1875-Feb-05: Lanemark Afton No. 1

No.	Name	Age	Cause
1	William Mayberry	37	run over by hutch

William Mayberry and Euphemia Stewart’s life together had a melancholy start when their illegitimate daughter Jane died a few weeks after her birth at Back Sneddon Street, Paisley in September, 1870. The couple moved to Howie’s Land, Hurlford where William worked as a labourer at James Howie’s Hurlford Fire Clay Works. In July 1871 a son William was born.

By the time their next child, a son James, was born in December 1873 the family were living at Burnfoot Row, New Cumnock where William worked as a coal miner at the Afton No.1 pit of the Lanemark Coal Company, known locally as Burnfoot Pit.

map_lanemarkfarm_lanemark_colliery_BurnfootRow — Map 1 Burnfoot Row | Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland

According to the Scottish Mining web-site entry for William Mayberry, collier, aged 30 years old he was killed on 5th February 1875 at Lanemark (Afton) pit , the cause categorised under “Miscellanous Underground” with the details recorded as “Was run over by his hutch when coming down a heading road in front of it”.

His death certificate confirms that William was killed on 5th February at Burnfoot Pit and that the cause of death was “killed by being run over by a coal hutch”. However, the certificate gives his age as 37 years.

Widow Euphemia was left with two infants. She would later return to Paisley and “marry” Mark Long. In adulthood her son William settled at Beith and James at Barrhead, Renfrewshire.