DARK LANE. Wellington, Shropshire, 29th. December, 1862.
The colliery was the property of the Lilleshall Company and 12 men and boys lost their lives when a coupling box at the end of rope broke and the box fell 290 feet to the bottom of the shaft. Work was suspended and it took most of the day to get the bodies to the surface.
Those who died were:
- John Guy, 45, married no children
- Benjamin Simpson, 40, married one child, Woodhouse Barrack
- William Baker, 30, married two children, Oakengate
- Thomas Tonks, 30, married two children, Sump, Oakengate
- William Rushton, 30, married three children, Woodhouse Barrack
- John Batley, 32, widower three children, Rogers Ro
- William Ferriday, 37, married six children, Priorsle
- Samuel Jones, 40, married five children, Snedshill Woo
- William Holyhead, 40, married five children, Snedshill Ro
- John Brown, 16, St George
- Samuel Parton, 14 ,Coalpit Bank
- James Smith, 16, Oakengates
REFERENCES
The Mines Inspectors Report, 1862.
Staffordshire Advertiser.
Information supplied by Ian Winstanley and the Coal Mining History Resource Centre.
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