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Nunnery Colliery was a coal mine close to Sheffield at Darnall, South Yorkshire. The mining company, known as The Waverley Coal Company, also worked High Hazels Colliery about 3 miles (5 km) further east.

History

Mining started on the Nunnery site in 1868 and it is claimed that its coal supplied the bulk of the coal trade within the city of Sheffield.^[1] A fire broke out in one of the shafts of the colliery on 12 July 1871, though all miners were able to escape via the other shaft and the fire was soon put out, but work was halted for several days.^[2]

The colliery was nationalised in 1947 becoming part of the National Coal Board and closed in August 1953, its reserves said to be exhausted.

The Nunnery "Paddy Mail" accident

On 3 December 1923 an accident was caused by the breaking of a rope hauling an underground Paddy Mail train, carrying 90 men and 30 boys. Seven people were killed and around 50 others injured.^[3]

The 500-yard (460 m)-long rope was 19 months old but, the management stated that there was no guidance in the Mines Act (or elsewhere) as to the life, or required strength, of a rope.^[4] A section of the broken rope was submitted for examination to a local testing company and Dr C. H. Desch, Professor of Metallurgy at Sheffield University. The strain on the rope was at its highest level when the coal was being drawn, and one of the mysteries of the accident was that it occurred when the men were in the train and the strain would therefore be lighter.

James Hoyland, superintendent at the testing works said the test did not prove that the rope had materially weakened. Dr C. H. Desch said that he had examined the two pieces of broken rope 2 ft (60 cm) long taken from a short distance on each side of the fracture. He was unable to throw any light as to how the rope fractured in the way it did but it was clear that it broke in a tension pull. The jury at the inquest returned a verdict of "accidental death".

The Locomotives

The Waverley Coal Company locomotives could be found working at Nunnery or High Hazels Collieries. All the locomotives listed below, except those shown as being scrapped became the property of the National Coal Board from 1 January 1947.

No./Name	Wheel Arr.	Cyls.	Makers	Wks No.	Date Blt.	Notes
No.1	0-6-0ST	IC	HE	252	1880	Scrapped April 1929
No.1	0-6-0ST	IC	HL	3002	1913
No.2	0-6-0WT		FW	216	1874	Scrapped
No.2	0-6-0ST	IC	HE	786	1902
No.2	0-6-0ST	OC	AE	1472	1904	ex-Eccles Slag Co., Rebuilt 1938
No.3	0-6-0ST	OC	FW	283	1875	Scrapped
No.3	0-6-0ST	IC	HL	2955	1912	Scrapped
No.6	0-4-0ST	OC	AB	899	1901	ex-Ried Bros., Glasgow
No.7	0-6-0ST	IC	HL	3726	1928
No.8	0-6-0T	OC	HL	2879	1911	ex-M.D. & H. B. /S. & M. R. 'Thisbe'
No.9	0-6-0T	OC	KS	4080	1919	ex-LMSR No.1603 (1933)

Abbreviations

Cylinders:

IC Cylinders inside frames.
OC Cylinders outside frames

Builders:

Other

M.D. & H.B. Mersey Docks and Harbour Board
S.& M.R. Shropshire and Montgomeryshire Railway

References

^ "State Of Trade". The Times. No. 31257. 6 October 1884. p. 11. ISSN 0140-0460.
^ "The Nunnery Colliery, Sheffield". The Times. No. 27115. 14 July 1871. p. 4. ISSN 0140-0460.
^ "Sheffield Mine Accident". The Times. No. 43515. 4 December 1923. p. 12. ISSN 0140-0460.
^ Elliott, Brian (2009). South Yorkshire mining disasters, volume 2; the twentieth century. Barnsley: Wharncliffe. p. 68. ISBN 9781845630577.

East of Sheffield by Roger Milnes. "Forward" – The journal of the Great Central Railway Society, No.16, July 1984. ISSN 0141-4488 (This article also uses unpublished material researched for "East of Sheffield").
The Times, 7 December 1923

53°23′7.3″N 1°26′7″W / 53.385361°N 1.43528°W / 53.385361; -1.43528

[1] "State Of Trade". The Times. No. 31257. 6 October 1884. p. 11. ISSN 0140-0460.

[2] "The Nunnery Colliery, Sheffield". The Times. No. 27115. 14 July 1871. p. 4. ISSN 0140-0460.

