Michael TURNER

1846 - 1896  (50 years)

• Name	Michael TURNER
  Born	1846	Cassop Co Durham
  	1881 Census
  Gender	Male
  Buried	1896	St Stephen Willington Co Durham
  	Find-a-Grave Memorial ID 134357951 inscription reads In loving memory of Michael Turner who lost his life at Brancepeth Colliery by explosion 15th Apr 1896 aged 50
  Died	13 Apr 1896	Brancepeth A pit Brancepeth Co Durham
  	Durham Mining Museum website - killed in explosion on main haulage road in mine. Ignition caused by shot firing. Extract from Report on the Brancepeth Colliery disaster by NHN as published in the Crook Circuit Wesleyan Methodist magazine Vol 7 no 5 dated May 1896. The men lost in the Jet seam were Michael Turner and Joseph Brigham, both shifters; boys, Thomas Carling and Bartholomew Newall. Michael Turner was 51 years of age and leaves a widow and ten children. Unfortunately, Mrs Turner has only one arm, yet her cleverness, as well as her industry, has won for her the admiration and esteem of her neighbours and all who know here. Her case is worthy of much sympathy, for out of her ten children, only one, a boy about 13 or 14 years of age, is able to work. Michael Turner, so his son affirms, many times said that if he should ever be in an explosion he would wet his handkerchief and keep it over his mouth as a protection against the insidious afterdamp. When his body was recovered his handkerchief was found to be so placed and the same thing was observable in the case of Joseph Brigham, Turners companion. At first there was some difficulty in identifying Turner?s body. Two of Thomas Lawson sons said it was their father, and undoubtedly the two unfortunate men were alike in contour. One of Lawson?s sons took the watch found on the body (which was then lying in the mortuary) to his mother for her inspection, but she declared it was not her husband's. Before Lawson's son returned, Turner's eldest son came to the mortuary and said he thought the body was that of his father. Asked by the policeman in charge how he could identify the body, the boy replied that his father always wore a piece of rabbit skin under one knee of his trousers and that his watch had a piece of the white facing broken off. At this juncture young Lawson returned with the watch which was precisely as young Turner said his fathers was. The policeman cut open the knees of the dead man's trousers and there was the rabbit skin as indicated. Thus an error was prevented.
  Person ID	I11894	Main Tree
  Last Modified	23 Nov 2019

  
  

  Father	William TURNER,   b. 1818, Reeth Yorkshire
  Mother	Elizabeth PARKER,   b. 30 Oct 1823, Tanfield Co Durham
  Married	24 Jun 1843	Shadforth Co Durham
  	Ancestry Select Marriages
  Family ID	F2946	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Ann MORRISON,   b. 1857, Chester le Street Co Durham
  Married	1876
  	FreeBMD Jun 1876 Durham 10a 529
  Children	1. Mary Ann TURNER,   b. 25 Apr 1877, Willington Co Durham + 2. James TURNER,   b. 1880, Willington Co Durham + 3. Elizabeth Ord TURNER,   b. 13 May 1881, Willington Co Durham ,   d. 1948  (Age 66 years) + 4. Emily Morrison TURNER,   b. 13 Sep 1882, Willington Co Durham ,   d. 1969  (Age 86 years)   5. Margaret TURNER,   b. 1885, Willington Co Durham   6. Thomas TURNER,   b. 1886, Willington Co Durham   7. Michael TURNER,   b. 1888, Willington Co Durham   8. Willie TURNER,   b. 1892, Willington Co Durham   9. Sarah Ellen TURNER,   b. 1893, Willington Co Durham   10. George TURNER,   b. 1894, Willington Co Durham   11. Annie TURNER,   b. 1897, Willington Co Durham
  Last Modified	7 Nov 2022
  Family ID	F2968	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Notes

  1851 HO107 2391 358 at 109 Durham Road Sherburn Hill son single aged 5 born Kelloe 1861 RG9 3745 96 at New Row Willington son single driver aged 15 born Kelloe 1871 RG10 4964 44 at Frankland Colliery Houses son single coal miner aged 25 born Hallgarth Street 1881 RG11 4959 78 at 42 Albert Street Willington head married coal miner aged 35 born Cassop 1891 RG12 4102 69 at 42 Albert Street Willington head married coal miner aged 45 born Cassop