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In the nineteenth century the Seely family from Nottinghamshire became one of the richest families in the country. Along with vast estates on the Isle of Wight and in the Midlands, they owned numerous coal mines in Nottinghamshire and two in Derbyshire.

The two Derbyshire Coal Mines were

• New Birchwood Colliery (1837- 1941) (It was called Shady Colliery until 1875 when its name changed to New Birchwood Colliery. However, most local people still refer to it with its original name)
• Tibshelf Colliery (1864-1939)

There are several connections between the two collieries as well as the obvious one of both being owned by and benefitting from the benevolence of the Seely family. Some families lived in both villages at different times because of the responsibilities that the men held at the collieries. This especially applied to middle managers who were transferred from one village to the other as the need arose. Families from both villages became connected through special times or personal experiences such as marriages, children, accidents, deaths and shared friendships in national and local events. The general manager of both pits was Stuart Crawford Wardell. Along with his wife, Katherine, he made an enormous impact on both collieries and on improving the lives of the people who lived and worked in Tibshelf and Somercotes. He was instrumental in introducing ambulance work to the two villages and Tibshelf and Shady Collieries were among the first coal mines in the country to have St. John Ambulance Corps.

CONTENTS

• Timeline for Shady and Tibshelf Collieries.
•  Joseph Radford 1809-1889.
• The Children of Joseph Radford.
• Newspaper Articles re: the Radford Family.
• Stuart Crawford Wardell 1845-1916
• William Powis 1850-1932
• St. John Ambulance at Tibshelf and New Birchwood.
• Banquet for returned soldiers from the Boer War.
• Lessons of the war.

