1) Of uncertain meaning but linked to opening up soughs and ventilation gates.
Examples noted in mining records are late: 1640 I did stope the soowe, Sharlston
1692 the sough opening at wood which was stoped, Farnley
1765 one day making stopings to get vent to back ending, Tong
1774 Towards the sow 15s
Borin 7s 6d
Stopin 2s 6d
3 yards of Ending, Tong. This seems to refer to the manner in which an excavation was being carried out but Greenwell explains a ‘stopping’ in Northumberland and Durham as a wall built for the purpose of conducting air further into the workings, and in 1708 ‘stoppings’ were seen as essential to the ventilation of a mine.