Story
Dan was born in Luton, Bedforshire in 1852, and was the final son of William Lawrence (1810-1870), a bricklayer, and Elizabeth Simpson (1811-1882), who married on 6th November 1834 in Luton. By 1871, Dan had left home and was working as a coal miner at Pleasly Hill in Mansfield. In 1881, he was lodging with George Clark in Basford, and was working at Newark Colliery. George Clark’s son Samuel moved to Micklefield around 1884, and was a survivor of the Peckfield Colliery Disaster. Dan married George’s daughter, Ellen Clarke (1863-1914) in Basford in 1882, and the couple went on to have 9 children, although 3 died in infancy. In 1891, they were living at 26 Gate Street, Radford, and shortly after moved to Newthorpe to start work at Peckfield Colliery, and moved to 7 New Row in 1894.
Dan was a volunteer rescuer at the Peckfield Colliery disaster, having had the day off work.
Afterwards, Dan continued to work as a coal miner, and moved to 12 Sunnybank in 1900. He passed away in 1906. His widow Ellen moved to 23B Fraser Mount, Leeds, where she was supported by her sons, Arthur, George and Thomas, who all worked as coal miners. Ellen passed away in 1914, aged 50.
30th April 1896. The Peckfield Colliery Disaster at Micklefield 