we are not informed why the press
was excluded. Mr. M/Donald says that at a previous meeting not a
single member of the press made appearance, not even from The Miner,
We did not hear of the meeting till it was over ; hence we were not there.
Mr. M'Donald says, "he desires all the actions of the coundl made
known to the miners of Great Britain through various mediums." If so,
why was the press excluded ? To both Houses of Parliament the press
is admitted. Through the press the debates in Parliament are made
known to the world. Why, then, should the press have been excluded
from the meeting of the Miners' Council at Leeds. ?
In the same issues of The Miner, in which the above ap-
peared, there was a leading article, which, after stating a
number of charges against the Executive Council of the
National Association, thus concludes : —
power. Miners and ironworkers, what say you to this? You remem-
ber how Mr. Elchard Mitchell served us? He has met witii worthy
coadjutors ; but will you not give expression to your opinions as regards
these plotters — ^men who, but for the position in which, by an acddent,
they have been placed, would be far too insignificant to notice ? Less
than two years ago ^ou had no journal ^ Even Mitchell was unable to
persuade the local journals to publish his communications. Less thui
two years ago you nad no organization. You were defenceless, and
would have remained so but for us. Where were the meinhiBrs of the
NOBTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM. 241
council then ? How is it that some of those wonderful friends to the
poor miner did not supply the want that had been so long felt ? No, no !
To do so would have cost money, and they do not agree with the doctrine
that it '4s more blessed to give than to receive." Such was the state of
things less than two years a^o, and how is it to-day ? You have a jour-
nal : you have an organization. Might can no longer overcome Right.
You have had through us a Conference at Leeds, and we only deplore it
has not been attended with more beneficial results. You have through
us a council which was appointed to guard your interests, but which is
busy in looking after its own, and it is this council which is endeavour-
ing to crush your organ, as tiiey would crush you, were you in the way
of their selfish ends. We shall say no more on the subject now — we
know the parties and shall not lose sight of them. We are confident in
yom* justice, and, relying on it, we seek not the tender mercies Of the
Miners' National Council ; thank God their days are numbered, ^uid
another Conference is at hand ! We only trust that good men will be
sent to that Conference : that a council will be elected in which all can
place confidence — one wnich, animated by the sole desire of doing good,
will put an end to the unseemly strife that has existed from the moment
the present was called into existence."
This of itself was bad enough in all conscience, in the
presence of difficulties which threatened the very existence
of the union, but worse then all this was a cowardly and
unmanly attack that was made upon Mr. W. P. Roberts,
who was known throughout the whole of the mining districts
of England as the "Pitmen's Attorney General." Those who
have known Mr. Roberts from the outset of his connection
with the miners until its close, know how to appreciate his
honesty and manly character, and it is only those whose
knowledge of his real character is a nullity, and who i^r-e
morbidly suspicious of every good man, who could take. any
part in assailing him. The most galling part of the matter
was that a charge of interested motives came from the very
men he had laboured so disinterestedly all his life to raisa
They charged him with wanting to extort money from tihe
miners, when the fact was that the miners never
did, nor never could, pay him one tithe of what they
were indebted to him for the many valuable services he
had rendered them. When he took the men of Thornlej
from prison in Durham with a writ of habeas corpus, to
the Queen's Bench in London, and brought them all back
free men, the gratitude of the miners of the north, burst
forth in pleasing spontaneity; for they dragged the carriage
through the streets in which he rode, and cheered and feted
him like a hero returned from a war. Probably Mr.
Robei-ts felt himself well paid for his trouble by this ex-
242 THE MIXERS OF
uberant gratitude, he was a man who loved to be thought
well of by his fellow men, but how much in hard cash did
he put into his pocket over the transaction ? Will any of
his detractors say that he was anything like adequately paid
for his labours by the miserable fees which he charged ?
In his latter days when he was getting old and feeble, but
still anxious to serve the miners, instead of giving him an
opportunity of doing so, they ungraciously turned their
backs upon him, and added to the injury they had done, an
unmerited insult. Well might Mr. Roberts, adopting the
lines of Amiens, exclaim,
** Blow, blow, thou wintry wind,
Thou art not so unkind
As man's ingratitude."
The way in which this charge against Mr. Roberts of
taking money from the miners and doing nothing for it,
came about, was as follows. At the National Conference
which was held in May, 1854, at Leeds, the question of
appointing a stipendiary legal adviser to the miners was
brought forward by Mr. D. R. Thomas, of Wales, who moved
that Mr. Roberts receive the appointment. In making the
proposition he said the people of South Wales looked upon
Mr. Roberts with very great regard, as his was the only
counsel they could get or rely upon. Their men had declared
that they would rather pay Is. towards the stipend of Mr.
Roberts than a penny towards that of any other gentleman.
Mr. Howie, from Durham, moved as an amendment that the
Conference decline to interfere in the question; and he went
on to state it was his strong impression that it was money
alone Mr. Roberts wanted. He cared not so much for the-
benefit of the miners as for the £ s, d, which he derived from
them. On the question being submitted to the meeting,
there were 39 hands held up for Mr. Howie's amendment,
and only 2 for Mr. Thomas' motion. The Nortluimberland
and Durham men were exceedingly indignant at the de-
cision of the council, and more especially at the disrespectful
way in which Mr. Howie had spoken of Mr. Roberts.
There were thousands of men in the two counties who know
the good services he had rendered them in days gone bye.
Mr. Howie however, from that day sunk in the estimation
of the miners of the North of England, and was allowed to
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM. 243 .
take no more put in public affairs till Mr. Blytli, the sec-
retary of the Permanent Fund, procured him an appoint-
ment to lecture on the advantages of the Permanent Relief
Fund. Ho is now the president of that prosperous and
useful fund, and no doubt he has regretted having spoken
so harshly against one of the best friends that ever the
miners had. After publicity had been given to many false
accusations and slanderous letters, Mr. Roberts wrote the
following: —
Frte:ids. — I am told that it has been reported through your local
papers, and by means of some of the now leading men of your associa-
tion, who have laid base and false accusations to my character, that during
the time I was engaged by you as your le^l adviser I was absent from
my work three months at a time. . ^ If sucn a report has been made, I
pronounce it to be a foul and audacious lie. I challenge the slanderers
to adduce one tittle of evidence in proof of their assertions, and £ will
meet them at an^ time or place, and in any mode tiiat they like, and
convict them of being malignant and malicious slanderers. During the
time I was with you, my day never began later than seven o'clock, and
Heldom closed ben)re midnight. ^ My days — you know all of this— were
full of work, from morning till night. Once only during the whole time
was I absent (except in Jjondon or elsewhere on your business, and by
your direction) ana that once was for a week only, and in consequence of
a death in my family which I was compelled to attend ; but during that
week I i)aid another attorney for doing what he could of my work. But
that is not all After my time with you had expired, I remained with
you — sometimes going to Manchester— for considerably more than six
months; throughout that time doing the same work, attending inauests,
meetings, disputes before the magistrates, &c, the same as oefore
to bless me; the homage was more than a^eeable— it was intoxicative ;
and though I was in constant dreaa of violence, I was never so happy,
and never should be so again. The Thornley case — when I took six
prisoners to London and brought them back free — ^was ratiier exciting at
the time, and something to think upon now. I write this letter not only
for its immediate purpose, but to say that if at any time you desire me
to give you any information about anything — what I eat, drink, or did,
what I x>aid, what I was i>aid,. how I lived and where I went -anything
in fact, and will write me a Une of inquiry, I will at once clear up any
doubt or difficulty, either by a private letter or a letter in The Mine^\
or in any other newspaper, excluding of course, such as live by slandering
me. I cannot indeed notice every he — the liars are too numerous — but I
will crush a few now and then.
Believe me, ever your friend,
WILLIAM PROWTING ROBERTS.
44, Princess Street, Manchester.
The mention here of Mr. Rc»berts* name reminds me
that in the summer of this year died Mr. Thomas Hepburn,
244 THE MINERS OF
one of the men whe led the miners in their earlier struggles
for emancipation, and to whom more than to any other single
man is due, the reduction which took place in the hours of
labour. I have, before narrating the events in which he
took such an active part, referred to this truly great man,
but there is no connected story of his life - given there.
Mr. Hepburn was a pitman in the county of Durham,
and first took a leading position amongst his fello^^" men
in the formation of the union amongst the miners in 1831.
This union brought round one of the greatest reforms for the
social comfort and elevation of the mining class, viz: — the
shortening of the hours of labour in the mines from 17' to 12
hours a day. Hepburn was not only a great leader amongst
the miners, but his sympathies extended to the broad plat-
form of politics. He was a man with a strong constitution,
an intelligent mind, active and ever ready to lend a hand to
any movement that had for its object the elevation of the
people. He suffered a great deal in 1832, 1833, and follow-
ing years, but still he was not disheartened. He was one
of the most active men of the Chartist agitation. Fergus
O'Connor, speaking of him, said, " he is a noble specimen of
human nature, and the people of the North of England have
a right to be proud of such a man." He was not only a
powerful speaker at meetings, but his ability and sugges-
tive mind won him the highest respect amongst those with
whom he worked. When the miners' union was broken up
he spent a number of the remaining years of his
laborious and useful life in agitating for Parliamentary
Reform, and in educating the young ones with whom he
came in contact. He travelled long distances on many a
dreary night, and addressed meetings to advocate the
political rights of the people, advising his hearers to get
knowledge. He taught and illustrated the great truth by hi>
argument, that if the people of England once demanded
their rights, no Government could withhold them. In
April, 1839, when the Chartist movement was in its greatest
height of agitation in the North of England, and had for its
objects — universal suffrage, annual parliaments, vote by
ballot, no property qualification for members of parliament,
the payment of representatives, and equal electoral districts;
while it had for its leaders in the north Doubleday, Larkin,
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM. 245
Grej, Blakey, and others, Hepburn, the pitman's leader,
associated with these men. On April 20tli, 1839, a great
meeting was held on the Town Moor, Newcastle, to con-
sider what course should be adopted in case Government
rejected ^ the people's charter.' Thomas Hepburn was in
the chair. His eloquence and ability inspired the people on
that day, and established him as a great favourite amongst
the (Jhartist agitators. The principal speakers there were,
Mr. Ayre, Mr. Blakey, Mr. Harney, Mr. Devyi^, Mr. Lowery,
Dr. Taylor, and others, but Mr. Hepburn, the great man
who had led the miners, was the only one who volunteered
to oppose John Fife with the special constables, when the
Riot Act was read over four times, and prevented them
from holding their meetings. He stood on the wall, where
the Catholic Church now stands, and shouted out with his
strong, clear, distinct voice, " John Fife, Mayor of New-
castle, I tell you your proclamation is no law. You have no
right to prevent us from holding our meetings." Sir Jolm
Fife was knighted soon after this. After the great strike
of 1832, Mr. Hepburn had some difficulty in obtaining a
livelihood, for by his zeal in the cause of the miners he had got
himself into the " black books " of the masters. However,
as elsewhere stated, Mr. Forster, the viewer at the Felling
colliery, gave him work at that place, where he worked
for some years. His health failed him, which prevented
him from following his employment, and had it not been
for his affectionate daughter and son-in-law, he would have
had to finish his days in the workhouse. He died a few
years ago in a public-house in the Side, Newcastle, the sign
of the "Old Brandy Butt," kept by his son-in-law. His re-
mains were interred at the Felling, and there were few, if
any, but his own relatives who followed him to the grave.
Several of the good people now living in the Side well re-
member the doting old man who used to lounge about the
" Old Brandy Butt," but none of them recognized in the
wreck the great man whose name had been on every tongue
a few short years before, and who could infiuence, as no
other man then living could do, the thousands of rough
ignorant miners of .the two large coal producing counties of
Northumberland and Durham. Peace to his ashes !
246 THE MINEBS OP
CHAPTER XLII.
THE YEABLY BOND IN DUBHAM CONTINUED. SECESSION
OP NOBTHUMBEBLAND FBOM THE DURHAM UNION.
THE CBAMLINGTON STBIKE. THE N0BTHU3IBEULAN1)
UNION. APPOINTMENT OP THE JOINT COMMITTEE. THE
ATTACK ON MB. BUBT.
Whilst the men were fightmg amongst themselves, the
well-known fable was practically illustrated, for the owners
stepped in with their yearly bond, and had little difiiculty
in inducing the men to be bound. Love's collieries were at
full work with fresh hands, together with those w^ho had
broke away from their own ranks ; and though there liad
been a resolution passed at the delegate meeting that 2s. per
man should be levied to assist those men to emigrate, this
was not carried out, many of the men refusing to pay it.
Great numbers of men now left the union, and it was evident
that those wlio stuck to the resolutions not to bind at colli-
eries would not get the chance of working upon any terms
if they did not look sharp, as many of the owners had their
collieries filled up, and refused large numbers of their old
hands. The manner in which the bindings were effected
on this occasion will be seen from the following letter : —
Sir, — ^Allow me a space to let other collieries know liow they have got
on ivith the binding at Haswell. The first point was, the masters got
all the deputies, stonemen, and a few coal hewers bound two or three dajs
before the binding day, which is a fortnight sooner than it has ever been.
The next was, they had a few men set as soon as the bond was read over
to make a rush in ; but it was all a puff, for the men had settled it at the
meeting. As soon as the bond v/as read they retreated to the Tiiiion
room to consider whether to bind or not, and came to the conclusion that,
as the masters had the strongest party bound, they were not in a ^oocl
Xwsition for a strike, and considered they might as well bind. Haswell
imion has had traitors at its head ; I will give you a specimen. The
first was the president ; the master bribed him vidth a bottle of ivhisky,
and stone work, and told him to break the union up if he could ; he trietl
very hard till they put him out. The next was the secretary, and he
sold the masters the books for drink, who kept him with drink a whole
week for them. The next was a delegate ; all the men put their trust in
him, and thought if there was a trusty man in the union he woB^tAe, for
he had always proved true till lately; the masters promised hifi^ some
work, and he gave up the delegate's jjlace without any notic«^^ the
meeting. He has never been at the meeting since. I leave you to jud^e
how the union has been kept at Haswell. Now for the advance. The
five-quarter seam Is. per score, another 9d, per score if the miner makes
£2 Ss., and Is. 3d. per score if he makes i^2 10s,, which no xnan can
niake. In the Hutton seams they advance 4d. per score in the Crimea
district, and nothing in the other districts, except the Driftway, where
they give 6d. per score.
ME, THOMAS BUET.
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DUItHAM. 247
The disunion which was now beginning to appear
amongst the men is evidenced in the above letter, and
receives full corroboration in the following from Brandon :
Sib, — Please insert a few lines respecting rumours raised against the
late secretary of Brandon colliery. I shall be hap^ to meet any one to
Erove it, either at John Longstaffe's, Silver street, Durham, or at Cuth-
ert Earington's, Framwellgate Moor. Then the public shaU judge
whether I mive, or ever had, any money. It is reported that I kept £«^.
All the money I ever got was 6s., which I received in the end of the same
week that the men went away to work ; and I would like to know where
there is a man who would have delivered it up when the men broke away
as they did ? When the union commenced every man passed his word to
stand fiiBi till they allgot their work. Now I was kept out — I was not
to start any more. Was I then right or wrong to keep the 6s. ? Those
who say most ought to say least. I shoidd like to know what came of the
mouev gathered at Byhope, and where the tent money is ? Can they
call themselves union men when they sold the tent even while two or
three families were occupying it ? I think there is little union in them,
or they might have stood for twelve months the way they were supported.
