A HISTORY OF DURHAM 



after ; in case of a fatal accident the widow receives 

 j^5 and 55. per week plus is. for each child ; any 

 claimant, though an unmarried member, receives 

 j/^23 ; men over sixty, permanently unable to 

 follow their occupation, receive 55. per week. 



Furthermore the Durham Miners' Association 

 brought forward in 1897 a scheme for providing 

 homes for aged miners, the funds for which are 

 obtained by non-compulsory levies. In 1899 a 

 long lease of three plots of land of 3 acres each 

 was obtained at a low rental from the Ecclesias- 

 tical Commissioners, and the scheme has been 

 taken up so enthusiastically that no less than 277 

 such homes have been provided, whilst others are 

 being built. 



Another association that has done much to 

 improve the material well-being of the miners 

 and to induce habits of economy and generally to 

 contribute to raise their status is the Co-operative 

 Wholesale Society, Ltd. This society was started 

 in a small way in Manchester in 1863, having 

 no shareholders except the members who deal 

 at the stores, branch stores existing in most 

 colliery villages. The work of this co-operative 

 society extends to most of the requirements of 

 the miner, and the branches are managed by 

 committees of the men, the institution being in 

 a most flourishing condition. 



The latter half of the nineteenth century was 

 marked by legislation specially intended to pro- 

 vide for the greater safety of the coal miner, in- 

 cluding the Acts of 1842, 1850 (Coal Mines 

 Inspection Act), 1855, i860, 1862, 1872, and 

 1887, which latter is still the principal Act regu- 

 lating coal-mines, and various minor additions 

 down to 1896. Regular mineral statistics were 

 kept soon after the year 1854, both as to the output 

 and number of accidents, so that from that time 

 onwards the development of the mineral industry 

 can be readily traced. An important event in the 

 northern coalfield was the foundation of the North 

 of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical 

 Engineers in 1852, which contributed greatly to 

 the dissemination of accurate scientific know- 

 ledge on all matters connected with coal mining. 



The following table shows the development of 

 the coal trade in the county of Durham in the 

 latter half of the nineteenth century and its 

 present position : — 



Year Tons produced Persons employed 



1854 15,420,615 (including Northumb.) 28,265 



1864 23,284,367 „ „ 33>US 



1874 30,543,800 (Durham only) 62,528 



1884 28,552,303 „ 98,496 



1894 32,556,924 „ 102,607 



1904 36,154,273 „ 129,212 



i9°5 37.397.176 ,, 128,537 



LEAD 



Lead-mining was actively earned on within 

 the district between the Tyne and Tees long 

 before the commercial exploitation of the coal. 



It is indeed possible that the Romans worked the 

 lead deposits of Weardale and Teesdale, but no 

 such positive and direct evidence of their opera- 

 tions exists as in Derbyshire and Somerset. 

 The mines of Alston, however, just across the 

 Cumberland border, were certainly worked for 

 both silver and lead in the reign of Henry I, and 

 it is unlikely that the neighbouring mines of 

 Durham were quite neglected. Yet the first 

 specific reference to their existence is found in 

 the well-known charter ^ of Stephen, in which 

 he notifies the grant of the mineral rights^ of 

 Weardale to his nephew, Bishop Hugh Pudsey. 

 Since there is little doubt that at the time of the 

 grant the bishop of Durham already owned the 

 minerals exclusive of precious metals found on 

 his demesne, it has been suggested with great 

 probability that by this instrument the grantee 

 was enabled to retain not only the lead raised 

 from his mines but also the silver extracted 

 from the lead, which, outside the Palatinate at 

 least, was a special perquisite claimed by the 

 crown. This interpretation is made the more 

 likely by our knowledge that about this time a 

 mint was established at Durham. 



Rather later also in his episcopate we find the 

 same prelate, Hugh Pudsey, granting' amongst 

 other property a mine of lead to the hospital of 

 St. Giles at Durham ' for covering the church of 

 St. Mary and All Saints and of the Infirmary of 

 the Hospital aforesaid.' 



Very definite references to the mint at Durham, 

 the purchase and smelting of lead, and the extrac- 

 tion of silver are found on the Pipe Roll 8 Ric. I 

 (i 196-7) during the vacancy of the see following 

 the death of Bishop Pudsey. 



For making at the mint {Ad cambium faciendum) 

 j^i30 13/. 8</. and in the cost of smelting the ore, 

 j^i6 3/. zd., and in buying lead for making a profit 

 for the king ^^27 11/. \od. The same [accountants] 

 render account of j^40 of the profit of the lead bought. 

 In the treasury j^30. And they owe £,\o, which are 

 to be sought of Adam de Selebi as it is said. The 

 same render account of ^^ 1 74 \s. in silver {In plata) of 

 the profits of the ore and mints. 



The bishopric of Durham was again in the 

 hands of the crown after the death of Philip of 

 Poitou, and it is probable that the sum of 

 /539 12s. ']d. 'of the issue of minerals' from 

 1208— n refers especially to the mines of lead, 

 as the sales of iron are separately entered. Again, 

 in 1213, account is rendered of j^6o 8j. \d. 

 of the profit of lead mines besides 22 loads 

 which the king had, and of ^4 li. o\d. of the 

 profit of the mint {camb'ii unius cunei). Similar 

 references both to the mining of lead and the 

 extraction of silver within the Palatinate are 



' Surtees, Hist, of Bur. i, App. p. cxxvi. 

 ' ' Minariam de Weredala ut faciat in ea operari 

 quantum voluerit.' 



' Boldon Book (Surtees Soc. xxv), App. p. xlix. 



348 