TIMELINE FOR THE SHADY AND TIBSHELF COLLIERIES

• 1837 First shaft was sunk at Shady Colliery, Birchwood, Somercotes by Humphrey Goodwin.
• 1842 The manager of Shady Pit was William Goodwin (Humphrey Goodwin’s son). Despite entering into partnership with John Coupland, he got into financial difficulties, leaving Coupland as the only owner.
• 1852 C. Seely entered into partnership with John Coupland with regards to the pit.
• 1852 Underground explosion at Shady. The Steward was Joseph Radford (1809-1889)
• 1855 C. Seely was the sole owner of Shady Colliery and was well thought of, by his workforce, as a benevolent coal master.
• 1861 J. Radford and family lived at Cotes Park House, Somercotes.
• 1864 C. Seely purchased the Bottom Pits (no.1 and no.2) at Tibshelf from Richard Milward and Edward Storer and made the shafts deeper. He also leased the Deep Hard, Low Main and Black Shale coal seams from St. Thomas Hospital, Lords of the Manor, Tibshelf. (1864-1936)
• 1867 Seely part subsidised the building of a Church of England Infant School on Sleetmoor Lane, Somercotes
• 1868 Seely took over the Tibshelf coal fields and funded the building of social housing for miners there. Houses began to be built on Elmtree Bank and further houses for the rapidly growing population were constructed Sunny Bank, Prospect Terrace, Victoria Terrace, Primrose Terrace, Heathfield Terrace and St. Thomas’ Row, really expanding the village after 1868.
• 1868 C. Seely funded and hosted a testimonial dinner for Joseph Radford in Somercotes.
• 1870 Seely owned Rachel Pit, a very small concern near to Queen Street in Birchwood Lane. It remained open only for five years, possibly because the seam was incorporated into the Shady Colliery’s workings which was larger, very close by and which he owned. For whatever reason, Rachel Pit was not worked after 1875.
• 1870 C. Seely defrayed the cost of building Tibshelf Colliery School.
• 1871 In Somercotes 40 houses on Seely Terrace and the hamlet of Muckram was built with 26 miners’ cottages and 4 houses for management.
• 1871 Joseph Radford and his family had moved from Somercotes and were living in Tibshelf. His oldest son, William Radford (1838-1896) was promoted to Under Manager at Shady Pit and remained in Somercotes. He lived in the first of the four houses which stood apart from the other houses in Muckram. (They were not referred to as Victoria Cottages until the 1881 Census).
• 1872 Matthew Hayes was appointed as Under Viewer at Shady Pit.
• 1872 C. Seely purchased Thomas North’s pits in Nottinghamshire from John. W. Wright who had held them since North’s bankruptcy and death. (They were Cinder Hill, Babbington, Newcastle, Broxtowe, Kimberley and Bulwell). The Babbington Coal Company was formed.
• 1872 Coal Mines Regulations Act required that coal mines must be under the control of managers who were holders of certificates (that validated their training and experience in mining).
• 1872 Stuart Crawford Wardell was appointed as Mine Engineer at Tibshelf. Recently married, he lived at Doe Hill House, Tibshelf with his wife, Katherine (n. Chambers, of Chapeltown, Sheffield. She was the second daughter of Matthew Chambers of ‘Newton and Chambers’).
• 1872 First Aid classes were held for interested miners in Tibshelf (Note that this was five years before St. John Ambulance Association was established).
• 1874 Sir Charles Seely and T.H. Oakes defrayed the cost of building a National Boys School at Somercotes (£2,500).
• 1874 Tibshelf Colliery Club was built. Costing £2000, it had a reading room, a smoking room, facilities for billiards and a cricket ground.
• 1875 Rachel Colliery, Birchwood Lane, ceased working. The name “Shady Colliery” was changed to “New Birchwood Colliery”.
• 1877 The St. John Ambulance Association was established by the Order of St. John of Jerusalem. The aim was to instruct people throughout the country in the different ways of giving first aid in the cases of accidents and to alleviate pain until the services of a doctor could be given. Early training was promoted in industrial areas which had many factories, mines and railways as it was in these areas where most accidents happened.
• 1878 The inaugural meeting of the Tibshelf Colliery St. John Ambulance Corps. It was established by S.C. Wardell. Groups of volunteer miners were taught first aid by W. A. Stamford and F. W. Hutton who were doctors in Tibshelf at the time.
• 1881 The Mines Act empowered the Home Secretary to hold enquiries into the causes of accidents in mines.
• 1881 George Chamberlain (from the Chamberlain family, bailiffs to the Oakes family of Riddings) and family lived at 1, Victoria Cottages, Birchwood, Somercotes. (This was the first census that the houses, designated for the management at Shady Pit, were referred to as this). He was manager of Shady Pit. However, he did not remain in coal-mining but went on to own hotels in Ripley and Belper.
• 1884 Tibshelf Colliery won a Silver Medal at the International Health Exhibition for the design of a new wheeled stretcher for transporting injured miners in a safe, quick way.
• 1888 W. Powis transferred from working and living in Tibshelf to be Undermanager at Shady Colliery, New Birchwood. He established and led the Birchwood St. John Ambulance Corps.
• 1891 Two new pits were opened in Tibshelf called the Top Pits (1891-1903). Seely (Babbington Coal Co.) employed 2,000 miners in their extensive collieries at Tibshelf. (Kelly’s Directory 1891 for Tibshelf).
• 1891 R. Coupe was under viewer at Tibshelf. He became the Band Master of the Tibshelf St. John Corps following his brother’s death.
• 1891 W. Powis and his family lived at 1, Victoria Cottages, Birchwood Colliery. The other men who held management positions at New Birchwood were Walter Tarlton, Colliery Engineer, Matthew Hayes and William Burrows, Colliery Surface Overlooker. They lived at 2,3 and 4 Victoria Cottages with their families.
• 1893 Nationwide Miners’ Strike.
• 1893 The Tibshelf, Birchwood and Babbington brigades went to Windsor Castle to demonstrate their first aid skills for Queen Victoria. The special train for their transport and the cost of new uniforms were paid for by the Babbington Coal Company.
• 1893 Somercotes National Girls School was built, at a cost of £2, 000 at the expense of Messrs. J. Oakes and Co. and Babbington Coal Co.
• 1893 Sir Charles Seely provided an acre of land and funded the building of a Mission Church at New Birchwood.
• 1895 There was a Working Men’s Institute Club in Seely Terrace, Somercotes with 83 members. There were reading and news rooms, a billiards saloon and a good library and lawn tennis, football and cricket clubs were maintained there, funded by Sir Charles Seely.
• 1895 The Coal Mines Act required all pits to have qualified first aid staff underground and medical supplies available at all times.
• 1896 Peckfield Colliery Disaster at Micklefield Yorkshire. In the explosion 63 men and boys were killed including William Radford, under Manager and John Wallis, Deputy, who both came from Tibshelf. (See Radford family)
• 1896 S.C.Wardell was made manager of the Derbyshire Collieries the Babbington Coal Co.
• 1898 Mr Samuel A.J. Hill was transferred from Tibshelf to Somercotes to be Engineer at New Birchwood Colliery. He held that appointment for the next 40 years until his retirement in 1937. He and his family lived in 2, Victoria Cottages, Birchwood.
• 1899-1902 Second Boer War in South Africa. Volunteers from Tibshelf and Birchwood Corps went to assist the Royal Army Medical Corps with casualties, because of their First Aid training.
• 1900 Mines Prohibition of Child Labour Act. The age of boys who were allowed to work below ground was raised from 12 to 13.
• 1902 Griffin Burnham, from New Birchwood, was leader and Band Master of Birchwood St. John Ambulance Band. He was still Band Master in 1915.
• 1903 A special meal in Somercotes for the returning soldiers and ambulance men from the Boer War was arranged by W. Powis at “The Black Horse”, Lower Somercotes.
• 1903 S.C. Wardell became the agent for all the pits in Tibshelf and Birchwood.
• 1906 A Royal Commission was set up to look at health and safety in mines. The commissioners recommended that the minimum age for a manager of a mine must be 25. Another recommendation was that plans for mines should be made or supervised by surveyors who had obtained certificates of competency.
• 1908 Coal Mines Regulations (8 hours) Act limited the hours of working to 8 hours per shift.
• 1909 Mansfield Woodhouse Mines Rescue Station opened. Shady and Tibshelf Collieries sent teams of their most experienced miners to be trained in mines rescue practices. The Superintendent and Chief Instructor was John George Huskisson.
• 1911 Coal Mines Act. This was an important act which followed the recommendations laid down by the 1906 Royal Commission. The major points were that a mine manager should be in charge of one mine only, surveyors and deputies were required to hold certificates (after examinations) and no boys were allowed to work underground until they were 14 years old.
• 1911 Pit Ponies Charter. For the first time inspectors were appointed for the welfare of horses and ponies. There were 83 inspectors throughout the country.
• 1911 It became law that all coal mines had to train and equip Mines Rescue Teams to deal with accidents. At New Birchwood 463 men worked underground with 114 men who worked on the surface.
• 1911 The Tibshelf Pits were reorganised.
• 1911 W. Powis was still Under Manager at New Birchwood Colliery and living at 1, Victoria Cottages.
• 1911 Carter Edward Pegg from Ironville gained a First-Class Colliery Manager’s Certificate of Competency. He had been a mining student with Butterley Company.
• 1915 Death of Sir Charles Seely Bart. in the Isle of Wight. Memorial services were held in Somercotes and Tibshelf churches. The collieries were shut down and the schools in both villages were closed for the day in his honour.
• 1916 Katherine and Stuart Wardell died of pneumonia within three weeks of each other. They were buried in Tibshelf Churchyard. Their joint estates were left to Agnes Ramsey Morton (n. Wardell). She was the oldest child of Rev. Henry John Wardell, Stuart’s older brother.
• 1916 John W. Chambers of Chapel Town, Sheffield, was appointed as Underground Manager at Tibshelf. He was a relative of Katherine Wardell – possibly her nephew.
• 1917 Mr. T.A. Lawton was the General Manager of Tibshelf and Birchwood Collieries of the Babbington Coal Company. He and his family lived in Doe Hill House. Mr. J.W. Chambers was the manager at Tibshelf.
• 1920 The workforce at Shady Colliery reached a peak with 529 men working underground along with 118 surface workers.
• 1924 Carter Edward Pegg (1887-1970) was manager of Shady Colliery. He originated from Ironville. Unlike his father and grandfather who were the village school masters, he trained as a mining engineer. As manager of Shady Pit, he lived at “Bircholme” the large house just below Birchwood Chapel (which became the vicarage after 1942).
• 1932 William Powis died.
• 1936 The two bottom pits in Tibshelf closed.
• 1939 The Tibshelf top pits closed and most miners were redeployed to Glapwell Colliery.
• 1939 Carter E. Pegg was the Chief A.R.P. Warden for the Somercotes area.
• 1939 The Babbington Coal Co. sold all their estates in Somercotes and Birchwood to the Sheepbridge Coal and Iron Co. of Chesterfield.
• 1941 New Birchwood Colliery closed down. There were 289 underground workers and 97 surface workers who transferred to other local pits. Carter E. Pegg moved to live in Chesterfield.
• 1942 The Sheepbridge Coal and Iron Co. organised an extensive sale in Somercotes in which all their land, houses (including Bircholme), farms, Seely Terrace and the New Birchwood Colliery site (including the hamlet of Muckram) were sold.

