INDUSTRIES 



Stockton and Darlington Railway was opened, 

 and from this time onwards the construction of 

 railways spread from the county of Durham over 

 the whole kingdom, favouring the development 

 of the coal trade, not only by the increased con- 

 sumption of fuel, but also by affording a means 

 of cheap and easy transport for quantities of 

 mineral which it would have been practically im- 

 possible to handle without their assistance. The 

 locomotive engine and the railway may fairly be 

 said to be the direct products of the north- 

 country coal-trade, and as such deserve notice 

 here. Furthermore, it will be remembered that 

 the early years of the eighteenth century saw the 

 introduction of coal-gas for illuminating purposes. 

 This increasing demand for coal caused great 

 activity in the number of borings and sinkings 

 then set on foot, and the records of the eighteenth 

 and nineteenth centuries show an enormous de- 

 velopment in this respect in the county of 

 Durham, which is best indicated by a brief sum- 

 mary of these operations, as far as possible in 

 chronological order : 



1696. Boring operations were being con- 

 ducted at Holborn Grange by Thomas Wake. 



1727. Boring operations were in progress at 

 Kip Hill, in the township of Tanfield, to prove 

 the Hutton Seam. 



1729. Boring operations from the surface 

 were in progress on Mr. George Bowes' estate at 

 Stanley Row, proving the Hard Coal Seam. 



1731. Boring operations were commenced 

 on Hedley Moor, near Beamish, and also at 

 Dipton. 



1732. Boring operations from the surface 

 were in progress in Mr. Spearman's grounds at 

 Tanfield. 



1735. A boring was put down out of the 

 stone drift, Gill Pit, Shield Row, proving the 

 Upper Main Coal Seam. 



1739. A boring was in progress below the 

 Main Coal Seam in a coal-pit at Twizell. 



1740. Boring operations were in operation 

 from the surface at Stone Bridge in the township 

 of Elvet, Durham, and others were also com- 

 menced in Hylton grounds, about three miles 

 from Fulwell. 



1742. Boring operations from the surface 

 were in progress on Urpeth estate. 



1 743. A bore-hole was put down in Ridley 

 Gill above Mutton House, in the township of 

 Hedley, proving a seam at 1 3 fathoms' depth, and 

 boring operations were also in progress at Stock- 

 ley, but with unsatisfactory results. 



174.4. A boring was made at Hedley Town. 



1745. Boring operations were in progress at 

 Park House ground, Ravensworth. 



1 746. Boring operations were carried out at 

 the foot of Chowdene Bank. 



1748. A series of borings was commenced 

 by Rawlings at Cornforth. 



1750. Boring operations from the surface 

 were in progress on the Picktree estate, in the 

 township of Harraton, proving the Maudlin and 

 Hutton Seams, and were also commenced at 

 Coxhoe. 



1752. A boring from the surface was put 

 down by Mr. George Rawlings on the Picktree 

 estate belonging to Mrs. Jane Marley, proving 

 the Hutton Seam ; boring operations were in 

 progress at Pontop, in the township of Collierley, 

 Durham, and were commenced at Fatfield. 



1753. A boring was put down at Cornforth. 



1754. Boring operations were in progress on 

 Holmside Common. 



1755. Boring operations were in progress 

 from the surface at Ushaw Moor, but were not 

 continued deep enough to find workable coal ; 

 boring operations were being carried on at Fugar 

 House in the parish of Lamesley. 



1756. Boring operations from the surface 

 were in progress in the vicinity of Witton Castle, 

 Witton-le-Wear ; a boring was put down in an 

 old pit at Pelton, from the thill of the Main 

 Coal Seam, proving the Low Main Seam. 



1758. Boring operations were in progress at 

 Foulbridge and in the neighbourhood of Beamish, 

 and were commenced in Felling grounds and on 

 the Biddick estate. 



1759. Boring operations from the surface 

 were in progress in the neighbourhood of Wcstoe, 

 South Shields. 



The Mount Pit, Beamish South Moor Col- 

 liery, was sunk. 



1760. A series of boring operations from the 

 surface was in progress in the vicinity of 

 Washington, proving the Main Coal Seam. 



1762. Boring operations from the surface 

 were in progress in the vicinity of Tanfield 

 Moor. 



1763. A boring was put down below the 

 Brass Thill Coal Seam in Edge Pit, on Beamish 

 South Moor, 25 January. 



Boring operations from the surface were in 

 progress at Shildon, near Durham ; at Hcworth, 

 to the depth of the High Main Seam ; and on 



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