Samuel ELTON Flaxley 1791 (General)
by slowhands 
, proud of his ancient Dean Forest roots, Tuesday, July 19, 2005, 18:22 (7104 days ago)
Year: 1791
Month: Sep
Day: 11
Parents_Surname: ELTON
Child_Forenames: Samuel
Fathers_Forenames: William
Mothers_Forenames: Ann
Mothers_Surname:
Residence:
Occupation:
Officiating_Minister: Wm Boughton Minister
Event: Baptism
Memoranda:
Notes:
Register_Reference: P145 IN 1/4
Page_Number: 15
Parish_Chapel: Flaxley
1841
HO 107 / 364 / 9 folio 4
Bilson
Samuel ELTON 45 Coal miner
Esther 30
William 15
Tryphena 14
Isabella 12
Nahome 10
Susannah 7
all born in county
1851 East Dean
ELTON Samuel Widow/er 59 Coal Miner East Dean
Naomi 10 Dressmaker East Dean
Susanna 11 East Dean
ELTON William 26 Coal Miner East Dean
Ann 22 Little Dean
Samuel 2 East Dean
Isabella 1m Little Dean
1861
William Elton abt 1825 East Dean, Gloucestershire, England Head Flaxby, Littledean and Newnham Gloucestershire
Ann Elton abt 1829 Littledean, Gloucestershire, England Wife Flaxby, Littledean and Newnham Gloucestershire
Catherine Elton abt 1855 Extonfarochial, Gloucestershire, England Daughter Flaxby, Littledean and Newnham Gloucestershire
Elenor Elton abt 1859 Extonfarochial, Gloucestershire, England Daughter Flaxby, Littledean and Newnham Gloucestershire
Isabella Elton abt 1851 Littledean, Gloucestershire, England Daughter Flaxby, Littledean and Newnham Gloucestershire
Samuel Elton abt 1844 Extonparochial, Gloucestershire, England Son Flaxby, Littledean and Newnham Gloucestershire
1871
William Ellen abt 1825 East Dean Head Hinders Lane Gloucestershire
Ann Ellen abt 1829 Little Dean, Gloucestershire, England Wife Hinders Lane Gloucestershire
Eliza Ellen abt 1859 Gloster Daughter Hinders Lane Gloucestershire
Isabell Ellen abt 1851 Little Dean, Gloucestershire, England Daughter Hinders Lane Gloucestershire
Julia Ellen abt 1861 Gloster Daughter Hinders Lane Gloucestershire
Samuel Ellen abt 1849 Gloucestershire, England Son Hinders Lane Gloucestershire
Amos Elton abt 1866 Gloucestershire, England Son Hinders Lane Gloucestershire
Emma Elton abt 1864 Gloucestershire, England Daughter Hinders Lane Gloucestershire
1881
William Elton abt 1825 Coleford, Gloucestershire, England Head Lea Bailey, Gloucestershire, England
Ann Elton abt 1828 Littledean Hill, Gloucestershire, England Wife Lea Bailey, Gloucestershire, England
Amos Elton abt 1866 Littledean Hill, Gloucestershire, England Son Lea Bailey, Gloucestershire, England
Emma Elton abt 1864 Littledean Hill, Gloucestershire, England Daughter Lea Bailey, Gloucestershire, England
Samuel ELTON Flaxley 1791
Hello, Do you know if this Samuel is related to Elijah ELTON born Popeshill 1802, i.e. were they children of William ELTON and Ann WALDING ?
