Photograph of Henry Eustace Mitton

Henry Eustace Mitton was born in 1872 in County Durham. At the age of 19, he sought his fortune mining in British Columbia. Upon his return to England in 1894, he became an apprentice to the Sheepbridge Coal and Iron Company in Derbyshire. After learning his craft, he became Agent and later General Manager for the Butterley Company. His vast amount of experience meant he became a renowned expert in the coal industry, writing many publications on the development of and technology used collieries. He was key to designing the company's colliery and pit village at Ollerton. His interests lay not only in the technical aspects, but also in the welfare of miners, on occasion including the golf courses and sports grounds in his designs. Many of these were in Codnor, close to his home at Ormonde Fields.

Upon Mitton's death in 1946, many local people wished to pay their respects as he had cared for those who had worked for the Butterley Company. The whole mining industry across England, not just in Derbyshire, mourned his loss. He had been President of the Institute of Mining Engineers and the Mineral Referee for the whole of England. Most notably, he was recognised with a Gold Award by the Institute of Mining Engineers for helping to pioneer lighting at the coal face.