life expectancy of coalminers

[HeatherL]

Does any one have any idea what the rough life expectancy of a coalminer was around the 1800s? I have a coalminer ancestor who died when he was 82, which seems really old considering the time period (ESPECIALLY considering his occupation)...

Cheers
Heather

[stanmapstone]

Until the introduction of the national registration of deaths in 1837, I don't think that there would be any way to obtain these statistics, as before this only burials were recorded in parish registers. Also the first Act of Parliament having for its object the protection and welfare of workers in the British mining industry was not passed until 1842.

Stan

[johngirl]

Hi Heather.

Not that this is much help but my G G Grandfather was a coal miner all his working life. He was born in 1831 and died in 1897. He died of Pithisis a common cause of death for coal miners.

  Johngirl

[Gadget]

I come from a long line of coal miners:

1.  died 1824 - aged 25 (I believe a mining accident but nothing to substantiate)

2.  His son - died 1879 aged 59 - non-mining accident

3.  His son - died 1904 aged 61 - crushed by a wagon at pit bottom


My grandfather died aged 75 of heart attack having retired 5 years previously. My father died aged 80 of heart attack having retired in his early 60s.

It would depend on the type of coal mine - open cast or deep mine and the occupations and, in most cases, just luck 

My father was working at the coal face in the late 1940s when a large boulder fell on his workmate next to him. All the men on the shift struggled to rescue the man but he died.

My uncle had chronic 'coal miner's lung' /'dust'(silicosis) and died in his late 60s. another uncle died at the age of 95.

As Stan says, it's very difficult to get information from before 1837. The coal mining history site might have something:

http://www.cmhrc.co.uk/site/home/


Regards


Gadget

[dennford]

I think that Gadget has hit the nail on the head with her three examples - a miner may be lucky or unlucky. An accident could claim the life of a child (yes a child miner) or a seventy year old - accidents aren't choosy and there were lots of accidents in those mines.

However accidents apart, many miners would over the years would develop respiratory disease such as pneumonicosis or silicosis. my grandfather died of silicosis at the age of 75 after many years of severe disability.

Now the life expectancy of any man in the 1800s would surely not have been 75. but it must be reasoned that most sufferers of respiratory disease would  have died much earlier or as my grandfather was - be unable to do any physical exercise (even walking - he was bedridden for many years).

In short I don't think that there is an acceptable answer to that particular question.

Denn

[stanmapstone]

Pre-1850 there was no systematic recording of mining deaths. http://www.cmhrc.co.uk/site/home/

Apparently, according to an Assize Judge in 1815, it was not customary to trouble about a coroner's inquest if the corpse was "only that of a collier."

Stan

[Gadget]

I think there are at least  two different questions here - deaths from coal mining, which would include accidents and the various lung conditions and the average age of death of those employed in coal mining, which would be from all causes.

Although mining was a perilous and hard occupation, life for many other occupational groups was also high. Life for ordinary workers was hard. Fishing, for example,  also had a high death rate.


Any chance of you finding average age at death for 'workers' in the 19th century, stan?  I've got some info in a book but it's in Scotland.


Gadget

Added - by region might be able to differentiate to some extent, the mining areas and the others

[HeatherL]

Lol. I hadn't really thought that this would be such a complex issue. I figured that there would be a number out there somewhere...

[stanmapstone]

See Mortality by Edward Higgs
http://www.rootschat.com/links/06cp/


Stan