RARE medals awarded following a pit disaster which killed 204 people are going on display to mark the 150th anniversary of the accident.
On January 16, 1862, tragedy came to the small village of New Hartley, near Seaton Delaval, Northumberland, when an engine beam at Hester Pit broke and fell down the mine.
The only shaft of the pit became blocked by debris, trapping the workers inside.
By the time rescuers were able to get through by digging another shaft, some six days later, the miners had suffocated.
In all, 204 people died, including boys as young as 10. The disaster changed the industry forever, as a few months later, Parliament passed a new law requiring all collieries to have at least two shafts.
On May 20 that year, a social occasion was held to honour the Hartley “sinkers” – those workers and local residents who went down the mine to try and rescue those trapped underground.
In all, 38 medals were awarded, with a solitary gold given to local man William Coulson, who led the rescue operation, and 37 silver given to all who helped him. The medals bore the inscription: “Presented to those who risked their lives in attempting to save the lives of their fellow workers buried in Hartley Colliery, January 1862.”
In addition to the medals, rescuers were paid sums of between £4 and £30, depending on how many hours they dedicated to the operation.
Now, two of the silver medals are set to form the centrepiece of a display in the front window of Intercoin, at 103 Clayport Street in Newcastle, to mark the 150th anniversary of the tragedy. The coin and medal dealers acquired one from a descendant of one of the 37, around 20 years ago.
The man was emigrating and the shop promised him it would remain in the North East.
It has been on display in the shop window ever since. The second medal was acquired in the last 12 months from a retired man and local historian who saw the first on display and came into the shop.
The man held a Hartley medal in his private collection for many years and after talking to staff, sold it to the shop.
