The co-ordinates will take you to the entrance of Saint Alban’s church, once inside the churchyard walk a circular route around the church to locate the following headstones and replace the missing digits from the dates of death to get the Northerly co-ordinates, there is no need to leave the footpath.
(A) Rose Turnbull 196A
(B) William Elder 186B
(C) Mary Richardson 19C1
For the Westerly co-ordinates you must go to the Memorial and find the ages of the following, add them together then multiply by 4.
(D) Ge Fulton
(E) Wm Pape
(F) Wm Palmer
The final co-ordinates are...
N55 02.ABC
W001 30.D + E + F x 4
Earsdon village is prominently situated on a sandstone outcrop and dates back to the 13th century, it’s name deriving from “Erdesdun” or “Earls Hill”. Thanks to its high position, the village can be seen from a considerable distance, and in the past was used as a bearing for shipping. Because it was built on a sandstone outcrop, gardens could only be created by carting soil, hence the high boundary walls of many properties. The most prominent building in the village is undoubtedly St, Alban’s church, built in 1837 in the early English style of architecture, replacing a 13th century chapel. The churchyard with its mature oak, ash and poplar trees and areas of long grass provides an important refuge for wildlife, is rich in wild flowers and acts as a striking contrast to the intensively cultivated arable land nearby. The focal point of the churchyard is the Hartley Memorial in a wooded spot 50 metres north east of the church, a most grim reminder of the areas mining history. 204 men and boys (some as young as 10 years old) lost their lives in the North East's most fatal pit disaster at Hartley Colliery on 16th January 1862. The engine beam at the Hester Pit snapped and fell into the shaft bringing with it a huge amount of debris. Because the pit was single-shaft and had no alternative exit a large number of miners were trapped underground. After several days rescuers thought they heard 'jowling' (the noise entombed miners make when they try to show that they are still alive) but later they realised they were mistaken. When eventually, on 23rd January, bodies were found it was clear that most of the victims had died from the effects of poisonous gases released by the original collapse of the beam. The disaster attracted huge public interest. 20,000 sightseers joined the families waiting at the surface for news in the first days after the accident. 60,000, it is said, took part in the funeral procession to Earsdon Churchyard on 26th January. When money was collected for the 407 widows and dependents of the victims, £82,000 was amassed, a sum so great that it was possible to send £20,000 for distribution in other coalfields. The 'fatal catastrophe' had one beneficial outcome: legislation obliging owners to sink two shafts side by side was rushed through Parliament by the end of the year.