Story
Jess was born in Swillington on 1st April 1876. He was the son of George Mosby (1833-1886) and Jane Ellis (1840-1935), who married in Sherburn on 13th December 1862.
On 6th September 1886, Jess’s father George was killed at Peckfield Colliery, and an Inquest was held at the Bland’s Arms Inn 2 days later, attended by John Gerrard, H.M. Inspector of Mines, who would also attend the Peckfield Colliery Disaster. Jess’s older brother Lot Mosby stated that he had left for work at 6:15am, and his father’s body was brought back at 1pm. George had been working with Samuel Marriott, who said he had also descended No.1 Pit at 6:15am and George soon arrived in the stall next to him, and built a pack. At 11:30 George threw down his pick and hammer towards his bank gate and went back towards the coal face. Sam asked “Are you going to build another pack?” George answered “No” and walked after his tools. 10 minutes later Sam heard a fall and a groan, so ran 8½ feet past the pack, and found George under a 4 foot by 20 inch thick rock, with his right shoulder crushed against a prop. It took Sam, John Sutton, William Mosby and Isaac Limbert 15 minutes to free him and put him in a corf, but George died 15 minutes later. John Sutton himself would be killed in the Colliery Disaster 10 years later, which Sam and Lot would escape. Jess was involved in the rescue efforts.
After his father’s death, Jess supported his mother at their home, 20 Crescent, and was a coal miner all his life. Jess never married. He moved to 16 East View, and died in hospital on 20th July 1949.
30th April 1896. The Peckfield Colliery Disaster at Micklefield 