Thanks,
1841 address search
Name Sex Age Birth Year Occupation Where Born
________________________________________
ELTON, Elijah M 35 1806 Shoemaker Gloucestershire
ELTON, Elizabeth F 30 1811 Gloucestershire
ELTON, Samuel M 13 1828 App Painter Gloucestershire
ELTON, Sarah F 9 1832 Gloucestershire
ELTON, Elizabeth F 5 1836 Gloucestershire
ELTON, Emma F 4 1837 Gloucestershire
ELTON, Horriett F 2 1839 Gloucestershire
ELTON, Thomas M 0 (3 months) 1841 Gloucestershire
FEREMAN, James M 35 1806
BIRT, Robert M 20 1821 Gloucestershire
BIRT, Charlotte F 20 1821 Gloucestershire
________________________________________
RG number:HO107 Piece:369 Book/Folio:26 Page:18
Registration District:Westbury on Severn Sub District:Newnham Enumeration District: Ecclesiastical Parish:
Civil Parish:Newnham Municipal Borough: Address:Newnham St, Newnham County:Gloucestershire
From 1881 Census
Dwelling:Church Lane Census Place:Newnham, Gloucester, England
Source:FHL Film 1341609 PRO Ref RG11 Piece 2524 Folio 72 Page 8
Marr Age Sex Birthplace
Elijah ELTON M 79 M Popeshill, Gloucester, England Rel:Head Occ:Boot Maker
Elizabeth ELTON M 71 F Popeshill, Gloucester, England Rel:Wife
William ELTON & Ann WILDING Flaxley / Littledean
by slowhands , proud of his ancient Dean Forest roots, Monday, December 06, 2010, 14:08 (5138 days ago) @ Whealgrace
It would seem that this is the possible family of William and Ann; however no Elijah of Popes Hill 1802 :-
Year: 1784
Month: Aug
Day: 23
Grooms_Surname: ELTON
Grooms_Forenames: William
Grooms_Age:
Groom_Condition: [not stated]
Grooms_Occupation:
Grooms_Residence: this Parish [Littledean]
Grooms_Fathers_Surname:
Grooms_Fathers_Forenames:
Grooms_Fathers_Occupation:
Brides_Surname: WALDING
Brides_Forenames: Ann
Brides_Age:
Brides_Condition: [not stated]
Brides_Occupation:
Brides_Residence: this Parish [Littledean]
Brides_Fathers_Surname:
Brides_Fathers_Forenames:
Brides_Fathers_Occupation:
Licence_or_Banns: Banns
Date_of_Banns: 1784 Aug 8 15 & 22
Signature_or_Mark: Both mark
Witness_1: Mark of John Cooper
Witness_2: Anthony Cooper
Other_Witnesses:
Officiating_Minister: Benj[amin] Webb Min[iste]r
Event: Marriage
Memoranda:
Notes: Bride`s Surname is Waldron in BTs
Register_Reference: P110 IN 1/8
Page_Number: 30
Parish_Chapel: Littledean
1785 ELTON Ann William Ann [not stated] [not stated] Newnham
1786 ELTON William William Ann Littledean
1789 ELTON David William Ann Littledean
1791 ELTON Samuel William Ann Flaxley
1794 ELTON John William Ann Littledean
1797 ELTON Richard William Ann Littledean
1798 ELTON Mary William Ann Littledean
1802 ELTON Eliza William Ann Littledean
1805 ELTON James William Ann Flaxley
1807 ELTON Sophia William Ann Flaxley
<><><><><><> Elijah ELTON 1802 - 1888 Boot / Shoe maker Popes Hill -> Newnham
Year: 1824
Month: Sep
Day: 16
Grooms_Surname: ELTON
Grooms_Forenames: Elijah
Grooms_Age: [not stated]
Groom_Condition: Batchelor
Grooms_Occupation: [not stated]
Grooms_Residence: of this parish
Grooms_Fathers_Surname: [not stated]
Grooms_Fathers_Forenames: [not stated]
Grooms_Fathers_Occupation: [not stated]
Brides_Surname: AVERILL
Brides_Forenames: Sarah
Brides_Age: [not stated]
Brides_Condition: Spinster
Brides_Occupation: [not stated]
Brides_Residence: of this parish
Brides_Fathers_Surname: [not stated]
Brides_Fathers_Forenames: [not stated]
Brides_Fathers_Occupation: [not stated]
Licence_or_Banns: Banns
Date_of_Banns:
Signature_or_Mark: Both sign
Witness_1: W[illia]m Morse
Witness_2: Eliza Matilda Baynham
Other_Witnesses:
Officiating_Minister: Maxwell [illegible]hayre Curate
Event: Marriage
Memoranda:
Notes:
Register_Reference: P228 IN 1/7
Page_Number: 24
Parish_Chapel: Newnham
Year: 1827
Month: Sep
Day: 16
Parents_Surname: ELTON
Child_Forenames: Samuel
Fathers_Forenames: Elijah
Mothers_Forenames: Sarah
Mothers_Surname:
Residence: Newnham
Occupation: Shoe maker
Officiating_Minister: Geo[rge] Ridout Off[iciating] Minister
Event: Baptism
Memoranda:
Notes:
Register_Reference: P228 IN 1/5
Page_Number: 61
Parish_Chapel: Newnham
Year: 1834
Month: Jul
Day: 18
Surname: ELTON
Forenames: Sarah
Residence: Newnham
Age_at_death: 36
Officiating_Minister: J Parsons
Event: Burial
Cause_of_death:
Memoranda:
Notes:
Register_Reference: P228 IN 1/8
Page_No: 47
Parish_Chapel: Newnham
1861
Elijah Elton 59
Elizabeth Elton 50
Henry Elton 17
Fredrick Elton 15
Fanny Elton 14
George Elton 12
Edward Elton 8
1871
Elijah Elton 69
Elizabeth Elton 62
Henry Elton 27
George Elton 22
Edward Elton 10
John Chappell 23
Year: 1888
Month: Dec
Day: 16
Surname: ELTON
Forenames: Elijah
Residence: Newnham
Age_at_death: 86
Officiating_Minister: Thos J Weight vicar
Event: Burial
Cause_of_death:
Memoranda:
Notes:
Register_Reference: P228 IN 1/20
Page_No: 2
Parish_Chapel: Newnham
--
Ἀριστοτέλης A Gloster & Hereford Boy in the Forest of Dean ><((((*>
John MERRIMAN born 1853
Born in Littledean, married to Catherine Elton. John is my great grandfather -miner lived in Cinderford area. I would like to know more about the life and work of both John and Catherine any pictures would be helpful to research.
