William and Faith(nee Dennis) Hart came to Kiveton Park in 1870 from Albert Village in Leics. They both came from mining families in Measham, Derbyshire and both had suffered the loss of their fathers at a young age. William was fatherless at the age of 6 yrs. And Faith lost her father when he was fatally burnt in a mining accident in 1841 when she was 2 yrs. old. William and Faith married at Measham Parish Church in 1857. Tragically their first two children,born in Measham, died in infancy – Henry at 17 months and Ann at 13 months old. Mary was born in Measham in 1863 but Eliza(1864), Sushannah(1866) and Francis(1870) were born in Albert Village Leics. close to the county boundary in the Measham / Ashby de la Zouch area. Mines in this area were becoming exhausted and the opening of new coalfields in Yorkshire provided an opportunity for a new life, better conditions, better wages and regular employment. They were one of many families from South Wales, Forest of Dean, Staffordshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Northumberland and Scotland who migrated to the area.
So, in 1870 William and Faith set up home in Kiveton Park with their 4 young children and subsequently added to their family. Faith was born in 1873, Albert in 1876, Thirza in 1878 and William Henry in 1880. They gave much encouragement to their children to broaden their lives, especially in music.
William worked all his life at the colliery and became a deputy but religion also played a great part in his life. When the Kiveton Park Primitive Methodist Church was built in the early 1880’s he became a lay preacher there. Sundays were strictly observed. Housework such as cleaning, washing and cooking were forbidden on the Sabbath. Sunday was the Lord’s day- a day when no-one worked, a day that was totally different. Families dressed in their Sunday best and attended Chapel, praising God for His care and providing good things in life. Not every family was committed. William was renowned for standing in the street outside Chapel calling people to worship. Sunday School for children really was a school, where scriptures were taught and prizes awarded for pupils’ achievement. Sunday School Anniversaries were not only religious but great social occasions. In later years, Francis, his son, was choirmaster at the Chapel, Albert occasionally played the organ but it was his youngest son, William Henry, who played the organ there for nearly 60 yrs.
Faith Hart, feeding and caring for her large family, was a busy woman. She prized her china Staffordshire dogs which were proudly displayed on the mantelpiece. Grandchildren were allowed to stroke them only when Grandma held them. They truly were her valued possessions.
In 1907 William and Faith celebrated their Golden Wedding and the event was recorded in the Worksop Guardian.
Of their offspring:
Mary b. 5th June 1862 married Ted Harvey from Kiveton
Eliza b .6th May 1864 married Thomas Maycock from Dinnington.
Sushannah b.1st July 1866 married George Stephens and lived in Laughton, Dinnington
Francis b. 3rd Feb. 1870 married May from Grimsby and became under manager of the hazel seam at Kiveton Colliery.
Faith b. 13th April 1872 married George Ross from Kiveton
Albert b.18th Aug. 1875 married Priscilla Parkin from Kiveton. He was a teacher of Science and Technology in the art of coal mining.
Thirza b. 11th Aug. 1877 married Frank Stone from Harthill.
William Henry b. 19th Jan. 1880 married Elizabeth Eddershaw from Kiveton and became a deputy at Kiveton Colliery. Elizabeth was the youngest child of John and Ann Eddershaw.
Faith Hart died in 1914 aged 76 and William died in 1919 aged 82 – both buried in Wales cemetery.
John Eddershaw (Senior) was born in Whitemoor (Bramcote) Nottingham in 1833. He married there and had a son also called John in 1855. In the census of 1861 he was living at Turnerwood on the Chesterfield canal between Kiveton and Shireoaks with his 6yr. old son John and was a stoneminer. Ann Dukes who was later to become his second wife also lived at Turnerwood with her parents James and Mary Dukes. It is believed that John was a stoneminer at the quarry at Turnerwood. John helped to sink Kiveton pit, walking along the Chesterfield canal from Turnerwood to Kiveton to work. George(b.1862) Mary Hannah, known as Pol(b.1865) and Catherine known as Kit,(b. 1868) were all born at Turnerwood before the family moved to Kiveton in 1870 where their address is given simply as 20, Kiveton. This became 20, Stone Rows followed by 20, Old Rows. Thomas was their first child to be born in Kiveton in 1870, followed by Jane, known as Ginnie (b.1872), Annie Eliza known as Liza (b.1874), Harriet (b.1876) and Elizabeth known as Lizzie(b. May 11th 1881).