Many a poor man gave his shilling for them when he wanted it at home.
Aind then to go in as they have ! If I were like them I would never
mention union more.
The men of Northumberland, who had remained firmly
attached to their union throughout, were dissatisfied at the
way the Durham men were proceeding, for they felt certain
that, sooner or later, they would break up the union. The
Northumberland men held a district meeting at Plessey on
the subject. After the meeting a delegate meeting was held
to devise the best means of keeping the union in existence.
Mr. Thomas Burt, who is now so widely known as the intel-
ligent agent of the Northumberland Miners' Mutual Confi-
dent Association, was then working at Choppington, and
represented this colliery at the meeting as their delegate.
He proposed the following resolution : — " That the miners
of Northumberland secede from the Durham miners, and
establish a union of their own; and that the union have for
its name — ^ The Northumberland Miners' Mutual Confident
Association.' " This was at once unanimously agreed to, and
the proposition met with favour amongst the whole of the
men of the county. There were two agents connected with
the association at the time- — Mr. Crawford, the general
secretary; and Mr. Sheldon, the agent. The men unani-
mously agreed to eu gage. Mr. Crawford as their secretary and
agent, and Mr. Sheldon was turned over to the County of
Durham men. However, the engagement of the latter did
not last long, as the men had all given up the union.
248 THE MINERS OF
Mr. Crawford filled his office with great ability until
June, 1865, and made himself a great favourite in Northum-
berland; but he then left the Association in order to take
the- secretaryship of the Cowpen Co-operative Store at
Blyth. When Mr. Crawford resigned, there were many
candidates for the secretaryship. Mr. Burt, though only a
young man, was strongly recommended by the Choppington
men, and by other influential gentlemen who were interested
in the union, and, ultimately he was appointed by a large
majority, at a delegate meeting held at the Astley Arms,
Seaton Delaval, on the 15th July, and commenced his
labours on the 14th of August, 1865.
About the middle of June in this year the workmen
engaged at Cramlington colliery made application for an
advance of score price, amounting to about one penny, and,
in some cases, twopence per ton, in order to place them on
an equal footing in regard to wages with the other men of
the district. The men struck work on their demand being
refused, and subsequently the question was referred to
Messrs. J. R. Liddell and George Hirst; and these referees
suggested that one penny advance might be conceded if the
men would nick the coal. The men, however, were in no
humour to nick the coal, or to take the concession limited or
hampered by any conditions, and they at once struck work,
and determined to remain out till what they asked for was
granted. For some time things went on very quietly.
When Mr. Burt assumed control of the affairs of the union,
the strike had already lasted eight weeks, and gave promise
of lasting twice as long. The financial state of the society
was not a flourishing one by any means, as all the cash the
men then had in hand did not amount to more than £23 3s. 2d.,
and this with 500 or 600 men out on strike at one of the
largest collieries in Northumberland. But with his mild,
straightforward, and well-developed mind, Mr. Burt boldly
grappled with the adverse circumstances surrounding him,
and very soon made it apparent to his constituents that they
had chosen the right man for the difficult situation he had
entered upon. For some time all went quietly enough at
Cramlington, but when the pits had lain idle for nearly six-
teen weeks, notices were served upon most of the men that
they would have to vacate their houses within a given time.
NORTHUMBEBLAND AND DURHAM. 249
Though many had been expecting this, the notice caused
considerable alarm, and efforts were made to bring about a
reconciliation between employers and men. The masters had
offered to have a second examination of the colliery by arb^
trators, if the men would commence work pending that
investigation; and this question was submitted to a largely-
attended meeting of delegates held at the Astley Arms,
Seaton Delaval, on Tuesday, the 10th of October. The dele-
gates, however, decided to leave it to the men of Cramlington
to say whether they would resume work on these conditions,
and a meeting of the men on strike was called at the same
place on the following morning, when it was decided not to
commence work again till the full terms demanded were
conceded. The owners considered it necessary to bring the
matter to a climax, and a number of " candy-men " were
introduced into the village almost immediately after the
decision of the men was given, and imperatively ordered to
clear all the houses of the miners marked with a cross. The
house of Mr. Thomas Baulks, the treasurer of the associa-
tion was selected as the most fitting place to inaugurate this
unfeeling work. The morning was wet, a heavy shower of
rain was pelting down, and the roads about the houses were
black and boggy. When the " candy-men " reached the
bouse of " Tommy Banks," as the men familiarly termed
him, and drove his wife and children crying out into the
rain and mire, the pitmen, crowding round, grew very
savage, and commenced hooting and yelling at them in a
very" wrathful manner. But the " candy-men," who cared
nothing for hooting and yelling, continued to bring out
the goods and chattels contained in the cottages — on which
the men could no longer contain themselves, but made a
general onslaught on these beggarly rascals. The poor
wretches, once in the grasp of the Northumberland miners,
changed very suddenly, and from the insolent tones which
they had formerly adopted towards the men, they now begged
for mercy in a most pitiable and craven manner. Many of
them made all the haste they could back to Newcastle, and
could on no account be persuaded to return. The police
interfered to prevent the " candy-men " being ill-treated,and
many of them got very considerably mauled. The men were
desperate and cared very little what they did; but they wepe
. 250 THE HIKERS OF
aggravated to a Tery great extent by the insolence of tlie
evicting party, who, not content with entering the houses,
and turning the inhabitants and their furniture to the doors,
Aisbeliaved themselves in a hundred different ways, such as
drinking milk and eating food which they found in some of
the cottages, and on one occasion emptying some dirty slops
out of a jug on to a mother and her children. On the
Thursday the evictions were continued, and a scene of inde-
scribable confusion prevailed. A number of police w^ere
mounted, for what purpose it would be difficult to determine,
and as most of the riders were inexperienced horsemen,, they
of themselves created not a little disorder. But when the
" candy-men " began to turn women and children and furni-
ture out of doors in their reckless and indifferent manner,
a number of the young women got " blazers " — ^pieces of
sheet iron used as blasts to draw up the fires — and, accom-
panying their shrill treble yelling with an incessant and dis-
cordant banging on these iron plates, they created a perfect
panic. The terrified horses of the policemen plunged and
kicked, the pitmen shouted and yelled, and rushed hither and
thither, hooting and pelting the "candy-men" and police;
and in fact a perfect riot prevailed. Stones at one time flew
almost as thick as hail, and a number of "candy-men,"
chased out of one house ran to another for shelter, but found-
it barricaded on the inside. The inmates were summoned to
open it, but they refused; and even when the proprietors of
the colliery came, they still defied them. The officials,
fearing some disastrous result, got the *' candy-men" off
safe, and hurried them by the special train to Newcastle.
The evictions were now suspended for a time, but early on
the following Sunday morning, when the inhabitants of
Cramlington village arose, they learned that a large number
of policemen had been in the place long before daylight, and
had borne several of their comrades away in custody to the
Moot Hall. A meeting of the delegates of the union was
held on the following Wednesday, when the proceedings of
the men were severely censured, and they were advised to
maintain a peaceful attitude in future, and to leave their doors
open. The place continued to be under the guard of a large
force of police, who patrolled the village both night and day.
Gn Tuesday, the 17th of October, a detachment of the 64th
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM. 251
Regiment arrived in Newcastle from Manchester, under
the command of Captain Ryan, for the purpose of assisting
the police to keep order at Cramlington, while the remaiwier
of the men were evicted. Just as tlie soldiers arrived in the
Central Station from Manchester, they were met by the six.
men who had been committed that day by the magistrates
to the Quarter Sessions, and who were then on their way to
Morpeth Gaol. On Thursday, the 19th of October, the six
men were arraigned at the Quarter Sessions at Alnwick,
after their case had been specially referred to by Mr. Orde,
the chairman, and a true bill had been returned against
them. They were indicted for " that they did, at the Chap-
elry of Cramlington, on the 12th October, unlawfully and
riotously assemble together with divers other persons to the
number of 100 and more, to disturb the public peace, making
^reat riot and disturbance, to the terror and alarm of Her
Majesty's subjects, and did also unlawfully assault and beat
one Matthew Taylor." Mr. Shield, barrister, appeared to
prosecute, and asked that ilie case might be adjourned.
This, Mr. Blackwell, who appeared for the defence, agreed
to, but asked that the men should be liberated on bail, and
after some discussion between the Bar and the Bench, it
was decided that the bail should be for each prisoner, £200,
and two sureties of £100 each. They were liberated a
lew days after tlie Sessions, but surrendered to their recog-
nizances at the following Spring Assizes in Newcastle, when
D. Moore was sent to prison for nine months; T. Wandless
and M. M. Glen, each eight months; and Alex. Barrass, T.
Dodds, and T. Pringle, each for six months. John Alex-
ander, Robert Heale, John Waters, and other men were also
taken into custody, and charged with aiding and abetting
at the riot, but their cases were dealt with by the magistrates.
On the Friday after the men had been brought up at
Alnwick, the military, the police, and the " canjiy-nien" ar-
rived at Cramlington, and commenced clearing the houses of
their inmates and contents, but there was no opposition
showed, and matters passed off very quietly, though the
conduct of the candymeu did not by any means improve
under the protection of the soldiers' bayonets. A number
of men seeing no chance of beginning work at Cramlington
again, engaged with Mr. Fletcher, the viewer of Trimdon
252 THE MINERS OF
colliery, who cam^ over to look for men, and left the place.
An attempt was made by the owners to get the pit to w^ork
with the off-hand men and mechanics, but they refused, and
^ came out with the pitmen, on which the following resolu-
tion was passed at a meeting of delegates held at the Astley
Arms, Seaton Delaval, on the 16th of November, *' That we
support the mechanics who have refused to work, and that
they receive the same support as ourselves." On the fol-
lowing day, the I7th, the men were surprised by the sudden
and unexpected appearance of the police and their raseally
confederates, to clear the houses of the mechanics and off-
hand men, for having thrown in their lot with the men on
strike. At the oufeset an encampment was spoken of for the
shelter of those turned out, but the publicans came nobly
forward and offered the men and their families aU their spare
rooms, and in this manner most of them were housed in
comparative comfort.
The men in their struggle met with much public sympa-
thy, and not an inconsiderable amount of support. I have
no wish here to rake up old sores, which have happily long
since healed, and will, therefore, forbear any discussion of
the question as to which party had justice on their side. At
the time I thought the men's cause was that of right, and
whether in my more mature years that is still my opinion is
a matter of very little moment. A great number of the
public evidently held that opinion, for a meeting on behalf
of the men on strike, which was held in the Lecture Koom,
Newcastle, on the evening of Wednesday, the 22nd of
November, was not only well attended, but was of a most
imanimous and enthusiastic character. Amongst the speak-
ers at this meeting were Messrs. T. Baulks and Lunisdon,
the former of whom laid before the people of Newcastle, in
simple, emphatic language, a complete statement of the po-
sition of the men on strike. But all expressions of sympathy
were of but little avail, for they were doomed to be defeated.
On the 5th of December about 300 men from Cornwall and
Devonshire, with their wives and femilies, arrived in Cram-
lington, and soon the pits " hung on " with the assistance of
these strangers. On the 27th of the same month a second
batch of 128 men. 111 women, and 248 children, turned np
from Cornwall and Devon, and with these the owners had
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM. 253
their full complement of men to work their mines : though
it was admitted on all sides that they were far inferior in
ability and physique to the native miners whose places they
had usurped. Thus the strike at Cramlingtou' — ^the last
great one in the county of Northumberland — ^which lasted
over twenty weeks, was brought to a termination.
It was very confidently predicted by the croakers that
this long strike would shut up the union in Northumber-
land, but the men determined to support it at all hazards,
and rallied boldly around it. During the progress of th&
strike, a levy of from Is. to Is. 6d. per man, per fortnight,
was cheerfully paid by the men, and the total sum paid over
from the general board towards the maintenance of the men
on strike was upwards of £4,290 ; besides which there were
very considerable subscriptions from other sources. Indeed,
the strike, so far from in any way crippling the union, aided
to stimulate it ; and since that period it has gone on increas-
ing in strength and importance, and has doubtless been the
means of preventing many strikes, for there have been no
serious disturbances between capital and labour since.
When Mr. Burt was appointed agent there were only 20
collieries, with about 4,000 members, attached to the associ-
ation, whilst there was not more than £23 in hand. Now
there are 16,000 members associated, with an accumulated
capital of £15,500. The first interview of a deputation of
the men with the members of the Coal Trade Association,
took place in December, 1871, the representatives of the
imion consisting of Messrs. Grieves, Nixon, Cummings,
Brown, and Burt. They asked for ten hours per day for
the boys, and after some friendly and good-tempered discus-
sion the Coal Trade granted eleven. The next deputation
met the Coal Trade in February, 1872, when they asked for
an advance of 15 per cent., on which occasion 10 per cent.,
was granted ; thus both sides conceding in a free and gener-
ous spirit. The members of the Coal Trade now began to
see that the practice of meeting in committees in such a
manner, to discuss the differences which could not fail to
arise between the two interests, was much better than the
old-fashioned mode of settling grievances by strikes ; and in
February, 1873, a joint committee was therefore formed for
254 THE MINERS OF
the purpose of settling all disputes wliich might arise from
time to time between employers and employed. The repre-
sentatives of the coal-owners consisted of Mr. G. B. Forster,
Mr. J. R. Liddell, Mr. J. B. Simpson, Mr. H. Richardson,
Mr. vS. C. Crone, and Mr. W. R. Cole ; whilst the men were
represented by Mr. William Grieves, Mr. T. Brown, Mr. J.
Cummings, Mr. J. Bryson, Mr. J. Nixon, and Mr. T. Burt.
Mr. elohn Nixon, who formerly had acted as president of the
association, was appointed treasurer after Mr. Thos. Baulks
resigned that office ; but the work becoming too heavy for
Mr. Burt, Mr. Nixon was subsequently elected assistant
secretary ; Mr. Wm. Grieves president ; and Mr. R. Young
treasurer. The miners have purchased large and commodious
premises in Lovaine Crescent, Newcastle, where they tran-
sact all the business of the society. Messrs. Burt and
Nixon reside on the premises, adjoining the offices, and in
houses belonging the Northumberland Miners' Society.
Before closing this chapter I feelboimd, in my desire to
furnish an accurate account of all that has transpired, to refer
to a very unpleasant affiiir which occurred in the early part
of 1 872, between a number of the miners of Northumberland
and their indefatigable and valuable agent and secretary Mr.
Thomas Burt. There are always in all associations of men
certain individuals who are' too much disposed to be dis-
conten ted, however well they may be served, and unfortunately
the Miners' Mutual Confident Association is no exception to
this general rule. While all the world wondered at the
great success which had attended Mr. Burt's labour, and all
intelligent miners throughout the world appreciated the great
zeal and energy with which he entered into their . cause, a
few malcontents set tli'emselves to work to create a faction
against him at the various collieries in the district, and suc-
ceeded in creating a pretty considerable schism. When
matters had become so bad as to be no longer tolerable,. Mr.
