Joseph Lillyman was born in East Retford, Nottinghamshire in 1841. He was the son of a Sadler, Joseph Lillyman (1811-1875) and Frances Vaniflue (1811-1850) who married in Frances’ home of Gainsborough Lincolnshire on 14th May 1834. After Frances passed away, Joseph snr. re-married an Irishwoman Mary Fallan (1825-1887) in Leeds on 30th December 1850. The family did not stay in Nottinghamshire for long. By 1851, they were living at 214 Manchester Road, Bradford. On 8th June 1865 in Garforth, Joseph jnr. married Martha Ballance (1823-1895), who was the widow of Charles Floyd (1817-1859). They moved to Moor Garforth, and Joseph started work as a Limeburner before becoming a coal miner. They lived 2 doors away from the Simpson family who lost two brothers in the explosion. Joseph and Martha had one son, Joseph Vamflue Lillyman (1868-1932), who would go on to work with Joseph at Peckfield Colliery, initially as a Colliery Clerk, then as the Weigh Clerk. Martha passed away on 28th September 1895, and is buried in Garforth (below). The Inscription on the gravestone reads: “Farewell, my loved ones, Ye shall come to me, But I shall not return to you.”
After the death of his wife, Joseph and his son moved to live on site at Peckfield Colliery. Joseph worked as the Night Deputy in the East Level. On 29th April 1896, he went to work at 9:50pm, and proceeded to examine New North Road and the South Dips and found all alright. He had a safety lamp, and tested for gas everywhere, leaving his chalk mark in the areas tested. This included Goodall’s Gate which would be the location for the explosion. Joseph signed the ventilation Record Book at 6am, and left the mine with William Flowers and Albert Steel at 7:10am. William, Joseph, and Albert emerged at the top, and went their separate ways. The three men had only been out of the pit for about 5 minutes when the explosion occurred. Joseph had taken a little dog into the shed near his house to catch a rat. He quickly told his son, and then ran back to the pit to organise the first rescue party. Joseph had worked at Peckfield for 13½ years, he was 54 years-old, and had just been on the night shift, after recently recovering from illness, and he had a weak heart, and asthma, so was particularly susceptible to after-damp gas poisoning. Nevertheless, he was the first man to attempt to reach the pit bottom, but found his way blocked 18 feet from the bottom by a fallen pipe. When the blockage was clear, the three Night Deputies carried out initial investigations, but Joseph was soon overcome by afterdamp and had to be carried back out. He was taken into the joiner’s shop, which was being used as a hospital. He was unable to answer any questions.
Joseph stated at the inquest that 4 or 5 tubs of coal dust had been removed 6 months ago. The tubs travelled at 8 to 10mph with one end open, so dust can escape. Roads had been watered a fortnight ago, and would have been again on the 30th April 1896. On the 19th May 1896, Joseph found the chalk mark, which was the date 30th April that he had made on Goodall’s gate on the morning of the explosion.
Joseph re-married Jane Aspin (1843-1907) in 1899, and they moved to Armley, where Joseph left mining and ran a shop selling groceries and confectionary. He died in 1920 aged 79 at 226 Clifton Terrace, Armley.
30th April 1896. The Peckfield Colliery Disaster at Micklefield 