John Eddershaw b. Nov.11th. 1855 (Junior) married Harriet from Claycross.
George b. May 20th. 1862 married Pamela
Pol b.Oct. 8th 1865 married Tom Storr from Kiveton
Kit b.Mar. 21st. 1868 married Charles Wigmore from Kiveton
Tom b.Apr.18th. 1870 married Lucy Starr from Kiveton
Ginnie b.Feb. 21st. 1872 married Matthew Stocks from Shireoaks
Liza b.Apr. 8th1874 married Fred Pitson
Harriet b.Oct. 13th1876 married Jim Clatworthy from Dinnington
Lizzie b. May 11th 1881 married William Henry Hart (Will) from Kiveton.
Three children died very young—Hannah in 1863, Francess in 1878 and Francess Ethel in 1883. All these family dates are recorded in the huge family bible.
John Eddershaw (senior) is remembered by his granddaughter as a big man with whiskers. He was a strong man and mined the coal at Kiveton and became a deputy until his retirement. He supplemented his wages to feed his growing family by travelling in a pony and trap to Retford market to purchase butter, cheese, eggs and farm produce, some of which he sold. He too was a strong Methodist and attended Chapel, unconventionally taking his small pet dog with him . Amazingly the dog sat quietly under the pews during the services.
Ann Eddershaw is remembered as a kind and very gentle lady. There was always plenty of food in the home – milk, eggs ,cheese and meat. She grew her own herbs and drank Hissop tea each morning to start the day and was a great believer in the use of sennapods.Gruel was prepared if anyone was ill. Her home was comfortable and she had a multitude of feather mattresses piled high on each bed which everyone luxuriously sank into.Grandchildren loved to stay there and she loved them to brush her hair. Ann was renowned for her floral bonnets which she wore for the Anniversaries at Chapel. They were made by her daughter-in-law Harriet and were magnificent creations consisting of feathers, flowers and ribbons. Harriet was extremely artistic and very skilled in her craft.
The Eddershaw sons – John, George and Tom were all employed as miners at Kiveton and Johnnie became a deputy like his father. Tom, Lucy and family left Kiveton in the early 1920’s and took a boarding house in Blackpool. Throughout their lives, the Eddershaw family remained close and supportive to each other. Johnnie, with his wife and family, lived at no.19 next door to his father at no. 20 for many years until he moved to Springfield. Johnnie was converted to Methodism down the mine and he became a notable lay preacher on the circuit.
John and Ann Eddershaw both lived to a good age and are buried at Wales cemetery.
John d. October 16th 1916 aged 85 yrs. and Ann d. March 7th 1932 aged 90yrs.
The Hart and Eddershaw families had much in common. Both fathers were deputies at the colliery and all their sons were involved in the mining industry. Moreover both families were regular attenders and committed to life revolving around Chapel. Indeed, Elizabeth, at 5 yrs old, laid a foundation stone to the building of a new school room in 1886. What a coincidence that the youngest member of the Hart family and the youngest member of the Eddershaw family should meet and eventually marry at the Kiveton Primitive Methodist Chapel on February 9th 1901. William Henry Hart, known as Will and Elizabeth, known as Lizzie were married for 59 yrs. In the years before marriage, Lizzie lived at home and took in washing for which she was paid the princely sum of 18 old pence per day. Will of course worked in the mine. Their leisure time was spent in taking long walks until they purchased a tandem- quite a novelty in those days and cycled for miles around surrounding villages. Will was a good footballer in his youth and won many gold medals which in later years he had melted down and made into bracelets for his daughter and daughter- in – law and rings for his 2 grandchildren, Sandra and Greta Fenton. His lifelong passion was music. He was a brilliant musician and played the organ at Chapel for nearly 60 yrs., composing many of his own works. His preference was classical music –Haydn, Bach , Beethoven , Handel etc. Music was his way of relaxing from the heavy labours of mining coal and the responsibility for the safety of so many men. For hours after work he would play the piano in the front room, a piano with 2 candelabras attached to it, for in those early days there was no electricity and Will played often by candle light. After sitting a music exam, thought to be in London, he was offered a job in America which he refused to accept solely because he could not bear to leave family and friends behind in Kiveton Park.