Burt wrote a long and manly letter, appealing to the better
sense of the men, and, as he anticipated, from his knowledge
of the majority, with success. In the course of his letter he
says: — "Men in positions of the kind must expect to have
every word and deed freely criticised. Against this I have
nothing to say. So fiir as I am concerned, I am willing and
even desirous of the fullest and freest criticism. But of late.
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM. . 255
I think all the bounds of fair criticism have been far over-
stepped, so far as my name is concerned. Anonymous scrib-
blers have attempted to attack me in the columns of the public
press; insinuations, most cowardly and base, have been made
against me ; language, the most coarse, the most vulgar and
abusive, has been applied to me, and this in full meetings of
the men. Is this fair to me personally ? Is it likely to con-
duce to the interests of the association ? If I commit any
wrong is there not a proper tribunal before which I should
be tried ? or is it understood that any yelping cur may be
allowed to bark, and bite me in the back, simply to gratify
his own low instincts ? Who are my masters ? This, to
me, is a vital question. Long ago I made up my mind
never to have for my master a tyrant ! I object quite as
strongly to a number of tyrants. It is often said that work-
ing men are the greatest tyrants on the face of the earth.
To this I do not subscribe — it is too general, too sweeping ;
but I can say from bitter experience that there are, in the
ranks of working men, some of the greatest tyrants it has
ever been my ill-fortune to meet with ! We hear much
about free speech, but of late attempts have been made to
prevent me and others from expressing our opinions on some
of the most important questions that have come before the
association. I have seen clearlv that there v/as in our ranks
many men who do not like a man who freely speaks his
mind ; they would prefer a smooth-tongued hypocrite, who
will flatter them, and agree with them in their wildest and
extremest notions, to one who will tell them honestly what
he thinks is right. Men of this class think no one does any
work but themselves! As employers, they are the worst
of tyrants,- — ^believing that those whom they have anything
to do with paying, cease to have any individual rights, and
are mere tools to do their bidding, and in return for their
service, they will see to it, that their tools are made as mis-
erable as possible. Are such men my masters ? I do not
myself regard them as such, and I will never do so. It has
been said at some places that I have had the situation long
enough. Perhaps I have. If I have had it till I have lost
the confidence of the men, I have indeed had it too long.
But those who speak thus can easily put it to the test.
Were I to leave to-morrow, however, I am under no obliga-
256 THE MINERS OF
tion to those who attack me. I have done more work for
them than I have ever been paid for. I have indeed beeu
well paid in the kindness, the confidence, and gratitude of
the great mass of the men. But these men cannot pay me,
not possessing the sort of coin wherewith to do it." — ^After
referring to the manner in which they met the proposal to
advance his salary and to appoint an assistant, he goes on to
say: — " It would be dissimulation to say that I feel perfectly
satisfied. From a variety of things, some of which I have
referred to, I have felt very much annoyed. My first im-
pulse was to give up the situation at once. I say this in no
threatening spirit; to do so would be foolish, for out of so
many men, it ought to be a very easy matter to replace me.
On reflection, however, I saw that to act in this way would
be unfair to the Association, and to the great mass of the
men, against whom, I repeat, I have no complaint. I
thought it best, therefore, to lay the whole subject before
you, to see if something can be done — be your Agent who
he may — ^to make the situation itself one that a man can
hold without degrading his manhood, and losing his self-
respect. So far as I am concerned, I tell you honestly, that,
while I wish to be of service to you to the utmost extent,
I do not care, nor have I ever cared an iota for the situation.
If you wish me to continue in it, I can do so only on certain
conditions, most of which I always understood to be implied,
if not distinctly expressed, in the relationship that exists
between us. 1. — Something must be done to protect me
and other leading men against the personal attacks, in naeet-
ings at any rate, of the evil-disposed and ignorant. I ask
this in the interest of the Association itself, for if something
be not done, no man, who is worth having will take office
for you at any price. 2. — I ask, and must have, the same
personal rights as you yourselves possess. I came to you a
free man, and I only can continue with you as such. (I
choose my own company, I shall correspond with whom I
like). I claim to have, or that I ought to have, some little
time to call my own, and this leisure I dispose of in my own
way. I shall at all times claim the higher liberty of speak-
ing as I think upon every question. I will never consent
to become the mere tool and mouth-piece for any man, or
any body of men. What I am convinced is right, I sliall
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM. 257
€ver advocate to the best of my ability; and what I am con-
vinced is wrong, I shall ever oppose, whether popular or
unpopular. To act otherwise would be to degrade myself,
and ultimately to become useless to you. 3. — ^As regards
the wage question now before you, I leave it for you to
settle. I shall never differ with you on that point, so long
as I get, as I always yet have got, sufficient to maintain my
family. I am not, nor have I ever been, serving you merely
for money ; at the same tiine I may frankly say, however,
that, until you pay something like what is paid to the men
holding similar positions, I will always consider the situa-
tion underpaid." The result of this appeal to the manliness
and intelligence of the pitmen of Northumberland was what
Mr. Burt, in his sagacity, had been led to expect, a power-
ful reaction set in in his favour; and he became more popular
and influential than ever he had been.
CHAPTER XLIII.
THE CONDITION OP THE DURHAM MINERS. THE FORMA-
TION OF THE PRESENT UNION IN DURHAM. THE NA-
TIONAL ASSOCIATION.
The disorganized state into which the miners were
thrown, principally by the long-protracted and severe strug-
gle which took place at the- collieries of Messrs. Straker and
Love, at Brandon, Brancepeth, Sunnybrow, and Oakenshaw,
and the numerous strikes which sprung up like mushrooms
all over the county; and subordinately, by the dissension,
which, originating in the National Council, disseminated its
baneful infection throughout the country, and divided men,
whose interests lay in the closest of all miity, into innur-
able parties and factions. Long after the strike referred to
had been finally concluded, and the men who had struck had
been scattered amongst the various mines in the district,
the newspapers devoted to the interests of the miners used
to teem with letters — charge and replication — in which the
most contemptible and petty of all feelings were principally
predominant. In the face of such a condition all question of
258 THE 3nXEKS OF
unity was overtlirown, and gradually the men became so thor-
oughly disorganized as to make it a matter of extreme
doubt whether any union prevailed amongst them or
not. If a dispute arose at any colliery the men would come
out on strike with the utmost indifference without taking
the general board into consideration at all in the matter,
beyond asTiing for support after they had done so ; aiid even
individuals at the various collieries would take upon them-
selves, unautliorized, to represent the whole of his fellow-
men. Matters continued hi this way till early in the year
1 865, when the Northumberland miners, who had remained
more decidedly united from the first, became so dissatisfied
with their Durham brethern that they resolved to shake
them off. As already recorded, this was formally done at a
meeting held at Plessey, in Northumberland. On the first
secession of Northumberland from the general union, and its
establishment as a distinct association, Mr. W. Craw^ford
was appointed its secretary; whilst Mr. Joseph Sheldon
became the secretary of the wreck of unionism in Durham
county. His appointment was neither lucrative nor lasting,
for soon even the wreck was swept out of existence by the
advancing tide of disorganization, and not a vestige remained
behind. After continuing in this defenceless condition for
two or three years, one or two of the leading spirits of the
county set themselves the almost Herculea-n task of reviv-
ing the union, and substituting harmony for the discord
which then prevailed. Amongst those who attempted this
work of regeneration was Mr. Edward Rymer, or, as he de-
lighted to call himself, "Poor Neddy Rymer.". Though
it cannot be questioned that he infused a great deal of ear-
nestness into his advocacy, it must be also admitted that he
was naturally incompetent to perform the task he bad un-
dertaken, for, after travelling about the country agitating
here and there he gave the matter up for a bad job,
and left Durham in a worse position than he found it.
After Rymer left Durham things became more settled at
the various collieries, and the quarrels of the factions were
heard of more seldom. Then a few men who were unionist;
at heart, and not merely by profession, banded themselve>
together at Thoruley, Trimdon, and Monkweaimoutb, and
thus formed the nucleus of the present Durham Miners' As-
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM. 259
sociatioii, which was formally called into existence in the
month of November, 1869. Mr. William Crake, of Monk-
wearmouth, was its first president, and with him were
associated Mr. John Kichardsonj as secretary and agent ;
and Mr. Nicholas Wilkinson, as treasurer. In the years
1866, 1867, and 1868, material reductions were made in the
wages of the miners in various parts of the county, but in
1869 a general reduction took place throughout the whole
of Durham. This last movement on the part of the coal-
owners turned out ultimately to the advantage of the men,
for finding that in their disunited condition they weie being
imposed upon, the union, as already stated, was called into
existence, and in an incredibly short time the number of
members on the register of the society was not less than
4,000. A reaction, however, set in, and before May, 1 870,
the number had been reduced to 2,000. On the 7th May,
in the last-named vear, Mr. William Crawford was elected
agent, whilst Mr. Cairns, of Thornley, was appointed secre-
tary ; and continued to hold that office till December. The
result of the intelligent and energetic advocacy of Mr. Craw-
ford was, that unionism once more became a reality in
Durham county amongst the miners. In his labours he was
assisted by Mr. W. Patterson, who was elected an agent on
the 4th of June, 1870, and by the late Mr. Thomas Eamsay,
who was appointed an assistant agent, in consequence of
being a " sacrificed " man, and who continued to advocate the
principles of unity with great ability, and with the utmost
satisfaction, till his death, which occurred on the 8th May,
1873. In December, 1870, Mr. Crawford was appointed to
fill the three offices of president, secretary, and agent, there
being only 17 lodges in connection with the society, but sub-
sequently, when the miion became too large for the manage-
ment of one man, Mr. John Foreman, of Kcddymoor, was
elected president, which office iie still holds ; whilst Mr.
Crawford continues to hold the joint ctfices of secretary and
agent. Mr. Nicholas Wilkinson, who at first was only ap-
pointed treasurer, now does duty as agent and treasurer ;
and Mr. W. Patterson also continues to act as one of the
active and hitelligent agents of the union.
In the early part of 1872, the men in this county began
to grow very res live concerning the yearly bond, and con-
260 THE MINERS OF
fiiderable agitation took j^lace over it. In March of that
year, a deputation, appointed by the men, waited upon the
members of the Coal Trade Association, and, after discussing
the matter in a fair and temperate spirit, the yearly bond,
— that bond of many a fierce contest— was finally abolished.
In April, 1872, a joint committee, consisting of the members
of the Coal Trade and the delegates of the men, was ap-
pointed to settle all differences that might arise between
the miners and their employers. This was the first committee
of this description established, and the arrangement was so
good that it was speedily adopted by the Northumberland
owners and their workmen. Unhappily, in the month of
July, a strike occurred at Cold Rust colliery, in spite of the
efforts of the association to prevent it, and after the men
had been out for two months, the ^' candy-men " were once
more introduced into the county of Durham. On Thursday,
the 18th of September, 1872, eighteen families were turned
out of house and home, and their furniture bundled out after
them ; but fortunately this dispute was subsequently settled
by the intervention of the Miners' Association.
From the month of May, 18T0, up to the present time,
the history of the Durham Miners' Association has been one
of progress and prosperity ; and there are now 216 lodges in
connection with it, with a membership of more than 40,000
men. Financially, too, its position is all that could be de-
sired, for there is nearly £40,000 in the bank to the credit
of the union, which has a fortnightly income of about £1,400;
and out of which upwards of £8,000 was saved during the
last financial quarter. The trustees of this fund are Messrs.
John Foreman, president ; Joseph Cowen, Jun., Blaydon ;
James Fowler, the present mayor of Durham ; James La-
verick, of Sunderland ; Thomas Hutchinson, and Martin
Thompson. There is a sick, accident, and benefit depart-
ment attached to the association, which is also connected in
membership with the National Association of Miners. The
members of this flourishing union have recently purchased
an extensive block of property in the North Road, Durham,
which is to be converted into offices for the transaction of
the business of the society.
As most of the miners of Northumberland and Durham
are now members, through their unions, of the National
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM. 261
Association of Miners, the following particulars of the con-
stitution and position of that society will prove interesting.
As already stated, the first conference of the present
National Association was held in Leeds, on the 9th of Nov-
ember, 1863," and since that period till recently its career
has been one of varied character. Mr. Alexander McDonald, of
Holy town, Scotland, is the president ; Mr. John Foreman,
of Grahamsley, near Darlington, is the treasurer ; and Mr.
Philip Casey, of Barnsley, Yorkshire, is the able and
courteous secretary. • The association is composed of the
following districts : —
Northumberland District. — This district was formed in
1863, and numbers 16,000 members. The weekly contri-
butions are 3d. per member. Accumulated funds, £15,500.
The benefits given are 10s. per week in case of strike or
lock-out, breakage, or repairs : and a death legacy of £2.
Durham, — This district was formed in 1869, and num-
bers 35,000 members. The weeklv contributions are in
proportion to the benefits received, thus : for a contribution
of 3d. per week the member receives the benefit of labour
protection alone ; for a contribution of 6d. per week death
benefits, &c., are added ; and for 9d. per week there is fur-
ther added sick and accidental benefits, &c. Accumulated
funds, £37,000.
West Yorkshire, — This district was formed in May,
1863, and numbers 10,000 members. The weekly contribu-
tions are 7^., and extra levies when required. The accu-
mulated funds are £5,000. The benefits given are death
allowance for men, women, and children ; weekly allowance
for sickness and accidents to members; also to widows and
orphans of members who lose their lives while following
their employment ; also to old members, &c.
South Yorkshire, — This district was formed April 10th,
1858, and numbers 17,000 members. Weekly contribution
Is. per member. Accumulated funds £34,000. The benefits
given are weekly allowances in case of accident or sickness ;
death allowance to members, members' wives, or children ;
weekly allowance to widows and orphans, whether husband
is killed or dies a natural death. Weekly allowance to old
members, &c.
262 THE MIXERS OF
Cleveland, — The Cleveland district of Ironstone work-
ers was formed January 13th, 1872, and numbers 5,200
members. Their weekly contribution is 3d. per member,
and a small sum extra for Parliamentary purposes. The
funds accumulated are £2,713 lis. 4^1. The benefits given
are labour protection.
Warwickshire and Leicestershire. — The above united
district was formed in Warwickshire on the 9th* day of
March, 1872, and numbers 2,000 members. The accumul-
ated fund amounts to £1,600. The benefits given are
Aveekly allowance for sickness or accident; death allowance
to members, members' wives, and children; weekly allow-
ance to widows and orphans of members killed; weekly sum
to support aged members; trade protection, &c.
Derby and Leicestershire, — The Derby and Leicester-
shire district was formed May 20th, 1873, and numbers
1,400 membet's. The weekly contribution is 8d. per
member, -and the accumulated funds are £523 3s. 9d.
The benefits pjiven are strike and lock ont, and victimised
pay, sick and accident, and widow and orphans funeral
donations, and old members.
Ashton, — The Ashton-under-Lyne district was formed in
1869, and numbers 3,200 members. The weekly contribu-
tions are 6d. per member. Accumulated funds, £2,080.
The benefits given are labour, protection, and death allow-
ance to members of £6.
Fife and Clachmanan, — This district was formed ou the
16tli day of February, 1873, and numbers 5,100 members.
