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Robert Clark
| Age: | 71 |
| Died: | 8th Sep 1880 |
| Accident: | 8th Sep 1880 2:20 AM |
| Year Born: | abt. 1809 |
| Colliery: | Seaham |
| Company: | Marquis of Londonderry |
| Occupation: | Shifter |
| Notes: | address: 8, Butcher Street ; killed in the 1880 explosion (ignition caused by safety lamp or shot firing) |
| Buried: | [not known] |
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| Description | |
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The text of the report from the Mines Inspector into this disaster is available in the Disaster Reports section of this website.
Extracts from the Inquest into this death.
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| Census Data | |
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1881 Census
Address: 19 California Street, Seaham, Co. Durham
(Ref: RG11 / 4971 / 114 / 16)
| Name | Age | Rel | Mar | Occupation | Where Born | Born |
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| CLARK, Isabella | 72 | Head | Wid | Annuitant | DUR: Wapping | 1809 |
| CLARK, Elizabeth | 39 | Dau | Unn | DUR: Broomside | 1842 | |
| CLARK, Isabella | 32 | Dau | Unn | DUR: Broomside | 1849 |
Please note: the census extracts shown here are our 'best guess match' to the person shown on this page and is not intended to be definitive — only knowledge of the family would allow this.
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| Memorial: 1880 Seaham Colliery Disaster | |
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| Memorial | |
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This is a low resolution image for web display, if you would like to have a higher resolution image, then please
us quoting reference T-00150-00-0002 and we will make the image available on a temporary page for you to access.
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| [The image has been requested 4 times before] |
| Names in this memorial picture | |||
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| Name | Died | Age | Born |
| Joseph CHAPMAN | 8th Sep 1880 | 35 | 1845 |
| Matthew CHARLTON | 8th Sep 1880 | 29 | 1851 |
| James CLARK | 8th Sep 1880 | 47 | 1833 |
| James (Jnr.) CLARK | 8th Sep 1880 | 20 | 1860 |
| Joseph CLARK | 8th Sep 1880 | 23 | 1857 |
| Robert CLARK | 8th Sep 1880 | 71 | 1809 |
| Richard COLE | 8th Sep 1880 | 44 | 1836 |
| Joseph COOK | 8th Sep 1880 | 32 | 1848 |
| John COPEMAN | 8th Sep 1880 | 32 | 1848 |
| Joseph COWEY | 8th Sep 1880 | 40 | 1840 |
| William CROSSMAN | 8th Sep 1880 | 18 | 1862 |
| Thomas CUMMINGS | 8th Sep 1880 | 71 | 1809 |
| Charles DAWSON | 8th Sep 1880 | 37 | 1843 |
| Robson DAWSON | 8th Sep 1880 | 34 | 1846 |
| Walter DAWSON | 8th Sep 1880 | 49 | 1831 |
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| Compensation Settlement | |
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| Residence: | 19, California Street |
| Widow, &c. | Isabella Clark |
| Widow Age: | 72 |
| Children: | |
| Legacies: | £5 0s. 0d. |
| Fortnightly Allowance: | £0 10s. 0d. |
| Fatal Accident Benefits. | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Accidental Death of Unmarried Member under 18 years of age | £12 | 0 | 0 |
| Accidental Death of Members above 18 years of age leaving no dependent relative | 23 | 0 | 0 |
| Accidental Death of Members above 18 years of age leaving dependent relatives | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Widows or other dependent relatives | 5s. per week | ||
| Each child (if under age) of members accidentally killed | 2s. per week | ||
| Each child (if under age) of widowers, &c., extra for guardianship | 1s. 6d. per week | ||
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| Related Articles | |
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| Pub. Date | Article (Newspaper) |
|---|---|
| 09 Sep 1880 | Terrible Colliery Explosion (The Times) |
| 10 Sep 1880 | The Seaham Colliery Explosion (The Times) |
| 13 Sep 1880 | The Seaham Colliery Explosion (The Times) |
| 14 Sep 1880 | The Seaham Colliery Explosion (The Times) |
| 15 Sep 1880 | The Seaham Colliery Explosion (The Times) |
| 15 Sep 1880 | The Seaham Colliery Explosion (The Times) |
| 16 Sep 1880 | The Seaham Colliery Explosion (The Times) |
| 17 Sep 1880 | The Seaham Colliery Explosion (The Times) |
| 18 Sep 1880 | The Seaham Colliery Explosion (The Times) |
| 18 Sep 1880 | Our Illustrations, The Seaham Colliery Explosion (The Graphic) |
| 18 Sep 1880 | The Seaham Colliery Explosion (The Times) |
| 20 Sep 1880 | The Seaham Colliery Explosion (The Times) |
| 21 Sep 1880 | Seaham Colliery Explosion (The Times) |
| 23 Sep 1880 | The Seaham Colliery Explosion (The Times) |
| 24 Sep 1880 | The Seaham Colliery Explosion (The Times) |
| 30 Sep 1880 | The Seaham Colliery Explosion (The Times) |
| 01 Oct 1880 | The Seaham Colliery Explosion (The Times) |
| 02 Oct 1880 | The Seaham Colliery Explosion (The Times) |
| 02 Oct 1880 | Mr. T. H. M. Stratton (The Graphic) |
| 04 Oct 1880 | Seaham Colliery Explosion (The Times) |
| 06 Oct 1880 | Seaham Colliery Explosion (The Times) |
| 07 Oct 1880 | The Seaham Explosion (The Times) |
| 07 Oct 1880 | Letters to the Editor, The Seaham Colliery Explosion (The Times) |
| 14 Oct 1880 | The Seaham Colliery Explosion (The Times) |
| 20 Oct 1880 | The Seaham Colliery Explosion (The Times) |
| 21 Oct 1880 | The Seaham Colliery Explosion (The Times) |
| 13 Nov 1880 | Home News, The Seaham Colliery Explosion (The Graphic) |
| 14 Dec 1880 | The Seaham Colliery Explosion (The Times) |
| 06 Jan 1881 | The Seaham Colliery Explosion (The Times) |
| 01 Apr 1933 | Coal Dust Dangers (The Science and Art of Mining) |
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| Further Reading | |
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- Mines Inspectors Report into the 1880 Disaster (C. 2924)
- Durham Mining Disasters, c.1700 - 1950s by Maureen Anderson, Published by Wharncliffe Books, 2008, ISBN 1-845630-73-4
- Explosions in Coal Mines by W. N. & J. B. Atkinson, published in 1886
- Troubled Seams - the Story of a Pit and its People by John E. McCutcheon, published in 1955 by J. Greenwood and Sons
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| Sources | |
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- 1881 Census — taken 3rd April, 1881
- Memorial in Christ Church Churchyard, Seaham
- Memorial photograph (T-00150-00-0002) © Kev Duncan
- Report from The Miners' Permanent Relief Fund detailing the members, payments, dependents etc. for the 1880 Seaham Colliery Disaster. Published 2nd October, 1880.
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| Researchers | |
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| Researcher | Date | Interest | |
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| Edmund Smith | 02 Apr 2021 |
I have 3 family members that were killed in the 1880 explosion at Seaham - Robert Clark (71), 3x Great Grandfather Joseph Wood Straughan, Great Granduncle Robert Clark Straughan, Great Granduncle I an trying to compile as much information on this tragic accident to enable me to educate my Grand Children about it |
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