John MERRIMAN 1853 - 1920 Littledean
by slowhands , proud of his ancient Dean Forest roots, Friday, February 03, 2012, 17:21 (4714 days ago) @ unknown
John MERRIMAN has "ELTON" genes
Year: 1824
Month: Jan
Day: 25
Parents_Surname: ELTON
Child_Forenames: Hester
Fathers_Forenames: John
Mothers_Forenames: Ann
Mothers_Surname:
Residence: Littledean Hill
Occupation: Collier
Officiating_Minister: H. Berkin
Event: Baptism
Memoranda:
Notes:
Register_Reference: P109 IN 1/1
Page_Number: 45
Parish_Chapel: Drybrook
Year: 1847
Month: Jul
Day: 26
Grooms_Surname: MERRYMAN
Grooms_Forenames: Henry
Grooms_Age: full
Groom_Condition: Bachelor
Grooms_Occupation: collier
Grooms_Residence: Newnham
Grooms_Fathers_Surname: Merryman
Grooms_Fathers_Forenames: Samuel
Grooms_Fathers_Occupation: labourer
Brides_Surname: ELTON
Brides_Forenames: Esther
Brides_Age: full
Brides_Condition: Spinster
Brides_Occupation: dressmaker
Brides_Residence: Newnham
Brides_Fathers_Surname: Elton
Brides_Fathers_Forenames: John
Brides_Fathers_Occupation: collier
Licence_or_Banns: Banns
Date_of_Banns:
Signature_or_Mark: he marks she signs
Witness_1: [..] Clarke
Witness_2: Mary Hawkins
Other_Witnesses:
Officiating_Minister: E.C. Brice perp.curate
Event: Marriage
Memoranda:
Notes:
Register_Reference: P228 IN 1/13
Page_Number: 54
Parish_Chapel: Newnham
1851
Henry Merriman rabt 1821 Hartpury, Gloucestershire, England Head Lea Bailey, Gloucestershire
Ester Merriman abt 1824 Littledean, Gloucestershire, England Wife Lea Bailey, Gloucestershire
Harriet Elton abt 1845 East Dean, Gloucestershire, England Daughter Lea Bailey, Gloucestershire
Tom Merriman abt 1849 Mitcheldean, Gloucestershire, England Son Lea Bailey, Gloucestershire
Ann Jane Merriman abt 1850 Littledean, Gloucestershire, England Daughter Lea Bailey, Gloucestershire
Year: 1853
Month: Apr
Day: 12
Surname: MERRIMAN
Forenames: Esther
Residence: Little Dean Hill
Age_at_death: 29 years
Officiating_Minister: Geo[rge] French Curate
Event: Burial
Cause_of_death:
Memoranda:
Notes: Note in Name Column- O.Y. 3Row 3g
Register_Reference: P109 IN 1/11
Page_No: 123
Parish_Chapel: Drybrook
Name: John Merriman
Date of Registration: Jan-Feb-Mar 1853
Registration district: Westbury on Severn
Inferred County: Gloucestershire
Volume: 6a
Page: 187
1861
Henry Meryman abt 1824 Harpney, Gloucestershire, England Head East Dean, Gloucestershire
Mary Meryman abt 1814 Little Dean, Gloucestershire, England Wife East Dean, Gloucestershire
Thomas Meryman abt 1848 Mitchledean, Gloucestershire, England Son East Dean, Gloucestershire
Ann Meryman abt 1851 East Dean, Gloucestershire, England Daughter East Dean, Gloucestershire
John Meryman abt 1853 East Dean, Gloucestershire, England Son East Dean, Gloucestershire
Charlotte Meryman abt 1860 East Dean, Gloucestershire, England Daughter East Dean, Gloucestershire
Enos Hale abt 1846 East Dean, Gloucestershire, England Stepson East Dean, Gloucestershire
Susanna Hale abt 1853 East Dean, Gloucestershire, England Stepdaughter East Dean, Gloucestershire
1871
John Merriman abt 1853 N Lodger East Dean, Gloucestershire
Year: 1872
Month: May
Day: 12
Grooms_Surname: MERRIMAN
Grooms_Forenames: John
Grooms_Age: 20
Groom_Condition: Bachelor
Grooms_Occupation: Miner
Grooms_Residence: Little Dean Hill
Grooms_Fathers_Surname: Merriman
Grooms_Fathers_Forenames: Henry
