As Alan Vickers (11 Sep 2000) says, Whellans wrote that White Lea was
opened in the 1850s by Bolckow, Vaughan & Co.
I have seen various spellings including White Lea, Whitelee and even
Whitemee (possibly a typo!). Might there also have been more than one
pit or colliery with the same name (at different dates)?
Rounthwaite, T. (1959), "The West Durham Railway", in The Railway
Observer (Vol. 29), reported that "The line to the terminus at Whitelee
[sic] was opened on 5th June 1841 and small quantities of coal were
dispatched from this and other nearby pits which were just coming into
production" (p.155).
His accompanying map (p.112), by the way, shows "White Lee Colliery"...
which is another spelling!
It may be that Fred Toewe's great great grandfather was indeed a miner
at Whitelea.
Mike Syer
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