The prices realised for some significant properties were:

• Bircholme (former house of the manager of Shady Pit was sold for £1.100
• Colliery site and 26 cottages sold for £775
• Seely Terrace was sold in 4 lots for £720, 3600, £620 and £630
• Pair of cottages Victoria Cottages 1 and 2 realised £110
• Pair of cottages Victoria cottages 3 and 4 realised £200

JOSEPH RADFORD 1809-1889

Joseph Radford spent all his life working in coal mines, first in the employment of Goodwin and Coupland at Birchwood and from1855 for the Seely family / Babbington Coal Co. at Birchwood and Tibshelf. His various roles and responsibilities in these collieries mirrored the massive growth, the physical dangers and the harsh working conditions associated with coal mining in the nineteenth century. He was born in Blackwell in 1809, the third born and only son of William Radford, a miner, and his wife Elizabeth. In 1834 he was living in Somercotes in the parish of Alfreton when he married Ann Smith who also lived in the parish. The 1841 Census showed them living at Cotes Park with their two children, Mary (5) and William (3). Unfortunately, like many young women of the time, Ann Radford died prematurely. After only six years of marriage she died in childbirth, leaving Joseph widowed and with two young children. He married Elizabeth Swain, a spinster, the following year at the church of St. Mary and All Saints, Chesterfield. They remained married for forty-four years and had five children who were brought up with their half siblings, Mary and William.

Joseph Radford worked hard and became the Underground Steward of Shady Colliery around 1845. He was subordinate only to the colliery manager and under manager as a senior official. His responsibilities included the arrangement of work and accounting for the work done following sound working practices as well as ensuring that the pit was properly ventilated and safe. The potential dangers, enormous responsibilities and bravery needed to undertake the role were well illustrated by an incident at the colliery in 1852. There was a serious explosion at Birchwood Colliery caused by firedamp. It was reported in “The Derbyshire Courier” on March 13th as follows:

“There are two coal pits worked by Messrs J. Coupland and Co. - one a hard coal seam at a depth of 150 yards and the other a soft coal seam worked by a separate shaft of a depth of 120 yards. It was at the latter where the explosion occurred. The pit, a new one which has been worked since last September, was well ventilated and furnished with an unusual quantity of fresh air, so much so that the men frequently complained of being cold, but the underground steward, Joseph Radford, told them they ‘had better starve than burn’ and the supply of air was kept up undiminished. Rarely had any symptoms of an accumulation of foul air manifested themselves and safety lamps were thought unnecessary and they were seldom used and the men – probably prejudiced, as too many colliers are against their adoption – followed their employment by the light of candles.

At the time of the explosion at 7 a.m. there were only 14 men at work, although normally there would have been around 30. The explosion occurred when William Hind went to the far end of the workings, and firedamp (inflammable gas) ignited from his candle. Some men were thrown violently upon their comrades, others who were at the shaft of the pit, were blown down by the rush of air and doors and stoppings were overturned. William Hind and Samuel Clark suffered most from the accident; they were dreadfully burnt about their faces, arms and other parts of their bodies, the former being most injured by the flame. John Fearn, who was at the bottom of the shaft, was much hurt by the violence with which some materials were blown against him. On being brought up, the injured miners walked or were helped home as quickly as possible, and were there attended by Dr. Oldham. Surgeon of Alfreton.”

The report concluded:

“Shortly after the explosion, Joseph Radford, the underground steward, went down the pit with a safety lamp, put up the stoppings and went through the workings. On Saturday the pit resumed work as normal, and appeared to be free of firedamp.”

(NOTE: William Hind died from his injuries a few days later. He was 19 years old.)

Joseph Radford continued to give good service at Shady Colliery under the ownership of Charles Seely. In 1861 he lived at Cotes Park House with his family, listed as:

• Joseph Radford 50 Colliery Bailiff
• Elizabeth Radford wife 48
• William Radford son 23 Coal Miner
• John Radford son 16 Office Boy
• Martha Radford daughter 12 Scholar
• Hannah Radford daughter 10 Scholar
• Ann Radford daughter 8 Scholar
• Joseph Radford son 4 Scholar

In 1864 Charles Seely became the owner of Tibshelf Collieries and Joseph Radford was appointed as Colliery Agent there in 1868. His oldest son William Radford became the Colliery Under Manager at Shady Colliery and continued to live with his family at Cotes Park House.

