Durham Mining Museum - Benjamin Ward

	Individual Details		Individual Details

Benjamin Ward

Age:	35
Died:	8^th Sep 1880
Accident:	8^th Sep 1880 2:20 AM
Year Born:	abt. 1845
Colliery:	Seaham
Company:	Marquis of Londonderry
Occupation:	Stoneman
Notes:	address: 13, John Street, Seaham Harbour ; killed in the 1880 explosion (ignition caused by safety lamp or shot firing)
Buried:	[not known]
Category:


Description

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.


Census Data

1881 Census

Address: 2 Back John Street, Dawdon, Co. Durham
(Ref: RG11 / 4967 / 66 / 65)

Name	Age	Rel	Mar	Occupation	Where Born	Born
WARD, Sarah	35	Head	Wid		NFK: Scunthorp	1846
WARD, John	14	Son	Unn	Unemployed	DUR: N Seaham	1867
WARD, James	12	Son		Scholar	DUR: N Seaham	1869
WARD, William	9	Son		Scholar	DUR: N Seaham	1872
WARD, Emma	6	Dau			DUR: N Seaham	1875
WARD, Benjamin	1	Son			DUR: Seaham Har	1880

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.


Memorial: 1880 Seaham Colliery Disaster


Memorial

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-00159-00-0002 and we will make the image available on a temporary page for you to access.

Names in this memorial picture
Name	Died	Age	Born
John VICKERS	8^th Sep 1880	52	1828
Joseph WALLER	8^th Sep 1880	16	1864
Benjamin WARD	8^th Sep 1880	35	1845
Frank WATSON	8^th Sep 1880	61	1819
John WATSON	8^th Sep 1880	38	1842
John WEIR	8^th Sep 1880	47	1833
Robert WHARTON	8^th Sep 1880	35	1845
John WHITFIELD	8^th Sep 1880	17	1863
John WILKINSON	8^th Sep 1880	20	1860
Samuel WILKINSON	8^th Sep 1880	26	1854
William WILKINSON	8^th Sep 1880	40	1840
William WILKINSON	8^th Sep 1880	20	1860
Thomas Henry WILLIAMS	8^th Sep 1880	14	1866
David WILLIAMSON	8^th Sep 1880	18	1862
Thomas WRIGHT	8^th Sep 1880	26	1854


Compensation Settlement

Residence:	13, John Street, Seaham Harbour
Widow, &c.	Sarah Ward
Widow Age:	32
Children:	4
Legacies:	£5 0s. 0d.
Fortnightly Allowance:	£1 6s. 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


Related Articles

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)


Further Reading

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


Sources

1881 Census — taken 3rd April, 1881
Memorial in Christ Church Churchyard, Seaham
Report from The Miners' Permanent Relief Fund detailing the members, payments, dependents etc. for the 1880 Seaham Colliery Disaster. Published 2nd October, 1880.


Researchers

Researcher	Date	Interest
Mrs Joyce Burlinson	04 Mar 2010	He was my great grandfather

Joyce burlinson	12 Aug 2018	My great grandfather

If you are researching Benjamin Ward (e.g. for family tree purposes) and you would like to hear from others with the same interest then please complete the details in the following form. We will show the information you provide on this page so that you can be contacted.

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