Story
Thomas Stott was born in Wath-Upon-Dearne in 1841, and was the son of John Stott (1816-1895) and Maria Truelove (1818-1896) who had married in Darfield, Barnsley on 10th December 1838. As a young man, Thomas was a Royal Marine in the British Royal Navy, and was involved in the Second Anglo-Chinese War, also known as the Second Opium War, which saw British, American and French navies repeatedly attack Chinese troops, after China refused to allow the setting up of foreign legations in Beijing in 1859. An attack by British Admiral Sir James Hope had been a military disaster, leading to the wounding or deaths of over four hundred British, including twenty-nine officers. Thomas won a medal, similar to the one shown below, for his bravery during the 1860 attack at the taking of Taku Forts, lead by Sir James Hope Grant, GCB (1808–1875). Although fourteen British soldiers were killed and forty-seven other men were wounded, over 100 Qing defenders were killed (aftermath photographed below), many more wounded and the campaign was deemed a success, and lead to the Chinese ceding the Kowloon Peninsula to Britain and the territory of Hong Kong.
Thomas left the Navy to join the West Riding Constabulary in 1861, at the age of 20. Initially based in the Selby district, he married Jane Ashton (1842-1879) in Sherburn on 7th June 1862. As their family grew, they moved to Barnsley, where Thomas was promoted to Sergeant. He moved on to Penistone, then Elsecar, and returned to Barnsley as an Inspector. He then moved to Harrogate, and then on to Saddleworth. On 6th March 1879, Thomas joined the Freemasons, Lodge of Candour, Upper Mill. His first wife passed away a few months later in August, and Thomas re-married Elizabeth Hope Bower (1848-1937) in Dabcross, Lancashire on 7th January 1890. He was promoted to the rank of superintendent, and moved back to Selby in 1886. In 1891, Thomas was living at 9 New Lane, Selby.
Superintendent Stott was on duty at the Peckfield Colliery disaster. Information about the disaster had been telephoned from the colliery to Superintendent Tebbutt, at Leeds, who summoned around 20 policeman to preserve order at the pit-head. The pit had initially attempted to contact Thomas in Selby, but there were some communication difficulties, which forced them to try Leeds. The first job of Thomas and the police when they arrived was to clear the throng of anxious spectators from the pit-head, to enable the workmen to set about repairing the lift cages. The press reported that “the orderly conduct of the crowd was most commendable. A staff of West Riding police was in attendance, but their labours were comparatively light.” Superintendent Stott also represented the police at the subsequent Inquest.
On 24th March 1901 at 8am, Thomas passed away at the headquarters of the Selby Police Force. He was 60 years-old and the third oldest superintendent in the West Riding Police Force, which he had served for forty years. He had suffered from what the press reported as “a painful and lingering illness extending over a very long period.” He was also described as “a painstaking and efficient officer, and by his death the force has lost one who took much interest in its welfare.” At the time of his death, Thomas had been appointed Worshipful Master of the Freemasons, which is the highest honour to which a lodge may appoint any of its members. He was buried in Elsecar.
30th April 1896. The Peckfield Colliery Disaster at Micklefield 