The miners and Charles Seely gave Joe Radford a Testimonial Dinner on August 6th 1868 which was widely reported in all the local papers. “The Nottingham Journal” described the event:

‘DINNER FOR SIX HUNDRED COLLIERS AT SOMERCOTES.

“The miners employed at New Birchwood Colliery near Somercotes, in order to manifest their appreciation of the valuable services of Mr. Joseph Radford, Colliery Bailiff, determined some time ago to present him with a testimonial. Mr. Radford has been in the employment of Mr. Charles Seely and Co. upwards of forty years… “

The article went on to detail that the miners had collected more than £100 in subscriptions. With the money raised they purchased a large ornate clock, commissioned a portrait of Joseph Radford in oils and a gold pocket watch and chain. The report continued:

“An occasion to present these valuables being required, Charles Seely Esq. with noble generosity, seldom equalled, invited a body of some 600-700 colliers, tradesmen and friends to dine with him. In a field adjoining the cricket ground a very large tent was erected and in this the party sat down to an excellent dinner, with an abundance of wine and beer, for which they were indebted to the liberality of Mr. Seely. Whilst the guests were partaking of the repast, the Clay Cross Volunteer Band played some popular medleys in first-class style. Mr. Charles Seely presided, having on his right the gentleman whom all delighted to honour and the vicar of Alfreton, with Mrs. Seely and Mrs Radford on his left.”

In his speech, Charles Seely paid tribute to the many years that Joseph Radford had “by his upright and honourable conduct to-wards his masters and fellow workers, he has gained universal respect in the above district. He has shown thoughtfulness, foresight, justice and courage in carrying out his duties devolving him- a man who deserves the esteem of everyone in this neighbourhood.”

In 1871 Joe Radford (62) Colliery Agent, His wife, Elizabeth (58) and Joseph (14) his youngest child lived in Seely’s Terrace, Tibshelf. Ten years later the Radford family lived at Pit Lane, Tibshelf and consisted of Joseph (71) Elizabeth (68) Martha (32) his daughter and Jack Radford (5) grandson. In the Census he was referred to as ‘Coal Mining Bailiff’. Sadly, all of them had passed away by 1889 as follows:

• Martha Radford (Married name – Ashmore in 1885 aged 36. See later).
• Elizabeth Radford (1812-1886 n. Swain).
• Jack Radford in 1889 (died aged 13 in a drowning accident. See later).
• Joseph Radford later in the same year.

All of them are buried in the churchyard at St John the Baptist Church, Tibshelf.

THE CHILDREN OF JOSEPH RADFORD.

As with the majority of people in Somercotes and Tibshelf at the time the Radford boys worked in the local coal mines and the girls, while they were single, went into domestic service.

MARY RADFORD 1837-1908

• Oldest child of Joseph Radford and Ann Smith (First Marriage)
• 1851 Aged 15 Servant to John Webster (Butcher) and family in Alfreton
• 1861 Aged 25 Cook to James Mills and family Rector in Hockerton Nottinghamshire.
• 1864 Married Thomas Herrod (Wheelwright) in Alfreton.
• 1871 Lived Mill Yard Somercotes:
  • Thomas Herrod (37) Master Wheelwright and Joiner. Employed 2 men and 1 boy.
  • Mary Herrod (35)
  • Edmund Herrod (5) son
  • John Toplis (15) Wheelwright’s Apprentice.
• 1881 Still lived Mill Yard, Somercotes: Thomas (48), Mary (45), Edmund (15)Wheelwright, Amy (9), Joseph (2) and Sarah Howarth (50) Boarder, Dressmaker.
• Thomas Herrod died in 1890 aged 58
• 1891 Mary was widowed and still living in Mill Yard with Edmund (25) Wheelwright and Joiner, Amy (19) Milliner and Joseph (12) Scholar.
• 1901 Mary Herrod (68) Widow Housekeeper, Edmund (35) Coach Builder Employer, Amy (29) Milliner, Joseph (22) Coach Builder, Thomas Smith (43) Workman Coach Builder.
• Mary Herrod (Radford) died in 1908 and was buried in St Thomas’ Church Yard, Somercotes.

WILLIAM RADFORD 1840-1896

• Second born and oldest son of Joseph Radford (Mother was Ann Radford (n. Smith)
• William Radford lost his mother when he was 3 years old. She died ‘In child bed’
• After his father remarried in 1842, he was brought up with his half siblings by his father and step mother Elizabeth (n. Swain). His half siblings were: John, Martha, Hannah, Ann and Joseph.
• 1861(23) he lived with his parents and siblings at ‘Cotes Park Private House, Somercotes’.
• 1863 he married Eliza Spencer in Shirland Church. The marriage certificate showed him to be a Colliery Underviewer.
• By 1871 (32) he was widowed with two little children, Mary (6) and John William (5). He lived in the family home (later known as one of the Victoria Cottages) as the Radford family had moved to Tibshelf. His sister, Hannah Radford (20) was his housekeeper.
• In 1881 aged 42 he was a Boarder with Edward and Jane Dwyer in Micklefield, Yorkshire where he was employed as Under Manager at Peckfield Colliery. He had started there in 1879.
• 1891 still employed at Peckfield Colliery and boarding with the same family.
• MICKLEFIELD COLLIERY DISASTER APRIL 30 TH 1896.William Radford was one of the 63 men and boys who were killed in the explosion as well as 19 horses. Numerous newspaper reports were circulated nationally at the time because of the scale of the disaster. He was Under Manager and was working in an office below ground with a Deputy when the explosion occurred. They were found there by one of the recovery teams. An Inquest opened on May 5 th and concluded on May 23rd 1896 William was identified at the Inquest by his youngest brother, Joseph, who travelled up to Micklefield as next of kin. William Radford’s name is listed on the Memorial in Micklefield, Yorkshire but his body was brought back to Tibshelf for burial. See newspaper articles re: the disaster.

