Story
George Carter Cawood was born in Seacroft on 12th August 1865. He was the son of Thomas Cawood (1842-1919) and Lydia Carter (1841-1911) who married in Manston, Crossgates on 29th August 1864. In 1881, the family were living in Garforth, and George was already working as a coal miner. On 8th January 1889, George married Mary Whitehead (1869-1943, pictured below right) and they moved to 13 East View, Micklefield. The couple had had 4 children by the time of the Peckfield Colliery Disaster. Between George and Mary, pictured below left to right are: Emma (1893-1977); Beatrice Annie (1887-1960); Thomas (1888-1933); and Alice (1896-1973):
George managed to escape the explosion, but was listed amongst the missing. This was because he had gone straight back down the pit to help in the rescue efforts once he himself had been rescued, along with his younger brother Arthur Cawood. This caused one newspaper to retract its previous claim that George had been killed. The following day at 5:30am, George was with five other rescuers, and went to No.3 Drift, where they found a huge heap of debris which they had to secure against falling. They were then able to progress and found the bodies of George Moakes, Tom Oakley, Joe and Walter Jackson, and Joseph and Walter Winfield. George said they were all lying on their faces as though they had been making a hard struggle for life. Despite bratticing their way along, keeping pure air around them, the afterdamp gas was still strong, and George had to be carried out of the pit again suffering from its effects. When asked about the probability of finding any miners alive, he replied that he did not think a mouse could live in such an atmosphere. It did not stop him from volunteering again the following day, and he had a third narrow escape, after being overcome again by afterdamp gas and running fifty yards towards the shaft, then crawling for thirty more yards until some “men then clicked him, and managed to save him.”
George may have been so involved in the rescue efforts, as his wife’s brother, James Whitehead, was married to Ruth Wallis who lost her father John in the disaster. Mary Whitehead’s other brother George was involved in the rescue efforts, and six months after the disaster, he married Annie Martha Simpson, whose father Edward Simpson was amongst the survivors of the disaster.
George did not return to coal mining. He moved to Kippax and became an early pioneer of the motor charabanc. On 25th January 1910, he became Landlord of the Swan Inn on Crosshill, and in 1913 he moved down Kippax High Street to run the Commercial Hotel (pictured below before 1909):
On 16th September 1924, it was reported that George had been fined for permitted gambling on his premises, and consequently his license was not renewed the following year:
Betting at a Kippax Hotel
Landlord and Bookmaker Convicted. Heavy Penalties. What disguised Policeman saw.
At Leeds West Riding Court on Tuesday George Carter Cawood, innkeeper, Kippax, was charged with permitting betting on licensed premises, and with permitting money to be received. Samuel Taylor, bookmaker, Kippax, was charged with using the premises for betting, and also with taking money; and George Edward Tiffany, miner, and Reginald Adamson, bookmaker, also of Kippax, with using the premises. Mr. C. Byers prosecuted for the police, and Mr. A. E. Masser defended.
Mr. Byers briefly outlined the case, and said that another bookmaker named Jack Taylor was involved in the case, but at about that time he met with a serious accident, losing an eye, and in the circumstances proceedings had not been taken against him.
P.C. Driver stated that on July 8th he went with P.C. Scott to the Commercial Hotel, Kippax, of which Cawood was the landlord, and went into the tap-room, which was in the same room as the bar, a counter dividing the two. Witness sat facing the bar. There were about 15 men in the room and the landlord was in the bar. The general topic of conversation was horse racing, and several men were consulting sporting papers. Witness noticed several men write out slips on the table top. They were facing the landlord, who was in conversation with Jack Taylor. When the men had written out the slips they took them to Jack Taylor and handed them to him, together with some money. Between 12:30 and 1pm, ten men handed slips and money to Taylor. The landlord was quite close to him, only the bar top separating them. On one occasion a man came into the room and handed a slip and money to Taylor and went out without ordering a drink. Witness again visited the house two days later and there were several men in the same room consulting sporting papers and talking about horse racing. The landlord was in the bar, and one of the customers said, “Where’s Taylor today?” and someone replied “I expect they have gone to Pontey.” Witness noticed a youth sitting in the tap-room, and the man who had asked for Taylor went to him and handed him a slip of paper and money. Between 1.05 and 1.30 pm ten men made bets with this youth. The landlord was in a position to see all that took place, never leaving the bar. On July 12th witness again kept observation, and was served with drink by the landlady. Cawood and a barman were also in the bar, and there were about twenty men in the room. Sam Taylor was leaning against the bar, and within 15 minutes of witness entering the room he took slips and money from twelve persons. Jack Taylor then came in and commenced to take bets freely. Whilst the landlord was serving Sam Taylor with a glass of beer a man handed a bet to Taylor. Witness saw more than 20 men make bets with Sam Taylor and 14 with Jack Taylor. Some of the backers came in from other rooms, and some of the bets were made by men who came into the house from the street and went straight out again. Cawood must have seen everything that took place on that day, some of the bets being made on the bar top between the landlord and bookmaker. On July 15th witness again visited the house and found twelve men in the room, and the landlord was taking part in a conversation as to racing. There were several sporting papers lying about on the table. Sam Taylor came in and ordered a drink, and as the landlord was handing it to him a man went to him with a slip of paper and some money and said, “Here, take this, and I hope I have something to come back.” Cawood said, “You have some hopes.” During a period of 25 minutes eight men handed slips and money to Taylor, and in most cases the slips were written out on the table top. The next day witness was in the room again soon after noon, and he heard one man say he would have to back a certain horse. Cawood was joining in the conversation discussing the form of various horses. When Sam Taylor came in one man got up and handed him some money, and witness heard him say “Black Gown.” Taylor put the money in his pocket and made an entry in a pocket book. At 1 pm P.C. Scott left the house and returned shortly afterwards, closely followed by some police with Inspector Gallimore, who said he had a warrant to search the house. As soon as he had gone out of the room Cawood said to Taylor “Have you much on you?” and Taylor replied “No.” Searching operations then commenced. In answer to Mr. Masser, witness said he and P.C. Scott were from another district, and they were disguised as telegraph wiremen. Witness never warned the landlord. Re-examined, witness said he was instructed to report on the conduct of the houses in the district. He visited other licensed premises, and on one occasion at the Commercial Hotel he found nothing irregular. P.C. Scott gave similar evidence.
