Staffordshire Colliery Deaths

[weste]

In respect to staffordshire newspapers available, try william salt library at stafford. They have a web site with their contact number on.  I have n't used the facilities yet but were helpful when contacting them a while back.

[Britowl]

Thanks to everyone who has replied.  I have established that unfortunately there are no surviving coroner records for that time which is very disappointing and that my best bet is local newspapers for the time and the local Staffordshire records offices.  I don't live in Staffordshire, so it will have to go on my 'to do' list for records offices to visit to gather data etc.  Pit records might still exist so I might get lucky and be able to track something down from any records surviving from there or from their history archives if they exist.  As my relative's accident was just a single accident involving him alone there is no memorial as with bigger accidents/events.  However, I guess that if there wasn't much going on in the news in the days/weeks/months after my relatives fall down the pit and subsequent death, it might just have made a few lines in a newspaper of the time.  But I will have to wait and see for that.

[weste]

I went to cannock library a few years ago and some one was collecting cuttings out of newspapers for the cannock pits, there were a few folders with the individual pit names on but it was pot luck what you found in the folders.
If using william salt library for newspapers you need to make an appointment and i believe your carn ticket can be used there now.  It's not far from the record office.

[dionysus]

You could try http://www.cmhrc.co.uk/site/disasters/

[Bill_r]

Hi. all,

Hope I didn't miss this one.  I had a quick look through the posts.
I worked at West Cannock 5s for a couple of years in the 60's.

Explosion at West Cannock 5s in 1933 six men killed.

Samuel Nickles Gwilt.
Benjamin Cornwall.
Charles Turnock.
John Henry Williams.
Joseph Williams.
William Thomas Higgs.

Details can be found by following the link below.

 http://www.dmm-pitwork.org.uk/html/cannock.htm

Regards,

[dionysus]

Interesting.  It's hard to see  modern jury being so forgiving!

The most remembered disaster in my neck of the woods was at the Wyrley Grove Colliery on 1 October 1930 when 14 men were killed by an explosion of firedamp.

Another involved relatives of my great grandfather.  On 15 May 1868 when eight men and boys were descending the shaft when the flat wire rope suddenly broke and they went to the bottom of the shaft. Five were killed outright and a youth of 16 years died later but two others recovered from the very serious injuries that they sustained.  The accident was caused by some hemp rope being attached to the wire as an indicator for where the engine should stop.  This prevented regular inspection and hid the decay of the wire.  The engineman was censured and the manager, a Mr M'Ghie, was fined ten shillings plus costs.

Anybody know about the inquest on 18 May 1868?

[franh1946]

My greatgrandfather James Cope died at the Chatterley Colliery Tunstall  in 1884, according to the Coal Mining History Resource Centre. Cause of death was "Fall of bass". Can anyone tell me what this means, please? Thanks

[daveberrisford]

Thomas Berrisford of 18, Jervis Street, Adderley Green died 30th March 1906 at Adderley Green Colliery.  Reference - England & Wales National Probate Calendar(Index of Wills & Administrations)1861-1941.

The reference does not say how he died, whether it was an accident or other reason ?
I have checked the "Coal Mining History Resource Centre" but it does not list this death.

[franh1946]

I've found a death for Berrisford on 30th March at Adderley Green on the North Staffs Mines History website
http://northstaffsminers.btck.co.uk/  (North Staff Mining deaths) The deaths are listed in a spread sheet and as yet I haven't been able to discover what all the columns mean. This is an old thread ,  by the way, you might get more response if you start a new one. As you can see I added to it some time ago and didn't get any responses; very unusual for Rootschat!