NOTES:

1. Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Mines for Yorkshire and Lincolnshire who investigated the incident was Mr. F.N. Wardell (FRANK WARDELL, brother of Stuart C. Wardell, Manager of Tibshelf Collieries). He went in to the pit with two assistant inspectors after the disaster and presented reports for the Inquest and the Home Office.
2. His recommendations to the government in September 1896 were:
   1. Naked lights should not be used in any pit.
   2. Regular removal of coal dust from pits.
   3. Restrict shot-firing to high explosives.
3. Queen Victoria sent £50 to the Micklefield Colliery Disaster Fund for the widows and orphans.
4. Mary Radford (1865-1946) William’s daughter married William Powis in 1903. He was the Under Manager at Birchwood (Shady Colliery) for many years (See William Powis) and they lived at 1, Victoria Cottages, Somercotes.

JOHN RADFORD 1845-1891

The oldest child of Joe Radford and his second wife, Elizabeth Swain. Little information can be found regarding John Radford other than:

• 1871 Lived High Street Somercotes and listed as:
  • John Radford (26) Coal Miner and Beer House Keeper
  • Ann Radford (20) wife
  • Jonathan James Radford 11 months (son)
• 1881 Still lived on High Street, Somercotes
  • John Radford (36) Beer House Keeper
  • Annie (29) wife
  • Florence (9)
  • Sarah (6)
  • Christopher (5)
  • Annie (3)
  • John (2)
• John Radford died aged 39 in 1883
• His widow, Annie Radford married John Brentnall, a widower, in 1885 but died a year later in 1886 aged 34.

MARTHA RADFORD 1848-1884

• Had a short life.
• Lived with family in Somercotes while growing up and certainly as far as 1861.
• In 1871 she was aged 22 and a Housemaid in the service of Thomas Worthington, Architect who lived on Macclesfield Road, Chorley, Lancashire.
• The 1881 Census showed that she (aged 32) lived with her parents at Pit Lane, Tibshelf and son, Jack Radford aged 5.
• 1882 Martha Radford married George Ashmore in Tibshelf when she was 33 and he was 25. Marriage Certificate showed that her father, Joseph Radford, was a Colliery Bailiff and his father, also called George Ashmore was a Coal Miner.
• Mary Lizzie Ashmore was born in 1883.
• Martha Ashmore (Radford) died aged 36 in 1884.
• Jack Radford died in 1889 in a drowning accident. (Please see newspaper report)
• George Ashmore remarried in 1886 when he married Ann Moss from South Wingfield. They were both widowed, he being aged 29 while she was aged 35.
• In 1891George and Ann Ashmore lived at 2, Sunny Bank, Tibshelf with their combined family who were George Ashmore (34), Ann (40) Louise Moss (17) Domestic Servant, Alice Moss (12), Mary Elizabeth Ashmore (8) and Joseph William Ashmore (5) who were all scholars.

HANNAH RADFORD 1850-1929

• 1871 Hannah Radford was house-keeper to her brother, William at Somercotes.
• 1871 She married George Smith (1843-1884) in Tibshelf Church.
• 1881 the Smith family lived at 10, Morley Street, Friargate, Derby – George Smith (38) Brass Finisher, Hannah (30), Fred (8), Emily (7), Frank (6), George (4) Thomas (2) and Albert (7/12)
• Hannah Smith (Radford) died in 1929.

ANN RADFORD 1853-

• In 1871 Ann Radford (18) lived in Westgate, Mansfield where she was a servant to Mary Ann Harvey.
• She married ROBERT COUPE from Tibshelf on Christmas Day in 1875 when she was 23 and he was 21.
• In 1881 they lived at 27 Sunny Bank Tibshelf.
• In 1891 Robert Coupe was Under Viewer at Tibshelf Colliery. They lived on Sunny Bank with their three children Robert Edward (9), Olive (4) and Winifred Dorothy (8/12)
• 1895 he became Under Manager of Tibshelf No 1 Pit.
• 1901 Robert Coupe (46), Ann (48) lived in Colliery Yard with Robert (19) and Winifred Dorothy (10). Olive Coupe was a Boarder at Ashley House School in Worksop.
• 1911 the Coupe family lived at Colliery House: Robert Coupe (56) Under Manager, Ann (58), Olive (24) Assistant Teacher and Winifred Dorothy (20). Their son, Robert Edward Coupe was married and lived at 4, Bestwood Colliery with his wife, Beatrice, four children, his mother-in-law and a housemaid. He was Under Manager at Bestwood Colliery
• 1912 Robert Coupe died from blood poisoning complicated by diabetes following a minor accident in the pit. (See newspaper article)
• 1939 Ann and Olive Coupe lived at Sunny Bank Tibshelf.

JOSEPH RADFORD 1857-1900

Youngest child of Joseph Radford, he stayed living in Tibshelf and he also married into the Coupe family.

• In 1878 he married Mary Coupe in Tibshelf Church when he was 22 and she was 21. Her father was Edward Coupe, Coal Miner.
• 1881 lived at 13, Sunny Bank Tibshelf;
  • Joseph Radford (24) Coal Miner
  • Mary (23)
  • Joe (1) son (1879-1951)
• By 1891 Joseph Radford was a Deputy at Tibshelf Colliery and their children were Joseph (11), Martha (and a Boarder), Robert Edward (8), Ann (60, Frederick (4) and Sylvia (7/12).
• 1894 Joseph Radford was under Manager at Tibshelf Pit. The family lived at Colliery House in Tibshelf.
• In 1896 he went to Micklefield for the Inquest, to identify his brother and to arrange to bring William home to Tibshelf for burial.
• 1901 Mary Radford (42) was widowed and lived at Colliery House with Elizabeth (19), Robert (18) Colliery Underground Mechanic and Frederick (14) Coal Miner Ganger.
• 1911 Mary Radford (52) lived at 10, Heathfield Terrace, Tibshelf along with Frederick (24) Coal Miner and Robert Maddison (35) who boarded with them and was a Coal Miner.

