Thank you Bob and Trystan for responding,
The one ancestor in particluar did not die or have an accident at Whitehaven, but did work in the coal mines in Whitehaven before moving onto Durham. I am on the DMM site regularly looking for info as most of my Richardson ancestors were miners, some of whom were in Whitehaven and then moved onto Durham (Usworth, Houghton, Chester le Street, Biddick and many more), from about 1850 ish. I also have Glendennings/Glendinnings who were miners in Durham. The reason I'm interested in Whitehaven particularly for Jonathan Richardson is a bit long winded, but here we go.
Jonathan was born in Tanfield Durham, 1817, the illegitimate son of one Sarah Richardson. I don't know what happened between his birth and his marriage in 1837, whether he was in Durham or Whitehaven, I can't find any records, but he married Mary Ann Gribbin in 1837 in Whitehaven. They married at St James and he was listed as a coal miner at the time. I have been unable to trace Jonathans mother, and there are no fathers details listed on his parish marriage record but I have found a link that appears to imply that his mother Sarah was originally from Whitehaven. Jonathan and Mary had a son Robert, who married Mary Ann Tatters, also from Whitehaven, and who it seems was also from a mining family. Her sister Sarah married Roberts brother Daniel. Also, if you go back 2 generations (to Mary Anns grandparents) in the Tatters family there is a link by marriage to a Richardson family who have a daughter called Sarah, born about the right time for Jonathan's mother Sarah.
I was told that the Tatters and Richardsons lived close to each other in Whitehaven and both families worked closely in the mines.
Anyway, the long and short of it is if I can find some information about Jonathan Richardson in the Whitehaven mines, prior to his marriage in 1837, it may help me to trace his mother/next of kin/address and help me on my way with my research.
I hit this brick wall months and months ago and would love to knock it down, although most people tell me that tracing the single mothers of illegitimate children, particularly pre-1837 is almost impossible. The mining link is my last resort really.
Any help, even the tiniest possibility would be gratefully received.
Nadine