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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Shropshire => Topic started by: alveleyhistorian on Friday 15 August 08 15:29 BST (UK)
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Hi there,
I have been doing some research into a colliery accident at Alveley Colliery in 1949 -
Local man Algernon Bliss aged 58, was fatally injured when two loaded coal trucks became de-railed
An inquest was held at Bridgnorth a few days later and a verdict was misadventure was later returned.
"The Jury received 2s 6d each for serving. They awarded the widow 17s 6d " ??? ??? ???
17 shillings 6d !!!
Poor woman.....and I bet that wasn't even enough to bury him !
How things have moved on.......these days, the colliery would have been closed down for health and safety investigations and the widow would have claimed thousands !!!!!!!!!!
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Poor woman >:(
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Sad days, indeed :(
I remember those days. My Dad and many of his kin worked at Ifton/Black Park and Brynkinallt collieries on the Shropshire/Denbighshire borders.
What normally happened was a 'pit head' collection to help the families of those who were injured or killed in the mines - their mates helped out. It was the camaraderie and closely knit communities that existed then that kept things going.
A school friend's father was killed around about the same time. My Dad was next to him when a large boulder fell on him and crushed him to death. The rest of the shift struggled to save him but he was dead. His widow then had to go out to work to look after the family.
It was a hard life. My Dad would not arrange for my sister or me to go on one of those mine tours, although he did for our friends. He didn't want us to see the conditions under which he worked.
these days, the colliery would have been closed down
These days the collieries have closed down.
Gadget
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On the subject of collieries, one of my ancestors appears to have died in a colliery accident aged 70... What on Earth might he have been doing there at that age?
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My grandfather worked underground until he was 70 - then he could draw his pension. He died in 1849, aged 74. he worked underground from the age of 12-14.
Gadget
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What a terrible waste of a life, eh? :(
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I don't think he would have said that. I vaguely remember him when I was a toddler - a stern bloke with a flat cap and one of those white miner's muffler scarves. He was a brilliant footballer. That's what they did in their spare time! He and my Gran had 7 boys.
He died 6 months after her. They all said that he died of a broken heart. They were devoted. Her father died in 1904 in a nasty mining accident which is on the miners database.
Gadget
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I'm glad. I guess on the plus point you could say he definitely had a job for life? Many people weren't lucky enough to work at all...
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They drew out all of their Coop savings to save their sons/brothers from having to work during the General Strike of 1926.
I am very proud of my mining ancestors. The were very intelligent and resourceful families. No one should ever patronize miners.
Gadget
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I apologise if I seemed to be patronising. I just thought to be down a mine from early teens right through into the seventies isn't something I would liked to have done.
I have miners on one side and labourers and farmers on the other. I don't know what the miners were like (unfortunately I have names and dates only) but I'm getting the death notice of the 70 year old through the post soon I hope, so the wording on it (news article?) might tell me more about what people thought of him.
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Slightly off the topic, but I think it's a nice story so please bear with me:
My uncle, who died recently, was a Methodist Minister. When he moved to a circuit in the Durham Coalfield in the 1960's he was informed that one of his duties was to be chaplain at the Morrison Busty Colliery. His predecessor had gone there once a week and sat in an office, waiting for people to come to see him if they wished.
My uncle decided that this wasn't really quite the thing, so he went on a training course at Vane Tempest Colliery which qualified him to go underground.
Thereafter, accompanied by an official from the pit, he went to the coal face every week without fail. The seams were so narrow he often had to crawl to get there. My aunt still has his safety helmet, and the lamp he was presented with by the miners when he moved to another church.
He once said that it was most amusing to hear how the miners' language improved as he got closer to them and worsened as he departed ;D
Jennifer
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http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,272049.0.html
Nowt to do wi' owt but click on the link. It should
make people appreciate what they have today ::) ::) ::)
but I doubt it.
Tomkin 8)
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think the comma should be a fullstop - just trying to get the link up.
thanks for that, Tomkin
No that doesn't work for me either :-\
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the miners' language improved as he got closer to them and worsened as he departed
I've always found miners to be very polite and
eloquent. In fact I was down the Pit one day when a large
stone the size of a football fell from the roof on to a miners foot.
" Oh dear", he said, "I think that my toes are crushed. I may have
to leave and go to the hospital." ::) ::) ::) ::)
Tomkin ;D
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http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,272049.0.html
Strange that. I copied and pasted it just like this one,
and this works.
Sorry about that .
Tomkin
Now it's gone again ??? ??? ??? ???
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My great grandfather:
(http://www.ancestral-tales.co.uk/assets/images/autogen/a_tMatesreport1.jpg)
his father , James, died of natural causes but his father-
My 3 x great grandfather:
Thomas MATES
b.c. 1799
d. June 1824, Chirk - in a mining accident
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http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,272049.0.html
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b.c. 1799
d. June 1824, Chirk - in a mining accident
One of my ancestors suffered exactly the same fate in the
mid 1800's. A few months earlier and Tomkin would not
have existed :o :o :o :o
Tomkin
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b.c. 1799
d. June 1824, Chirk - in a mining accident
One of my ancestors suffered exactly the same fate in the
mid 1800's. A few months earlier and Tomkin would not
have existed :o :o :o :o
Tomkin
so you and I are near misses :o :o :o
Wonder what it would be like without us ;D ;D ;D