 

STUART CRAWFORD WARDELL 1845-1916.

S. C. Wardell worked for the Seely family for forty-four years as Engineer, Manager of Tibshelf and Birchwood Collieries and Consultant (on retirement).

Stuart Crawford Wardell was born in Hunlaton, Durham the youngest child of Rev. Henry Wardell and his wife Mary (n. Newby). (Eleven children born with six surviving sons). As a child, he was initially educated at home and then sent away to boarding school. The 1861 Census showed him (aged 15) as a boarder at Russell School near Fleetwood, Lancashire. As a trainee mining engineer, he served for four years, commencing in 1862, at the Townley and Stella Collieries near Newcastle-on-Tyne, before becoming an overman and Master Sinker there. This was followed by a year as Assistant Manager at the Radstock collieries near Bath. For the next five years he was the sole manager of the Thorncliffe and Chapeltown Collieries near Sheffield for Messrs Newton and Chambers and Co. In July 1872 he married Katherine Chambers (1846-1916), the younger daughter of Mathew Chambers, in Chapeltown and his father, Rev. Henry Wardell, assisted in officiating at their wedding. A month prior to this in the same year Stuart Wardell took up his new post as Mining

Engineer for Messrs. Chas. Seely and Co. at Tibshelf and Birchwood Collieries. After honeymooning in the Isle of Wight they settled in at Doe Hill House, near Alfreton, where they would live for the rest of their lives. During their marriage they had no children.

He was not the only member of his family to follow a career in Coal Mining. His older brother, Francis Newby Wardell, (1843-1901) became Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector for Mines in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. (See Micklefield Disaster and William Radford).

Stuart Wardell was the earliest pioneer of ambulance work in Derbyshire. Under Seely’s patronage, he formed St John Ambulance Brigades at Tibshelf and Birchwood Collieries. (Please see ‘St. John Ambulance Association and Birchwood and Tibshelf Collieries’.

The village of Tibshelf grew and developed because of the patronage of the Seely family and the commitment and drive of Stuart Wardell, ably supported by his wife. Katherine Wardell was a very accomplished pianist and singer. The couple established an Amateur Dramatic Society in Tibshelf which staged ambitious productions, the profits being donated to local hospitals and medical care. Another of Stuart Wardell’s brothers, Charles Clavering Wardell (1838-1885) was an actor with the stage name of Charles Kelly and was the second husband of the renowned actress Ellen Terry. Occasionally they visited Doe Hill House, when they were touring, as when they were performing at Buxton in August 1879. (Buxton Herald August 21 st 1879). Although they separated after only a few years he was still married to Ellen Terry in 1885 when he died.

The enormous contribution that S.C. and K. Wardell made to Tibshelf and the esteem in which they were held were best summed up on the occasion of their retirement in 1905. During the Tibshelf Flower Show, the 30th time that the event had taken place, Sir Charles Seely attended in person to present special gifts. He presented Katherine Wardell with a diamond necklace and Stuart Wardell with a silver five-light candelabrum incorporating a shell design from the villagers and his own gift of a solid silver rose bowl on a plinth.

Everyone was reminded that:

• At the time that Stuart and Katherine Wardell came to Tibshelf (1872) it was little more than an agricultural village.
• There were only a few blocks of houses built in St. Thomas’ Row and the output from the collieries was insignificant.
• From the start Stuart and Katherine Wardell showed a keen interest in his workmen and their families.
• He designed the Workmen’s Institute.
• When the population grew and a school was required, he was the architect for the colliery school and continuously held the position of Chairman of the School Managers.
• He was the ‘father’ of the Colliery Church Sunday School and the Sunday evening service, where he read the lessons for many years. His wife was in charge of the choir which she directed until her serious illness in 1897.
• He instigated the annual Tibshelf Flower Show, the annual Old Folks’ Treat and the Cricket Club.
• He represented the parish on Blackwell Rural Council.
• He was Chairman of Tibshelf Parish Council
• The enormous contribution made by both husband and wife in St. John Ambulance Work.

To sum up it was considered by everyone that ‘Stuart and Katherine Wardell made Tibshelf’.

The couple continued to live in Tibshelf after 1905 until their deaths in 1916. They died within weeks of each other, both suffering from pneumonia.

‘DEATH OF MR. S.C. WARDELL. J.P.

A well-known mining engineer passed away on Saturday, in the person of Mr. Stuart C. Wardell of Doe Hill House near Alfreton. He caught a chill a short time ago and pneumonia supervened and terminated fatally. It is only some three weeks ago that his wife died from the same complaint. For forty-four years he had been associated with the Babbington Coal Co. Tibshelf and for a long period he had held the position of consultant engineer to the company. He also had a large practice as consulting mining engineer. He was a director of Newton, Chambers and Co. Ltd. and of Turners’ Carriage Builders of Langley Mill. In local public work Mr. Wardell took an active interest and since 1907 he had been a county magistrate. The St. John Ambulance Movement had for a long period enjoyed his enthusiastic support…

The interment took place at Tibshelf Church Yard on Tuesday. The collieries ceased work at noon in order that the workmen might be present at the service. Doe Hill House is situated some distance away from the parish church and the Tibshelf Ambulance Corps and Nursing Division together with the Ambulance Band and the Boy Scouts, met the cortege at the entrance to the village, through which the procession made its way, the Ambulance playing the Dead March. The miners turned out in great strength along with the local colliery officials. There was a magnificent collection of wreaths from all the societies, associations and businesses with which he had associated while the various branches of the Ambulance Association sent floral tributes.

The deceased was interred in the grave where Mrs. Wardell was recently buried.’

“The Derbyshire Advertiser” July 14th 1916

 

WILLIAM POWIS 1850-1932.

