Mining history in Stanhope, Durham, England

Our Milburn ancestors were miners, in England, in New Brunswick and in Iowa.  So, knowing a little bit about the history of mining during their lifetime should give us some insight into their lives.

"The Milburn Connection" wrote about this:

The Milburn Connection Vol 1 1983 84 no. 3  page 9

"In 1816 there was an extensive miners strike.  At this time a miners committee was set up at St. John's Chapel to assist miners to leave the country.  Newspaper articles about land grants in Canada looked mighty good to these out of work miners and many of them left at this time for the mining parts of Canada.  Perhaps this was the impetus Jeremiah needed to emigrate to New Brunswick with his wife Sarah and their living children, Arletta, John, Betsey, and Joseph.  Their son Robert had died at the age of two, whatever the reason, be it monetary or adventure, Jeremiah and Sarah did leave their parental families after the birth of Joseph and arrived in Canada in 1817."


A website titled "Durham in Time"  has a tremendous amount of resources for the historian.  One of their resources is a pdf of the history of mining and Stanhope parish.  Our ancestors  no doubt encountered the hazards mentioned in this snippet from the pdf:

"Due to the erratic pattern of employment in lead‐mining, and also the hazardous nature of
working in the industry, both of which could lead to a miner’s wife and children becoming
dependent on poor relief, provision for the poor was a particular concern in Stanhope
parish. A survey of 1797 gave the population as stable at 3,600, but only about 80 members
belonged to the two Friendly Societies. The Poor House had been built about 1782, and the
operation of the Poor Law system had been ‘farmed’ out to contractors, with a result which
was not totally satisfactory as demand was increasing, costs were rising, and quality of
provision declining. The contractor was therefore providing a poorer diet than the ‘bill of
fare’ which he was supposed to provide. The influence exerted by the Quakers on the
Stanhope area meant that a fairly strict line was taken with those who were fit but work‐shy.
In 1797 there were said to be 22 poor people actually in the Poor House, with another 100
families receiving weekly out‐relief. Most of the population were said to be Church of
England, but there was one congregation of Methodists and another of Presbyterians (4)."

The "Durham in Time" website is no longer being maintained, and there is no contact from which to gain permission to publish additional information.  It is worth browsing before it is totally unsupported.


The website  for the Durham Mining Museum.  One of the nice features of this site is a name index of people mentioned on their site with the date associated to the name.  It would be wonderful to tie these people to our family tree.  There were so many Milburns in Stanhope!  Their page states they are continually updating and adding to their site, so visit the original page for additional info.

