| Disasters - Names |
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Disasters - Names | ||
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| Date: | 28th September 1844 |
| Colliery: | Haswell |
| Cause: | Explosion |
| Lives Lost: | 95 |
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| Description | |
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One of the most destructive explosions which ever occurred in the Durham coal field took place at Haswell colliery, the property of Messrs Plummer, Taylor, and Co., when ninety-five human beings were deprived of life. The explosion occurred in the Hutton seam, almost immediately after a fall of stone from the roof, which had liberated a vast quantity of gas ; and only four persons in the mine succeeded in escaping. On the 30th, fifty-four bodies were interred side by side in South Hetton churchyard, thirty-one at Easington, and the remainder at more distant places. The pit had been seven years at work, and was considered a very safe one. A subscription was immediately set on foot for the relief of the sufferers, and the sum received amounted to £4,264.
| Source: | Local Historian's Table Book of Remarkable Occurrences Connected with the Counties of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, Northumberland and Durham by M.A. Richardson. Published in five volumes in 1844. |
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| Fatalities | |
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 | Barrass, John, aged 10, son of William, taken down the pit for the first time to look at it, Buried: St. Lawrence Churchyard?, Pittington |
| | Barrass, William, aged 32, wife and 4 children, father of John, Buried: St. Lawrence Churchyard?, Pittington |
| | Bell, George, aged 31, married, brother of Jonathan, Buried: Gateshead |
| | Bell, Jonathan, aged 28, brother of George, Buried: Holy Trinity Churchyard, South Hetton |
| | Bottoms, Thomas, aged 17, Buried: Holy Trinity Churchyard, South Hetton |
| | Briggs, James, aged 10, son of John Briggs, grandson of Thomas Briggs, Buried: St. Lawrence Churchyard?, Pittington |
| | Briggs, John, aged 25, son of Thomas Briggs, Buried: St. Lawrence Churchyard?, Pittington |
| | Briggs, Thomas, aged 61, married, Buried: St. Lawrence Churchyard?, Pittington |
| | Brown, John, aged 17, Buried: St. Mary's Churchyard?, Easington |
| | Brown, John, aged 42, Buried: St. Mary's Churchyard?, Easington |
| | Carr, Robert, aged 26, wife and 1 child, Buried: Holy Trinity Churchyard, South Hetton |
| | Clough, Henry, aged 12, brother of Matthew and Michael, Buried: Holy Trinity Churchyard, South Hetton |
| | Clough, Matthew, aged 10, brother of Henry and Michael, Buried: Holy Trinity Churchyard, South Hetton |
| | Clough, Michael, aged 14, brother of Matthew and Henry, Buried: Holy Trinity Churchyard, South Hetton |
| | Curley, John, aged 30, wife and family, Buried: Holy Trinity Churchyard, South Hetton |
| | Davison, Mark, aged 16, Buried: St. Mary's Churchyard?, Easington |
| | Davison, William, aged 26, wife and 3 children, Buried: Gateshead |
| | Dawson, George, aged 53, wife and 6 children, Buried: Holy Trinity Churchyard, South Hetton |
| | Dixon, John, aged 15, Buried: St. Mary's Churchyard?, Easington |
| | Dixon, John, aged 21, Buried: St. Mary's Churchyard?, Easington |
| | Dixon, William, aged 16, Buried: St. Mary's Churchyard?, Easington |
| | Dixon, William, aged 46, Buried: St. Mary's Churchyard?, Easington |
| | Dobson, William, aged 50, married, Buried: Holy Trinity Churchyard, South Hetton |
| | Douglas, Robert, aged 32, wife and 4 children, Buried: Holy Trinity Churchyard, South Hetton |
| | Dryden, George, aged 19, brother of James, Robert and Thomas, Buried: Holy Trinity Churchyard, South Hetton |
| | Dryden, James, aged 15, brother of George, Robert and Thomas, Buried: Holy Trinity Churchyard, South Hetton |
| | Dryden, Robert, aged 17, brother of George, James, and Thomas, Buried: Holy Trinity Churchyard, South Hetton |
| | Dryden, Thomas, aged 22, brother of James, Robert and George, Buried: Holy Trinity Churchyard, South Hetton |
| | Elsdon, George, aged 18, brother of William, Buried: St. Lawrence Churchyard?, Pittington |
| | Elsdon, William, aged 22, brother of George, Buried: St. Lawrence Churchyard?, Pittington |