William Powis was born in Bilston Staffordshire to William and Esther Powis in 1850. His father was a Coal Miner and he had a younger sister, Ann (1852-1926). In 1861 he was still a scholar living in Bilston but in 1871 he had moved to Derbyshire and he boarded with William and Emmeline Cresswell in Morton where he was a coal miner. He married a local girl, Ann Ward, at St. John the Baptist Church, Tibshelf in 1874 when he was 24 and she was 18. The 1881 Census showed them living at 28, Sunny Bank, Tibshelf with their daughter, Ada (6) and William’s mother, Esther Powis (55). (This was next door to Robert Coupe and his wife, Ann).

William Powis worked hard to earn promotion at the pit and by 1885 he was a Deputy at Tibshelf Colliery. In January 1886 it was reported in “The Derbyshire Times” that William Powis had composed two poems, ‘Tibshelf Townsfolk’ and ‘The Tibshelf Colliery Club’ copies of which were circulated and sold for 1d each which helped to pay for a Christmas Tea for all the old folk in the village. He had a very good singing voice and joined the Tibshelf Amateur Dramatic Society (Led by Stuart C. Wardell and his wife, Katherine) playing minor roles in various productions. He was extremely active in the promotion of ambulance work in Tibshelf under the direction of S.C. Wardell and belonged to the Tibshelf St. John Ambulance Brigade. In 1888 the Powis family moved to Somercotes where he took up his post as Under Manager of Birchwood Colliery (Owned by Sir Charles Seely). They resided at 1, Victoria Cottages, Birchwood Colliery and in the 1891 Census the family consisted of:

• William Powis 41 Colliery Under Manager
• Ann Powis 33 wife
• Ada Powis daughter 16
• Margaret A. Powis daughter 8
• Elsie Powis daughter 2
• William S. Powis son 7/12
• Emma Ward Wife’s sister 27

 

PHOTO: William Powis Family

 

Sadly, their son, William S. Powis, died before he was a year old. Another daughter, Florence Mary Powis was born in 1892. Following his experience with the Tibshelf Brigade, William Powis established the Birchwood St. John Ambulance Brigade which he led. (Please see ST. JOHN AMBULANCE AND BIRCHWOOD COLLIERY).

The 1901 Census showed that a great deal had changed for William Powis (51) and his family. His wife, Ann, had died in 1900 (buried at Somercotes Church) and his oldest daughter, Ada (26) assumed the role of housekeeper and looked after her father, Elsie (12) and Florence Mary (8). He still kept in close contact with friends and mining colleagues in Tibshelf and in 1903 he married for the second time - Mary Radford, (granddaughter of Joseph Radford and daughter of William Radford. She was 15 years younger than William and, prior to her marriage, she was still single and worked as cook to William Saxton, Station Master at Doe Hill Station, Tibshelf. After their marriage William and Mary Powis lived at New Birchwood in 1, Victoria Cottages and they had three children, Katherine, William Geoffrey (1905-1937) and Marjorie Victoria.

William Powis lived to be 83, and was a pillar of society in the Somercotes area. His death was reported in the “Ripley and Heanor News” July 1st 1932:

The deceased had been in failing health for some time. He was a native of Staffordshire and came to Alfreton very early in life and then on to Tibshelf. It was at the latter place that his busy life commenced under the Babbington Coal Company. He was soon appointed as a deputy and later Under Manager at Birchwood Colliery. One of his chief delights was ambulance work. He was the founder of the Birchwood Colliery Ambulance Brigade and in 1897 took ambulance men and women to Windsor Castle to take part in the Diamond Jubilee Celebrations. In dramatic circles his services were well-received. He was also an ardent churchman, being connected with Somercotes Parish Church and was also a very active member of the church choir.’

NOTE: His son, Jeffery Powis married Mabel Annie Brocklehurst, the youngest daughter in the Brocklehurst family who lived at Swiss Cottage. At the start of WW2 in 1939 they lived at 1, Victoria Cottages along with Jeffery Powis’ s widowed mother, Mary, and two children.

 

PHOTO: Birchwood (Shady) Colliery., 1880 (SLHS)

 

ST. JOHN AMBULANCE BRIGADES AT TIBSHELF AND NEW BIRCHWOOD COLLIERIES.

During the nineteenth century Britain became the first industrial power. Thanks to new technology, an abundant supply of coal and pig iron, rising demand in markets and the development of railways, Britain was ‘the workshop of the world’. In 1851 the urban population exceeded the rural population for the first time and many villages grew into towns where living conditions were cramped and unhygienic. Work places were dangerous and health and safety legislation was slow to be introduced at national level. Poor people rarely visited a doctor, as they had to be paid for and they did not have the mean to pay, while hospitals were few and treatment cost money. Minor accidents often proved fatal as there was no knowledge of first aid.

It was in this environment that Charles Seely appointed Stuart Wardell to manage his collieries at Tibshelf and Birchwood in 1872, the same year as The Coal Mines Regulations Act required mines to be under the control of managers who were holders of certificates (validation of their training and experience in mining). Charles Seely was considered to be a fair and just employer. He was benevolent and liberal in his outlook and supportive of education for his workers and their families, funding houses, schools and institutes in Somercotes and Tibshelf. He was highly thought of in both villages. Stuart C Wardell proved to be a compassionate manager with immense drive and dedication to his workers and their families. Coal mining was a particularly dangerous occupation. Coal seams which were deep underground emitted a gas that miners called ‘firedamp’ which was very inflammable. Many miners were badly burned or gassed in firedamp explosions. Drowning was another danger but the most frequent accidents occurred when miners were trapped or crushed (often for many hours) and broken bones and severe bleeding resulted in numerous fatalities.

The St. John Ambulance Association was founded in Britain in 1877 by the Order of St John of Jerusalem. Its main aim was to deal with the high number of accidents that were occurring in industries by the teaching and practising of first aid. St. John Ambulance brigades were formed from volunteers and were organised along military lines with a hierarchy of officers and ranks like those in the army. When a volunteer completed the training, a certificate was awarded. If the training was maintained for three years, a medallion was awarded (name on the reverse), followed by a bar (having the year inscribed on it) for each year attended. All awards were presented at an annual ceremony for each brigade and medallions and bars were highly prized, the bars often being worn on watch chains. Brigades were linked with various industries, not merely coal mining.

