Last week’s blog post looked at Railway 200, and we speculated about how people might get involved, including through the Railway Work, Life & Death project. There’s so much in the project that fairly much wherever there was a railway, you can probably find someone or something relevant. We wanted to encourage people to use our free database of c.50,000 accidents to railway workers as a starting point for them to find out more – and share it with us.
Little did we know that we’d have our first taker within hours of the blog going live! Here one of our very own volunteer team, Peter Robinson, shares what he found when he selected just one of the accidents in the database. We’re grateful to Peter for all he does on the project and for putting this blog post together.
If you’re inspired to put together a guest blog post, you’d be very welcome – there’s more information on it here.
My background, before I retired in 2017, was living in Luton, Bedfordshire. I was a senior Fire Alarm Service and Commissioning Engineer. When I retired I moved to County Durham and got involved in volunteering at Locomotion Museum, Shildon. I heard that the Railway Work, Life & Death Project was looking for volunteers which I thought might be a good way of learning more about the railways. Learning to transcribe the accidents into the spreadsheets I have gained a lot more knowledge about the railways. I have been a volunteer for 6 years; it has got me fascinated with the background of some of the railway workers and how their accidents affected the families. With the Railway 200 event next year I decided to look closer at one of the accidents from Shildon. For me it has got me more interested in my own family tree, which has been an eye-opener. One link on my wife’s side of the family tree was William Kiff (1670 – 1712); his wife Mary Drummond (1672 – 1729) was related to James (4th Earl of Perth, 1st Titular Duke of) Drummond (1648 – 1716).
Christopher Robert Brownless
Christopher Robert Brownless was born 1869 in Staindrop in County Durham. In the 1871 Census he’s listed as living at Main Street, Kirkby Stephen, with his father Matthew Brownless, 26, who was listed as being an engine guard, his mother Sarah, 26, and his brother Frederick, 9 months. His grandfather, when I checked, was a quarryman in Durham, so I think the railway link started with Matthew. We do not know much about the family between Censuses.
Moving on to the 1881 Census, they had moved house to 45 Strand Street, Staindrop. His father’s listed as railway engine driver. Christopher had also gained two more brothers – Frederick aged 10, Alfred aged 5 and Charles aged 3. On 13 July 1890 Christopher married Mary Ann Hogg, aged 18. They moved in with her mother who was a widow aged 54 and listed as head; she was born in Ireland. The residence is listed as 44 Main Street, Shildon and Christopher was listed as railway labourer. In 1882 their son Richard was born.
By 1901 Christopher progressed to North Eastern Railway (NER) mineral guard and the family had moved to 49 Main Street, Shildon. He is listed as head, with his wife Mary, son Richard and mother-in-law Mary Ann Hogg, widow.
Courtesy National Railway Museum.
15 December 1904: on the night of the accident Christopher was standing in Shildon Works timber yard, beside a truck, talking with James Holden, who was the Timber Yard Foreman. Christopher had just started a 10-hour shift and had only been on duty 40 minutes. Suddenly a pile of timber started to move, and a two-ton log fell and crushed him and James Holden against the truck. Christopher’s injuries proved fatal, but James Holden survived.
Courtesy National Library of Scotland Maps.
The stack had been built the week before the accident and at the time there had been heavy snow and ice. The day before the accident the weather had been mild, and it was thought that the thaw caused the bottom of the log pile to settle making the stack unstable. The inspector for the case was C Campbell and his conclusion was that it was an accident.
Christopher Brownless joined the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants (ASRS) Union on 19 March 1898. He appears in the project database’s legal cases, case number 1841: his wife was awarded £180 compensation, paid by the NER, and the cost for Jennings Solicitor was £6-19-0. Christopher’s affairs went to Probate on 21 February 1905 – Christopher Robert Brownless of 49 Main Street died 15 December 1904, leaving £63 to his widow Mary Ann Brownless.
In the 1911 Census Mary Ann Brownless was still living at 49 Main Street, Shildon. She was listed as head, and her job was milliner at home. Robert, the son, was still living at home; his job is listed as engine fitter at the Shildon works. Mary Ann Hogg, Mary Ann Brownless mother, was still living with them. Christopher`s father was also living with them – Matthew Brownless, 66, a widower and pensioned engine driver.
Interestingly, Matthew Brownless also appears in the project database – in the ‘disablement’ union data. It shows he joined the ASRS in 1888, and retired from railway work on 9 May 1910, aged 66. As he was ‘incapacitated’ by ‘old age’, he received a payment from the Union – £22.
I looked into the son Robert’s background and found that he enlisted in the Army Service Corps on 6 August 1915 but due to poor health, Chronic Emphysema and enlarged bronchial glands, he was discharged 6 June 1916 with a note saying that he was honest and trustworthy. It was noted that he had pleurisy and pneumonia at the age of 17.
During the search I found a link to Geneanet Community Trees Index with Christopher Brownless name. I followed the link and it showed Bruce Henderson was the owner of that tree. I contacted Bruce and introduced myself. Bruce contacted me back to say “Richard Brownless (son of Christopher Robert Brownless and Mary Ann Hogg) was the 4th cousin of my father, William Henderson. I already had some of these details but, I was unaware of the cause of death. So, your info was very helpful. Thanks for contacting me and sharing those details.”
Peter Robinson
This was fascinating, to read. Learning about life in the past, and the safety issues the workers had. My self I’m a retired professional Driver and was on the company’s safety committee and had to look at company Truck accidents and what could have been prevented. what a pleasant surprise to read that it was My own Brother that wrote this article.
Thanks Phil – great of you to say … and an excellent family connection! We’re lucky to have Peter working on the project.