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The King Pit
Location: Gateshead
This was part of the Stormont Main mine workings and was situated in the vicinity of the current health centre adjacent to Springwell Road. It was a single shaft pit which were notorious for explosions owing to the poor ventilation and the consequential build-up of dangerous gases.
Poor ventilation combined with the lack of efficient safety equipment was one of the main grievances of pitmen at the time which resulted in the great strikes of the period.
At the nearby Springwell Colliery an explosion occurred in 1833 resulting in the deaths of 47 men and boys. A later explosion at the King Pit resulted in the deaths of a further 28 with many to die later from their injuries. The lack of a sympathetic response from the mine-owners in regard to the harsh and dangerous conditions at this time led to the formation of the first union.
Principle among the leaders was Thomas Hepburn. The refusal of the mine-owners to negotiate with pitmen led to the first strike. Thousands of miners from all over Durham and Northumberland walked upwards of 30 miles to hear the leaders speak at a mass meeting held at Shadons Hill, which at that time formed a natural amphitheatre.
The mine-owners responded by recruiting workers from other parts of the country and evicting the local pitmen from their cottages in order to accommodate them. Supported by the military and magistrates the strike was eventually broken and the pitmen forced back to work under worse terms.
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