Name	Date	Age	Information
Milbourn, Edward	1804-05		Pitmens' Bond
Milbourn, George	30 Jul 1913		Managers Certificate
Milburn, -	03 Jul 1873		Newspaper article
	11 Feb 1875		Newspaper article
	23 Mar 1876		Newspaper article
	12 Jul 1883		Newspaper article
	25 Sep 1884		Newspaper article
	19 Apr 1888		Official accident report (role: Solicitor)
	31 May 1888		Newspaper article
	10 Sep 1903		Newspaper article
Milburn, A. W.	1923		Director of Ashington Coal Co. Ltd.
	04 Oct 1932		Newspaper article
	1933		Director of Ashington Coal Co. Ltd.
	16 Nov 1934		Newspaper article
	04 Dec 1936		Newspaper article
	1937		Director of Ashington Coal Co. Ltd.
	1940		Director of Ashington Coal Co. Ltd.
	1940		Director of Owners of South Medomsley Colliery Ltd.
	1947		Director of Ashington Coal Co. Ltd.
	1947		Director of Owners of South Medomsley Colliery Ltd.
			Who's Who entry
Milburn, A.	14 Mar 1895		Newspaper article
	22 Nov 1900		Newspaper article
Milburn, Agnes ("Chilly")	06 Apr 1996	76	Tombstone - death recorded
Milburn, Ann	22 Mar 1901	23	Tombstone - death recorded
Milburn, C. T.	1923		Director of Owners of South Medomsley Colliery Ltd.
Milburn, Charles	27 Jul 1933		Newspaper article
	07 May 1952	17	Fatality at Heworth
Milburn, Cowing	1842		Children's Employment Commission
Milburn, Dorothy	03 Apr 1881	7	Census extract
Milburn, E. S.	1954		NCB Staff: Divisional Marketing Officer (Coal)
	1955		NCB Staff: Divisional Marketing Officer (Coal)
	1956		NCB Staff: Divisional Marketing Officer (Coal)
	1957		Guide to the Coalfields
	1957		NCB Staff: Divisional Marketing Officer (Coal)
	1958		Guide to the Coalfields
	1965		Guide to the Coalfields
	1972		Guide to the Coalfields
	1972		Guide to the Coalfields
Milburn, E.	1921		Under Manager at Dudley
Milburn, Edward	1806-07		Pitmens' Bond
	03 Apr 1881	13	Census extract
Milburn, Edwin Walter	26 Aug 1904		Managers Certificate
	19 Dec 1912		Managers Certificate
	1919-1920		Membership of I.M.E.
	1921		Manager at Woodhorn
	1935-1936		Membership of I.M.E.
			Who's Who entry
Milburn, Ernest	16 Nov 1912		Managers Certificate
Milburn, F. A.	10 Jun 1938		Newspaper article
Milburn, F. S.	1954		Guide to the Coalfields
Milburn, Fenwick	03 Apr 1881	11	Census extract
Milburn, Frank			Order of Industrial Heroism
Milburn, Fred	1923		Director of Ashington Coal Co. Ltd.
	1933		Director of Ashington Coal Co. Ltd.
	1937		Director of Ashington Coal Co. Ltd.
	1940		Director of Ashington Coal Co. Ltd.
Milburn, Frederick Nathan	29 May 1930		Managers Certificate
	23 Aug 1930		Newspaper article
Milburn, Frederick			Who's Who entry
Milburn, G. R.	08 Jul 1914	20	Employed at Derwent Colliery
	08 Jul 1914	20	Employed at Derwent Colliery
Milburn, G.	18 Aug 1904		Newspaper article
Milburn, George ('Mick')	20 May 1963	42	Personal Page
	20 May 1963	42	Fatality at Bowburn
Milburn, George ("Mick")	20 May 1963	42	Tombstone - death recorded
Milburn, George William	22 Nov 1928		Managers Certificate
	09 Feb 1929		Newspaper article
Milburn, George	19 Apr 1851		Newspaper article
	17 Jun 1875		Newspaper article
Milburn, Hannah I.	03 Apr 1881	6	Census extract
	16 Jun 1883	9	Personal Page
Milburn, Harriet J.	03 Apr 1881	5	Census extract
Milburn, Henry	24 Jul 1894	59	Personal Page
	24 Jul 1894	59	Fatality at Murton
	30 Mar 1928	29	Personal Page
	30 Mar 1928	29	Tombstone - death recorded
	30 Mar 1928	29	Fatality at Shankhouse
Milburn, Herbert	21 Jan 1938	77	Newspaper article
Milburn, J. C.	05 Sep 1947		Newspaper article
Milburn, J. H.	02 Dec 1934	64	Fatality at Greenside
Milburn, J. M.	21 Aug 1867	11	Fatality at Newton Cap
Milburn, J. W.	1918		Wearmouth Colliery - WW1 Roll of Honour
Milburn, J.	17 Nov 1904		Newspaper article
	31 Mar 1917		D.M.A. Election
Milburn, Jacob	03 Apr 1881	34	Census extract
Milburn, James	09 Jul 1840	8	Personal Page
	09 Jul 1840	8	Fatality at Cramlington
	Dec 1938		Ashington Welfare Sports Club Member
Milburn, John Etherington	1902		Under Manager at Shildon
			Who's Who entry
Milburn, John M.	20 Feb 1957		Personal Page
	20 Feb 1957		Fatality at Bearpark
Milburn, John			Accident at South Moor No. 1
	28 Jan 1836	23	Personal Page
	28 Jan 1836	23	Fatality at Hetton, Downs Pit (Eppleton)
	03 Oct 1868		Lead Mining Bargain
	06 Jul 1869		Lead Mining Bargain
	05 Oct 1869		Lead Mining Bargain
	03 Apr 1881	13	Census extract
	03 Apr 1881	16	Census extract
	26 Apr 1888		Newspaper article
	03 May 1888		Newspaper article
	24 May 1888		Newspaper article
	28 Jul 1910		Newspaper article
	05 May 1919	23	Accident at New Brancepeth
	1938		DMA, Seaham Lodge Member
	26 Jun 1941	38	Accident at Florence (Iron Ore)
	22 Jun 1944	41	Accident at Florence (Iron Ore)
