Story
Charles Swift was lodging at 7 East View, Micklefield with Noah Ball, his wife Jane Skidmore, and many of Noah and Jane’s ten children. Charles was working in the No.6 East Level on the day of the explosion. The blast occurred over 1,600 metres away from Charles and Noah, but a secondary explosion travelled up the No.1 Rise Bord, killing four men. Noah and Charles were running along the No.6 East Level, against the air current, towards the No.1 Rise Bord, when Charles stumbled over some timber and fell to his knees. Noah was about 50 metres ahead of Charles when the afterdamp gas came up the Intake. Noah fell on his side, and both he and Charles died where they had fallen. They had little chance of escape, as the No.1 Rise Bord was inaccessible due to extremely heavy roof falls.
Charles’s body was brought out of the pit on 1st May 1896, and was identified at the Inquest by Sarah Ann Sutton (née Skidmore). She was Jane’s older sister, and therefore Noah’s sister-in-law. She had married Charles Sutton in 1872, and they lived in Altofts. Sarah thought Charles was about 36 years-old, and recognised him as Noah’s lodger whom she had seen frequently over the past four years. She said both Charles and Noah appeared to be asleep.
It is not thought that Noah and Charles were related, although Noah’s grandmother was Mary Swift (1792-1866) and she had a son, John Swift (1811-1876) out of wedlock. John had 6 children, including two who died a year after Charles was born. Thomas Swift was 23 and his brother Henry was 19, when they were killed on 9th September 1861, along with two 14 years-old lads and a 36 years-old man, after finishing their shift at Wrockwardine Stone Pit, owned by Lilleshall Company. The five were in the lift and were just reaching the top, when the chain holding them snapped, and they were killed after falling 67 yards down the shaft. At the Inquest, a ruling of “Accidentally killed” was returned, despite some evidence that the chain wasn’t considered safe. A recommendation was made that two qualified men be appointed to examine the chains and ropes used in the pit.
30th April 1896. The Peckfield Colliery Disaster at Micklefield 