Stuart Wardell founded the first St. John Ambulance classes that were affiliated to a colliery at Tibshelf in 1878. It was reported in “The Derbyshire Times” in March 1881 that five classes had taken place in Tibshelf since inauguration. The brigade was led by S.C. Wardell, with instruction to the miners given by Surgeon Major W.A. Stamford and Surgeon Instructor F. Hutton, two local doctors. Since 1878 they had trained 120 volunteers who obtained certificates. In 1882 the total reached 200 (80 more) and there were 30 female nurses who were led by Kate Wardell (Stuart Wardell’s wife). The nurses concentrated on first aid in the community such as tending the sick or injured and childbirth. Brigade officers were chosen from the senior management at the pit as they were expected to set good examples. In 1884 the Tibshelf St. John Ambulance Brigade won a further accolade at the International Health Exhibition in London. They gained a Silver Medal for designing a wheeled stretcher for transporting injured miners to safety. Their design combined a quick way of carrying miners to the pit top without the trauma of undue movement. The Tibshelf class numbered 50 members in 1884 and a total of 300 volunteers were certificated since the corps was formed, five years previous. Techniques which had been taught and practised were:

• Respiration after drowning
• Bandaging
• Dealing with fractures - thigh, forearm and collar bone
• Dealing with burns
• Moving and carrying casualties safely and quickly.

In these early days the volunteers did not wear uniforms, only badges.

With the transfer of William Powis from Tibshelf to Somercotes to become the Under Manager of Shady Pit in 1888 the Birchwood St. John Ambulance Brigade was instigated. William Powis had spent his married life living in Tibshelf and was an ardent supporter of St. John Ambulance and was therefore entrusted to lead the Birchwood Brigade. Support and practical help were provided from Tibshelf both for the corps and its band. For example, Robert Coupe, the Tibshelf Band Master, taught the Birchwood band for a while. As in Tibshelf, the Birchwood Brigade was self-funded, raising funds through annual Sports Days which were held on the Cricket Ground in Somercotes.

In 1893 three colliery brigades associated with Charles Seely (He owned the collieries) were invited to Windsor Castle to demonstrate their first aid skills before Queen Victoria. Charles Seely (Liberal M.P.) was Secretary of State for War at the time and funded a special train for members of the Tibshelf (Derbyshire), Birchwood (Derbyshire) and Babbington (Nottinghamshire) Colliery Brigades to travel to and from London. He also funded their St. John Ambulance uniforms which consisted of dark blue tunics and trousers with white crossbands, a white belt and blue caps. Four hundred miners and their wives travelled to London on Saturday, May 6th, arriving at 2.30p.m. At Windsor Castle they marched down the Long walk and performed first aid exercises in front of thousands of spectators and Queen Victoria on the Review Ground. Colonel Seely and his officers were presented to the queen before everyone was allowed a tour of the state apartments. The train left London at 8.45p.m and they arrived home in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Throughout the 1890s Tibshelf and Birchwood St. John Ambulance Corps continued to train more miners and both brigades thrived. In 1896 Stuart Wardell was promoted to Deputy Commissioner for Area 5, which covered Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Staffordshire, Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. When the Boer War (1899-1902) broke out in South Africa the Army Medical Corps were short of medical personnel and St. John Ambulance miners from Tibshelf and Birchwood pits volunteered to go and give assistance. When the Boer War ended a special meal was arranged, by William Powis, for the Somercotes soldiers and ambulance men who returned home. It was reported in the Derbyshire Times on Feb. 25 th 1903:

‘BANQUET FOR RETURNED SOLDIERS AT SOMERCOTES

A dinner in connection with the Birchwood St. John Ambulance Corps, which took place in the Assembly Room at the Black Horse Inn, Lower Somercotes, was of a particularly enjoyable and memorable character, as opportunity was taken at the function to make it a complimentary dinner to the returned soldiers and ambulance men of the district. Superintendent Powis, who took the initiative in this matter must be complimented on his thoroughness. It may not be generally known that Somercotes and district sent more men to the war than any other district of its size and population and the loyalty of the locality is worthy of considerable notice. Previous to the dinner the ‘men in khaki’ met with members of the corps at their headquarters and, headed by the band, under Band Master Burnham, marched to the inn.’

The article listed thirty-five soldiers and their regiments who fought in the Boer War and who attended the dinner (See separate list) along with the Birchwood Ambulance men who were: Corporal R.W. Taylor, Privates G. Ellis, W. Varley, A. Richmond, T. Inskip, L. Tarlton and C. Boultbee. Superintendent Powis reported to the group that 400 men had received certificates and 139 men had been awarded medals since the Birchwood Corps was established. Thirty-three women had also secured nursing certificates and medals. During the last nine months the Birchwood Corps had purchased instruments for the band (cost was £139) and new uniforms (cost was £140).

During the first years of the twentieth century S.C. Wardell continued to be the driving force in the Tibshelf and Birchwood St. John Ambulance Corps and throughout the midlands until his death in 1916. Both he and his wife received a special award from the St. John Ambulance Association for their outstanding service. Dr. William Ackrill Stamford practised in Tibshelf for more than 50 years and retired in 1918. He too received the St. John Ambulance medal for long service which was presented to him by Edward, Prince of Wales. He died in 1934 aged 93 and was buried in Tibshelf.

W. Powis continued to play a leading role in the Birchwood St. John Ambulance Corps until he died in 1932. He was still living in Somercotes at Victoria Cottages.

It is worth remembering that in many parts of the country the St. John Ambulance Association was the first and only provider of an ambulance service until the National Health Service was introduced in 1948.