	01 Nov 1945	42	Accident at Florence (Iron Ore)
	15 Aug 1947	40	Personal Page
	15 Aug 1947	40	Fatality at Whitehaven, William Pit
	15 Aug 1947	40	Official accident report (role: Fatality)
Milburn, Joseph C.	03 Apr 1881	2	Census extract
Milburn, Joseph	10 Sep 1834	22	Personal Page
	10 Sep 1834	22	Fatality at Weary Hall
	16 Sep 1834	22	Newspaper article
	09 Dec 1873		Newspaper article
	03 Apr 1881	6	Census extract
	28 Jul 1910		Newspaper article
	28 May 1914	34	Accident at Malton
	08 Jul 1914	47	Employed at Derwent Colliery
	Aug 1914		D.M.A. Circular (Compensation Claim)
	16 Feb 1917	41	Accident at Ludworth
	1920		Fatality at Springwell
Milburn, L., Bart.	1947		Director of Owners of South Medomsley Colliery Ltd.
Milburn, L., Sir, Bart.	1940		Director of Owners of South Medomsley Colliery Ltd.
Milburn, Leonard J.	28 Nov 1931		Newspaper article
	06 Jun 1952		Newspaper article
			Who's Who entry
Milburn, Leonard J., Sir, Bart.	1923		Director of Ashington Coal Co. Ltd.
	1933		Director of Ashington Coal Co. Ltd.
	1937		Director of Ashington Coal Co. Ltd.
	1940		Director of Ashington Coal Co. Ltd.
	1947		Director of Ashington Coal Co. Ltd.
Milburn, M.	09 Jan 1942		Newspaper article
Milburn, Mary Ann			Tombstone - name mentioned
Milburn, Mary H.	03 Apr 1881	34	Census extract
Milburn, Matthew	17 Apr 1882	44	Personal Page
	17 Apr 1882	44	Fatality at Axwell Park
Milburn, Miles	08 Oct 1881		Newspaper article
Milburn, Nathan			Tombstone - name mentioned
	31 May 1897	13	Personal Page
	31 May 1897	13	Tombstone - death recorded
	31 May 1897	13	Fatality at Burnhope
Milburn, R. G.	23 Aug 1930		Newspaper article
Milburn, R.	1918		St. Hilda Lodge (DMA) WW1 Roll of Honour
Milburn, Richard	1888		Manager at Inkerman Drift
	1890		Manager at Inkerman Drift
	19 Aug 1956	49	Personal Page
	19 Aug 1956	49	Tombstone - death recorded
Milburn, Robert W	01 Dec 1946	54	Fatality at Burradon
Milburn, Robert William	29 May 1951	26	Personal Page
	29 May 1951	26	Fatality at Easington
	29 May 1951	26	Official accident report (role: Fatality)
	30 May 1951		Newspaper article
Milburn, Robert	04 Jan 1864	31	Fatality at South Hetton
	Feb 1864		Personal Page
	Feb 1864		Fatality at Robin Hood
	18 Feb 1864		Newspaper article
	25 Feb 1864		Newspaper article
	25 Feb 1864		Newspaper article
	03 Apr 1881	9	Census extract
	1894		Published Directory
	11 Oct 1898		Managers Certificate
	30 Sep 1912		Record Office Resource
Milburn, Ruby			Tombstone - name mentioned
Milburn, Sarah	30 Mar 1851	22	Who's Who Census entry
Milburn, Stanley	28 Aug 1930		Tombstone - name mentioned
	28 Sep 1930		Personal Page
	28 Sep 1930		Fatality at Lambton Drops
Milburn, T. D.	1874		Record Office Resource
Milburn, T.	24 May 1888		Newspaper article
	14 Jun 1888		Newspaper article
	10 Mar 1892		Newspaper article
	13 Oct 1899		Newspaper article
	09 Jan 1908		Newspaper article
Milburn, Thomas	23 Mar 1860	24	Personal Page
	23 Mar 1860	24	Fatality at Cramlington
	06 Jul 1869		Lead Mining Bargain
	05 Oct 1869		Lead Mining Bargain
	03 Apr 1881	65	Census extract
	1906	37	Accident at Westwood
	05 Dec 1907		Newspaper article
	05 Sep 1918		Newspaper article
	18 Jan 1945	87	Newspaper article
	1984		Fatality at Dawdon
Milburn, Tom	30 May 1889		Newspaper article
	13 Dec 1902		Newspaper article
Milburn, W. H.	14 Dec 1912		Managers Certificate
	1965		Guide to the Coalfields
Milburn, W. J.	08 Jul 1914	22	Employed at Derwent Colliery
Milburn, W.	18 Aug 1904		Newspaper article
	06 Aug 1914		Newspaper article
Milburn, William Hudson	23 May 1929		Managers Certificate
	10 Aug 1929		Newspaper article
Milburn, William James	06 Mar 1899		Managers Certificate
Milburn, William W.	10 Apr 1943		Record Office Resource
Milburn, William			Tombstone - name mentioned
	26 Apr 1888		Newspaper article
	03 May 1888		Newspaper article
	25 Jun 1888		Managers Certificate
	1894		Published Directory
	1896-1897		Membership of I.M.E.
	13 Nov 1903		Newspaper article
	1919-1920		Membership of I.M.E.
	08 Jan 1932		Newspaper article
	05 Oct 1934		Newspaper article
	1935-1936		Membership of I.M.E.
Milburne, Barbara, Mrs.	20 May 1622		Newcastle Hostmen
Milburne, John Etherington	16 Sep 1902		Managers Certificate
Milburne, John	1856-57		Pitmens' Bond
	1857-58		Pitmens' Bond
Millburn, Edward			Accident at Chilton
	13 Mar 1922	24	Accident at Monkwearmouth
Millburn, John.	21 Jan 1888		Managers Certificate
Millburn, Joseph	27 Jul 1921	54	Accident at Derwent
Millburn, Miles	18 Oct 1890	55	Personal Page
	18 Oct 1890	55	Fatality at Harrington
Millburn, Nicholas	1859-60		Pitmens' Bond
Millburn, William	28 Jul 1910		Newspaper article