The Hartley disaster of the 16th January 1862 was one of the first great mining disasters of Victorian times to catch widespread public attention when upwards of two hundred men and boys lost their lives after a shaft accident at the colliery.

The sealed entrance to the shaft and winding house of the 1862 pit disaster at Hester Pit in New Hartley

The plaque is a memorial to the tragedy

The memorial in the churchyard of St. Albans, Earsdon