North Bitchburn Coal Company
Reference: D/NBCC Catalogue Title: North Bitchburn Coal Company Area: Catalogue Category: Business and Industry Records Description:
Covering Dates: 1837-1962
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- North Bitchburn Coal Company
- North Bitchburn Coal Company (Ref: D/NBCC)
- Administration (Ref: D/NBCC 1)
- Minutes (Ref: D/NBCC 1/1-8)
- Letter books and correspondence (Ref: D/NBCC 1/9-37)
- Letter Books (Ref: D/NBCC 1/38-43)
- General correspondence (Ref: D/NBCC 1/44-52)
- Directors and shareholders (Ref: D/NBCC 2)
- Prospectuses (Ref: D/NBCC 2/1-5)
- Reports and circulars to shareholders (Ref: D/NBCC 2/6-12)
- Deeds of settlement and co-partnership (Ref: D/NBCC 2/13-17)
- Directors' attendance (Ref: D/NBCC 2/18)
- Property (Ref: D/NBCC 3)
- Colliery leases and deeds (Ref: D/NBCC 3/1-41)
- Colliery housing (Ref: D/NBCC 3/42-58)
- Financial records (Ref: D/NBCC 4)
- Annual reports and accounts (Ref: D/NBCC)
- North Bitchburn Coal Company (Ref: D/NBCC 4/1-3)
- Pease and Partners Limited (Ref: D/NBCC 4/4-5)
- Henry Stobart and Company, Ltd. (Ref: D/NBCC 4/6)
- North Bitchburn Fireclay Company, Ltd. (Ref: D/NBCC 4/7-8)
- Valuations and calculations of initial operating costs (Ref: D/NBCC 4/9-20)
- Operating and wages costs (Ref: D/NBCC 4/21-27)
- Staff salaries (Ref: D/NBCC 4/28)
- Property valuations (Ref: D/NBCC 4/29-30)
- North Bitchburn Coal Company in receivership (Ref: D/NBCC 4/31-48)
- Production and sales (Ref: D/NBCC 5)
- Mineral Analysis (Ref: D/NBCC 5/1-6)
- Managers' reports (Ref: D/NBCC 5/7-9)
- Brickworks (Ref: D/NBCC 5/10-11)
- Sales (Ref: D/NBCC 5/12)
- Pease and Partners Ltd. (Ref: D/NBCC 6/1-6)
- Photographs (Ref: D/NBCC 7/1)
- Plans (Ref: D/NBCC 8/1-12)
- Printed material (Ref: D/NBCC 9/1-8)
- Miscellaneous (Ref: D/NBCC 10)
- Bolam and Redworth Coal Company Limited (Ref: D/NBCC 10/1)
- North of England School Furnishing Company, Ltd., Darlington (Ref: D/NBCC 10/2-3)
- Durham Coal Owners' Association (Ref: D/NBCC 10/4-6)
- McLachlan and Co., Ltd. (Haughton Bridge Wagon Works, Darlington) (Ref: D/NBCC 10/7)
- T. & R. W. Bower Ltd. (Ref: D/NBCC 10/8-9)
- Polam Hall School Limited (Ref: D/NBCC 10/10)
- Netherton Coal Company Limited (Ref: D/NBCC 10/11)
- Other (Ref: D/NBCC 10/12-15)
Catalogue Contents
Introduction
The North Bitchburn Coal Company was formed in 1839 upon the acquisition of the North Bitchburn coalfield on a lease for lives from the Bishop of Durham. Although boring commenced on the Bitchburn estate in 1841, there were lengthy delays before the colliery was operational. One of the principal difficulties was the abandonment by the West Durham Railway of a proposed branch line to the Hunwick coal field. Sinking operations finally began on 27 August 1845 and by 1847 the North Bitchburn colliery was in full operation.
Much of the initial capital for the undertaking was provided by the Backhouse family, bankers, of Darlington. Frederick Backhouse acted as the company treasurer. By 1849 the shareholders listed in the North Bitchburn partnership deed were H. Brougham, Henry Stobart, J. C. Hopkins, John Mounsey, Thomas Mounsey, William Shields, Thomas Crawford, Alfred Kitching, H. S. Stobart, Richard Ableson, H. Thomson, John Middleton, Charles Robson, Thomas Bradley and Isaac Laws. Many of these retained a lasting interest in the company.
The original lease for lives of the North Bitchburn coal royalty, renewed in 1847, was exchanged for a fixed term lease from the Ecclesiastical Commissioners in 1859. The history of the company for the remainder of the nineteenth century was one of steady acquisition and expansion. The 1850s saw the initiation of coking operations and a brickworks using the fireclay extracted during the mining process. In 1867 a sanitary pipeworks was established at North Bitchburn. Thereafter mining operations were extended to Rough Lea, Storey Lodge, Gordon House, Randolph and Thrislington collieries.
With the 20th century came a decline in the North Bitchburn Coal Company's fortunes, and on 26 February 1920 the company was purchased by Pease and Partners, Ltd. By 1932 Peases refused to fund any further losses and the company was placed in the hands of the receiver. Under a scheme of arrangement Thrislington colliery was tranferred to Henry Stobart and Company in return for the liquidation of the North Bitchburn Coal Company's debt (£119,751) to Pease and Partners. The profitable sections of the operation were transferred to a new company, the North Bitchburn Fireclay Company
Letters to, and from, Henry Stobart, manager of North Bitchburn Coal Company, 1840 - 1857
Ref: D/NBCC 1/9-19(For directors' annual reports, see Financial Records)
Prospectuses (Ref: D/NBCC 2/1-5)Ref: D/NBCC 2/1