| Individual Details | Individual Details | |||
 |
 |
|||
Nicholas Cowie
| Age: | 57 |
| Died: | 14th Jul 1896 |
| Accident: | 14th Jul 1896 |
| Year Born: | abt. 1839 |
| Colliery: | Houghton |
| Company: | Lambton Collieries Ltd. |
| Occupation: | Stoneman |
| Notes: | he was drawing timber when the top stone about 14 inches thick fell away, and knocked four baulks out and killed him, residence: Bowling Street, Houghton-le-Spring [Sunderland Daily Echo reports: accident - 15 Jul 1896 pg 3 col 1; inquest - 17 Jul 1896 pg 3 col 1] |
| Buried: | Houghton Cemetery |
| Category: | Falls in the Mine :: Falls of Roof |
 |
 |
| Description | |
|
|
Sunderland Daily Echo and Shipping Gazette, Wednesday July 15th 1896
Fatality at Houghton Pit
Shocking Accident
Last night, shortly before five o'clock, a fatality occurred at the Houghton-Le-Spring Colliery, resulting in the death of one of the best known inhabitants of the town, Mr. Nicholas Cowie, 59 years of age, married and residing with his family in Bowling Street, Houghton-Le-Spring. Deceased, along with another man named Stamp Widdowfield followed the occupation of a "secker man". They had descended the mine only an hour, and had gone to the Rector's Main coal seam. They had just commenced to work when it was found necessary to draw a prop for the purpose of bringing down some of the roof. Before they had time to get out of harm's way the "fall" came away. The deceased, who was standing about the centre of the fall, was completely buried, but his comrade (Widdowfield), being at the end of the fall, escaped with only slight grazing of his leg. Widdowfield raised the alarm, assistance was obtained, the fall removed, and the deceased extricated. Life, however, was found to be extinct, death being apparently instantaneous. His whole body was a mass of bruises. He was at once conveyed to his home. The colliery is idle today.
Sunderland Daily Echo and Shipping Gazette, Friday July 17th 1896
The Houghton Fatality
This morning Mr. Coroner Maynard held an inquest at the Newcastle Arms, Houghton-Le-Spring, concerning the death of Nicholas Cowie, 57 years of age, residing at Bowling Street, Houghton-Le-Spring, who met with his death on Tuesday evening last in the pit. The jury returned a verdict of accidental death, exonerating all persons from blame.
|
|
| Census Data | |
|
|
1881 Census
Address: Lindsay Street, Downs, Hetton Le Hole, Co. Durham
(Ref: RG11 / 4975 / 25 / 43)
| Name | Age | Rel | Mar | Occupation | Where Born | Born |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| COWEY, Nicholas | 42 | Head | Mar | Coal Miner | DUR: Hetton Downs | 1839 |
| COWEY, Esther | 39 | Wife | Mar | DUR: Blue Quarry | 1842 | |
| COWEY, Mary Ann | 12 | Dau | Scholar | DUR: Hetton Downs | 1869 | |
| COWEY, Nicholas | 10 | Son | Scholar | DUR: Hetton Downs | 1871 | |
| COWEY, Esther | 8 | Dau | Scholar | DUR: Hetton Downs | 1873 | |
| COWEY, Sarah Ellen | 6 | Dau | Scholar | DUR: Hetton Downs | 1875 | |
| COWEY, Robert | 3 | Son | Scholar | DUR: Hetton Downs | 1878 | |
| COWEY, Christopher | 1 | Son | DUR: Hetton Downs | 1880 | ||
| COWEY, John Thomas | Son | DUR: Hetton Downs |
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.
|
|
| Tombstone | |
|
|
Houghton-le-Spring — Cemetery
Location: OS Map 88, Grid Ref NZ343492
|
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-00456-01-0002 and we will make the image available on a temporary page for you to access.
|
| [The image has been requested 3 times before] |
| Names on this tombstone | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Died | Age | Born |
| Esther COWIE | 12th Nov 1920 | 79 | 1841 |
| John Thomas COWIE | 6th Feb 1911 | 29 | 1882 |
| Nicholas COWIE | 14th Jul 1896 | 57 | 1839 |
| Sarah Ellen COWIE | 2nd May 1901 | 27 | 1874 |
| Robert FINCH | |||
| Sarah Ellen FINCH | 2nd May 1901 | 27 | 1874 |
|
|
| Related Articles | |
|
|
| Pub. Date | Article (Newspaper) |
|---|---|
| 15 Jul 1896 | Fatality at Houghton Pit, Shocking Accident (Sunderland Daily Echo & Shipping Gazette) |
| 17 Jul 1896 | The Houghton Fatality (Sunderland Daily Echo & Shipping Gazette) |
|
|
| Mines Inspectors Report Entry | |
|
|
|
|
| Sources | |
|
|
- 1881 Census — taken 3rd April, 1881
- 1896 Mines Inspectors Report (C 8450), Durham District (No. 4) by R. D. Bain, H.M. Inspector of Mines, Page: 24, Accident Number: 315 Where to find this report
- Church/Cemetery photograph (T-00482-01-0002) © Kev Duncan
- Headstone(s) in Houghton-le-Spring Cemetery
- Tombstone photograph (T-00456-01-0002) © Kev Duncan
|
|
| Researchers | |
|
|
| Researcher | Date | Interest | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nicholas Cowie | 18 Jan 2009 |
My Grandfather was Nicholas Cowie born 1907 in Houghton le Spring, his father died when he was 3 years old. |
|
| Angela May | 15 Dec 2009 |
Nicholas Cowie was my grandmother's brother. Her name was Isabelle (Isabella) Isabelle died in childbirth. One of her sons is named Nicholas Cowie May. They had a sister Dorothy amongst others. She married a Richard May. They are buried in Iowa,USA. Please see findagrave.com for my memorials that I have begun managing. Would love to make contact with other family and get more info from family or anyone that knows more on the links to these people. They are my family. |
|
| Dorothy Plows | 01 Nov 2010 |
Nicholas Cowie was my gr. gr. grandmothers cousin. She was Hannah Cowie who married Anthony Newton |
|
| Mary Hewitt ,nee Cowie | 19 Oct 2016 |
My father was Nicholas Cowie,born 1907 son of John Thomas Cowie -1882 and grandson of Nicholas Cowie born 1839 ,Houghton Le Spring. |
|
| Tracy Fuqua | 05 Jan 2021 |
Nicholas Cowie born 1872 is my 2nd great grandfather, Died 2 DEC 1925 • Christopher, Franklin, Illinois, USA I am working the genealogy of this leg of my family tree. I would love to meet any family that I have. |
|
If you are researching Nicholas Cowie (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.
Return
Return to Top
Contains public sector information licensed under the 
