I understand from a friend that there was a colliery in the vicinity of Beadnell in Northumberland. I'd be grateful if anyone could tell me the name of this colliery, and/or the dates it was worked.

At the risk of starting a very long thread, I'll explain why it's of interest. There is a traditional sword dance called rapper, done by pitmen from the North East. It's at least two hundred years old, and two of the teams- The Royal Earsdon Sword Dancers and The High Spen Blue Diamonds- are still going. Of the fifty or so teams that were recorded historically, all but Beadnell had a well documented mining background, and it is now being suggested that perhaps Beadnell is the tip of a non-mining iceberg. Personally, I doubt it.

Incidentally, it's surprising how few mining history people know about rapper. But High Spen are generally regarded as the best English folk dancers currently in operation, and commerically Earsdon are undoubtedly the most successful.