[3] "Sheffield Mine Accident". The Times. No. 43515. 4 December 1923. p. 12. ISSN 0140-0460.

[4] Elliott, Brian (2009). South Yorkshire mining disasters, volume 2; the twentieth century. Barnsley: Wharncliffe. p. 68. ISBN 9781845630577.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Short description|Former coal mine in South Yorkshire, England}}
-'''Nunnery Colliery''' was a [[coal mine]] close to the city centre of [[Sheffield]], [[South Yorkshire]]. The mining company, known as The Waverley Coal Company, also worked [[High Hazels Colliery]] about 3 miles (5&nbsp;km) further east.
+{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2017}}
+{{Use British English|date=January 2017}}
+{{inline|date=December 2023}}
+'''Nunnery Colliery''' was a [[coal mine]] close to [[Sheffield]] at [[Darnall]], [[South Yorkshire]]. The mining company, known as The Waverley Coal Company, also worked [[High Hazels Colliery]] about 3 miles (5&nbsp;km) further east.
 == History ==
+Mining started on the Nunnery site in 1868 and it is claimed that its coal supplied the bulk of the coal trade within the city of Sheffield.<ref>{{cite news |title=State Of Trade |work=The Times |issue=31257 |date=6 October 1884 |page=11|issn=0140-0460}}</ref> A fire broke out in one of the shafts of the colliery on 12 July 1871, though all miners were able to escape via the other shaft and the fire was soon put out, but work was halted for several days.<ref>{{cite news |title=The Nunnery Colliery, Sheffield |work=The Times |issue=27115 |date=14 July 1871 |page=4|issn=0140-0460}}</ref>
-Mining started on the Nunnery site in 1868 and it is claimed that its coal supplied half the houses in Sheffield.
 The colliery was [[Nationalization|nationalised]] in 1947 becoming part of the [[National Coal Board]] and closed in August 1953, its reserves said to be exhausted.
 == The Nunnery "Paddy Mail" accident ==
-On 3 December 1923 an accident caused by the breaking of a rope hauling an underground [[Paddy mail|Paddy Mail]] train, carrying ninety men and thirty boys, killed seven and injured around fifty others.
+On 3 December 1923 an accident was caused by the breaking of a rope hauling an underground [[Paddy mail|Paddy Mail]] train, carrying 90 men and 30 boys. Seven people were killed and around 50 others injured.<ref>{{cite news |title=Sheffield Mine Accident |work=The Times |issue=43515 |date=4 December 1923 |page=12|issn=0140-0460}}</ref>
-The {{convert|500|yd|sing=on}}-long rope was 19 months old but, the management stated that there was no guidance in the [[Mines Act of 1842|Mines Act]] (or elsewhere) as to the life, or required strength, of a rope. A section of the broken rope was submitted for examination to a local testing company and Dr C. H. Desch, Professor of [[Metallurgy]] at [[Sheffield University]]. The strain on the rope was at its highest level when the coal was being drawn, and one of the mysteries of the accident was that it occurred when the men were in the train and the strain would therefore be lighter.
+The {{convert|500|yd|adj=on}}-long rope was 19 months old but, the management stated that there was no guidance in the [[Mines Act of 1842|Mines Act]] (or elsewhere) as to the life, or required strength, of a rope.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Elliott |first1=Brian |title=South Yorkshire mining disasters, volume 2; the twentieth century |date=2009 |publisher=Wharncliffe |location=Barnsley |isbn=9781845630577 |page=68}}</ref> A section of the broken rope was submitted for examination to a local testing company and Dr C.&nbsp;H. Desch, Professor of [[Metallurgy]] at [[Sheffield University]]. The strain on the rope was at its highest level when the coal was being drawn, and one of the mysteries of the accident was that it occurred when the men were in the train and the strain would therefore be lighter.
-James Hoyland, superintendent at the testing works said the test did not prove that the rope had materially weakened. Dr C.H. Desch said that he had examined the two pieces of broken rope 2 [[Foot (unit of length)|ft]] (60&nbsp;cm) long taken from a short distance on each side of the fracture. He was unable to throw any light as to how the rope fractured in the way it did but it was clear that it broke in a tension pull.
+James Hoyland, superintendent at the testing works said the test did not prove that the rope had materially weakened. Dr C.&nbsp;H. Desch said that he had examined the two pieces of broken rope 2 [[Foot (unit of length)|ft]] (60&nbsp;cm) long taken from a short distance on each side of the fracture. He was unable to throw any light as to how the rope fractured in the way it did but it was clear that it broke in a tension pull.
-The [[jury]] at the [[Coroner#Inquest|inquest]] returned a verdict of "accidental death".
+The [[jury]] at the [[Coroner#Inquest conclusions (previously called verdicts)|inquest]] returned a verdict of "accidental death".
 == The Locomotives ==
-The Waverley Coal Company [[locomotive|locomotives]] could be found working at Nunnery or High Hazels Collieries. All the locomotives listed below, except those shown as being scrapped became the property of the National Coal Board from 1 January 1947.
+The Waverley Coal Company [[locomotive]]s could be found working at Nunnery or High Hazels Collieries. All the locomotives listed below, except those shown as being scrapped became the property of the National Coal Board from 1 January 1947.
 {|class="wikitable"
@@ Line 55: / Line 59: @@
 ''Builders:''
-* AB [[Andrew Barclay & Sons Co.]].
+* AB [[Andrew Barclay & Sons Co.]]
 * FW [[Peckett and Sons|Fox, Walker & Co.]]
 * HE [[Hunslet Engine Company]]
@@ Line 66: / Line 70: @@
 == References ==
+{{Reflist}}
-*''East of Sheffield'' by Roger Milnes. "Forward" - The journal of the Great Central Railway Society, No.16, July 1984. ISSN-0141-4488 (This article also uses unpublished material researched for "East of Sheffield").
+*''East of Sheffield'' by Roger Milnes. "Forward" – The journal of the Great Central Railway Society, No.16, July 1984. {{ISSN|0141-4488}} (This article also uses unpublished material researched for "East of Sheffield").
 *''The Times'', 7 December 1923
+{{Coal mining in Yorkshire}}
 {{coord|53|23|7.3|N|1|26|7|W|type:landmark|display=title}}
-[[Category:Railway accidents in England]]
+[[Category:Railway accidents and incidents in Yorkshire]]
 [[Category:Coal mines in Sheffield]]
 [[Category:Underground mines in England]]
+[[Category:1923 disasters in the United Kingdom]]