Will taught a number of people in the village to play the organ at Chapel and it was poignant that one of his protégées, Lionel Watts, played at his funeral service. Lizzie and Will lived with her parents in the early days of their marriage before moving to Springfield where Lizzie ran a small sweet shop. A few years later they moved to 39, Station Rd. They were a very hospitable, generous couple and Lizzie was an excellent cook. Family members were always dropping in and made very welcome enjoying good food and beverages. Rabbit pie on Saturday nights was a real favourite. Families supported each other to provide good food. One relative, Bill Driver, reared pigs and when it was pig day Lizzie, Edna and Annie were tremendously busy salting the hams, wrapping them in muslin and hanging them up from large hooks on the landing, making faggots, pork pies, crackling and rendering lard. Nothing was wasted. Christmases were lavish affairs with a turkey dinner and all the trimmings followed by high tea of home cooked ham, tongue, brisket ,trifle, cakes etc. A highlight of the evening was a visit of carol singers from the Chapel or a group singing “Poor old Tup”. The happy family then settled down to card games with the children.
Kit (Lizzie’s Sister) and her husband Charlie Wigmore frequently came to play a game of cards. What fun they had. The four of them went to the Isle of Man for several holidays before Blackpool became fashionable, hiring a horse drawn wagon to take them and their luggage to the old Kiveton Park station. Kiveton Feast, when the mine was closed, saw a mass exodus of families taking holidays either to visit relatives or take in the sea air.
Lizzie was very houseproud and had a set routine for the week. Monday – wash day. A fire was lit under the copper in the washhouse and the clothes boiled. In the early 1930’s she was the first person in Kiveton to own an electric washing machine. It was Goblin make – a large, round, green, enamel tub with a mangle, purchased from Herbert Chapman’s electrical shop in Kiveton. Tuesday – ironing day. Thursday was “ the busy day” when she rose at 6am. to blacklead the grate and oven and cleaned the house from top to bottom with the assistance of her daughter, Edna. Sunday of course was Chapel day.
Lizzie and Will were a devoted couple and died within 6 weeks of each other. Lizzie d. May 26th 1960 aged 79 yrs. and Will d. July 9th 1960 aged 80. They are buried in Wales cemetery.
Lizzie and Will had 2 children.
John William Hart, known as Bill b.April 29th 1903 m. Annie Eames, a widow whose husband was killed in a mining accident.
Edna Faith Hart b. June 17th 1908 m. Harold Fenton.
Bill was employed by the colliery on August 23rd. 1916 aged 13 yrs. after leaving school that summer and signed on to work on the screens. He worked down the mine at Kiveton throughout his life becoming a deputy like his father and grandfather. Three generations of Harts became deputies at Kiveton. He too was a keen footballer and played for the Kiveton Park Primitive Methodist Chapel team. Like many miners, he had an allotment and grew vegetables distributing produce to family members. He died on February 9th 1978 aged 75 yrs.
Edna was born at Springfield but at the time of entering school , the family had relocated to 39, Station Rd. It was during her schooldays that the 1st. World War broke out. There was a huge demand for coal and of course mines were to be targeted and bombed. The colliery blower was used for the warning signal whenever a raid was expected. Everyone was advised to congregate on the “ top field” now situated behind “The Saxon”. It was felt safer to be on open ground rather than in buildings. On one such night, on top field, when Edna was about 8 yrs. old, she saw a huge,cigar shaped, Zeppelin overhead, full of bombs and brightly lit up , which put fear into the hundreds of people gathered there. These were anxious times for the people of Kiveton.
On leaving school at 13yrs. Edna’s father did not want her to seek employment(she was the apple of his eye) and so she stayed at home helping with the onerous task of washing her father and brother’s coal dust laden clothes and generally helping her mother. During this time she became not only an excellent cook, renowned for her delicious cakes and pastries but also an embroiderer and dressmaker with a keen eye for fashion.
