NEHL - The primary earner for James Joicey's Tanfield Moor Collieries was Willy (or Willie) Pit, not too far from Tantobie. It was the earliest to open, dating from 1762 when the Earl of Kerry opened the pit, and the last to close on the eve of nationalisation in 1948. It was still quite a modest pit compared to some in the area though, and thanks to its age was certainly obsolete by the time of its closure. The only known photograph of the pit evidences this. It was connected to the Tanfield Branch of the North Eastern Railway