Durham E-Theses Pease and partners and the deerness valley: aspects of the social and economic history of waterhouses, esh winning and Ushaw moor Emery, Norman How to cite: Emery, Norman (1984) Pease and partners and the deerness valley: aspects of the social and economic history of waterhouses, esh winning and Ushaw moor, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/7831/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk 2 ABSTRACT PEASE AND PARTNERS AND THE DEERNESS VALLEY : THE SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC HISTORY OF WATERHOUSES, ESH WINNING AND USHAW MOOR This is a study of the life and times of three colliery villages in a west Durham valley, part of the business empire of the Darlington based Quaker firm of Pease and Partners Ltd. Four topics - the Pease family and their business interests, life in the villages, pitwork, and industrial relations - are examined in order to assess the impact of the Peases on the conditions of life and work in their villages. Comparison is made between their policy of paternalism and the attitudes of other coal owners in County Durham and elsewhere; and the changing conditions and attitudes which affected the relationship between owners and workmen are also examined. PEASE & PARTNERS AND THE DEERNESS mLLEY ASPECTS OF THE SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC HISTORY OF WATERHOUSES, ESH WINNING AND USHAW MOOR A THESIS SUBMITTED FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS BY NORMAN EMERY DEPT. OF ECONOMIC HISTORY UNIVERSITY OF DURHAM 1984 The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. No quotation from it should be published without his prior written consent and information derived from it should be acknowledged. CONTENTS Page List of figures iil List of plates iv Source of the plates V Ac knowledgement s vi INTRODUCTION 1 SOURCES 5 ABBREVIATIONS 10 THE PEASES AND THE DEERNESS VALLEY 11 A. The Pease family and their business interests 12 B. The origins of the Deerness Valley Mines 19 C. Pease and Partners operations from 1900-1947 23 D. Nationalisation and after 29 LIFE IN THE PIT VILLAGES 34 A. The immigrant population, 1861-1881 35 B. Subsequent Migrations 39 C. Age and sex ratios in the new communities, 1861-1881 41 D. Housing 49 E. Shops and services 60 F. The religious groups 63 G. Social services: i. Education 71 ii. Medical services 74 H. Recreation 78 AT THE PIT 81 A. Authority and management 81 B. Underground workers 86 C. Surface workers 94 D. The cokeworks 98 'UNITY IS STRENGTH' 102 A. The valley lodges : early struggles and Liberalism 103 B. Industrial relations at the local level 109 C. The miners and politics 113 D. The strike of 1892 115 E. The early days of socialism 117 F. Industrial unrest, 1909-1914 126 G. From World War to the General Strike 128 H. The General Strike 138 I. The aftermath of the 1926 strike 142 J. Hard Times 144 K. From World War to Vesting Day 147 CONCLUSION 154 APPENDIX Biographies of Prominent Figures A. Leading members of the Pease family 167 B. Pease and Partners management and agents 170 C. Prominent figures in the Deerness Valley 171 GLOSSARY 185 NOTES AND REFERENCES 188 BIBLIOGRAPHY 208 PLATES From 224 ii List of figures in the text Page 1. The Pease Family Tree 13 2. The Location of the Deerness Valley 20 3. Coke Production at the Deerness Valley Collieries 25 4. The Workforce at the Pease's Collieries 30 5. Birthplace of the Population 35 6. Birthplace of the Children 36 7. The Age - Sex Structure of the Population:- a. Waterhouses 42 b. Esh Winning 43 c. Ushaw Moor 44-45 8. Population Pyramids:- a. Waterhouses 46 b. Esh Winning 47 c. Ushaw Moor 47 9. Marriage 48 10. The Village Plans:- a. Waterhouses, (1897) . 52 b. Esh Winning, (1320) 53 c. Ushaw Moor, (1920) 54 11. Lodgers 56 12. Housing - Accommodation 58 13. Sunday School Attendance at the Bourne Primitive Chapel 70 14. Bord and Wall Mining 91 15. Underground and Surface Workers at the Pease's Deerness Valley Collieries 95 16. Monthly Absentee Rates of Hewers and Fillers at Esh Winning and Waterhouses 150 Xll List of plates 1. Joseph Pease. 2. Joseph Whitwell Pease. 3. a & d. Arthur Pease, Arthur Francis Pease, Joseph Albert Pease, David Dale. 4. a. Aerial View of the Model Village at Esh Winning, b. Building Early Housing at Esh Winning (undated). • 5. Colliery Housing at North Terrace, Esh Winning a. front b. rear 6. a. Private Housing, Station Road, Ushaw Moor, b. Aged Miners Homes at Esh Winning. 