Grooms_Fathers_Occupation: Miner
Brides_Surname: ELTON
Brides_Forenames: Catharine
Brides_Age: 18
Brides_Condition: Spinster
Brides_Occupation: [not stated]
Brides_Residence: Little Dean Hill
Brides_Fathers_Surname: Elton
Brides_Fathers_Forenames: William
Brides_Fathers_Occupation: Miner
Licence_or_Banns: Banns
Date_of_Banns: [not stated]
Signature_or_Mark: Both mark
Witness_1: Mark of Samuel Elton
Witness_2: Emma Davies
Other_Witnesses:
Officiating_Minister: William Barker Vicar
Event: Marriage
Memoranda:
Notes:
Register_Reference: P109 IN 1/7
Page_Number: 39
Parish_Chapel: Drybrook
1881
John Merriman abt 1853 Littledean, Gloucestershire, England Head Westbury on Severn - East Dean, Gloucestershire
Coal miner
Catherine Merriman abt 1856 East Dean, Gloucestershire, England Wife Westbury on Severn - East Dean, Gloucestershire
Eliza Merriman abt 1873 East Dean, Gloucestershire, England Daughter Westbury on Severn - East Dean, Gloucestershire
Esther Merriman abt 1875 East Dean, Gloucestershire, England Daughter Westbury on Severn - East Dean, Gloucestershire
Emma Merriman J abt 1877 East Dean, Gloucestershire, England Daughter Westbury on Severn - East Dean, Gloucestershire
Lillie Merriman abt 1879 East Dean, Gloucestershire, England Daughter Westbury on Severn - East Dean, Gloucestershire
John Merriman East Dean, Gloucestershire, England Son Westbury on Severn - East Dean, Gloucestershire
1891 Bilson
John Merriman abt 1853 Littledean Hill, Gloucestershire, England Head East Dean, Gloucestershire
Catherine Merriman abt 1855 Littledean Hill, Gloucestershire, England Wife East Dean, Gloucestershire
Emma Merriman abt 1877 Cinderford, Gloucestershire, England Daughter East Dean, Gloucestershire
Lillie Merriman abt 1879 Cinderford, Gloucestershire, England Daughter East Dean, Gloucestershire
John Merriman abt 1881 Cinderford, Gloucestershire, England Son East Dean, Gloucestershire
William Merriman abt 1883 Cinderford, Gloucestershire, England Son East Dean, Gloucestershire
Amos Merriman abt 1885 Cinderford, Gloucestershire, England Son East Dean, Gloucestershire
Alice Merriman abt 1888 Cinderford, Gloucestershire, England Daughter East Dean, Gloucestershire
Frederick Merriman abt 1890 Cinderford, Gloucestershire, England Son East Dean, Gloucestershire
Year: 1920
Month: Dec
Day: 21
Surname: MERRIMAN
Forenames: John
Residence: Cinderford
Age_at_death: 66
Officiating_Minister: F W Baldwin Vicar
Event: Burial
Cause_of_death:
Memoranda: C/4/10
Notes:
Register_Reference: P85/1 IN 1/15
Page_No: 64
Parish_Chapel: Cinderford St John
--
Ἀριστοτέλης A Gloster & Hereford Boy in the Forest of Dean ><((((*>
John ELTON 1794 Littledean
by slowhands , proud of his ancient Dean Forest roots, Friday, February 03, 2012, 17:31 (4714 days ago) @ slowhands
Year: 1794
Month: Jul
Day: 20
Parents_Surname: ELTON
Child_Forenames: John
Fathers_Forenames: William
Mothers_Forenames: Ann
Mothers_Surname:
Residence:
Occupation:
Officiating_Minister: Wm Fryer Minister
Event: Baptism
Memoranda:
Notes:
Register_Reference: P110 IN 1/4
Page_Number: 6
Parish_Chapel: Littledean
1841
John Elton abt 1796 Gloucestershire, England Dean Forest, Gloucestershire
Ann Elton abt 1796 Gloucestershire, England Dean Forest, Gloucestershire
Eliza Elton abt 1824 Gloucestershire, England Dean Forest, Gloucestershire
