New Hartley Pit Disaster 1862

[Michael Dixon]

Seghill,

 What do you mean by " it was no real help" ?

Were the North Tyneside officials unable to provide info on exact site of his grave ?

See    http://www.dmm.org.uk/names/n1862-01.htm
for info on James Armour and other fatalities.


Be aware that not all the miners listed on the monument in Earsdon church cemetery are buried in the churchyard.

 For example the Gallagher brothers and their nephew James Tierney were buried in the small Catholic graveyard at St Cuthbert's, Cowpen. (The nearest Catholic church/graveyard to New Hartley)

Michael

[Seghill]

Thanks Michael, but i know all about the Amours,- its my Mothers fathers grave ( Thomas Douglas ) thats the problem. There seems to be no clear record of where it is in the Church Yard

[Radcliff]

Earsdon Memorial,
At last the memorial has been properly cleaned and the base re-pointed,the paths are well under construction,and it is going to be a lot easier for people to get down there ,no work men there today ,and they have chopped down a few bushes immediately in front of the memorial,pity they didn't start a bit sooner,

[Seghill]

Yes they have got it looking nice, and chopping down those bushes have revealed several of the disaster headstones.
There has been a lot said in the local papers over the past few weeks, and names mentioned of those involved,- but the one name i did not see was that of John Seymour. If it was not for John and his late wife and all the hard work they have done, there would probably be no memorial garden and i don't think these remembrance services would be happening. So i'd like to make it clear, the work he has done, and thank him myself.
I will try and upload a photo of one of the headstones.

[jacksgranny]

Just in case anyone is able to attend, there's a service being held at New Hartley Memorial Hall today at 4pm.  Also, an event involving local schoolchildren in the village's memorial garden, on Monday.  Ref BBC News.

My brother and I are both adopted, and we aren't related.  On researching his birth family, I discovered that his gg uncle, Samuel Birtley, died in the disaster, aged 24.  He was married with a little boy aged 18 months, and his wife, Isabella, gave birth to a daughter 5 days after the accident, on 21 Jan 1862.  If I've read the accounts correctly, that would have been before all of the victims were recovered.  It's hard to imagine just how awful it was for her and all of the others.

Isabella remarried in 1868, to a Tailor!  Less risk of repeating the experience, I suppose.......

I haven't yet been down to St Alban's to check out the headstones and the memorial, although I've seen Samuel's name on it in pictures.  I must say, the descriptions of the jungle were putting me off a bit, and I'm delighted to hear that they have finally got around to tidying it up.  I have newly discovered relatives of my own buried there, also.

Regards
Pauline

[Seghill]

Yes Pauline, its not too bad in most areas now, so i'd go along.
I will be at the memorial garden on Monday, anyone else going from on here.

[jacksgranny]

Thanks Seghill, I've moved this activity higher up my To Do List now that I know it's more user-friendly.   

The anniversary has crept up on me and unfortunately I'm not able to go today, and I'm at work tomorrow   

While my brother is interested to hear what I find on his tree, I'm not sure whether he would want to go, and anyway I can't get hold of him.  Probably out shopping, he sometimes likes to go to the Quayside on Sunday mornings.

I think that there might be a good turnout, following on from a recent event involving Alan Carr, after his WDYTYA episode.

Regards
Pauline

[Seghill]

Thanks Pauline
Yes i hope there is a good turnout tomorrow as its 150 years to the hour, and this should not be forgotten.
Best Wishes
Dave

[Seghill]

Well it was a very good turn out this morning, and a very fitting tribute and reminder, of those miners. What they must have gone through, they would know very well, that they would only have hours and not days to be rescued, or the stythe (carbide) gas would kill them.

These glasses were on sale, copies of original but also marked 2012 at £45.