The police raid on the premises was described by Inspector Gallimore, who said that having a search warrant he entered the Commercial Hotel with some constables and found men in the bar. Taylor was searched and in his possession were three betting slips, a book containing the names of 11 horses running that day, and another book relating to money transactions totalling £1,685, dating from March. He also had sporting papers in his possession and £4 18s 8½d in cash. The landlord was next searched, and he had on him £1 1s ½d, but nothing relating to betting. On Tiffany, who was in the billiard room, there was £3 8s 6d, some sporting papers, and a betting slip relating to a horse running that day. In Adamson’s possession there was a book relating to betting. Supt. Woodcock arrived and searched five other men, but as they had nothing relating to betting in their possession they were liberated. On the premises there were three sporting papers, and Supt. Woodcock found in the fireplace a small envelope containing the names of horses. The accused were taken to a constable’s house and charged, and were bailed out. In answer to Mr. Masser the Inspector agreed that Cawood gave every facility for carrying out the search.
The Defence
Opening the defence, Mr. Masser said that if the evidence of the police was to be accepted without reserve there was an overwhelming case. But in considering the position of the landlord and the great amount of evidence he was going to call on his behalf he wanted the Bench to start out with the knowledge that Cawood had been conducting the house for 14 years without any complaint. It wanted a man of irreproachable character to conduct a licensed house, and he had to take such steps as he considered reasonable to do it. He (Mr. Masser) thought he would be able to satisfy the Bench that Cawood had conducted his premises with the greatest possible care.
Giving evidence, Cawood said that during the time he had been at the Commercial Hotel there had not been the slightest complaint against it, and he had never been warned by the police. He knew that the two Taylors took part in the betting business, and it also was a fact that most of the people who visited the house talked a good deal about betting. He had had occasion to tell Taylor that no betting must take place on the premises, and he had not seen any of the customers make bets with Taylor. If he had done he would have objected. He had done his best to run the house on proper lines. The two constables who had given evidence introduced themselves as wire-men. On July 8th Sam Taylor came in with a man named Walton, who held an official position in connexion with the Miners’ Check Fund. Witness served them. At the time the constables were talking about horse racing. A conversation then started about a tug-of-war team to pull against the police as part of the Carnival programme. This was the topic between witness, Taylor and Walton, and they drew up a team and wrote it down on a piece of paper. That was what he supposed the police took to be a betting slip. Witness took the piece of paper to the Carnival Secretary, Mr. Booth. There was nothing in that incident that could be construed into a betting transaction. He had no knowledge of a youth being on the premises taking bets on the 10th. Taylor usually came in for a drink, but he did not remain any longer than the other customers. When the raid was made he gave every facility for the search and nothing was found on him connected with betting. With the exception of hearing betting talk he had never taken part in a betting transaction, and he had never seen Taylor take bets. In cross-examination, witness denied the story of the police constables.
Taylor told the Bench that he was a commission agent. The Commercial Hotel was near his home and he often went in for a drink before dinner. He chiefly carried on his business in the street, and he had never taken a bet in front of Cawood or with his knowledge. The landlord had told him that he must not do so. He took the slips found on him when he was in the street on the way to the hotel.
Henry Smith, of Castleford, said he had been agent of the Allerton Bywater branch of the Y.M.A for 25 years, and their headquarters at Kippax had been at the Commercial Hotel for 12 years. He considered it one of the best conducted houses he knew. He had not seen betting transactions in the house, but he had seen the landlord turn out men who were getting excited when talking about betting. He had always thought Cawood was too strict.
James William Walton, treasurer of the Allerton Bywater Colliery check fund, gave similar evidence, and added that on one occasion when he was paying out money the landlord pulled him up thinking that there was some gambling going on. Matthew Booth, grocer, who said he was a teetotaller, corroborated Cawood’s story as to him taking across a piece of paper on which was written a suggested tug-of-war team. Evidence that the house was properly conducted was also given by Tom Cooper, George Edward Tiffany, and George L Ward.
The Bench found the cases proved, and after retiring to consider the panalties, the Chairman (Mr. J. W. Morkill) said that Cawood would be fined £15 for permitting betting, and £5 for permitting money to be received. In deciding on the smaller penalty they had been influenced by the evidence which had been called as to accused’s previous good character. For using the premises Taylor would be fined £30, and on the other charge he would have to pay £20. The charges against Tiffany and Adamson were withdrawn.
Nevertheless, the Cawoods became a family of landlords, with Thomas running the Boot and Shoe, taking over from his uncle Arthur Cawood (1868-1924), and Emma ran the King’s Arms Hotel, in Silsden, Keighley. George’s bravery was also a Cawood trait. His younger brother, John (1878-1960, pictured below) served in the First World War. George had two nephews, sons of his brother Arthur, who also served in the First World War. The older son Charles was killed in action on 20th July 1918 aged 26, while his brother Frank survived.
George passed away on 22nd January 1939 in his 74th year, whilst living at 11 Copeland Road, Garforth. He is buried in Garforth:
30th April 1896. The Peckfield Colliery Disaster at Micklefield 