Ester Elton abt 1826 Gloucestershire, England Dean Forest, Gloucestershire
Jane Elton abt 1829 Gloucestershire, England Dean Forest, Gloucestershire
Ann Elton abt 1831 Gloucestershire, England Dean Forest, Gloucestershire
Silvey Elton abt 1833 Gloucestershire, England Dean Forest, Gloucestershire
Sophia Elton abt 1836 Gloucestershire, England Dean Forest, Gloucestershire
James Elton abt 1839 Gloucestershire, England Dean Forest, Gloucestershire
1861
John Elton abt 1794 Little Dean, Gloucestershire, England Head East Dean, Gloucestershire
Ann Elton abt 1797 Little Dean, Gloucestershire, England Wife East Dean, Gloucestershire
James Elton abt 1839 East Dean, Gloucestershire, England Son East Dean, Gloucestershire
John Elton abt 1844 East Dean, Gloucestershire, England Son East Dean, Gloucestershire
Elizth Walkley abt 1850 East Dean, Gloucestershire, England Granddaughter East Dean, Gloucestershire
--
Ἀριστοτέλης A Gloster & Hereford Boy in the Forest of Dean ><((((*>
John Merriman b1853, Littledean Hill miner
by Jefff , West London, Middlesex, Saturday, February 04, 2012, 04:02 (4714 days ago) @ slowhands
"like to know more about the life and work of both John and Catherine"
Slowhands,
as I understand it a miner of coal is traditionally termed a "collier", whereas a miner of iron ore is a "miner". In your considerable experience, do you know if these meanings are reflected in the occupation terms used in the PRs ? Certainly I've seen the "coal miner", "coal hewer", or "collier" used wrt my Lydbrook ancestors who were indeed coal miners, but off-hand I don't have experience of researching other "miners" in the PRs.
Sheila,
I ask as John spent his life mining in the "Littledean Hill/St John's" end of Cinderford. I believe Littledean itself was the first & main iron mining area of the Forest, dating back to the C13th. Cinderford (as a town) originated in the C19th, as a result of the growth of the local iron & coal mining industries which served the local ironworks owned largely by the Crawshays, this site has a good history.
http://way-mark.co.uk/foresthaven/historic/gfodmin5.htm
"Henry Crawshay, who took over his father's mining and smelting interests in the Forest and became known as the 'iron king' of the Forest of Dean, employed as many as 250 hands to dig ore in Buckshaft, Shakemantle, and St. Annal's mines in the mid 1860s."
http://www.old-maps.co.uk/maps.html search "St Annals" and see 1881 map,
ditto search this page for a definitive history of the town
https://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=23266&strquery=annals
This map shows all the Dean Coal & Iron Mines in 1894.
http://www.lightmoor.co.uk/forestcoal/Overviewmap.html
Click to enlarge the "East Dean" section for the Cinderford area. You can see the brown spot (iron mine) at St Annals, also at Buckshaft (uphill above Cinderford Bridge, very near to St John's Church where John is buried) and Shakemantle at nearby Ruspidge.
The black spots are the coalmines. Of course it's perfectly possible John was a coal miner. Even in the "modern" 1940s or so it wasn't unusual for miners to walk five miles or so eachway to work their shift, as the small mines closed and they maybe had to work farther from home. By then only the big "deep" pits were working, such as Eastern United in Ruspidge.