| | Farish, William, aged 30, married, Buried: Holy Trinity Churchyard, South Hetton |
| | Ferry, George, aged 14, son of John, Buried: Holy Trinity Churchyard, South Hetton |
| | Ferry, John, aged 35, wife and 5 children, father of George, Buried: Holy Trinity Churchyard, South Hetton |
| | Gibson, John, aged 22, son of Joseph, brother of Ralph and William, Buried: St. Mary's Churchyard?, Easington |
| | Gibson, Joseph, aged 50, father of John, Ralph and William, Buried: St. Mary's Churchyard?, Easington |
| | Gibson, Ralph, aged 15, son of Joseph, brother of John and William, Buried: St. Mary's Churchyard?, Easington |
| | Gibson, William, aged 12, son of Joseph, brother of Ralph and Joseph, Buried: St. Mary's Churchyard?, Easington |
| | Gilroy, John, aged 13, brother of William, Buried: St. Mary's Churchyard?, Easington |
| | Gilroy, William, aged 16, brother of John, Buried: St. Mary's Churchyard?, Easington |
| | Hall, George, aged 38, married, son also killed, Buried: Holy Trinity Churchyard, South Hetton |
| | Hall, John, aged 10, Buried: Holy Trinity Churchyard, South Hetton |
| | Hall, Robert, aged 12, Buried: Holy Trinity Churchyard, South Hetton |
| | Harrison, John, aged 12, brother of William, Buried: St. Mary's Churchyard?, Easington |
| | Harrison, William, aged 13, brother of John, Buried: St. Mary's Churchyard?, Easington |
| | Heslop, George, aged 20, Buried: Holy Trinity Churchyard, South Hetton |
| | Hogg, Robert, aged 20, Buried: Holy Trinity Churchyard, South Hetton |
| | Jobling, William, aged 29, married, Buried: Holy Trinity Churchyard, South Hetton |
| | Laylands, James, aged 29, wife and 2 children, Buried: Holy Trinity Churchyard, South Hetton |
| | Lemmon, Daniel, wife and 1 child, cousin to William Routledge, Buried: St. Mary's Churchyard?, Easington |
| | Mather, Henry, aged 19, Buried: St. Mary's Churchyard?, Easington |
| | Maughan, James, aged 23, Buried: St. Mary's Churchyard?, Easington |
| | Moffat, Joseph, aged 25, married, Buried: Holy Trinity Churchyard, South Hetton |
| | Moody, Thomas, aged 25, Buried: Holy Trinity Churchyard, South Hetton |
| | Nicholson, Edward, aged 19, Buried: Holy Trinity Churchyard, South Hetton |
| | Nicholson, Robert, aged 11, Buried: St. Mary's Churchyard?, Easington |
| | Nicholson, Thomas, aged 16, Buried: St. Mary's Churchyard?, Easington |
| | Nicholson, William, aged 18, Buried: St. Mary's Churchyard?, Easington |
| | Noble, John, aged 40, wife and 4 children, Buried: Holy Trinity Churchyard, South Hetton |
| | Padley, John, aged 28 |
| | Parkinson, John, aged 28, Buried: Holy Trinity Churchyard, South Hetton |
| | Richardson, Elliot, aged 38, wife and family, father of John, Buried: Holy Trinity Churchyard, South Hetton |
| | Richardson, George, aged 29, wife and 1 child, Buried: St. Mary's Churchyard?, Easington |
| | Richardson, James, aged 41, wife and 4 children, Buried: Holy Trinity Churchyard, South Hetton |
| | Richardson, John, aged 14, son of Elliot, Buried: Holy Trinity Churchyard, South Hetton |
| | Robinson, Peter, aged 24, Buried: Holy Trinity Churchyard, South Hetton |
| | Robson, James, aged 10, Buried: Holy Trinity Churchyard, South Hetton |
| | Rosecamp, Robert, aged 33, wife and 4 children, brother of William, Buried: St. Mary's Churchyard?, Easington |
| | Rosecamp, William, aged 22, married, brother of Robert, Buried: St. Mary's Churchyard?, Easington |
| | Routledge, William, aged 18, cousin to Daniel Lemmon, father was burnt to death in the same colliery previously, Buried: St. Mary's Churchyard?, Easington |
| | Sanderson, James, aged 40, wife and 2 children |
| | Sanderson, John, aged 24, married, Buried: St. Mary's Churchyard?, Easington |
| | Surtees, John, aged 16, brother of William, cousin of Ralph, Buried: Holy Trinity Churchyard, South Hetton |
| | Surtees, Ralph, aged 19, cousin of John and William, Buried: Holy Trinity Churchyard, South Hetton |
| | Surtees, William, aged 12, brother of John, cousin of Ralph, Buried: Holy Trinity Churchyard, South Hetton |
| | Taylor, William, aged 21, Buried: Gateshead |
| | Teasdale, Christopher, aged 21, brother of John and Stephen, Buried: Holy Trinity Churchyard, South Hetton |
| | Teasdale, John, aged 19, brother of Christopher and Stephen, Buried: Holy Trinity Churchyard, South Hetton |