The weekly contributions are 3d. per member, and the
accumulated fund is £5,629 13s. lid. The benefits given
are for trade protection, but are on the point of adduig other
l)enefits.
Stirling and Linlithgowshire. — The above association
was formed on the 8th day of June, 1872, and numbers
5,000 members. The weekly contributions are 3d. per
member, and the accumulated fund is £2,396. The benefits
given are trade protection, strike, lock-out, or victim
Wishato District. — Wishaw ^district, in Lanarkshire,
Scotland, was formed on the 10th of February, 1873, and
numbers 1,400 members. Being such a newly-formed
NORTH U31BERL AND AND DURHAM.
263
association, their accumulated capital is only small, being
but £414. The weekly contribution is 6d. per member,
and no benefits are given — a resolution having been passed
that the funds be not opened for the first twelve months,
in order that an accumulated fund may be obtained, so as to
enable them to be on a par with some of the older established
districts.
West Bromwich District, — This district numbers 4,000
members, has only recently joined the National Associa-
tion, and the report had not yet arrived.
The following is an abridged list of the districts, with the
number of members in each, and the funds accumulated in
August of the present year.
Members. Accumulated Funds.
£ s. d.
Northumberland
16,000
15,500
Durham
35,000
37,000
West Yorkshire
10,000
5,000
South Yorkshire
17,000
34,000
Cleveland
5,200
2,713 11 4i
Warwickshire and Leicestershire
2,000
1,600
Derbyshire and Leicestershire
1,400
No return of Funds.
Ashton
3,200
2.900
Fife and Ciackmanan
6,100
6,629 18 11
Stirling and Linlithgow
5,000
2,396
vv isnaiv ... ... ... ...
1,400
414
Mid and East Lothian
2,000
No return of Funds.
Larkhill
2,000
No return of Funds.
Maryhill
1.500
No return of Funds.
West Bromwich ...
4,000
. No return of Funds.
Total number of members
...110,800
far as report
Total amount of Funds, as
;ed... €107,153 5 3}
264 THE MINERS OF
CHAPTER XLIV.
PASSING OF THE MINES* REGULATION BILL.
On the 10th August, 1872, the Coal Mines Regulation
Act received the Royal Assent, and passed into law, its
various provisions to take effect on the 18th of January,
1873. This was the bill over which there had been much
agitation in recent years, and though it was not all that
many of the sanguine advocates of the measure desired, it
was certainly as much as could be expected. It is a reaUy
good Act, taken on the whole, and certainly goes much
further to secure the safety and independence of the miner
in following his calling than any previous legislative enact-
ment.
At the outset it is provided that no boy under the age of
ten, and no woman or girl of any age, shall be employed or
allowed to work in any coal mine. Boys of the age of ten
shall not be allowed to work in any mine, unless it be in a
seam, by reason of the thinness of which such labour shall
be, in the opinion of the Secretary of State, necessary, nor
in such case for more than six days in any one week ; and if
employed for more than three days in one week, then for not
more than six hours in any day; and in any other case, for
not more than ten hours a day. No boy above the age of
twelve; and under the age of sixteen, to be employed below
ground for more than 54 hours a week, or 10 hours in any
one day; -and every boy above twelve and under thirteen
years of age shall attend school on at least 20 hours in a fort-
night, Sundays not being included, or any time before 8
o'clock in the morning and 6 o'clock in the evening. A
number of stringent regulations are made to secure the
proper registration of such boys at school, in order that the
Act may not be evaded in this respect. Clause 14 enacts
that no one under the age of eighteen years shall have
charge of any machinery or apparatus on which the lives of
men depend. The payment of wages in public-houses is
done away with by this Act, and it is now illegal to pay
wages either in a public-house, or in any place contiguous to
one. Clause 17 regulates that after August 18th, 1873, all
coal should be paid for by weight, instead of by measure, as
NOBTHUMBERLAND AND DUBHAM. 265
in times past, except in such places where the owner and
men voluntarily enter into a mutual contract to continue the
measurement system. The men have also the power of ap-
pointing a check weighman on every pit heap^ at their own
cost, and the owner has no power to dismiss him for any
fancied grievance; but any complaint he may have against
this representative of the men must be heard before the
justices, who are to be composed of independent persons, a
clause forbidding any man connected in any way with colli-
eries to adjudicate upon any dispute between miners and
coal-owners. By clause 20, the system of working mines
with single shafts, which formerly obtained, is abolished,
and no person is to be employed in any mine in which there
is but one shaft, or which has not some easily accessible and
well-known means of outlet belonging to the same mine, or
in direct communication with some closely-adjoining mine.
Every mine must be under the daily control of a manager,
and a person shall not be considered qualified as the manager
of a colliery unless he be registered as the holder of a certi-
ficate, after having passed an examination as a mining engi-
neer; the Secretary of State to have the appointment of the
examining board, and the nature of the examination necessary
to test the competency of candidates for viewerships. The
owners are bound by the Act to make returns of the quan-
tity of coal raised yearly out of their mines, and also a
return of all lives lost, and all personal injury sustained in
their mines by reason of explosions, inundations, or acci-
dents of whatever nature. The proper inspection of mines
by an inspector appointed by Government is also assured by
the Act, and if the inspector at any time complains about
any matter, the owners are bound to act upon the suggestion
of this officer, or else to state their objections in writing to
the Secretary of State, when that minister shall order the
question at issue to be settled by arbitration, both parties
being bound by the decision of the referees. When a coroner
holds an inquest on any person killed in the mine, he is
bound to adjourn the inquiry to allow of the attendance of
the Inspector of Mines, and to give him sufficient notice of
the time to which the adjournment has been made ; whilst
all persons personally interested in mines, or employed in
them, are rendered ineligible to sit as jurors on any such in-
K
266 THE MINEBS OF
quisition. A clause especially provides for an. adequate
amount of ventilation in every pit, and in every mine vrhere
inflammable gas has been found to exist an examination shall
take place once in every 24 hours if one shift only is ^worked,
and once in every 12 hours if two shifts of men are engaged.
These examinations are to be made by a properly qualified
pwson or persons, and the results are to be recorded in a
book specially kept for that purpose. The entrance to ail
places not in work shall be properly fenced off, and if at any
time a dangerous amount of gas is found in the mine, every
man and boy must be at once withdrawn from the pit till it
has been dispersed. Proper precautions are also to be taken
against inundations^ and all workings in the vicinity of
standing water are not to exceed 8 feet in width. Kvery
plane, on which persons travel in and out bye upon, must
be provided with a sufficient number of man-holes, or places
of refuge, so that the men may be able to go into them ivhea
the set is running. In the special rules, provisions are made
for propping the roof, whilst the roof and sides of all
travelling roads are to be made secure by propping and
otherwise. In descending and ascending, the men have only
to ride in cages properly covered, in order that they may be
protected from anything that might fall down the shaft.
Penalties of fines and imprisonment are imposed on both men
and masters for any breach of the clauses, and general or
special rules.
This Act was the result of about ten years' earnest agi-
tation by a large section of the miners, assisted by many
outside friends, foremost amongst the latter in this district
being Mr. Joseph Cowen, Jun., who not only assisted with
his eloquence at large and popular meetings, but also advo-
cated the measure through the columns of the widely-circu-
lated Daily Chronicle^ of which journal he is the enterprising
proprietor. The Act has been called a " Delegates' Act,"
and to me no greater compliment could be paid to the framers
of the measure, for in spite of its many defects, and of the
croakings of the malcontents who wish to magnify these
shortcomings, it is a really good measure. No one can read
through this brief digest of it, which is all that can be given
in a work of such limited dimensions, without coming to the
conclusion that the representatives of the miners have been
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM. 267
I actively engaged in its framing. No man^ or any number of
men, who had not actually worked in the mines could have
framed such an Act, no matter how extensively they had
inquired into the pitmen's grievances, or however desirous
they might have been to remedy these grievances. There is
an evident desire throughout to do justice to both sides, and
to secure the confidence of both men and masters. This is
very apparent in several of the clauses, but in none more so
than in the 27th section, that relating to the examining
boards, by which a Secretary of State may from time to time
appoint, remove, and re-appoint fit persons to form such
boards, as follows : — namely, three persons, being owners of
mines; three persons employed in or about a mine (not being
owners, agents, or managers of a mine) ; and three persons
practising as mining engineers, agents, or managers of
mines, or coal viewers ; and one inspector appointed under
this Act. Under the provisions of this equitable section,
the board for the district, including the counties of North-
umberland, North Ihirham, and Cumberland, is composed of
the following gentlemen, owners of mines: — -Mr. Thomas E.
Forster, Mr. John Taylor, and Mr. Matthew Liddell. Per-
sons employed in or about a mine: — Mr. Thomas Weather ley,
Mr. Robert Elliott, and Mr. Andrew Sharp. Persons prac-
tising as mining engineers : — Mr. J. B. Simpson, Mr. A. S.
Palmer, and Mr. Thomas T. Smith. The board have ap-
pointed Mr. G. B. Forster, Cowpen; Mr. Cuthbert Berkley,
Marley Hill; and Mr. S. B. Coxon, Usworth ; to be exam-
iners. The appointment of examiner is held during the
pleasure of the board, and may at any time be revoked by a
resolution duly entered in the minutes. Examinations are
to be held twice a year, should a sufficient number of candi-
dates be desirous of presenting themselves, at such times and
places as the Secretary of State may appoint.
Soon after the passing of this Act, Mr. Thomas Burt
addressed a long and important letter to the editor of the
Weekly Chronicle, in which he adopted the measure, and
explained many of its clauses and provisions. In his letter,
be recommended that the Act should be carefully read by
the miners, and more especially the general rules, a piece of
idvice so good that it will bear repetition in this place.
Before concluding this chapter, I will give a brief extract
268 THE MINERS OF
from Mr. Burt's letter, as it expresses so well my opinions.
" I regard the bill " he says, " as an honest and genuine
effort to deal with a difficult subject. There is an earnestness,
a directness, boldness, and a grip in it, that contrasts favour-
ably with some of the timid and half-hearted measures passed
by the Government. The bill is quite a triumph. Never
before in the history of British legislation did any section of
the working classes so thoroughly leave their impression on
an Act of Parliament. All the chief principles sought for
by the miners they have gained. What is the secret of this
success? From various quarters the miners have received
valuable assistance. Several members of Parliament have
taken great interest in their questions, and assisted them to
the utmost of their power. The Press, London and Pro-
vincial, has spoken out strongly in their favour. They are
also under a deep debt of gratitude to their Parliamentary
leader, Mr. Macdonald, for the ability and devotedness with
which he has advocated their cause. But above all thev
may thank themselves. They have succeeded because they
have looked after their own business; they have sent their
own representatives, and have not trusted others to look
after their afiairs. Some of the coal owners have called the
measure a Delegates' Bill. Beyond doubt the miners' unions
have had much to do with the passing of it. Nay, it is not
too much to say — ^No unions, no Mines' Bill. No class of
working men are better united than the miners, none are
more public-spirited, and they have certainly brought the
power of their unions to bear on this question. Two or
three of the most powerful of these unions have fought
the thing through from the commencement. For long they
had to battle almost single-handed ; but they had the courage
of their convictions, and were determined to win. Of late,
the miners of every district have rallied round them, and
from these, tens of thousands of earnest men, have gone forth,
but one voice, demanding in tones clear and strong, that
the life of the miner should be protected. The splendid
meetings held within a few weeks of each other at Stirling,
Blyth, Durham, Barnsley, Leeds, and other places, were
evidence of a power which no government could afford to
despise or ignore. Having gained so much by the power of
union, then let the miners still remain firmly united^ that
^B. JOSEPH COWEN, jyil,
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM. 269
they may win further conquests, and secure and make the
best of those they have already won."
CHAPTER XLV.
THE FRANCHISE MOVEMENT. THE GREAT MANHOOD SUF-
FRAGE DEMONSTRATION ON NEWCASTLE TOWN MOOR.
The miners of Northumberland beginning to see their
power when united, began in the early part of the year
1872, to turn their attention to political matters. There
was no reason, they argued, why they should not return to
parliament one of their own members if they so desired,
and as a preliminary step towards this they at once com-
menced a vigorous agitation in order to secure for them-
selves the franchise. The Reform Act of 1867 conferred
household suffrage upon the borough constituencies, and at
the same time the boundaries of many boroughs were ex-
tended so as to include various densely populated districts,
whose inhabitants, although comprised within the limits of
the county registration, did not possess the requisite quali-
fication to entitle them to the county vote. This plan was
adopted in preference to the course which must otherwise
have been taken, of depriving many small boroughs entirely
of their representation. Morpeth was one of these boroughs
whose boundaries were enlarged, and the parliamentary
district now comprehends not only the town itself, but
Blyth aiid the colliery villages of Choppington, Newsham,
Bedlington, Bebside, Barrington, Cowpen, Cambois, and
others. From some cause which has never been explained,
the names of only a very few of the miners brought within
the limits of the borough of Morpeth were placed upon the
register, the rights of the large majority being entirely
ignored. This circumstance did not at once attract attention,
but at length the extraordinary incongruity which had arisen
presented itself to the miners who, from no cause which
they could discover, had been left out in the cold. For the
purpose of removing the anomaly which had been created,
a committee of miners was formed, of which Mr. Robert
Elliot, jun., of Choppington, was chosen president. The
Franchise Committee worked earnestly, and as far as the
270 THE MIXERS OF
electoral powers at present vested in the poople arc con-
cerned, successfully, for in the main they accomplished the
object for which they were appointed. Their first aim was
to procure the placing of the names of all occupiers on the
Parliamentary register, and they properly applied to the over-
seers, to whom they presented their claim. The request
was not acceded to by the overseers, and some magisterial
proceedings ensued. In the first place, the overseers of
Newsham were summoned at the Tynemouth Petty Sessions
in August, 1872, for wilfully or negligently omitting to
place the name of an occupier, a coal miner at North New-
sham, on the rate book. For the defence, it was pointeil
out that the rate book had been made up, and had received
the signatures of the justices before the claim was sent in.
and that, then, the overseers had no power to add any more
names. The court declined to interfere in the matter, and
no redress was obtained. The same points were raised at
Bedlington a fortnight later, when the overseers of the town-
ship were summoned under a similar circumstance, the same
defence was set up, and the same result was attained.
Prior to these summonses being taken out, however, several
public meetings had been held at Morpeth and elsewhere
throughout the borough, and great indignation had been
manifested at the treatment which the miners had received
at the hands of the authorities. The real position of the
miners in reference to the franchise was fully set forth at
these meetings by Mr. Glassy, Mr, Robert Elliott, Dr. Jame^
Trotter, and Dr. Robert Trotter, and others who were
associated with them in their praiseworthy movement; and
they did not conceal their impression that as the miners for-
med a large majority of the population within the Parlia-
mentary boundary they had a right to direct representation
in the House of Commons. As the men had been defeated
in their proceedings before the magistrates other effort.>
had therefore to be made to secure a place on the list of
voters, and the revising barrister's court was resorted to.
There all the perplexities and inconsistencies of the house-
hold suffrage legislation were exposed. Claims had been
sent in on behalf of a large number of miners. These were
now regularly proved; in fact no objections were raised.
