Senghenydd Pit Disaster 1913

[Lainey-lou]

Not sure when this was first posted and if you have managed to get any further information  If not, I hope this helps:
The only marriage that shows up, is the one for 1914 at Merthyr Tydfil for a Daniel D Leyshon to a Lily Bullock
There is another marriage for a Lilly Bullock in the march quarter of 1892 at Pontypridd and on the same page is a James Phillips
The 1901 census shows a Lily Phillips aged 26 born Hewisfield, Gloucestershire married to a James Phillips aged 38 born Canipian
Herefordshire.  They have the following children:  Ivy Phillips aged 6 born Maesteg, Glamorgan, and Thomas Phillips aged 2 born Merthyr Vale.
Also in the household is Lily's borther Rueben Bullock aged 18 also born Hewisfield, Gloucestershire.
Although all this seems to tie in to your family, there was no James Phillips killed in either of the two big explosions at Senghenydd in 1901 and 1913

[lithgae_lad]

Hi

I see you posted this back in 2010 so you may already have got to the bottom of this but if not the following will at least rule ne bit out for you.

I've just been researching my great grandfather Thomas Phillips who died in the Senghenydd Pit Disaster and came across your post.  Thomas was married to my great grandmother (Annie Jenkins) in 1907 and had two children, Sarah Jane Phillips (my grandmother, born 17 March 1908 in Senghenydd) and David Thomas Phillips.   Thomas Phillips was born in Dowlais in 1881 and his parents were David Phillips and Sarah Rosser.   I haven't yet checked records to see if he was married to someone else before Annie which is obviously possible but my dad doesn't think this is the case. 

Anyway hope this helps.   

Mike Roberts

[Gezza64]

Hi all. I have contacted the South Wales Miners Library in Swansea about details of Thomas Phillips. The reply was as follows: I have looked in the Senghenydd Explosion Fund Deed of Trust 1914 and have found the following information:

W.J. Phillips, not married.

Thomas Phillips – widow Annie date of birth 1886

Name of child – Sarah Jane, dob 17 March 1908

                        David Thos. Dob 1 December 1909

None of these names i  know, so he can't have been  Lilly's husband. I can't understand because these were the only two Phillips that died in the disaster. All i can think of is her husband died down the Senghenydd pit but at a different  date. She remarried at the beginning of 1914 though.Any ideas anyone?

Hi, i think we are trying to trace the same family. James Phillips was Lilly's first husband and married him in 1891. He seems to disappear and i am now 100% sure he did not die in the pit disaster in 1913. If you want to talk more I'm happy to be contacted.

[iolaus]

Is it normal for a widow to marry in her maiden name?

I would have expected her to have been listed as Lily Phillips on her second marriage, which a note of previous names.

Could it be James didn't die and they divorced (or it was a bigamous marriage and was void)?   such a well known disaster which if she had moved from the area would give an easy answer to where her husband was if she was embarrassed about being a single mother

[Gezza64]

Is it normal for a widow to marry in her maiden name?

I would have expected her to have been listed as Lily Phillips on her second marriage, which a note of previous names.

Could it be James didn't die and they divorced (or it was a bigamous marriage and was void)?   such a well known disaster which if she had moved from the area would give an easy answer to where her husband was if she was embarrassed about being a single mother

Im not sure Lilly ever lived near the pit as it would have been a 13 miles there and 13 miles back for James  which seems like a big treck. In 1901 when Lilly was married to James Phillips she was living in Troedyrhiw and then in 1911 when she said she was married  to Daniel Davies Leyshon but actually wasnt (Married in 1914) they lived in Troedyrhiw. I thought that the marriage was bigamous too as there isnt a divorce that i can find between James and Lilly. The divorce must have happened after 1906 as that is when the last Phillips child was born and in 1911 the first Leyshon child between Lily and Daniel arrived.

[iolaus]

Troedyrhiw to Senghenydd is about 8-9 miles when walking (it's a nasty walk though to be fair and I wouldn't imagine it's something you did daily)

On the second marriage certificate does it state she's a widow?

[Gezza64]

Troedyrhiw to Senghenydd is about 8-9 miles when walking (it's a nasty walk though to be fair and I wouldn't imagine it's something you did daily)

On the second marriage certificate does it state she's a widow?

No which is what shocked us, it says spinster.

[iolaus]

Sounds like her first marriage was void or she wanted to ignore it for some reason - maybe the first marriage was the bigamous one