7. Private Housing at Esh Winning:- a. 'Stags Head' Area, (post 1901) b. Durham Road, (post 1901) 8. Waterhouses Coop:- a. The South Frontage (1983) b. Coop Staff in 1887 9. a. St. Pauls Church, Waterhouses (1983) b. Wesleyan Methodist Church, Waterhouses (1983) 10. a. The First Baptist Chapel at Waterhouses (photo pre-1927) b. Ushaw Moor Baptist Chapel (1983) 11. a. A Primitive Methodist Procession at Esh Winning (post 1901) b. Father Beech at Newhouse (undated) 12. James Dack, Temperance Missionary 13. a. John Potts, Schoolmaster at VJaterhouses b, Waterhouses Schoolchildren, 1899. 14. a. Herbert Greener, Peases West Agent b. Henry Bowes, Coke Inspector 15. Waterhouses Colliery a. The Colliery with North Terrace in the background (c.l921) b. The Colliery and Coke Ovens (c.l916) 16. Esh Winning Colliery a. The Colliery looking east, (undated) b. The Colliery and Coke Ovens (pre.1926) 17. a. Sinking a Shaft at Esh Winning (undated) b. Men at the Waterhouses Upcast Shaft (undated) 18. Ushaw Moor Pumping Shaft (1983) 19. a. Blacksmiths at Waterhouses (undated) b. A Group of Waterhouses Miners (undated) ly 20. a - b. Waterhouses Miners (a - undated, b.c. 1930) 21. a. Esh Winning Enginehouse, (1906) b. Waterhouses Whim-gin (c.l964) 22. a. Plan and Section of Beehive Ovens b. Workmen Repairing Waterhouses Ovens, (c.l912) 23. Tommy Ramsey 24. John Wilson 25. a - d. Union Men : Tom Pearson, Matt.White, William Jackson, Ernest Foster. 26. Waterhouses Lodge, (c. 1920) 27. a. Waterhouses Banner at the 1946 Gala b. Esh Winning Lodge Representatives c.1912, from back, left to right: W. Forman, Thomas Redden, J. Manders, Sam. Dove, Tom Clough, Sam. Garr, J. Bland, W. Beattie. 28. Bringing out the Pit Ponies and Horses at Waterhouses (prob.1926) 29. a. Ushaw Moor Banner at the 1957 Gala b. Jack Joyce 30. a. Tom Gott b. Robert Bone Source of the plates Archaeology Dept., Durham University - 4a. Author - 6, 8a, 9, lOb, 13b, 18, 27a, 30b. Beamish Museaum - 17b, 21. C.R.O. Durham - 4b,5,7,11,15a,16a,17a,19b,20,22b,26,27b,28,30a. Darlington Library - 1, 2, 3a-c. Lloyd, E.(1916) - 8b, 13a, 14b, 15b, 23a,c. Lyons, J. (Waterhouses) - 16b. Moyes, W.A. (1974) - 29 Pike, W.T. (1906) - 3d, 14a. Proc. North of England Institute of Mining & Mechanical Engineers (1872) - 22a, Raw, A. (1927) - lOa, 23d. Russell Street Wesleyan Church, Waterhouses - 12, 23b. Wharton, H. (Esh Winning) - 19a. Wilson, J. (1907) - 23, 24. V ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS In carrying out research on 'Pease and Partners and the Deerness Valley' I received information, advice and aid from a vast number of people to whom I owe a debt of thanks. I received invaluable assistance from archive and library staff at the Public Record Office (Kew and Land Registry); Durham County Record Office; Doncaster Archives Department; the Department of Palaeography and Diplomatic, Durham University; the Guildhall Library, London; the University Library,Durham; various departments of Durham City Council and Derwentside District Council, and the photographic archive at Beamish Museum. A number of individuals allowed me access to other documents, particularly Bill Dowding of the National Union of Mineworkers (Durham Area); Pat Francis of the Labour Party; Brenda Whittaker of the divisional Labour Party in Gateshead; Dianne Hayter, General Secretary of the Fabian Society; David Bridgeman-Sutton of the Durham Diocesan Board of Finance; and H.A. Nunn of Lloyds Register of Shipping. Rev. B. Johnson, and his successor Rev.M. Wilkinson of St. Pauls, Waterhouses; Father Milbum of Newhouse; and Rev. Percy Laidler of Esh Winning willingly gave me access to their church records. The Esh and Waterhouses Working Mens Club and Newhouse Club also allowed me access to returns and photographs. In the course of my work many people in the villages kindly took me into their homes and told me of village characters and events, and, in particular, I pay a special thanks to the memory of the late Robert Bone, J.P. and miner, who, before his death, sat and talked to me of pitwork. I am extremely grateful to my supervisor. Dr. Duncan Bythell, for reading the drafts and guiding an archaeologist in the ways of economic historians. Mr. Trevor Wood, of the Department of Archaeology, skillfully produced the prints, and Mrs.