Several claims were considered, each being the representa-
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM. 271
tive of a class. In all instances it seemed the owners paid
the rates of the colliery houses which the miners occupied^
and which occupancy was deemed part of their wages. The
evidence went to show that the men were not bound to
live in the houses, and that the occupancy of them was not
essential to the performance of their wdrk. The revising
barrister elicited, however, that in some instances agree-
ments existed— (though it was not in all cases made clear
that the men had ever seen them) — ^which specially provided
that the houses should be occupied as a part of the wages,
and that *^ the occupier should not be deemed the tenant
thereof," and he thought the force of the words, " shall not be
deemed the tenant thereof," was so clear and undoubted
that, in those cases where such agreements were proved to
exist, he decided against the claimants^ and refused to grant
a case. Apart from the agreement, the Revising Barrister
decided that the occupation was in the nature of a tenancy,
but as the claimants' names did not appear on the rate-book
— they not having claimed before the rate-book was made
up — ^they were not then entitled to the franchise qualifica-
tion. At the South Shields revision court, however, the
claims of the miners were admitted, and all who were
qualified by term of residence were placed upon the register.
At the revising courts this year the matter of neglecting to
claim at the proper time was remedied, and a large number
of pitmen were added to the electoral constituencies of Gates-
head, Sunderland, Durham, and Morpeth. At the latter
place a considerable change has thus been effected in the
character of the constituency. At the first registration of
the extended borough the total number of electors was 1698.
Of this number Blyth and Neweham sent 166, and Cowpen
373, the remaining 1,169 being furnished by Bedlington and
Morpeth in about equal proportions. In 1872, the number
on the list had increased to 2,661, of which Morpeth and
its dependent villages contributed 780, Bedlington 1,207,
Cowpen 368, and Newsham and Blyth 306. The number
of voters in the borough at this time (1873) is 4,916, being
an increase of 2,255 as compared with last year. Morpeth
has increased its proportion by only 24, standing now at
804; Bedlington Ims nearly doubled its constituency, its
figure being 2,244; while Cowpen, with 1,377, has almost
272 THB HIKEBS OF
quadrupled itself, Bljth and Newsliam rising from 306 to
485.
Whilst the agitation to secure a vote for those miners
living within the limits of the borough constituencies was
being carried on^'the men of such districts as were outside
of the limits of boroughs, began to express their discontent
at such an unjust and indefensible system as the present law
perpetuated, namely, the maintaining of a distinction be-
tween the county and the borough qualifications. Those of
the working classes who happened, owing to their ill-fortune,
to reside a little beyond the prescribed boundaries to be de-
prived of rights which were enjoyed by many who lived
perhaps only a few yards distant from them, began to make
known their opinion on the subject in very emphatic terms.
The miners of the county of Durham particularly raised
their voices in protest against the continuance of the ano-
maly, and they adopted measures for giving an expression
to their convictions and bringing them before the notice of
those with whom lay the power of reconciling the inconsis-
tency. Several of the collieries which were foremost in the
movement requested the executive of the Northumberland
Miners' Union to convene a meeting of the delegates re-
presenting the various trades in the northern districts,
with the view to organising a demonstration in favour
of manhood suffirage. The miners of Durham were also
invited to co-operate, and after one or two meetings
of the Manhood Suffrage Committee had been held,
the whole body of the Durham pitmen expressed their
concurrence with the opinions promulgated in the more
northerly county, and readily consented to lend their
countenance to the movement. The various trade socie-
ties of the district resolved to co-operate, and a com-
mittee to make arrangements was appointed, with l^r. J.
Cowen, jun., at its head as chairman. The first meeting of
the Maidiood Suffrage Conunittee was held in February of
the present year. Delegates from nearly every workshop
and factory on Tyneside, and from the body of miners in
Northumberland and North Durham, were chosen to act
upon the committee, and the selection of a day on which, the
proceedings should take place, so as to ensure the greatest
attendance at the least sacrifice of time, and at the snoallest
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM. 273
•
possible inconvenience to the inhabitanlB of Newcastle^ re-
quired some consideration and discernment; and^ at lengthy
it was resolved that the Saturday intervening between
Good Friday and Easter would best suit all the circum-
stances which had to be taken into account. That day was
accordingly selected; and then the form which the demon-
stration should assume was easily determined. The method
best calculated to create the desired impression, and most
forcibly influence public opinion, was that of assembling en
masse on the Town Moor, there to declare in favour of
manhood suffrage in counties and boroughs, to petition
Parliament in favour of such a measure, and to memorialise
the Prime Minister with a view of receiving his approval
and sympathy. To render the programme still more effec-
tive %pd imposing, it was arranged that » procession, to be
constituted of miners, trades and friendly societies, and other
associations, should be formed in the neighbourhood of the
Central Station, and proceed thence, accompanied by fheir
bands, banners, and trade emblems, to the rendezvous on
the Town Moor. The details of the processson next occu-
pied the attention of the committee, and their ultimate re-
solution was that next to the leaders of the movement and the
various speakers of the day, the place of honour should be
allotted to the Northumberland miners, the position which
the men of the forty or fifty collieries should respectfully
occupy being determined by ballot. The next section was
appropriated to the pitmen of Durham, sixty or seventy
mines being represented; while the last division of the great
procession was to be composed of the members of the various
organized societies and the men connected with the differ-
ent factories on Tyneside. An elaborate system of marshall-
ing was devised, in order that the procession might be
effectively organised; and on the Moor six platforms were
provided. To each of these platforms a chairman and a
complement of speakers were assigned, to whom were en-
trusted four resolutions which were to be moved simulta-
neously, and submitted to the audience for approval.
Saturday, the 12th of April, the day appointed for this
stupendous and imposing demonstration, at length dawned,
and soon the streets of Newcastle were thronged with mul-
titudes of pitmen, their wives, and children, as well as by
274 THE MIKEBS OF
other people; whilst countless banners of great beauty
flashed across the eye at nearly every step, and stirring
music from innumerable bands greeted the ear at almost
every turn. Men proudly bearing rosettes upon their breasts,
emblems of office. Were hurrying to and fro the whole morn-
ing long, in arranging the procession, which from its
magnitude seemed utterly incapable of arrangement. As
the hour fixed for starting drew near, however, the line
began to assume an orderly appearance, bands and banners
fell into their appointed places, and the heads of this noble
army of freemen were drawn up ready to move at the signal
opposite the Chronicle Office, Precisely at one o'clock by
the time gim, the band heading the section composed of the
chairmen, speakersj^^nd committee, struck up, and the for-
ward movement commenced. From the very start the firmal
procession was expanded by the addition of four impromptu
coluifms — ^two on each side of the legitimate four abreast,
whilst the pathways were packed. all the way with large
crowds of spectators. The route taken was along Colling-
wood Street, up Grey Street, along Blackett Street, up
Percy Street, and by way of back Eldon Street, to the Moor.
Every window along the entire route commanding a peep at
the moving column was packed with spectators, many w^ith
fashionably dressed ladies. Presumably those looking from
the windows of the first three streets, were representatives
of the class which was enfranchised forty years ago, and
there certainly did appear to be some trace of indifibrenc^ as
to what should become of the ladder which is proverbially
attributed to people who have safely climbed to the attain-
ment of their ends. Nevertheless, as they looked, and
scanned, and reckoned up the sober and thoughtful multitude
defiling before them with the precision the discipline and the
manly gait of freemen, the idea seemed to be fading aw^ay
before the brightness of the self-evident truth, that no rea-
son could be assigned or even imagined why these men, ^who
constitute the strength of the commonwealth, should be
any longer treated as aliens or slaves. When the pro-
cession turned out of Blackett Street it seemed to be getting
into homelier quarters, and it met with more pronounced
manifestations of genuine sympathy. The windows of
every house gave egress to two if not three tiers of buman
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM. 275 ^
heads, which bravely wagged themselves in spite of obvious
difficulties to signify the sympathy of the hearts that were
beating strongly a little in the rear and lower down. Public
houses were utilised for sight-seeing as extensively as pos-
sible ; though on such a day, every house was a public-house
for the nonce, or at any rate, its accommodation for viewing
all that went on was exhaustively utilised. Even the
Church lent its sacred sanction to the new reform. High
up in the steple cf St. Thomas' the privileged were sur-
veying as from a sub-celestial elevation the surging emblem
of progress in the lower world. Near to this point the
human interest of the spectacle culuiinated. Dense as had
been the stationary columns along the whole line, the
spectators nowhere presented sucl|^ an overwhelming
appearance to the processionists as when they deployed on
the rising ground in front of St. Mary's Tjrrace,
right up beyond the turn to Jesmond Road. The first
platform was reached by twenty-five minutes to two
o'clock. The tail of the monster procession did not
come to a halt on the Moor until five minutes to four. It
was, therefore, just about three hours that the march to the
Moor actually occupied. The eye became weary with glow-
ing colours, the ear of sweet and stirring music, and the
heart of such unremitting- appeals to its choicest sjnnpathies
and most powerful emotions. When an hour and a half of
gathering together had elapsed there was such a coup (T ceil
as seldom if ever was seen by human eyes before. It was
almost a matter of congratulation that the sun withdrew the
chary smiles with which he had greeted the arrival of the
mighty multitudes from the country; and when the black
canopy of thundercloud settled heavily over the Leazes, the
brilliant blazonrv of banners shone out on the solemn back-
ground with all the glory of a rainbow — that bow of promise
which from age to age has cheered the children of toil.
As the various bodies of men comprising the procession
made their way over the Moor, they soon came in view of
the platforms which had been prepared for the use of the
speakers. These were six in number, and were distinguished
by the names of the several chairmen conspicuously posted
xibove them, thus enabling all who had any preference to
gratify their inclination in regard to the set of addresses to
276 THE ]aN£RS^>F
which they desired to listen. They were posted at no great
distance from the north-west comer of the Bull Park, but in
a line stretching from the direction of Back Eldon Street
towards the Grand Standi and were some fifty yards apart.
About half-an-hour was allowed before the commencement
of the business, though, during the whole progress of the
meeting the procession continued to move along ; and when
the speaking had been brought to a close, after having occu-
pied an hour and a half, the foremost of the trades societies
were only arriving upon the ground. The series of resolu-
tions which were submitted from the several platforms, and
spoken to for the most ^rt by colliers and other -working
men, in perhaps rugged, but withal decided and emphatic
language, were the foUowing: —
First Eesolution. — "That, in the opinion of this meeting,
the distinction at present existing between the qualification
for Pamamentary electors in boroughs and counties is irri-
tating, perplexing, and unjust; and that the only true and
satisfactory settlement on which the imperial franchise can
be based is manhood."
Second Resolution. — "That no extension of the suffi-age
will secure a full, free, and fair representation of the people
unless it is accompanied with a re-distribution of seats and
an equitable apportionment of members to population."
Third Resolution, — "That petitions to both Houses of
Parliament, embodying these resolutions be signed in the
name of this meeting by the six chairmen, and sent for pre-
sentation to the House of Commons by W. B. Beaumont
Esq., M.P., and to the House of Lords by the Right Hon.
the Earl of Durham. That a memorial also be sent to the
Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone, M.P., enclosing him a copy of
the resolutions, and requesting his earnest consideration to
the reforms indicated."
Fourth Resolution.- — "That this meeting urgently recom-
mend the formation of associations in all the villages and
towns throughout the two counties of Northumberland and
Durham, to keep the question of Parliamentary reform pro-
minently before the country, and to make arrangements for
supporting Liberal candidates at the forthcoming general
election."
NOBTIIUMBERLAND AND DURHAM. 277
When all the formal business had been gone through^
and when the tail end of the procession had reached the
Moor, the men marched back again to Newcastle, and subse-
quently were hurried by special trains to their homes; and
thus ended one of the grandest demonstrations that the work-
ing men of this country ever made in favour of freedom and
equality, and one which few who had the good fortune to
share in it will ever forget. There could not be less than
eighty thousand men taking part in this demonstration, and
of this number nearly seventy thousand were colliers from
the counties of Northumberland and Durham; but though
so many men were in Newcastle, there were only three
cases — ^and these were merely charges of drunkienness —
before the Newcastle magistrates the following week, in
which men connected with the moveatent were implicated.
Surely this of itself was a powerful argument in favour of
the moral qualification of the men for the suffrage they had
assembled in such force to demand.
CHAPTER XL VI.
CONCLUSION.
Having traced step by step the history of the miners of the
two counties of Northumberland and Durham, where the coal
trade, which is now one of the staple industries of this king-
dom, took its rise, and where it is still more largely carried on
than in any other district in England or Wales; having traced
the history of the labourers in this industry from the dark ages
when they were regarded and treated more as serfs than as
free men, up to the present "day, when an honest man,
be he miner or not, may look the whole world proudly
in the face, and boldly demand from the world a recognition
as one of a great human family, it may not be unprofitable
to review some of the causes which have led to this improved
state of things. To the progress which is the natural lot of
mankind much may be ascribed, but if the pitmen had not
exerted themselves to supplement the ordinances of nature,
it cannot be doubted but that a very great many of the
278 THE MINERS OP
t
beneficial changes which we have recorded would never have
occurred, for after all there is a very considerable amount of
truth and force in the old proverb, which asserts that ** Grod
helps those who help themselves." First and foremost then
amongst those which have been supplementary to the natural
causes, may be regarded the growing faith in the principles
of unionism. Man is not sent to this earth to live by himself,
and for himself alone, and when this maxim is more generally
adopted, this world will be a better place to live in. History
conclusively proves that whenever men have combined
together, either for good or evil, their power has been almost
irresistible; but that where, on the other hand, they have
individually striven to advance alone their own selfish inte-
rests, regardless of their neighbour's interests, they have
ever been defeated. Wlien the miners of Northumberland
and Durham were disunited, they were forced into abhorent
contracts extending from year to year, bound hand and foot
to toil from morning to night — ^and often both day and night
— without any adequate recompence for their labour; but
when they became united they could make their own terms,
and feel that they were free men. Unionism then became a
necessity with them, for without it they were compelled to
work in dangerous mines, in which explosions were every
now and then occurring, and hurrying scores and hundreds
of their fellows away into eternity year by year. Mr. Lloyd
Jones, when in Newcastle in April last, so forcibly stated
the necessity of unionism that his words may be quoted here.
In speaking of the value of trades' unions Mr. Jones said : —
*^ What did every man in the country require in reference to
his labours and his life ? He wanted first the independence
of the workshop, and he wanted to be able to pursue his
work in such a manner and under such conditions that it
should not be a degradation to him in his eyes. He Tvished
to be independent in following his ordinary daily occupation;
and they must bear in mind that the chief portion of a man's
life was spent in the workshop. After he left the workshop
he required to be comfortable in his own home. He wanted
those comforts, which ought to belong to every man that had
to labour to secure them, and he wanted in addition to secure
the comfort and happiness of those who were depending on
the fruits of his labour^ and on his love for their welfiire.