Hopefully these links plus the others I sent you will help gain an idea of the hard life John had working underground. The underground workings were often only a few feet high, so very cramped and difficult working conditions, not too mention of course the grime and dust. It didnt surprise me John died aged "only" 66, the burial record doesn't suggest anything unusual and there isn't an Inquest for him on this site's Records. When I started using my local Cinderford pub (coincidentally the Miners Welfare Club) in the late 70s it was always busy and you could easily recognise the retired miners by their characteristic stoop and often breathing difficulties, ditto in the town or at Rank Xerox where many exminers ended their working days. My grandfather Jones died age 68 albeit after many years of homebound illhealth due to his mining life, although oddly my father died a year younger despite leading a healthy lifestyle; "luckily" he had asthma so couldn't go down pit, "thankfully" his active life in the fresh Forest air ended very suddenly & painlessly aged 67, so..?.
If you visit the beautiful Yew Tree Brake Cemetery (just up from Cinderford Bridge toward Speech House, and next to the old Lightmoor Pit), you can see how often local men were significantly outlived by their wives.
Re the Inquests, you can find one for a Kate Merriman d1890, wife of Henry, which may interest you.
http://www.forest-of-dean.net/inquests/php/do_search.php?page=1&surname=merriman&am...
Re this website, please do search the rest of THIS site, particularly the Documents section, you will find many more interesting and relevant items I'm sure.
John Merriman b1853, Littledean Hill miner
by slowhands , proud of his ancient Dean Forest roots, Saturday, February 04, 2012, 07:44 (4714 days ago) @ Jefff
Slowhands,
as I understand it a miner of coal is traditionally termed a "collier", whereas a miner of iron ore is a "miner". In your considerable experience, do you know if these meanings are reflected in the occupation terms used in the PRs ? Certainly I've seen the "coal miner", "coal hewer", or "collier" used wrt my Lydbrook ancestors who were indeed coal miners, but off hand I don't have experience of researching other "miners" in the PRs.
Collier and Hewer - Coal mining
Miner - generic term used for coal or iron
--
Ἀριστοτέλης A Gloster & Hereford Boy in the Forest of Dean ><((((*>
John Merriman, a "miner", but of what ?
by Jefff , West London, Middlesex, Saturday, February 04, 2012, 18:45 (4713 days ago) @ slowhands
Thanks Slowhands,
so in this instance we still can't say for sure from the PRs whether John was a coal or iron miner ?. Shame, should have guessed it couldnt be that easy ;-)
John MERRIMAN 1853 , a coal "miner",
by slowhands , proud of his ancient Dean Forest roots, Saturday, February 04, 2012, 19:05 (4713 days ago) @ Jefff
Thanks Slowhands,
so in this instance we still can't say for sure from the PRs whether John was a coal or iron miner ?. Shame, should have guessed it couldnt be that easy ;-)
I haven't checked all the Census images just in case one tells us he is a Hewer , for example. so on 1881 as a Coal miner.
only one Merryman/Merriman in the Freeminer database ( that I can see)
{looks like John's son}
Freeminer 3040
Merriman William T
Aged 21 (inferred birth year 1882/3 0
Bilson Green, Cinderford
Registered 13 Jul 1904
--
Ἀριστοτέλης A Gloster & Hereford Boy in the Forest of Dean ><((((*>
John Merriman, a "miner", but of what ?
by cmfenton , Ferndown, Dorset, Saturday, February 04, 2012, 19:06 (4713 days ago) @ Jefff
The 1891 census records his occupation as "Coalminer" and 1901 the record appears to have been annotated by the census enumerator with "hewer - below" (below ground presumably). Annotations like this are common the FoD census returns.
-Colin
John Merriman, clearly a miner of coal !
by Jefff , West London, Middlesex, Saturday, February 04, 2012, 19:39 (4713 days ago) @ cmfenton
Thanks gents for clearing that up, sorry Sheila for suggesting otherwise and leading you down the wrong pit ! Must admit re-reading the earlier history of his ancestors & inlaws I guessed this would turn out to be the case.
Slowhands, please are you able to clarify the "Freeminer database" you mention ?. Presumably it gives greater info than the FoD PRs etc ?. I cannot see it as a FoD LHS or GFHS publication/cd, but it sounds like something I'd like access to ?.
