I have traced my Limb family back to
Shipley near Heanor in Derbyshire where Edward Limb my 3 x great grandfather was
born in 1793. He was christened at Heanor, St Lawrence on 28th September
1793 the son of William and Anne Limb of Shipley. He married Mary Calladine or Callodine
on 25th May 1819. Their son my great great grandfather Joseph Limb was
born at Shipley and christened 28th June 1837 at the Wesleyan Methodist Church,
Ilkeston. The
family attended the Shipley Wood Primitive Methodist Chapel and some of their
later children were christened there. There were some earlier children
too. On the 1841 Census the family are living in Shipley with
children William, Marther (sic), Daniel, Edward, Elizabeth, Thomas, Joseph and
Mary Ann. They are still living there in 1851 with the addition of Alice
age 9. William, Marther and Daniel have left home. Joseph married
Alice Reeve (Reeve) at Awsworth, Notts on 25th December
1860. Alice already had a daughter Sara Ann Reeve who was born in Awsworth in
1858. In 1861 Joseph, Alice and Sarah Ann are living at 116 Hassock Lane,
Shipley next door at 115 is Mary Limb, Joseph's mother age 62 and still working
as a seamstress. In 1871 Joseph and Alice have moved to Staveley,
Derbyshire where they are living at 135 Barrow Hill, five of their
children William Edward, Alfred, Richard, Susanna and Mary Jane were born there.
By 1881 the family are back living in Awsworth, Notts and they have another son,
Alexander, born in Awsworth. In 1891 the family are still in Awsworth at
135 The Lane. My great-great grandfather William Edward Limb married Celia
Palmer Young on 20th January 1884 at the Ebenezer
Chapel, Ilkeston. On the marriage certificate William, aged 21,
gives his residence as New Awsworth and his occupation as coal miner.
Celia Palmer Young was just 18 when they married and the daughter of Alexander
Young of Ilkeston, tailor. Their first son, my grandfather Alexander
Joseph Limb, was born in Awsworth on 19th June 1884. On the 1891 census
William and Celia were living at 7 Chapel Street, Ilkeston with four children
Alexander, Alfred, Francis and Arthur. By 1901 the family are living at 30
Church Drive, Shirebrook, in Derbyshire presumably to seek work in the new
colliery which was sunk in 1896. There are more children including Celia,
Florence and Clara. Joseph and Alice have also move to Shirebrook and they
lived on Warren Terrace. Alice died on 17th April 1903 at Warren
Terrace and was buried at St Peter's Church, Awsworth. When my grandfather Alexander Joseph Limb married my
grandmother Florence Mary Stubbs he gave his address as
30 Warren Terrace, Shirebrook. They married at the General Baptist Chapel
in Mansfield on 21st May 1906. Just under a year later there came a family
tragedy when my great grandfather William Edward Limb and two others were killed
in an accident when the bottom conductor of the cage carrying the men down for
the start of their shift at around 5.40a.m.broke after about 150 yards and
tipped out the three men sending them to their deaths at the bottom of the pit
shaft. Two others were injured. There were 14 men in total in the
cage. Family legend has it that my grandfather Alexander Joseph, who
looked after the pit ponies, should have been on the same shift but missed
the cage down because he was late arriving. Apparently his bootlace
snapped and he had to hunt out another before he could set out for work.
(Shirebrook Colliery Pit Cage Disaster - Newspaper
Report)
Shirebrook Colliery
The Inquest into the accident was opened
and adjourned for two weeks after an initial report of the accident and the
identification of those killed. My grandfather Alexander Joseph Limb
identified his father William Edward Limb. This must have been a very
strange and emotional week for my grandfather as his first child Gladys Emily
had been born on 22nd March and registered by my grandfather on the 30th March -
in between those dates he had lost his father and had to identify him after an
horrific accident. (Transcription of
Initial Inquest Report) and (Transcription
of Inquest Proceedings).
The funeral of the three men took place on
Saturday 30th March 1907. Here is the report of the funeral from the
local paper - The Mansfield Chronicle. William
Edward's father Joseph was at his son's funeral, Alice, his mother had
died in 1903. Joseph eventually left Warren Terrace and went to live on
Lace Street, Nottingham with his daughter Susanna and son in law Alfred Meakin.
He died there on 8th December 1914, he was buried at St Peter's, Awsworth. William's widow Celia was left
with a large family to support and must have had help from her elder children
with the younger ones. She was married again in December 1911 to Arthur Fawden and moved with him to Thurnscoe near Doncaster. When she died in
July 1915 her body was returned to Shirebrook and buried next to her first
husband William Edward Limb.
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In
Memory of
William Edward
The beloved husband of
Celia Limb
who was accidentally killed
at Shirebrook Colliery
March 26 1907
aged 45 years
Gone but not forgotten |
My grandparents Alexander Joseph and
Florence Mary had a son in 1909 named William Edward but he died just over a
year later. Their third child Florence Hilda, my mother, was born April
1916 and their fourth Elsie Celia in 1919. The family eventually moved to
57 Brunner Ave, Shirebrook and this is the family home I remember visiting
as a small child.
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