Dear All A friend kindly spent a day at Durham RO yesterday trying to track down any mention of my 3 x g.grandfather's demise on October 3rd l855. James BELL died at Middridge from injuries received in an accident on the Stockton and Darlington Railway. His death certificate tells us that the informant was Thomas THORNTON, Deputy Coroner Bishop Auckland on l3th October l855 - so I would assume there was an inquest. My friend was hoping to find mention of this accident and checked the Durham Chronicle, the Durham Advertiser and the Bishop Auckland Herald. Unfortunately she could find nothing in the first two papers and all editions of the Bishop Auckland Herald post October l855 were missing and she was sure he would have been mentioned in the following edition. The next edition available was for Sept. l856. Also, the RO don't keep will references there - apparently they are kept at University Archives "elsewhere in Durham". Can anyone advise? Rather than giving up at this first hurdle, can anyone suggest further information sources? I have checked the British Library Newspaper Archives Index and their copies of the Bishop Auckland Herald don't start until l857 so that's no help. As the accident was on the railway could there possibly have been specific railway records kept? I know I'm grasping at straws but I'm trying to think of any way possible to find out what happened to James. Grateful thanks Diane Johansen

Anything on the Darlington & Stockton Railway is likely to be reported in the Darlington & Stockton Times. Unfortunately neither Darlington nor Northallerton libraries have the films covering September / October 1855. Both have the films up to 1853 (ish) and then there is a gap to 1870+ The British Library at Colindale holds copies (according to the local newspaper reference book). The Northern Echo, which would also have covered the area didn't start until 1870. Ken ----- Original Message ----- From: lizzy johansen <lizzy.johansen@btinternet.com> To: <ENG-DURHAM-YORKS-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, February 20, 2003 10:56 PM Subject: [D'hamYorks] l855 Newspapers-Death of James BELL l855 > > Dear All > > A friend kindly spent a day at Durham RO yesterday trying to track down > any mention of my 3 x g.grandfather's demise on October 3rd l855