Home Page

For those of you researching families, this site contains records of over 4,237 miners, the three local Village sites on the bottom of the link bar have census records and family histories. The four sites are used by local Schools, B. B. C. Television, local researchers, and Environmental Scientist as a database on local history.

"SIMPLY THE BEST"

"You couldn't beat us, we were Miners".
Bruce Wilson 2005
A PERSONAL WEBSITE

BY JOHN DOXEY

INTRODUCTION

From what started out as one page regarding the history of the Mine where my Father worked has grown this multi page comprehensive historic database. This has been largely due to the marvellous input by others, many ex miners and also their families. The lives of some of these miners and their families can also be found on the Thrybergh, Dalton, and Ravenfield sites which are linked to these pages.
What you are about to read is hopefully a worthy tribute to not just the miners of Silverwood but also miners everywhere who lived and worked in a period when coal was king, a title earned by blood, sweat, and tears. Coal like all commodities had a price, but the true price of coal was not what you and I paid for with money, its the price paid by miners and their families every time a miner was injured, killed, or contracted one of the many diseases associated with working in dust.
This site is not just the history of a mine it is more a study of the men and women who worked there, often rough and rowdy in their ways, sometimes scorned by those ignorant of their true worth.
Why did they work down a mine? Simply to better their lot and provide a better existence for their families, a legacy enjoyed by their descendants today many of whom were sent to college and university, paid for by money earned by their fathers working down the mine.
What is hoped is that when you have finished reading these pages you will have a true picture of coalminers, which is a far cry from the image often portrayed in the tabloids during the 20th century. You will also learn just how much coal contributed to each and everyone of us, for the by products of this fuel had many benefits.
These pages contain humour , tragedy, deception, and heartbreak, but what stands out is the pride, comradeship, and community spirit of miners and their families.

Silverwood was never to celebrate her 100th birthday, she ended her life prematurely, no she was not ailing, she was actually quite the opposite. So healthy that she was breaking records, outrunning slower competitors. There she was in the prime of health running for the finish line each day, unsuspecting, full of pride, only seeing her assassin crawl out of her hiding place from behind a cloak of deceit at the last moment.

Though the mine had her defenders like Mr. Peter Hardy M. P. who stated in Parliament :-
"Some of us have seen profitable collieries such as Silverwood in my constituency doomed soon after the brilliant men of Hobart house approved millions of pounds of expenditure, which simply stopped before Christmas and before the coal face that was being developed could begin to turn coal.
We have had enough stupidity, we have had enough dogma and we have had enough malice. It is time that the Government reconsidered the matter and accepted the amendment--in the national interest. "

Silverwood like others tried to fight with commonsense and reasoning, for she was no match for the weaponry and power of her unrelenting adversary, but the assassin was not listening, she was vent on destruction, and she had her own interest in seeing foreign competitors win the race.

The axe fell maliciously and mercilessly, Silverwood unable to defend herself finally fell , today nothing more than a memory, but that memory lives on with pride.

This site is dedicated to the Miners of Silverwood their families, and that memory.

"SIMPLY THE BEST"

To each and every person who have contributed here on these pages, I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks.

John Doxey son of Ike Doxey Silverwood Miner.

"Whatever I've managed to achieve pales when compared to the toil and bravery of everyone who worked at Silverwood, and indeed in the whole of the coal -mining industry. It's coal that built this country, fuelled the industrial revolution, and websites like yours' (if indeed there are any other like yours'!) are a wonderful way to acknowledge the debt the whole nation owes to these people."

Steven Lawrence aka Steven Elder [Actor]

Add a miner to the miners list		Add your memories of Silverwood
Click on photos to Start Your Visit		Click on photos to Start Your Visit
Site Guide	Miners List	Silverwood History
SITE NEWS 23/02/2012 More info added on the history pages and miners list NEW PAGES The Coggins Family Tales from the Mine 8 Pit Head Baths Don Pickering George T. Davies George Wilshaw Early Years 2 War Years at the Mine OTHER NEWS A new page where you can add your local Silverwood news JOHNS EMAILS My apologies for very slow responses to emails, this is due to yours truly working 12 hours a day, plus a very large amount of emails received, and I am trying desperately to catch up in my spare time. However please keep sending them, they are the lifeblood of this site. Welcome to the computer users of the Gun and Baggin ! If you would like to add something to the site, please do, it is your site. John