Tudhoe & Spennymoor Local History Society
Soiree at Ferryhill - On Thursday 3rd January a grand soiree was held in the Public School, Ferryhill to celebrate the opening of Ferryhill and Little Chilton Circulating Library & Literary Institute. Over 250 people attended for tea. The room was decorated with evergreens and artificial roses, hung in festoons all round the walls. Six large mistletoes hung from the ceiling, underneath each a beautiful camphine lamp reflecting splendour on the whole. The most prominent feature was (over the fireplace) a large crown of hollies, studded with roses:- underneath, in large characters, the letters “VR”, tastefully worked with hollies.
At 4pm catering was conducted by ladies of the village and surrounding neigbourhood in a very professional manner, ladies were from the Alderson, Aubrey, Johnson, Lawson, Mawe, Robson, Rudd, Thompson, Walker and White families. A number of pitmen from the colliery were present, whose appearance and conduct entitled them to much respect.
At 6pm after the tea tables were removed a platform was erected and seating for over 400 people. Rev. D. Bruce chaired the several speeches which dwelled upon the necessity for similar institutions in every large community. Mr Barras, of Little Chilton Colliery, who principally set up the Institute read a report to show subscriptions of £45 had been raised to continue with the work. Some of the contributors were Lord Bishop of the Diocese, Lord Henry Vane MP , Mr Farrer MP, Sir William Eden and Mrs Surtees from Mainsforth. Sedgefield Church choir attended.(12th Jan 1850 Gateshead Observer, 18th Jan 1850 Durham County Advertiser, 25th Jan 1850 Durham Chronicle)
In The History and Antiquities of the County Palatinate of Durham, etc.. Vol.I, p. 443., 1857 by W. Fordyce, it says:-
"The Ferryhill and Little Chilton Colliery Mechanics' Institute" was established at the latter place in 1850. The number of members soon amounted to 70; but there are at present only 30. There are from 700 to 800 well-assorted volumes in the library, which have been accumulated at a cost of upwards of £100. Each member pays a subscription of one penny a week, and ladies are admitted at one shilling per quarter. Private subscriptions are given by the owners of the colliery, William Bacon, Esq., of Chilton Hall, and the Rev. David Bruce, of Ferryhill. A soiree, in aid of the funds, was held at Christmas, 1852, in the National School Room; in which, as well as in the library room at Little Chilton, lectures are occasionally delivered.
The existing Dean Bank & Ferryhill Literary Institute was built as part of the Dean Bank development in 1908, it was refurbished in 2001 after five years of fund raising.
Mysterious Accident - An inquest was held at the Wheat Sheaf Inn, New Spennymoor, on Monday last, before William Trotter Esq, coroner, to investigate the cause of death of Ralph Haydon, a pitman, working at Whitworth Colliery. The principal evidence was that of George Adamson, who deposed as follows:-“I am an onsetter at the bottom of the shaft of the Whitworth colliery. Yesterday, about 6 o’clock in the evening, I was setting the workmen up the shaft, the colliery having done work for that day. The deceased was in the cage, with six or eight other men, and I was just going to pull the rapper for the engineman to draw the cage up when a metal chair came down the shaft, and struck the deceased upon the left side of the head. The other men got out of the cage, and deceased fell down. I took hold of him, but he appeared quite dead. He never spoke or moved. I put him into a tub, and sent him to bank. I don’t know where the chair came from. I did not hear it until it hit the deceased.
It touched nothing as it came down. It was a railway chair, and might be about 8lbs weight.There was a larger chair in the sump at the bottom of the shaft, but it was there this morning. I don’t think it could have stuck to the ascending cage.”
Thomas Dobby, a banksman, and others, were also examined as to how the metal chair had fallen down, but nothing satisfactory could be elicited; none of the witnesses being able to account for it. The evidence being thus incomplete, the coroner considered it his duty to adjourn the proceedings, as the unfortunate occurrence appeared so far veiled in mystery. The court was therefore adjourned to Saturday, at three o’clock in the afternoon.
The Colliery Accident at New Spennymoor - The adjourned inquest on the body of Ralph Hayson was held on 19th inst. Before Wm Trotter, Esq, according to appointment. No further evidence, however, was produced to show from whence the metal had come which fell on the head of deceased. Mr Patrick, the resident viewer, deposed that he had used every means to bring it to light, but without success, but he did not think it had been done wilfully or maliciously.
Verdict – “That the deceased died from a mortal wound on the head, caused by the falling of a metal chair, while ascending the shaft; but how it had fallen, there was no evidence to show.” (19th/26th Jan 1850 Newcastle Guardian and Tyne Mercury, 25th Jan 1850 Durham Chronicle)