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Hi thanks everyone for your help and, especially, the links.  All I know about this chap (from his son's marriage cert.) is that his name was " _ Butler (Dec'd) Well Sinker".  Finding it impossible to track him down on any census.  The son was born in Birmingham, which is why I wondered whether there was any other form of well sinker other than digging wells for water. 

thanks for the help everyone

I could only find four references for a Josiah Price, coal porter.  Wed 1.9.1869 London Ev. Standard, Friday 3 Essex Standard, Monday 6 Clerkenwell News & Tues 7 Leighton Buzzard Observer.  All articles were exactly the same.

"CAUTION TO JURYMEN.  An inquest was held at St George's Hospital on Saturday by Mr S F Langham, Deputy Coroner for Westminster, on the body of Josiah Price, a coal porter.  Deceased, who was employed at the Chelsea Basin, while fastening a break to a truck going down an incline, slipped beneath the wheels, which passed over his thighs, mutilating him in a shocking manner.  He was taken to hospital but expired soon after admission.  A verdict of accidental death was given"

Hope this is of some interest to you.

Thanks for the two links - especially the resettlement deed which shows a farmstead & cottages there in 1887.   I have gone through the censuses of Inskip and have now found references on the 1851, 1861, 1871 and 1881 to Stavenspole, Stavins Pool & Stave-in-pool which weren't far from Blue Moor so I'm wondering if Tom was born in one of the cottages there while his father worked at Blue Moor.