| | Teasdale, Stephen, aged 17, brother of John and Christopher, Buried: Holy Trinity Churchyard, South Hetton |
| | Thirlaway, Michael, aged 18, Buried: Holy Trinity Churchyard, South Hetton |
| | Thompson, Wanless, aged 55, wife and large family, Buried: Holy Trinity Churchyard, South Hetton |
| | Thurlaway, Michael, aged 18 |
| | Turnbull, James, aged 12, brother of Thomas, Buried: St. Mary's Churchyard?, Easington |
| | Turnbull, Thomas, aged 22, brother of James, Buried: Holy Trinity Churchyard, South Hetton |
| | Ward, Hans, aged 30, wife and 5 children, pregnant with the 6th, Buried: St. Mary's Churchyard?, Easington |
| | Wheatman, Henry, aged 42, wife and 1 child, Buried: Holy Trinity Churchyard, South Hetton |
| | Wheatman, William, aged 14, son or nephew of Henry Wheatman, Buried: Holy Trinity Churchyard, South Hetton |
| | Whitfield, John, aged 10, son of John Whitfield, Buried: Holy Trinity Churchyard, South Hetton |
| | Whitfield, John, aged 31, Buried: Holy Trinity Churchyard, South Hetton |
| | Williamson, John, aged 34, Deputy, brother of Robert, wife and 6 children, pregnant with the 7th, Buried: Holy Trinity Churchyard, South Hetton |
| | Williamson, Robert, aged 19, brother of John, Buried: Holy Trinity Churchyard, South Hetton |
| | Willis, John, aged 20, brother of Thomas, Buried: Holy Trinity Churchyard, South Hetton |
| | Willis, John, aged 12, Buried: Holy Trinity Churchyard, South Hetton |
| | Willis, Thomas, aged 18, brother of John, Buried: Holy Trinity Churchyard, South Hetton |
| | Wolfe, Joseph, aged 25, wife and 1 child, brother of Peter, Buried: Holy Trinity Churchyard, South Hetton |
| | Wolfe, Peter, aged 20, brother of Joseph, Buried: Holy Trinity Churchyard, South Hetton |
All names found | |
Youngest: 10 years old ; Oldest: 61 ; Average: 24 | |
Those names marked with |
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| Poems | |
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By from the Illustrated London News
In far Golcond, or Oman's sea,
The seeker for vain luxury
may lose his life, and Pity shed
A few cold tear-drops o'er his bed;
But here, where hundreds for our good,
Are undermining life for food,
Most hardly earn'd, how should we weep
To see at one ungenerous sweep
So many beings snatch'd by Fate -
So many too, left desolate!
How many ties were broken there,
How many hopes chang'd to despair!
Oh! This is subject to true grief,
Which ev'n in tears can't find relief!
And then, the solemn cavalcade -
The melancholy long parade,
That through the churchyard slowly wends,
With widows, orphans, sisters, friends,
Fathers, mothers, all in tears
Weeping o'er untimely biers :
This is a sight to wound the sense
Of heart with Pity's least pretence.
The Hundred Men of HaswellBy George Weerth (translated by Laura Lafargue)
The hundred men of Haswell,
They all died in the same day;
They all died in the same hour;
They all went the self same way.
And When they were all buried,
Came a hundred women, lo,
A hundred women of Haswell,
It was a sight of woe!
With all their children came they,
With daughter and with son:
'Now, thou rich man of Haswell,
Her wage to everyone!'
By that rich man of Haswell
Not long were they denied:
A full week's wage he paid them
For every man who died.
And when the wage was given,
His chest fast locked up he;
The iron lock clicked sharply,
The women wept bitterly.
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| Newspaper Articles | |
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| 01 Oct 1844 | Dreadfull Colliery Explosion (The Times) |
| 02 Oct 1844 | The Late Dreadful Colliery Explosion, Inquest on the Bodies (The Times) |
| 03 Oct 1844 | The Colliery Explosion at Haswell, Adjourned Inquest (The Times) |
| 04 Oct 1844 | The Colliery Explosion at Haswell, Adjourned Inquest (The Times) |
| 05 Oct 1844 | Colliery Accidents (The Times) |
| 11 Oct 1844 | The Colliery Explosion at Haswell, Adjourned Inquest (The Times) |
| 14 Oct 1844 | The Late Explosion at Haswell Colliery (The Times) |
| 15 Oct 1844 | Catastrophe at Haswell Coal-Pit (The Times) |
| 19 Oct 1844 | The Haswell Sufferers (The Times) |
| 14 Mar 1845 | The Late Explosion at Haswell Colliery (The Times) |
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