v t e Coal mining in Yorkshire
Coal mines in North Yorkshire	Selby complex² (Gascoigne Wood, North Selby, Riccall, Stillingfleet, Whitemoor Wistow) Tan Hill
Coal mines in South Yorkshire¹	Aldwarke¹ Askern Barnburgh Barrow Bentley Brodsworth Brookhouse Bullcroft¹ Birley Cortonwood Dalton Dinnington Elsecar Fence Harry Crofts¹ Hatfield Hickleton High Hazels Huskar Kilnhurst Kiveton Park Maltby Manvers Markham Main New Stubbin North Staveley Nunnery¹ Orgreave Rossington Rother Vale Rotherham¹ Roundwood¹ Silverwood Smithies Thorne¹ Thurcroft Tinsley Park Treeton Waleswood Warren House Warren Vale Wath Wharncliffe Woodmoor Yorkshire Main
Coal mines in West Yorkshire	Caphouse Flockton Frickley Garforth Collieries (Isabella Pit, Sisters Pit, Trench Pit) Kellingley Killingbeck Middleton Shuttle Eye Prince of Wales Upton Waterloo Main Wheldale Woolley
Incidents	Allerton Bywater Colliery Explosion Cadeby Main pit disaster Lofthouse Colliery disaster Lundhill Colliery explosion Oaks explosion Peckfield Colliery disaster
Coalfields and seams	Coal seams of the South Yorkshire Coalfield Ingleton Coalfield South Yorkshire Coalfield
Industrial relations	UK miners' strike (1969) UK miners' strike (1972) UK miners' strike (1984–85) Battle of Orgreave South Yorkshire Miners' Association West Yorkshire Miners' Association Yorkshire Miners' Association
Other articles	Geology of Yorkshire List of collieries in Yorkshire (1984–2015) Monckton Coke Works National Coal Mining Museum for England British MPs sponsored by mining unions
Notes	1: Pre 1974, most coal mines in South Yorkshire were actually in the West Riding of Yorkshire. Those annotated with a number 1, were closed before 1974. 2: The Selby Coalfield straddled the border of North and West Yorkshire