Markham Main Colliery was a coal mine in Armthorpe, on the eastern edge of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England.

Plans for the pit started in June 1913 when Earl Fitzwilliam leased the minerals under his estate in Armthorpe to Sir Arthur Markham.

However work stopped shortly afterwards on 24 August 1916 on account of wartime restrictions on capital and shortages of both labour and other resources.

When the 1980s miners' strike finished in 1985, Markham Main was the last Yorkshire pit to return to work, three days later.

[3] The colliery fully closed in 1996 when it had an estimated 50,000,000 tonnes (55,000,000 tons) of coal reserves, enough for around fifty years.

Michael Heseltine announced closure the pit in October 1992, as it was thought not to be economically viable; production stopped soon afterwards.

Another camp was set up at Houghton Main Colliery as part of the Women Against Pit Closures Campaign.

Three of Coal Investments' pits had found buyers – Cwmgwili near Swansea, Silverdale, Staffordshire, and Annesley Bentinck Colliery.

A buyer had earlier been found for these last two together with Markham Main which was financially backed by PhilDrew Ventures, but had lost out to management buy-outs which only bought the other two, and not all three.

Markham Main was a less attractive prospect than other mines because it needed investment of around £8 million to improve a face gap in the coal seam.

In the mid-1980s it was producing around 18,000 tonnes (20,000 tons) of coal a week, with most going to local power stations along the Aire and Trent.