Methodism and Mining in County Durham, 1881-1991

It is widely held that the hazardous nature of their occupation made miners unusually susceptible to the appeals of evangelical religion. Data relating to Methodist chapel membership and attendance and to Easter communication in the Church of England are presented for overlapping time periods in three contrasting mining areas of County Durham. These show that the lead miners of Upper Teesdale were exceptionally Methodist; the colliers of the Deerness Valley and the east coast villages of the Easington area were not. The differences between the three areas are explained by the interaction of cultural and social-structural features.