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM. 279
He wanted, in relation to the nation, to be able to contribute
to its welfare, to be able to contribute to its progress, and to
the increase of its wealth; and to assist in its defence in caae
danger should come to it. He would say that trades uni-
onism, in connection with co-operation, which was the
highest thing yet undertaken by working men, carried with
it an effect in relation to the labourers of the country affected,
as well as to the multitude of the people, such as nothing else
with which they were acquainte4 carried with it. In its
relation to the workshop what did they see? They had had
a severe contest recently between the mining population of
Wales and the coal owners. They had had about 70,000 men
in Wales, together with a large number of women and children,
thrown out of work, in consequence of a difference between the
employers and the employed, and when the men endeavoured to
enter into negotiations to bring about an end of this unhappy
difference, the employers would not receive those men who
were put forward as their agents. If they would consider
for a moment the miner's life, and the many dangers attend-
ing his occupation, and the additional danger which he
wished to escape from of having to remonstrate against his
employer, who had full powers over him, they would easily
understand how absolutely necessary it was that bodies of
these men should have agents to transact their business with
safety to themselves. The working miner left his home in
the morning to pursue his occupation, he had to descend some
hundreds of yards into the earth, his life and the lives of
his fellow-men depending alone on one rope that might be
unsafe through having been over-worn, and yet if he or any
one of them should speak of that to the employers, the
chances were that they would be thrown out of employment.
Indeed, one strike in Wales — or rather, he ought to say, a
threatened strike, for it did not actually come to a strike —
was in consequence of a remonstrance by the men of that
description, and the associated miners went against the men
in favour of the owners and the rotten rope; but happily
when the matter came to be investigated it was found that
the men were quite right. When the miner got down the
pit and began to hew the coal there was gas developed,
which might at any moment explode, to the destruction of
any man within its influence. But if any man ventured to
280 THB uiinsBs or
speak to his employers about the yentilation^ and hinted that
it was not so satisfactory as it ought to be, the result of that
rejDonstrance might chance to be his discharge from his em-
ployment. They had daily terrible explosions occurring in
these coal pits, destroying life and limb wholesale; and
during the last ten years 12,000 men had lost their lives in
the coal mines of England. Twelve thousand men had been
struck down in the prime of their life, to say nothing of those
who had been disabled and crippled. Under these circum-
stances did they not think they ought to have some one to
carry their remonstrances to the employers, and insist on
having those things remedied which were standing dangers
to them ? That was what the agents of trades unions had
to do. It might not be that the gas was dangerous, it might
not be the imsafety of the rope, it might not be to confer
with the employers concerning some rise or reduction of the
wages of the men, but in all occupations there were neces-
sities for reforms or rectifications, to speak first of which
would be dangerous to the man who should speak first, and
so it often happened that the men had refrained from speaking-
till the fatal day had arrived, and the widow had to mourn
over her husband lost, and children had to suffer in conse-
quence of the loss of their parents. They said that work-
ing men, in combining together in their trades, were simply
doing those things which were absolutely necessary for them
to do in the situations in which they were placed."
What a change has unionism effected in this district?
The men have compelled the employers to admit their
strength; and in place of considering them as so many
animals, they now meet them on equal and friendly terms,
and discuss points of difference with the agents of the men as
they would with their merchants about the price of coals.
Could such have occurred without the aid of a union? Most
certainly not. And if the masters have come to acknowledge
in their workmen their equals in everything but social posi-
tion, the men too have undergone a process of education in
their attitude towards their employers. No longer now do-
they regard their employers in the light of hard taskmasters,,
to rob whom on every possible occasion is a virtuous and
praiseworthy act, as many were wont to consider, but new
they look up to the coalowners with feelings of respect, and
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM. 281
recognise in them men who have rights and interests to be
protected by their workmen. A few years ago there was
not a single coal owner in the Northumbrian coal field, the
mention of whose name would not have provoked a stona
of curses from any multitude of men; but now the names
of most of them are greeted at public meetings with cheers
and applause. One of the leading members of th^ Coal
Trade Association — ^Mr. Hugh Taylor — is on terms oT posi-
tive friendship with the leaders of the men, whilst one of
the best known mining engineers of this country — ^Mr.
George Baker Forster, is the acting engineer to the Co-
operative Coal Mining Company. We now see the owners
building places for the men to conduct the business pertain-
ing to the management of their union in, and it is no rare
thing to read of the employers presiding at meetings of their
employes. There are but few collieries in the two counties
where the owners and viewers do not co-operate with the
men in the formation of reading rooms and libraries, and
take almost as lively an interest in the welfare of their insti-
tutions as the men themselves. The one party has come to
know that it is more profitable to have intelligent and edu-
cated men to work their mines, and the other to appreciate
the fact that it is better to co-operate with their employers,
and to serve and protect their interests with their own,
instead of living in contention with them, A few years ago,
and all this had been impossible, and now it is a reality which
with every day is becoming more and more apparent. This
is what union has done, and what union can do it is impos-
sible to speculate upon. The men should above all unite
to have the whole of the miners in the two counties educated
in order to fit them for the good time which is coming. It
is impossible to deny that many of the pitmen are still grossly
ignorant, but it is more their misfortune than their fault.
The power which is responsible for so many of the rotten
branches in our constitutional tree is more to blame for
this intellectual darkness of the miners than they are them-
selves. Oh ! —
** Were half the power that fills the world with terror,
Were half the wealth bestowed on camps and coiurts,
Given to redeem the human mind from error,
There were no need of arsenals and forts.**
282 THE MINERS OF
The toiling sons of England are becoming imbued with
the spirit which is breathed in these lines, and thej are about
to make a proper application of the wealth and power which
. J^as been so long wasted and misapplied.
Unsatisfactory though the moral and intellectual con-
dition of the miner to-day is, yet compared with his condition
at the period treated in the opening chapters of this book
there' is a miraculous change. Side by side with the union
the earnest men who have been stigmatized "Ranters,"
the Primitive Methodists of the two counties — ^have been
working out the social, intellectual, and moral amelioration of
the miners, and in this great reform they have been very
materially assisted by the temperance advocates who have
from time to time laboured amongst the miners. No doubt
there were many zealots in both bodies, many indeed that
were positively bigots, but if taken generally it will be
found that they were respectable, earnest, intelligent truth-
seeking men, who, having got a glimmering of the truth,
and having become enlightened with intellectual light them-
selves, were anxious to carry the glad tidings of truth to
their still benighted brethren, and to endeavour to lighten
their great darkness. Probably no body of men have ever
been subjected to so many jibes and jeers from superficial
people as those referred to; but without doubt none ever
achieved such glorious results as they have done. To many
it may be a matter of supreme indifference what is the
exact creed professed by Primitive Methodists ; but whether
they liave a creed or none at all it is impossil?le for any
observing man not to see and admire the bold and ardent
manner in which they carry on their labours amongst the
miners. Most of the pitmen now-a-days think, either more
or less, for themselves; half a century ago it was otherwise.
But the Primitive Methodists induced many of them to reflect,
and the result of that reflection was speedily manifest in the
outward garb of the man. He took to going to Chapel,
and, finding it necessary to appear decently there, he got
new clothes and became what is termed " respectable." In
the abstract, perhaps, this was no great improvement; but
there was also a great change wrought in the man himself,
for in place of spending his time and his money idly in
the public-house, he was brought by the influence of the
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM. 283
" Ranters " and the " Teetotalers " to acquire some little
self-pride, which gave place to a desire for learning, which
had to be gratified. Men who had grown up and had children
old enough to go to school, have been sitting side by side
on a form learning the very rudiments of reading and writ-
ing; and those bodies who could work out such a great and
glorious reform as this deserve respect and admiration
rather than contempt, however zealous or even bigoted
some of their individual members may have been.
Co-operation too, which is but an application of the
principle of unionism, has had its influence on the social
improvement of the miners of these two counties; and in
the place of gross extravagance and improvidence a pru-
dentkil and provident spirit has been widely developed
amongst them by the many stores which have sprung up
in the colliery villages. The history of this movement has
been elsewhere treated, and it has only been referred to
here in connection with the causes which have worked such
a great and beneficial change in the lives of the miners.
And now finally the hope may be expressed that the
days of strikes have passed for ever, and that the children
now growing up in our pit rows many know nothing of
these desperate measures except when they read of them
as the contentions of dark and barbarous ages. With for-
bearance on the side of both employer and employed,
this hopeful condition of things may be easily achieved.
Pitmen are turning their attentions to better things than
the mere acquisition of higher wages, when they lend
their ears to the advocacy of improved dwellings, shorter
hours, and higher education for their children. These are
reforms that may be accomplished without strife, and ought
to be, for the result will be glorious and manifold; but in
order to do all this the miners of these two counties must
remain firmly united. Without union nothing can be done,
and with it mighty things. And above all let us hope that
the men of Northumberland and Durham will never be
wanting in that manly independence which has been their
characteristic through all time, and in the midst of great
difficulties ; and that they may always be inspired with the
THE MINEBS OF NOETHmfBE&LAXD AND DURHAM. 284
spirit breathed in that poem, which, though old is ever new
and ever true: —
Who shall judge a man £Fom manners ?
Who shaU know him by his drees ?
Paupers may be fit for Princes,
Princes fit for something less.
Crumpled shirts and dirty jackets
May beclothe the eolden ore,
Of the deepest thoughts and feelings —
Satin vests could do no more.
There are springs of crystal nectar
Ever welling out of stone ;
There are purple buds and golden,
Hidden, crushed, and over-grown^
Grod, who counts by souls, not dresses.
Loves and prospers you and me.
While He values thrones, the hignest.
But as pebbles in the sea.
Man upraised above his fellows.
Oft forgets his fellows then ;
Masters —rulers — fiords remember
ThsA your meanest hinds are Men —
Men by labour, men by feeling.
Men by thought, and men b^ fame,
Claiming equal rights to sunshme,
In a man's ennobling name.
There are foam-embroidered oceans.
There are little reed-clad rills.
There are feeble inch-high saplings,
There are cedars on the hills ;
God who counts by souls, not stations.
Loves and prospers you and me ;
For to him all vain distinctions
Are as pebbles in the sea.
Toiling hands alone are builders
Of a nation's wealth or fame ;
Titled laziness is pensioned,
Fed and fattened on the same ;
By the sweat of others foreheads.
Living only to rejoice.
While the poor man's outraged freedom
Vainly lifteth up his voice.
Truth and justice are eternal.
Born with loveliness and Ught,
Secret wrongs shall never prosper
While there is a sunny right.
God, whose world-heard voice is singing
Boundless love to ^ou and me ;
Sinks oppression, with its titles,
As the pebbles of the sea.
APPENDIX.
In order that the readers may be enabled to judge for
themselves as to the nature of the grievances of the miners
forty years ago, and the manner in which they were met by
their employers, a copy of an appeal to the public which was
published in the early part of 1831, is here given verbatim.
"an appeal to the public from the pitmen.
"Delegates' Meeting, Newcastle, May 6th, 1831.
" We, the pitmen of the collieries on the rivers Tyne and
Wear, do certify to our friends and the public, that on
Thursday, the 5th inst., we convened a meeting on the
Black Fell, for the purpose of laying before the same the
terms offered us by the select number of viewers, when the
Marquis of Londonderry was present, who, with some
magistrates, backed by the military, and threatening to bring
more from Newcastle and Sunderland, more than once
threatened to read the Riot Act if we did not disperse. But,
by reason of our importunity that they would accede to our
reasonable demands, his lordship volunteered (as we hoped)
to be a mediator if we would disperse, and we accordingly
acceded to his request ; and he positively promised to
guarantee one point, and to meet the delegates at Newcastle
on the 5th. We met him accordingly, and he agreed to
that one point ; but to-day we met, expecting to come to a
happy conclusion, and three of the select number of viewers,
put the following questions to the deputation from the
delegate meeting : —
"Question 1. — Will you give up every other point and
286 APPENDIX.
go immediately to work upon the terms offered by the colli-
eries on the 19th of March^ subject to the various con-
cessions already made^ provided the 30s. offered by the
Marquis for 10 days, and subject to the fines, be given up?
"Answer. — We cannot agree to this in consequence of
the fines not being taken into consideration.
Question 2. — Will each colliery go to work as they
severally agree with their employers without reference to
other collieries ?
"Answer. — As soon as the eight points respecting the
bond are settled each colliery will then endeavour to agree
with their employers and go to work.
" The following are the eight points referred to in the
bond: —
" I. Respecting being turned out of our houses as soon
as our time of hiring is up ; we want this clause done away
out of the bond. — The owners offer to give us 14 days after
the expiration of the bond. Agreed to.
" II. Putters' Renks (the distance the putters go for
each corf). We ask for the first renk to be 60 yards at
Is. 4d. — The owners propose 80 yards at Is. 2d., and Id.
per score advance as soon as the distance exceeds 80 yards,
with conditional price for heavy putting. Agreed to.
"III. Working Hours (the time we are to be under-
ground). We want the time to commence as soon as the
lads begin to go down the pit, viz., to work 12 hours from
that time. — The owners offer that the pit draw coals 12
hours ; and again they want the lads to be half-an-hour down
the pit before the 12 hours commence. Agreed to.
" IV. Binding (the time the bonds are to be read). We
wish the binding to be at the usual time. Agreed to.
" V. — ^Adjusting of the Corves (to have the corves made
less when they get too large, or made larger when they get
too little). We are willing to send 20 pecks to bank, or
rather 87*249ths imperial gallons, but to have the privilege
of seeing that the corves are not to be larger than is neces-
sary to hold 87*249ths imperial gallons, provided that we do
not stop the work, and to be done within three days*
Agreed to.
" VI. Fines (for a small mixture of stones, rusty, or
small coals, sixpence, one shilling, and sometimes more for
APPENDIX. 287
one corf). We want only to be fined the price of the corf
for laid-out. — The owners will not agree to this.
*^VII. Working days with the rate of wages in the
minimum. We ask 11 days per fortnight for 25 fortnights
per year, subject to the provisions in the 7th article of the
bond, the wages to be 3s. per day or 33s. per fortnight, out
of which the fines are to be deducted. — The owners offer 10
days at 3s. per day, if we agree to the propositions offered
on the 19th of March.
" VIII. Respecting laying the pit idle. We want this
amendment made to the 7th article of the bond : — * That if
by any accident happening to the engine sufiicient to lay the
pit idle, or the pit be rendered unfit for working, and the
said parties,' &c. — The owners want, that if by * any acci-
dent happening to the engine or from any other cause, a pit
shall be rendered unfit for working, and the said parties,'
&c. We wish another obnoxious part to be entirely taken
out of the same article which says, * and in case they are
permitted by the said owners to find employment elsewhere,
and that such employment may be had.'
" These are the points upon which we have been con-
tending, and the progress which had been made towards their
adjustment, before the last meeting; from which it will be
seen, that upon five of the points in dispute, the pitmen had
agreed to the proposals of the owners. But because the
pitmen have not given up the remaining points, the owners
now want them to come to the terms offered on the 19th of
March, before any of the above points were adjusted. From
this plain statement, the public will be able to judge between
us, and see which party has made the most concessions."
We have spoken of the union of 1831, in the text of this
book, and that it may be seen that it was such a combination
as to justify that term, the balance sheet is here given. It
will be observed that no less than £32,580 18s. 4^d. was
subscribed by the 63 collieries — ^all then in existence — asso-
ciated, with the assistance of a few friends, whilst
£19,276 128. 4^d. was paid from this fund to men out of
employment, and £13,008 12s. 6^d. paid for sick and
death benefits.
288
APPENDIX.
