Thanks for that Dawn ................and where it said "Janet Cumming (No.1), 11 years bears coals.I gang with the women " .......... the 11 years refers to her age and not the time period bearing coal !!!   Derek ________________________________ From: Dawn Webb <dawnwebb@optusnet.com.au> To: 'Derek' <derekn@btinternet.com>; staffordshire@rootsweb.com Sent: Saturday, 3 March 2012, 20:49 Subject: RE: [STAFFORDSHIRE] 1881 -- The Iron Works, Moxley/Wednesfield For those who don't know - gang is an old form (and possibly in dialect) of go...  we are talking imperial things where a cwt - hundredweight is 112 lbs, perhaps 50-55kg - A fathom is 6ft - about 1.8metres.  Creels were used for basket - fisherfolk used the term still.  Possibly still do. I remember learning a song at school - as I was ganging down the road..  we had it explained it meant - as I was going down the road..  the measurements we all learned by heart, rote, whatever. Not so these days. Dawn (Melbourne Australia) -----Original Message----- From: staffordshire-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:staffordshire-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Derek Sent: Sunday, 4 March 2012 7:34 AM To: staffordshire@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [STAFFORDSHIRE] 1881 -- The Iron Works, Moxley/Wednesfield This link will give you a good idea of what life was like in the coal mines in 1842..............   http://www.cmhrc.co.uk/site/literature/royalcommissionreports/   if you don't have time to read the rport this will give you an idea of what it was like ........... taken from the report ..................  Janet Cumming (No.1), 11 years bears coals.I gang with the women at five and come up at five at night. I work all night on Fridays, and come away at twelve in the day. I carry the large bits of coal from the wall face to the pit bottom, and the small pieces called chows in a creel. The weight is usually a hundredweight. I do not know how many pounds there are in a hundredweight but it is some weight to carry. It takes three journeys to fill a tub of 4 cwt. The distance varies as the work is not always on the same wall, sometimes 150 fathoms, whiles 250 fathoms. The roof is very low and I have to bend my back and legs and the water comes frequently up to the calves of my legs. I have no liking for the work, father makes me like it. I never got hurt, but often am obliged    Derekto scramble out of the pit when bad air was in. __________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature database 6935 (20120303) __________ The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus. http://www.eset.com

Yes, that is exactly what I understood - and possibly she had been doing it since about age 8 I imagine. Hard times! But normal, then. No wonder the life expectancy was a lot less - apart from accidents which would kill many, they'd be worn out. No aged pension, sickness benefits etc. Think all that started happening round WWI - give or take a few years depending on which country/state you lived in. Even here, aged pension for men over 65 introduced about 1915 - life expectancy for a man was about 58! And most got the pension only for a few months before dying at less than 66. I turn 65 in a few weeks - aged pension for women was 60 graduated to 65 - 64 for me - and retired earlier due to work superannuation pension no topped up additionally by aged pension - life is GOOD! I own my own house - which is good as it is really only since I was adult women could get mortgages etc without a man involved.. and I am divorced now. G Gran, the one who had all six of her children in one bed, was a single mother thanks to her husband Henry marrying bigamously six times after her!! - she took in washing and supported them all that way. North of England - no money for shoes and clothes - they wore what they were given whether it fitted or not. Barefoot in ice and snow was the alternative. Grandma had shocking feet which she said was due to that, and she drummed it into her children and even me (she died when I was ten) that children needed well fitting shoes, expensive yes, but Mum should go without a meal or two if necessary to provide them. I have passed it on to my children but so far, and probably too late now, no offspring from any of them! No need these days to go without meals to provide them though. Dawn __________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature database 6935 (20120303) __________ The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus. http://www.eset.com