Story
William Appleyard was born in Kippax in 1854. He was the last child born to Sarah Summersgill (1813-1884). His father was not named on his baptism record, and on his marriage certificate, he stated his father’s name was James Appleyard, but in fact his father was James Newell (1817-1876). William’s mother Sarah had married Joseph Appleyard in Kippax on 2nd April 1836, and they had seven children together before Joseph passed away on 1st March 1845. Living next door to Sarah was James Newell, who had married Jane Turton (1822-1894) in Kippax on 22nd October 1839, and had three children, but the marriage broke down after the birth and death in infancy of their third child Sarah in 1845. Jane ran away to Leeds, bigamously re-married James Hunter (1825-1879) on 15th December 1857, claiming to be a widow, and went on to have a further nine children. James Newell and Sarah Appleyard meanwhile had three children: Moses 1847-1919, who emigrated to America, Hannah 1849-1854 and William 1854, before they finally moved in together, with Sarah being described on the 1871 Census as James’ housekeeper. James Newell died on 2nd September 1876 of spasmodic cholera. James and Sarah had never married, so Sarah was unable to support herself, and spent the rest of her life as a pauper in the Tadcaster Union Workhouse.
William Appleyard married Hannah Kilner (1855-1935) in Kippax on 4th April 1874, and they had four children in Kippax, before moving to Micklefield around 1888. The Appleyards were living at 2 Davisons Row, and went on to have a further three children by the time of the Peckfield Colliery Disaster. William was 41 years-old.
William had just stripped ready to work in the East Level when his candle light blew out. William dressed again and rushed towards the bottom of the shaft, but afterdamp soon stopped him, so he dived into Pharaoh’s bord, and met 10 other men, including Charles Ball and his son John Charles Ball. The men learned from each other that the way each of them was travelling was blocked by afterdamp. They made a third attempt at a direction, but found it was similarly blocked, so they made their way right around the workings which took an hour. The damage was so extensive at the shaft bottom when they arrived, William didn’t realise they had found it. He heard the cries of George Hicks, who had been burnt, and went to help him, and only then did he realise where they were. He waited at the bottom of the shaft until the recovery parties had repaired the lift, and were able to bring them out. William left the pit by 12 o’clock. After the disaster, William and Hannah left Micklefield and moved to Leeds. William continued to work as a coal miner, until his death in 1911 at the age of 55.
30th April 1896. The Peckfield Colliery Disaster at Micklefield 