AN ACCOtJNT OF THE RECEIPTS AND EXPENDITURE
OF THE COLLIERIES BELONGING TO THE PITMEN'S
UNION, COMMENCING MAY 27, 1831, TO AND WITH
JUNE 23, 1832.
Income.
Paid to Sick
and Death.
Paid to Men
out of
Employment.
-
£ 8. d.
£ 8. d.
£ 8. d.
Beaimish
204 13 ...
136 8 8 ...
68 4 4
Black Boy, Auckland 145 ...
60 5 ...
81 15
Derwent Crook...
188 14 lOi ...
79 7 Hi ..
100 2 5i
Fatfield
703 10 ...
288 14 2 ..
414 6 ^
Felling
229 17 ...
141 11 8i ..
83 5 8
Friar*B Goose .,.
161 7 ...
91 19 3i ..
63 11 10
Gare's Field
242 16 6 ...
64 4 6 ..
173 3 2
Gateshead Park...
119 2 ..
62 ...
46 4 6
Harraton
116 3 2 ...
77 12 7 ...
138 19 7
Haswell
75 11 . .
10 ..
65 11
Heworth
206 16 10 ...
114 0..
89 16 10
Hetton (South) ...
2,886 15 10 ...
2,060 14 10 ..
794 15 2
Hetton (North) ...
527 19 2 ...
296 5 11 ..
237 17 3
Hebbum
388 11 6 ...
146 6 6 ..
146 19 6
Jarrow ...
425 7 3 ...
380 ...
41 1 7i
Kibblesworth ...
45 5 9i ...
16 7 ..
26 14 6
King Pit
62 7 5 ...
36 15 ..
12 12 5
Lambton
2,262 8 4 ...
788 6 1..
. 1,464 4i
Monkwearmouth
66 2 10 ...
9 1 10 ..
57 1 1
Mount Moor
279 12 6 ...
1^9. 12 6 ..
157 12 1
Newbottle
1,304 6 3i ...
618 13 1 ..
707 19 1
OuRton
252 13 2 ...
Ill 13 8 ..
134 12 5
Pittington
1,117 7 24 ...
399 5 1 ..
696 15 9i
Rainton
2,533 7 7 ...
522 8 11 ..
. 1,964 11 11
ShineyRow
998 14 10 ...
164 2 10 ..
768 5 li
Sheriff Hal
175 13 3i ...
103 8 8..
63 7 6i
Slare Gate
194 3 6 ...
57 ..
105 4 5^
Shield Row
69 10 ...
57 18 11 ..
5
Shields (South)...
478 1 11 ...
248 13 ..
234 8 11
Springwell
287 3 ...
186 3 ..
100 11 O
TanfieldLee ...
110 15 1 ...
55 15 9J ..
50 8 10
Team
159 11 ...
68 3 6 ..
70 17 3
WaldridgeFell...
152 17 1 ...
15 12 ..
134 16 7
Carried forward £17,170 6 3i
£7,680 10 11
£9,309 13 11
APPENPIX.
289
Income.
Paid to Sick
and Death.
Paid to Men
out of
Employment.
£ 8.
d.
£ 8. d.
£ 8. d.
Carried forward
... 17,170 6
H...
7,680 10 11
• • •
9,309 13 11
Washingrton
... 296 5
3 ...
160 19 3i
• ••
128 15 7i
Backworth
.. 606 11
o^ •..
202 9 ^
• • •
402 14 5
Benwell ...
... 412 12
...
101 3 10
• • •
295 5 2
Blakelaw
183 14
5i ...
54 1
• ■ •
1.S0 8 7i
Oramlington
... 274 6
6 ...
166 19 8
• • •
102 8 6i
Cowpen ...
... 1,077 8
7J...
394 2 2
• • •
633 3 9
Earsdon ...
... 794 10 ...
319 6 7
• •«
461 13 1
Elswick ...
... 184
...
108 12 1
• ••
62 11
Fawdon ...
. . 394 4
9 ...
205 13 3
• • •
174 4 3
Olebe
... 165 19
...
75 12 5i
• « •
85 11 11
Gosforth ...
... 275 8
6 ...
198 14 4
• ••
76 14 2
Hartley ...
... 396
V ...
284 12 4
• ••
105 9 9
Heaton
... 777 7
0|J ...
162 2 1
• • •
591 7 UJ
Holywell
... 592 2
2 ...
138 11 11
• ••
428 16 8
Jesmond ...
... 199
9 ...
54 8
• ••
134 5i
Kenton
... 288 7
7 ...
207 8 7
• • •
40 19
Tjawrence (St.)
... 261 4
6 ...
52 12 3
• ••
206 14 3
Percy Main
... 1,111 17
6 ...
367 13 1
• ••
737 1 3
Seghill ...
... 781 6
1 ...
131 14
• •«
642 9 6
Shilbottle...
... 66 5
S
33 9 5
• • •
37 2 3
Shields (North)
... 377 4
o
167 18 7i
• • •
190 16 10
Walbottle
... 683 3 11 ...
292 14
• •«
489 9 11
Walker ... -
... 1,001 2
*f^ ...
268 17 8
• • •
726 14 6
Wallsend ...
... 955 6
o ...
208 6 11
• « «
679 3
West Moor
... 978 4
6 ...
241 7 6
• •«
736 19 1
Whitley ...
... 408 13
...
129 19 6
• ••
275 18
Wide Open
... 343 14
...
113 17 8
■ • •
165 15 5
Willington
... 1,108 14
lOi ...
265 4 6i
• ••
829 16 5
Wylam ...
... 312 11
9 ...
120 8
• • •
292 11 1
Wylam (South)
3 4
...
• « •
3 4
Donations f i*om
friends 98 19
o
• • •
98 19 8
Total ... 32,580 18 4i 13,008 12 6^ 19,276 12 4i
o
290 APPENDIX,
Below is given a verbatim copy of the bond which the
men in Northumberland and Durham were called upon year
by year to subscribe to, whether they liked it or not, thirty
years ago. Stringent as are many of the articles in the
bond, they are comparatively lenient to those which were
included in the "memorandum of agreement " in force before
the strike of 1831. Practical miners will be able to
estimate the wages which it was possible to earn under
such an agreement, and the number of hours which it would
be necessary to work in order to secure sufficient to enable
a man to keep himself and his family from starvation.
Small coal is to be separated from the round, and coarse
from the best coal, at the option of the viewer — ^never at
the option of the workman — ^and if out of 450 quarts of
coal, one of them was foul coal, splint or stone, the man not
only lost his earnings as far as that tub or corf was con-
cerned, but was fined l^d. with a penalty of 1^. for every
quart up to six, when the offence was so terrible that the
offender must either be fined 5s. or be deemed guilty of a
misdemeanour, and be liable to punishment before the
magistrates, who were for the most part coal owners. If a
man, who was to consider himself the servant of the owners
at all times whether they could find him work or not, chose
to remain at home for a day, or did not do a full day's work
when at work, he was liable to a fine of 2s. 6d.; and if by
any accident to the engines he was laid off work for a length
of time he was not to have any compensation till three days
had elapsed, and only then if he went to do other work
that was offered him; nor must he seek work elsewhere
imless with the permission of the OTV'uers. The bond how-
ever speaks for itself, and fully justifies the men in asserting
that they were enslaved, the first sentence of the twelfth
article which declares that "^ none of the said hereby hired
parties shall keep either galloway, ass, or dog," being as
nice a piece of petty tyranny as could be met with, and only
equalled by the terms under which farm labourers were
employed till very recently in the South of England.
" Memorandum of Agreement made the 18th day of
March, in the year of Our Lord, 1843, between Thomas
Davidson, Esq., of Durham, John Easton, Esq., of Pela^w,
APPENDIX. 291
J'ohn Henderson, Esq.^ of Durham^ William Anderson, Esq.,
of South Shields, George Bates, Esq., of Newcastle, and
Andrew Stoddart, Esq., of South Shields, owners of the
Bedlington Colliery, on the one part, and the several other
persons whose names or marks are hereunto suhscribed
of the other part. The said o^ers do hereby retain and
hire the said several other parties hereto from the 6th day
of April next ensuing, until the 5th day of April, which
will be in the year 1844, to hew, work, fill, drive, and put
coals, and do such other work as may be necessary for car-
rying on the said colliery as they shall be required or
•directed to do by the said owners, their executors, adminis-
trators or assigns, or their viewers, or agents, at the res-
pective rates and prices, and on the terms, conditions, and
stipulations, and subject to and under the penalties and for-
feitures hereunto specified and declared, that is to say: —
** First. — The said owners agree to pay the said parties
hereby hired once a fortnight upon the usual and accustomed
day, the wage by them to be earned at the following rates,
namely, to each hewer, for every score of coals wrought out
of the whole mine, each score to consist of 20 cor res or
tubs, and each corve or tub to be equivalent to bring to bank
25 imperial pecks or 7^ cwt; each peck to contain 4^ im-
perial gallons; the sum of 8s. 6d., and the sum of 6d, per
^core for separating the small from the round, and casting
it back. Wet working 4d. per score, ramble 4d, per score,
when it is met with above the stone and coarse coal. The
above prices to include casting back the stone and cannel
<;oal at the top of the seam. And in case it is required the
•coarse coal is to be separated from the best coal and sent to
bank so separated, or cast back, at the option of the viewer,
for the above price of 8s. 6d. per score. When the coarse
•coal is cast back the quantity to be calculated according to
its thickness by the viewer or overman. In case the coarse
coal be mixed with the best, or the best with the coarse,
they will be laid out. And for driving or working each
winning headway with two or more men the sum of 2s. per
yard, and when single the sum of Is. lOd. per yard, and for
iholing walls with two or more men the sum of Is. lOd. per
yard, and when single the sum of Is. 8d., per yard; and for
driving narrow boards with two or more men the sum of
292 APPENDIX.
• Is. 8d. per yard, and when single the sum of Is. 6d. per
yard; and for driving cross-cuts with two or more men
the sum of 2s. 2d. per yard, and wh#n single the sum of 2s.
per yard.
" Second. — ^Putting. And to each of the said parties
hereby hired Is. 4d. per ^core of like measure and weight
as herein specified, for putting a 25-peck corf or tub the first
80 yards, and aid. per score in addition thereto for every
20 yards they shall put or run, and in proportion for a larger
or smaller corf or tub. And when any of the hewers shall
be required to do shift work they shall be paid at the rate of
5s. lOd. per shift of 8 hours working. Each person for
whom the owners shall provide a dwelling house as part of
his wages, shall be provided with fire-coal, paying the
owners 3d. per week for leading the same; and each wagon
driver shall be paid Is. 2d. per day ; and when keeping
doors Is. per day.
'* Third. — The said owners, their executors, administra-
tors, or assigns, shall provide and keep at such pit a mea-
sure tub or weighing machine, and whenever any corves or
tubs shall be sent to bank suspected to be deficient in mea-
sure or weight, the coal therein shall be measured or weighed
*by the heap keeper, or other person appointed for that pur-
pose by the said owners, and if found deficient no payment
shall be made for hewing and filling the same; but the
hewer thereof shall net be subject to any forfeiture or pen-
alty on that account. The standard measure tub to contain
112^ imperial gallons, and the standard weight to be 7-J-cwt.
And in case any foul coal, splint, or stone shall be found in
any corf or tub to the amount of one quart the hewer there-
of shall forfeit to the said owners 1^; for 2 quarts 3d; for
3 quarts 4^ ; for 4 quarts 6d ; and for each quart over and above
4 quarts he shall forfeit 6d. per quart; but if the whole
quantity shall exceed 6 quarts he shall either forfeit and
pay 5s. or be deemed guilty of a misdemeanour, and shall be
subject to such penalties as may be infiicted by law, over
and above paying the above named penalties, at the option
of the said owners.
" Fourth. — ^All penalties and forfeitures hereby agreed
and required to be paid to the said owners, their executors,
administrators, or assigns, by the said other parties hereto,
■•
APPENDIX. 293
f
shall be demandable and paid on the first pay day after they
shall have been respectively incurred, and shall thereupon
be deducted from tl# first or next following earnings or
wages of the persons incurring the same imtil fully paid; and
if they shall not be demanded on juch first dayjmd deducted
as aforesaid, or if they shall be^ abandoned or remitted by
the said owners, their executors, administrators, or assigns,
or their principal agents, they shall not afterwards be re-
vived or enforced or required to be paid. And also that all
claims and demands of the said parties hereby hired upon
the said owners, or in respect of any matter or any-
thing relating to these presents, or their service under the
same shall arise, and that no such claim or demand shall be
brought against the said owners for or in respect of any cause,
matter, or thing, which shall have occurred prior to such
last preceding pay day.
" Fifth. — The said parties hereby hired shall during all
times that the pit shall be laid ofi* work continue the ser-
vants of the said owners, subject to their orders and direc-
tions, and liable to be employed by them at such work as
they shall see fit.
" Sixth. — That the said hewers hereby hired shall when
required (except when prevented by sickness or other suf-
ficient unavoidable cause) do and perform a full day's work
on each and every working day; or such quantity of work
as shall be fairly deemed equal to a day*s work (not exceed-
ing eight hours), and shall not leave their work until such
day's work or quantity of work is fully performed or finished
to the extent of each man's ability, and in default thereof
each of the said parties hereby hired so making default shall
for every such default forfeit or pay to the said owners,
their executors, administrators, and assigns, the sum of
2s. 6d.
" Seventh. — That if by reason of any accident happen-
ing to any of the engines or machinery placed in or upon
any of the pits of the said colliery, or by reason of any ac-
cident in the shaft, or by reason of the mine being in an
improper or unsafe state, and the said parties hereby hired
shall be laid idle for more than three successive days, 2s. 6d.
per day shall be thereafter paid to such of the said parties
as are hewers; Is. 6d. per day to such of them as are putters;
^ I
2d% APPENDIX.
■
and 6d, per day to such of them as are drivers; provided
that they respectively work at any otjier labour offered them
by the said owners, their executors, administrators, or as-
signs, and in case such work is not provided for them, theu
the hewers ^hall receive^^nly Is 6d. per day, the putters
9d. per day, and the drivers 4d. per day, and in the event
of any of the said parties being, with the permission of the
owners, fully employed in any other colliery, no payment
whatever shall be made to them during such employment.
"Eighth. — The headways shall be driven not exceeding
two yards, and the boards shall be turned not exceeding two
yards, (wl#i required) wide, and that the hewers shall stow
away or cast aside, such quantities of small or refuse coals
as the said owners, their executors, adminstrators, or assigns
or agents shall require; and shall do the business of
drivers, and shall set on corves or tubs, and shall do shift
work when requisite; and that the drivers shall duly drive
and lead away such a number of corves or tubs of coal as
shall be a reasonable and fair day's work, such day's work
to consist of not less then 12 hours, and to commence from
the drawing of the first coals, and that each hewer shall be
provided with a rake, shovel, maul, and wedges by the said
owners, their executors, administrators, or assigns, for which
he shall be accountable, and shall provide himself at his own
charge with picks, coal drills and hammer; and that the
hewers and drivers shall when required by the said owners,
their executors, administrators, or assigns, or agents, put
with trams or act as barrow-men at such rates and prices as
are herebefore mentioned, the said owners paying the
hewers 4d. per score as furtherance, and all the parties here-
by hired shall and will in performing their respective duties
obey, abide by, and fulfil all the lawfiil directions and orders
of the said owners, their executors, adminstrators, and as-
signs, or their agents at the said colliery.
