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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Yorkshire (West Riding) => Topic started by: woolley on Wednesday 07 October 09 20:04 BST (UK)
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Not too sure if a group photo taken late 1940's should be on this board, someone may recognise a relative
woolley
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Just realised No photo
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Hi Woolley,
Any idea of which colliery in Barnsley?
maidmarion :)
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There was a Barnsley Main Colliery, but it must be clearly stated if known which it was as there were many within Barnsley and the surrounding area.
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It was Barnsley Main Colliery. Used to be Oaks Colliery many years ago
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There is a memorial by the side of Doncaster Road Barnsley to the (I think) 567 men and boys killed by an explosion at Oaks Colliery in 1867. Happier days in the photo. Perhaps it coincides with the Nationalization of the pits?
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Could well have been taken then.
Re the explosion I understand that not many were recovered, although I think a develoment tunnel broke into the old disaster area workings in the 60's, but was closed off again (I think). No doubt someone out there will know
woolley
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My recollection from reading the memorial (while stuck in traffic on the top deck of a bus!) is that several of the dead were never recovered. Rather macabrely it was subsequently proved, possibly by that 60's breakthrough but I believe closer to the time of the disaster, that several of those killed had still been alive when rescue work was abandoned. I believe dates had been carved on wooden materials by those who were about to die, the dates being after the rescue had been abandoned.Googling Oaks Colliery disaster brings 4.5million entries, 10th worst disaster in British Mining History, 361 killed 12th December 1866.
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Whilst on the subject of mining disasters in and around Barnsley, does anyone know anything about a disaster at the Mount Osborn Colliery in 1857?
Regards,
Tisy
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RE Mount Osborn Colliery
The only one I know of was 1847, fifteen killed
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21st- 22nd Nov 1841, try a Google search for Raleys Solicitors, specialists in industrial compensation.There seem to have been several accidents at this pit.
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This web site lists all the coal mining accidents:
http://www.cmhrc.co.uk/site/disasters/
I have a Henry Poppleton and his son Joseph who died in the explosion at Oak Ridge Colliery in 1866 - <Oak Colliery was owned by Messrs Firth, Bamber & Co. There were explosions of gas on 12th and 13th December, 1866. The total number of victims was 334 by the first explosion of the 12th December 1866 and 26 by the second explosion the following day. Total 360. 75 bodies were recovered prior to the shafts being closed, 45 were recovered during the first twelve months after the shaft was reopened and 70 during the past years making the total 190. This deducted from 360 leaves 17 bodies still in the colliery. It is remarkable that all but two have been identified.>
It wasn’t me who did the adding up! - presumably 170 bodies are still in the colliery.
Searching for Mount Osborn Colliery on the above site yields 32 'hits' with dates ranging from 1852 to 1872 with only two for 1857 - William Kaye killed om 13 Feb 1857 and John Marshall killed on 22 Oct 1857 - both by 'a fall of coal in the mine.'
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This web site lists all the coal mining accidents:
http://www.cmhrc.co.uk/site/disasters/
I have a Henry Poppleton and his son Joseph who died in the explosion at Oak Ridge Colliery in 1866 - <Oak Colliery was owned by Messrs Firth, Bamber & Co. There were explosions of gas on 12th and 13th December, 1866. The total number of victims was 334 by the first explosion of the 12th December 1866 and 26 by the second explosion the following day. Total 360. 75 bodies were recovered prior to the shafts being closed, 45 were recovered during the first twelve months after the shaft was reopened and 70 during the past years making the total 190. This deducted from 360 leaves 17 bodies still in the colliery. It is remarkable that all but two have been identified.>
It wasn’t me who did the adding up! - presumably 170 bodies are still in the colliery.
Searching for Mount Osborn Colliery on the above site yields 32 'hits' with dates ranging from 1852 to 1872 with only two for 1857 - William Kaye killed om 13 Feb 1857 and John Marshall killed on 22 Oct 1857 - both by 'a fall of coal in the mine.'
That would tie in with the buriels at Barnsley Cem - 61 ? Oaks casualties between 1866 - 1874
a long recovery. I think someone should know ???
PS No relatives recognised then ::)
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No one recognised, but to get back to the pic - the only thing I can surmise is that they all appear to be surface workers; do you know anything about the photo'?
Denn
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HEY YOU WOOLEY
I've just seen what you have wrote shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
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No one recognised, but to get back to the pic - the only thing I can surmise is that they all appear to be surface workers; do you know anything about the photo'?
Denn
Sorry Den the only thing I know are 2 of the people who were underground workers who worked there
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No one recognised, but to get back to the pic - the only thing I can surmise is that they all appear to be surface workers; do you know anything about the photo'?
Denn
Sorry Den the only thing I know are 2 of the people who were underground workers who worked there
That blows my train of thought - but makes me wonder why they were clean and relatively well dressed for u/g workers; I guess something of note had happened or was to happen. As for nationalisation I would have expected several officials to be represented and it was usual when an official was photograped for them to have their sticks, yet none are evident here.
For anyone not familiar with coal mining, a stick was carried by all mine officials from deputy upwards and apart from anything else was a status symbol.
Denn
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My OH thought surface workers as well.
His Dad was an apprentice electrician at Barnsley Main. Going to show him this next time he visits and see what he thinks.
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They may have been underground workers, fresh out of the pit head baths, specially spruced up for whateverf was going to happen.
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Local paper 25 August 1894:
MULHERNE - August 16 at Strafford Colliery Dodworth, John Mulherne, colliery labourer of 1 Park row Barnsley aged 24 years.
He was my great uncle but I cannot find out anything about the accident - it is not on the Raley's site. And if anyone local reads this, would Strafford Colliery have been down Rob Royd? Thanks.
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There are holdings in Sheffield archives which strongly suggest from the headings that Strafford Colliery and Rob Royd were part and parcel of each other, as also do some of the entries for Strafford on Raley's site.
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Thanks for that Redroger - yes Rob Royd was a branch of Stafford and I found the accident on Raleys site by using alternative spelling of surname, Mulhearn, it was a fall of coal.
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Nice to solve one!!
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Hi,
Colliers from my family in Lancashire went over to work in pits in the Barnsley area in the 1860s and 70s (Edmund and Henry Brierley) living in Ardsley and Worsbrough at the time . Is there any way I can find at which pit they were at?
John
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An H Brierley was killed at Saville Colliery Dewsbury in 1880. Raleys website shows several Brierleys killed and injured in the coal fields, mainly in Lancashire. Hope that's useful.