The Spedding Mill

(click on images to enlarge)

Whilst on a recent visit to the Mining Institute in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, I came across this curious little relic: the Spedding Mill. It can be found just inside the entrance, and next to it can also be found an explanatory information panel:

Elsewhere in the building (as part of an exhibition, when I visited) there is another one...

The Spedding Mill is something which I'd never heard of before, so I thought I'd try to find out a bit more about it ... but there's not a lot of information out there. There's a nice article about the chap in question here, but there is nothing much about the invention, or, indeed, his unfortunate death at the hands of it.

I must admit that the whole concept of the Spedding Mill seems frightfully hazardous to me. I'm guessing, too, that though the invention first saw the light of day (or rather the dark of night) in Cumberland, it was also employed here in the North-East in the days before the Davy and Stephenson Safety Lamps.

If anyone can enlighten me further, then I'd be delighted to hear from you in the comments below.