" Ninth. — If the said parties to these presents, or either
party be desirous of adjusting the measiu-e tub, or weighing
machine used in the said colliery, and of such their desire
shall give to the other party a reasonable notice, such ad-
justment to take place in the presence of any two of the
parties hereby hired who shall be nominated by the rest for
that purpose, and that wherever such tub or machine shall
APPENDIX. i95
be found not to agree with the standard they shall ^e with *
all convenient speed made to agree therewith; but not so as
to interrupt or stop the working of the said colliery. That
the corves or tubs to be used at the said colliery shall be
of a competent size to bring such measure or weight to
bank.
" Tenth. — ^It shall be competent fo^the viewer of the
said colliery to prevent the use of gunpowder, either wholly \
or in part, at his discretion.
" Eleventh. — Each person to whom ^ dwelling-house
shall be provided as part payment of his wages, shall keep
in good repair the glass in the windows thereof, or pay the
said owners for the repairs of the same, it being| distinctly
understood that the dwelling-house provided for any of the
persons hereby hired or engaged are to form part of the
wages of such persons ; and on the expiration of such hiring
in case any of them shall quit or be legally discharged from
the employment hereby agreed upon, he or they shall at the
end of 14 days thereafter quit such dwelling-house or
dwelling-houses, and in case of neglect or refusal, such
owners shall be at liberty, and he or they, and their agents
and servants are hereby authorized and empowered to enter
into and upon such dwelling-houses, and remove and turn
out of possession such workman or workmen, and all his and
their families, furniture, and effects, without having re-
course to any legal proceedings.
" Twelfth. — ^None of the said hired parties shall keep,
either galloway, ass, or dog; and in the event of the said
hereby hired parties whose names or marks are hereunto
subscribed, wiliully or negligently disobeying the orders of
the said owners or their agents, or committing a breach of
any of the articles of this agreement, then and in every such
case the said owners are hereby authorized to stop and re-
tain out of the wages next becoming due to each and every
such person so offending, a sum not exceeding 2s. 6d. for
every such offence or to punish them for such misbe-
haviour by due course of law.
" Lastly. — It is hereby mutually agreed that in case any
dispute or difference shall arise between such of the said
hereby contracting parties as are above the age of 21 years,
respectvely, relative to any matter or things not hereby pro*
2Slb APPENDIX.
Tided ^r^ such dispute or difference shall be submitted to
two viewers of collieries, one to be appointed by the said
owners, their executors, administrators, or assigns, and the
other by the said hereby hired parties of the other part, and
in case of their disagreement, to a third person to be chosen
by such two viewers, and the judgment or decision of such
viewers or umpir^ as the case may happen, shall be con-
clusive between the parties on the matters referred to them,
provided always, and it is hereby* declared, that as to such
of the parties Jjpreto as are under the age of 21 years res-
pectively, these presents shall only operate as a simple con-
tract of hiring and service, and especially that such parties
shall be s^ltject to any of the penalties or forfeitures hereby
imposed; but that nothing herein contained shall extend or
be construed to extend or alter, prejudice, lessen, or other-
wise affect the legal remedies and powers which by law be-
long to masters and servants in their respective relations to
each other, or to magistrates having jurisdiction in case of
dispute or difference between them.
'^ As witness the hands of the parties, this day and year
above mentioned."
The following briefbiographical sketches of gentlemen, who
have long manifested a lively interest in the welfare of
the working miner, and who are referred to in the fore-
going pages, are given here for the purpose of not inter-
fering with the continuity of the work itself, and it is
believed they will prove of interest to the majority of
readers.
MR. HUGH TAYLOR.
(See Portrait, page 191)
The name of no coal owner is more widely, or more
favourably known in these two counties than that of Mr.
Hugh Taylor, the genial owner of Chipchase Castle. Mr.
Taylor is the son of the late John Taylor, of Shilbottle, in
Northumberland, and was bom in 1817. He was named
after his uncle, the late Mr. Hugh Taylor, of Earsdon, who
was well known as the commissioner of the Duke of North-
ximberland. Part of his education was received at the Royal
%
APPENDIX. 297
Jubilee School, New Eoad, Newcastle, and nothing seems to
give him greater pleasure than to attend at the annual
examination of the Jubilee boys, and give them a word of
encouragement and advice. Being of a generous and adven-
turous disposition, he chose the sea as his profession, his
first voyage being from North Shields, in the Royal Stand-
^ard. He very soon discovered that the life of a mariner was
rather too hard, and not very profitable, tind accordingly
while yet young, he left going to sea, and became a partner
in a house of coal factors, in London; and, subsequently, in
several very extensive collieries in the North of England,
including Haswell, Ryhope, Backworth, Holywell, East and
West Cramlington, as well as in many mines ^ in South
Wales. In 1842, Mr. Taylor married Mary, the daughter
of the late Mr. Thomas Taylor, of Cramlington Hall. In
1852, he successfully contested the borough of Tynemouth
against Mr. R. W. Grey, the then sitting member, who was
a talented young Whig; but treating had been very exten-
sively carried on by his supporters, andt in the following
year he was unseated on a petition, for bribery. Mr. W. S.
Lindsay, the well-known shipowner, was then returned in
his stead ; but at the next election in 1859, he returned to
the charge, and succeeded in ousting Mr. Lindsay, who was
elected for Sunderland soon afterwards. Though returned
as a Tory, Mr. Taylor had not been in the House of Com-
mons very long before he surprised his Conservative friends
in North Shields by the liberality of his views, and by his
repeated appearance in the Liberal lobby, against the Tories
on critical and party questions. On the death of his brother,
Mr. Thomas John Taylor, in 1861, Mr. Hugh Taylor deemed
it prudent to devote more time to his own business, and he
accordingly retired from Parliament. Since then he has
confined his attention almost exclusively to his own business,
which has very largely extended, and now includes the pro-
prietorship of a very considerable tonnage of steam shipping.
Mr. Taylor is chairman of the Coal Trade Association ;
president of the Newcastle and Gateshead Chamber of Com-
merce; and a Justice of the Peace for the Counties of
Northumberland and Middlesex. As .an employer, Mr.
Taylor is at once the best known, and the best beloved of all
the coalowners of the north. While looking after his own
f
208 APPENDIX.
interests in every legitimate manner^ lie yet recognises to the
fullest extent the interests of the miner s^ and in place of re-
garding them as mere tools^ as many yet are disposed to
regard them^ he looks upon them as fellow-men rendering
him an obligation by their labour equally as he renders them
an obligation by finding them employment. In all disputes
arising between him and his meu^ he has ever shown a gene-
rous and conciKatory spirit, and no man who has had any
dealings with him — ^be his social position what it may — ever
had cause to complain of any discourtesy on the part of Mr.
Hugh Taylor. •
' MR. JAMES MATHER.
(See Portrait, pa^fe 160.)
The subject of the accompanying engraving was born in
Newcastle, and studied Medicine and Philosophy in the
University of Edinburgh, and first came before the public
as the inventor of the first life-boat ever used in the mer-
chant service. The boat was placed on board of the Mary,
belonging to Mr. Mather's father, and was the means of
saving the whole crew when the ship was wrecked in the
Baltic, and secured a vote of thanks to the inventor through
the Danish Ambassador from the Danish Admiralty, who
adopted it for the navy of the country. He early took a
prominent part in political matters, and for his endeavours
to secure the return of Captain Gowan, for South Shields,
in 1832, he was presented with a handsome silver cup.
When the cholera broke out in 1832, Mr. Mather was ap-
pointed by the Grovernment a member of the Board of
Health, and obtained much notoriety by his observation of
some facts of electricity in spasmodic cholera ; and in 1834
he appeared as the author of a work which was spoken of by
the Times as "an excellent text book for the politician,"
entitled " The Constitutions of Great Britain, France, and
the United States of America." He visited the United
States in 1838, and on his return to this country he gave two
important and instructive lectures on the United States
bystem of government. We have already recorded, how
in 1839 he descended the pit of St. Hilda to the rescue of
APPENDIX. 299
the men below, and his suecessfol advocacy of a committee to
inquire into the causes of accidents in mines. The
report of that committee, of which he was the secretary and
the moving power, obtained an European reputation, and was
in 1853 ordered to be reprinted by the parliament, it
having got out of print. In 1842 he was mainly instru-
mental in securing the return to parliament for South
Shields of Mr. Wawn, a Radical; was chairman of the first
corn law repeal meeting at South Shields when Mr. John
Bright addressed the inhabitants, and afterwards frequently
acted as chairman of the Anti-Corn Law Association. For
the active part he took in the miners' interest, which is more
or less fully detailed in the text of this work, he was pre-
sented with a handsome silver c up by the miners of the
north, in the Lecture Hall, Newcastle, the inscription on
the cup setting forth that it was presented ^'as a token of
gratitude for his talented and praiseworthy exertions in pro-
moting measures to diminish the danger arising from bad ven-^
tilation and other causes in the mines of the kingdom." On
several occasions he has saved life at sea, and on one occasion
received the ** grateful and sincere thanks " of the Royal
Humane Society upon illuminated vellum, " for his courage
and humanity." He was endowed with a mind of restless
and untiring energy, an ardent and generous temperament,
and few men amongst us have rendered so many public ser-
vices, or done more to advance the interests of the neigh-
bourhood.
MR. JOSEPH COWEN.
(See Portrait, page 269.)
Mr. Joseph Cowen, whose name is a household word in
Northumberland and Durham, is the eldest son of Sir
Joseph Cowen, one of the Liberal representatives of the
Borough of Newcastle in the House of Commons ; and was
born at Blaydon Bum, where his father had lived for many
years, and carried on a very successful business as a fire-
brick maker. While yet a very young man, he associated
himself with all the more prominent leaders of public opinion)
300 APPENDIX-
in this district^ and by his genius^ intelligence^ and intrepid-
ity, soon became recognised as the leader of the leaders.
Ever in favour of reform of all abuses and obsolete usages,
he spared neither time nor labour in advocating these
changes; and visited most of the colliery villager in the
neighbourhood in agitating in favour of reforms. Here he
stirred the miners into action by his homely and effective
eloquence, and succeeded in leading them into serious reflec-
tion on political matters. He was mainly instrumental in
calling into existence the Northern Reform League, an asso-
ciation of earnest reformers, which did considerable work
some fifteen years ago, and which instituted a prosecution
for bribery at Berwick in the year 1859. Mr. R. B. Reed
was the secretary of this union, and played a very active
part in this prosecution; and many miners who now lead the
van of political thought in their own villages, first derived
their inspiration from Messrs. Cowen and Reed. In the
year 1859, Mr. Cowen purchased the Newcastle Daily
Chronicle and the Newcastle Weekly Chronicle from Mr
Mark William Lambert, for the purpose of using the columns
of those journals in the advocacy of reforms, and with wha1
success he has done this is known to all. As soon as tin
Chronicle passed into the hands of Mr. Cowen, its columns
were opened for the publication of the grievances of the work
ing classes, and especially those of miners. By degrees tliei;
meetings came to be reported, and a lively public interest ii
their welfare was thus created. In the year 1859, Mr
Cowen was elected a member of the Newcastle Towi
Council for Westgate Ward, in the place of Mr. Dunn. Ii
1865, he was mainly instrumental in securing the return c
his father as the representative of Newcastle in the House c
Oommons, beating on that occasion Mr. Somerset A. Beau
mont, who, fi\Q years previously had been elected, on th
retirement of Mr. George Ridley from the representatior
When his father came before the constituents again at th
:general election in 1868, he was opposed by Mr. Charle
Frederic Hammond, a political charlatan, who sought th
suffrages of the electors as a Conservative ; but the unite
influence of Mr, Joseph Cowen and his popular journj
proved too much for Mr. Hammond, and he was left in
minority of nearly 5,000 of the man he had conae forward t
APPENDIX. 301
? oust. Previous to this last contest, when the Tory govern-
is ment were muddling the *^ Representation of the People
f Bill," a large demonstration in favour of reform was pro-
w moted principally by Mr. Cowen, and many thousands of the
B miners of the two counties took part in it. During the agi-
!' tation, antecedent and subsequent to the passing of the
^ Education Act, Mr. Cowen united himself with several other
^ gentlemen in Newcastle, as an Education League, in con-
'* nection with the' National League, and was appointed as its
» chairman. This league initiated several very important
i meetings in Newcastle and district, and no doubt assisted
i much towards getting the Education Act passed. Li 1871,
* he was elected a member of the Newcastle School Board,'
" then newly formed, and in company with Mr. R. S. Watson,
* and Dr. Rutherford, fought with great vigour against the
^ sectarian tendencies of the majority. His connection with
* the co-operative movement in the north is known to all, and
' his ardent sympathies with the welfare of the miners is also
* a matter of notoriety. He hg^s held the office of presitient
^ of the Northern Union Mechanics' Institutes, and is at
^ present a vice-president of that useful institution. He has
* ever advocated the establishment of Mechanics' Institutes,
' Reading Rooms, and Free Schools in all small towns and
villages, and Free Libraries in all large towns. From Mr.
; Joseph Cowen came first the suggestion which ultimately
resulted in the establishment of the Newcastle Physical
Science, for though Dean Lake was as active as any man
could be in its promotion, it was probable that but for
-Mr. Cowen, no such institution would at present be in
existence. In 1872, he had the extreme satisfaction of
seeing a well-deserved compliment paid to his father, who
-was knighted in that year by the Queen, not for tuft-hunting,
as too many get such honours bestowed upon them, but as a
recognition of a long life spent in the service of his country,
and in the assertion of manly independence, Mr. Cowen is
ever ready with his eloquence or pen to advocate any cause
that has light and justice upon its side, and there is scarce
a public meeting held in Newcastle, or neighbourhood, in
favour of any reform, in which he does not take part, either
as president or speaker.
302 APPENDIX. # <
GEORGE BAKER FORSTEB.
(See Portrait, page 190.)
Mr. George Baker Forster is the son of Mr. Thomi
Emmerson Forster^ a collierj engineer^ well known in th
North of England. Mr. Forster was educated at Cambridg
University, where he graduated M.A.9 and was destined fo
the profession of a Clergyman in the C]}urch of England
but he was never ordained; and preferring his father'
calling he threw awaj all chances of promotion that migh
haye been open to him in the church, and got an engage
ment ad a mining engineer. He first came prominently be
fore the public in connection with the Hartley aeeident
and the part he took in endeavouring to clear the shaft, no
only proved him to be a man of great skill and ability bu'
one possessing a generous sympathy with his fellow ifien
Since then he has often taken part in public matters con
nected with collieries, and has won a confidence ndt only o:
the majority of the coal owners in the district, bdt also ii
the entire body of men. He is also a partner in severai
collieries, including Cambois and Cowpen, and he waf
mainly instrumental in building a place of meeting for th(
men at the first named colliery a year or two ago. 3fr
Forster was elected as one of the examiners into the qualifi'
cations of candidates for viewerships, under the new Coal
Mines Rigulation Act, and has besides been appointed b)
the shareholders of the Co-operative Coal Mining Company
of Newcastle as their engineer.
Bltth : John Bobinspn, Jim., Printer and Pal)li8her.
■ / »
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