Miner records
by slowhands , proud of his ancient Dean Forest roots, Wednesday, February 08, 2012, 08:27 (4709 days ago) @ Jefff
Slowhands, please are you able to clarify the "Freeminer database" you mention ?. Presumably it gives greater info than the FoD PRs etc ?. I cannot see it as a FoD LHS or GFHS publication/cd, but it sounds like something I'd like access to ?.
prior thread
http://www.forum.forest-of-dean.net/index.php?id=13200
FoD LHS information on the CD http://79.170.40.163/forestofdeanhistory.org.uk/LHScdrollofhonour.htm
--
Ἀριστοτέλης A Gloster & Hereford Boy in the Forest of Dean ><((((*>
John Merriman b1853, Littledean Hill miner
Thanks
i have visited Yew Tree Cemetry where Hilda, John Merriman's daughter(my grandmother) is buried along with her husband Wallace Jones. I know much about mining from Wallace who, on his discharge from the army, worked for as a miner for Eastern United Colliiery from 1919. He reained a miner (at some point working for Lightmoor colliery) until retiring approx 1956 as deputy manager of Northern United Mines. He died from a lung condition linked to all his years down the mines.
Sheila
Recommended Reading re Dean mining history
by Jefff , West London, Middlesex, Saturday, February 04, 2012, 16:05 (4713 days ago) @ unknown
Good afternoon Sheila,
oops !, talk about teaching a schoolboy to suck eggs !. Sorry, but your post implied you wern't too aware of John's working life down the mines.
I think you can fairly assume that his life was even worse than that of Wall-ace's in respect of the working conditions (smaller more cramped pits) and even less-caring employers and government. If he was an iron miner I would guess life may possibly have been a little better wrt working conditions underground ??
The two C19th books by HG Nicholls are worth reading, off this site.
http://www.forest-of-dean.net/?eBooks
Also I recommend you browse thro the many old Documents, newspaper clippings etc
http://www.forest-of-dean.net/joomla/resources/documents-and-articles
Re life underground, Cinderford library has some books written by ex-miners, although understandably very few contain photos taken underground and of course not in "your" Victorian era. Last year I borrowed this one about the last weeks of Northern United mine, it contains several photos, although I suspect you're aware of it, I'm sure it will contain references to Wall-ace ?.
"The last deep mine of Dean", by Bent, Maurice V, 1988.
You can search the Glos Libraries stock here. https://capitadiscovery.co.uk/gloslibraries/home
Of course for you the likes of Lydney library may be more convenient to visit, although as I understand it Cinderford is the "main" branch for local history. Did you try searching the "Mercury" archives when you visited, I'm sure they will contain references to your family ?.
Cinderford library reference section holds a copy of the Dean Miner's Roll of Honour reference book listing those killed underground. There is a cd available which I believe contains more detail and some photos.
http://79.170.40.163/forestofdeanhistory.org.uk/LHSpublications.html
I believe member(s) of this forum have copies so they may be able to search for you.
This Library also contains some back issues of the New Regard, the journal of the local history society. This is the complete index showing the various articles content.
http://79.170.40.163/forestofdeanhistory.org.uk/LHSnrdb.htm
Also of course the excellent Forest Bookshop in Coleford:
http://www.forestbookshop.com
The BBC Glos website contains some excellent articles, including an excellent video:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/gloucestershire/content/articles/2005/12/22/pwaod_mines_feature.shtml
Another article written in the mid C19th Century makes very interesting if not occasionally chilling reading. It's the official 1842 Government Enquiry into the Employment of Children Underground, with many interviews from those concerned.
http://www.cmhrc.co.uk/cms/document/1842_Forest_of_Dean.pdf
Goodness knows what today's young adults, never mind ten year olds, would make of it !
Also this excellent website re Children & Women.
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~stenhouse/coal/pbl/coalmain.htm
This site references "the" site re Coal Mining history for the country:
http://www.cmhrc.co.uk/site/home/index.html
This is superb site and "a must-read". Amongst many things it carries a searchable database of the 164,000 accidents, many fatal, officially recorded in UK mines since the C17th.
A word of warning; this website (like many) has a search engine that "falls over" if too much detail is entered. Set low targets first, for example "Dean", or a colliery name, then filter thro the resulting list of hits. If you just enter "Jones" you will get 750 hits plus a warning saying there are far more that cannot be displayed. These results to be fair don't take too long to browse thro as they're listed in tabular form with their dates & locations. Browse them all, they do not list in logical (ie place, or date) order.
Finally of course, I expect you've visited the Dean Heritage Centre.
http://www.deanheritagecentre.com/deanheritagemuseum.htm
I do hope this helps you in your project.
Good luck, Jeff