In the coal mining districts of County Durham, England, in the 19th and 20th centuries, almost every colliery (coal mine) had a colliery band. Bands were sponsored by the local mining communities and were a source of great pride for the working men who played in the band and the community who attended their performances. These were brass bands with brass and percussion instruments. My father was about 15 years old when he joined the New Herrington Colliery Band in Houghton-le-Spring, County Durham in 1950.
Formed in the 1900s, the New Herrington Colliery Band became a military style band after the First World War.1 Financial support for the colliery bands came from the coal miners themselves. In 1934, the New Herrington Colliery Band was supported by subscription and a levy of a penny per fortnight from the Herrington Colliery miners.2
Although most of the pits in County Durham have now closed, there are some colliery bands in County Durham and other parts of England which still play on today. One of the most well-known is the Grimethorpe Colliery Band in South Yorkshire. Formed in 1917, the band is one of the most successful and long-lived brass bands. They were the focus of the 1996 British film, “Brassed Off”, which showcased the bands’ struggle to survive after the closure of their pit.
And if you feel like getting your toes tapping, just click below and hear the Grimethorpe Colliery Band playing the William Tell Overture.
This post was written for the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge from Amy Johnson Crow. Week 29 prompt: Music.
- Gavin Holman, Brass Bands of the British Isles, a Historical Directory (N.p.:n.p., March 2018), digital images, Google Books (http://books.Google.com : accessed 5 July 2018). ↩
- “New Herrington Band,” Sunderland Daily Echo and Shipping Gazette, County Durham, 13 March 1934, page 4, col. 1. ↩
KindredPast 
Reblogged this on Janet's Thread 2.
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What a fascinating piece of history! The performance of the “William Tell Overture” was phenomenal.
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Didn’t it just get your toes tapping? 🙂 Thanks for stopping by, Liz!
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Grass Valley, California, was home to many underground gold miners who had immigrated from tin mines in Cornwall. The gold mines remained open until the late 1950s and Cornish culture is instilled in the community even today. During World War II, a choir of miners recorded a program underground on Christmas Day. It was broadcast internationally, I understand, to brighten the day for soldiers and sailors abroad. I think it was made into records too.
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Thank you for that info, Linda. I have some Cornish ancestors too but they never moved to the US. I imagine those that did found great solace in having something to remind them of home.
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Interesting history! And thanks for defining colliery. Sometimes I’ve seen the term used without explanation, though it is unusual in America.
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Thanks for stopping by, Eilene!
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