Pease and partners and the deerness valley: aspects of the social and economic history of waterhouses, esh winning and Ushaw moor

Abstract

This is a study of the life and times of three colliery villages in a west Durham valley, part of the business empire of the Darlington based Quaker firm of Pease and Partners Ltd. Four topics - the Pease family and their business interests, life in the villages, pitwork, and industrial relations - are examined in order to assess the impact of the Peases on the conditions of life and work in their villages. Comparison is made between their policy of paternalism and the attitudes of other coal owners in County Durham and elsewhere; and the changing conditions and attitudes which affected the relationship between owners and workmen are also examined.