Family walks to visit relatives in Dinnington were enjoyed. Walks to Todwick and Harthill with friends and cousins featured very much in her young life. She vividly recalls the beautiful wild flowers growing in abundance in the area – violets, primroses and bluebells, especially on the way to Kiveton Park station.
Chapel provided many social events. At the same time, tennis courts were built on the recreation ground at Kiveton and in the grounds of Wales Church cricketclub. Edna played tennis well. Dances were held in Kiveton Park Infants school(prior to the opening of St. John’s Room) and Florrie, an older cousin , chaperoned her. At such venues, teenagers gathered together and Edna met Harold Fenton who was employed as a clerical officer at the colliery. Edna’s uncle, Francis Hart, was the undermanager of the Hazel seam at the time.
Harold was born at the Waleswood Hotel (now the Ka China) on July 17th 1907. He was the son of Charles and Mary Ellen Fenton who were formerly employed at Aston Hall.
Charles was the coachman to Squire Verelst but his job became redundant with the advent of the motor car and Charles had to seek new employment. Thus he became a licensed victualler at the Waleswood Hotel in 1902.The various miner’s strikes had a devastating affect on the fortunes of Harold’s family. Remember there was no welfare state , and once strike funds were exhausted, families living in Walesbar and Waleswood had no income. Charles and Mary Ellen, churchgoing and caring people as they were, opened a Soup Kitchen at the pub and not only assisted in feeding the families but supplied beer(with a promise of repayment) for the duration of 2 strikes.
Charles died on April 9th 1926 at the Waleswood Hotel aged 52 yrs. Harold was now the breadwinner of the family at 18yrs.old. He studied accountancy in his own time, producing immaculate records with a beautiful style of handwriting and was to work in the Offices at Kiveton for most of his working life, retiring in 1972.
Edna and Harold enjoyed many social events during their courting days mainly revolving around cricket and golf. The rivalry at the local cricket derby between Kiveton and Wales was intense. Kiveton were determined to get the opposition opening batsman out – namely Harold.
From a very young age Harold was exceptionally fond of sport, practising in the courtyard of the Waleswood Hotel where the family lived for 28yrs. It was to be a very formative experience in his life. Naturally gifted, with excellent coordination, he excelled at all ball games – football, hockey, golf and cricket. He was in the choir at Wales Church and played for their hockey, football and cricket teams but it was his devotion to cricket that gave him the most pleasure and he worked hard to perfect the skills. At exactly what age he played his first match for Wales Church Cricket Club is unknown but he was presumably a teenager and soon established himself as an allrounder and recognised locally as a fine batsman. He had a profound knowledge of the game and was quick to spot local talent.
Wales Church Cricket Club was in the Bassetlaw League and each year Sir Julian Khan organised a cricket match at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, between his team and a team selected from the best players from the Bassetlaw League. There was great rivalry between the teams and Sir Julian Khan always thought his team would win. Naturally it was a great honour to be selected to play at such a prestigious venue and Harold was chosen to play for 6 consecutive years, one of only 2 players ever to be selected from Wales Church Cricket Club.
Harold’s talents were recognised and he was invited to join Baildon in the Bradford League as an opening batsman. After several years he then joined Sheffield United cricket club at Bramall Lane both as a player and then as a coach. He also coached cricket at Sheffield University and finally ended his cricketing days as an umpire for Sheffield United.
During the 2nd World War Harold was an air raid warden, covering Wales and Walesbar.
Edna and Harold were married at Kiveton Park Methodist Chapel on August 25th 1934 which so happened to be Carnival day. The streets were decorated with garlands and bunting, for everyone celebrated in those days.
They had 2 children
Sandra Elizabeth Fenton b. October 4th 1939
Greta Ellen Fenton b. January 9th 1942
Harold died on August 3rd 1982 and is buried in Wales cemetery.
This is a short resume of 3 interrelated families spanning 100yrs of employment at Kiveton colliery.
By Sandra Hampton(neeFenton) 2007