George Johnson

George Johnson (1832 - 1883)

FATHER:	MOTHER:	SPOUSE:	OFFSPRING:
John Johnson (b.1781)	Margaret (unknown) (b.1794)	Dorothy (Unknown) (b.1828)	Isabel Johnson (b.1853) Thomas Johnson (b.1855) John Johnson (b.1857) Margaret Johnson (b.1859) Robert Johnson (b.1862) Matthew Johnson (b.1864) George Johnson (b.1867) Dorothy Jane Johnson (b.1869)

BIRTH:	1832 - Cramlington, County Durham
MARRIAGE:	No details
DEATH:	21 June 1883 - Ryhope Colliery (accident)

KNOWN ADDRESSES:

An unknown address in Cramlington, Durham - 1832 to 1841
An unknown address in the vicinity of Elemore Vale, Durham - 1856 to 1864
3 Ryhope Street West, Ryhope, Sunderland - 1871

BIOGRAPHY:

George Johnson was born in approximately 1832, Cramlington, Northumberland. His parents were John and Margaret Johnson. His known siblings were Robert, Thomas, Dorothy and Lial though there may have been others too.

In the 1841 census George is recorded as a ten-year-old coal miner living with his parents in Cramlington, Northumberland.

George later married a woman called Dorothy and by 1871 they were living at 3 Ryhope Street West, Ryhope, Sunderland. He is described as a thirty-nine-year-old father of four. His occupation is described as "Overman in Coal Mine".

An Overman was described in 1825 as

"one who inspects the state of the mine every morning before the men go to work. He also keeps a daily account of the men's labour."

An Overman is described in 1849 as

"The person who, beneath the viewer, has the charge of the workings of a colliery where there is no under-viewer. He sets the pit to work each morning, and attends to all the detail of arranging the work, and getting the coals each man works to the shaft bottom. It is also his duty to see that each working place is properly ventilated and in a safe state. He also keeps a daily account of the work wrought, and of the whole of the underground expenses and wages, and gives the colliery office a fortnightly account of the same, the bill containing the amount earned by each man, or set of men if in partnership, and boy during that time. There is one overman to a pit, so that if there are two or three pits at a colliery, there are two or three overmen. An overman is almost invariably a man who has passed through all the graduations of pit work, from the trapper upwards, and who has been raised to his situation on account of his ability and steadiness. His wages in 1849 were 26s. to 28s. per week, with house, garden, and coals gratis."

An duties of an Overman are described in 1892 as

"The duties of the overman consist in visiting the workings every morning, receiving the reports from the deputies, making observations on the air currents, and general management of the underground work. To his office is sent an account of all the work done in the pit, and on the Wednesday before the "pay" he "reckons" with the men - i.e., he compares the account received of their work with that kept by themselves."

An Overman is described in 1894 as

"Underground foreman, subordinate to the manager."

The 1881 census records George living at 3 Tunstall Terrace, Ryhope as a forty-nine-year-old Overman (Coal). He lives with his wife, Dorothy, who is fifty-one, five sons, two daughters and one granddaughter. His five sons are all coal miners too. Thomas, John, Margaret, Robert and Matthew all have their birthplace recorded as Elemore Vale, Durham. George, Dorothy Jane and his grandaughter, Mary Ann, all have their birthplace recorded as Ryhope, Sunderland. It appears from this that George moved his family from Elemore Vale to Ryhope sometime between 1864 and 1867.

Tragedy stikes the family on 21 June 1883 when George is killed in Ryhope Colliery. Below is an excerpt from the Durham Mining Museum website listing fatalities at Ryhope Colliery.

"Johnson, George, 21 Jun 1883, aged 51, Overman, crushed by tubs going back upon him from incline in consequence of a broken coupling"

IMAGES: (click to enlarge)

George in the 1841 census. He is the ten-year-old child of John and Margaret Johnson.
As can be seen, he is listed as a miner!

George in the 1871 census. He is a thirty-nine-year-old husband and father of four.

HISTORICAL EVENTS:

1832 – REFORM BILL OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS BECOMES LAW, extending the vote to more people and redistributing the constituencies to secure more equitable distribution of representation.
1834 – WILLIAM LAMB, VISCOUNT MELBOURNE (Liberal) becomes Prime Minister.
1834 – SIR ROBERT PEEL (Conservative) becomes Prime Minister.
1835 - WILLIAM LAMB, VISCOUNT MELBOURNE (Liberal) becomes Prime Minister for the second time.
1837 – QUEEN VICTORIA ASCENDS THE THRONE following the death of her uncle, William IV. Victoria was the daughter of George III’s fourth son, Edward (Duke of Kent).
1837 – COMPULSORY RECORDING OF ALL BIRTHS, DEATHS & MARRIAGES INITIATED.
1841 - SIR ROBERT PEEL (Conservative) becomes Prime Minister for the second time.
1843 – THE POLICE FORCE FOUNDED. Policeman were often called ‘Bobbies’ and ‘Peelers’ in reference to the then Prime Minister, Sir Robert Peel.
1846 – REPEAL OF THE CORN LAWS, thus enabling a greater amount of trade.
1846 – EARL JOHN RUSSELL (Liberal) becomes Prime Minister.
1852 – EDWARD GEORGE GEOFFREY SMITH STANLEY, EARL OF DERBY (Conservative) becomes Prime Minister.
1852 – GEORGE HAMILTON GORDON, EARL OF ABERDEEN (Conservative) becomes Prime Minister in a coalition cabinet.
1854 – BRITAIN JOINS WITH FRANCE IN THE CRIMEAN WAR aimed at blocking Russia’s access to the Mediterranean. The war lasts until 1856.
1855 – HENRY JOHN TEMPLE, VISCOUNT PALMERSTON (Liberal) becomes Prime Minister.
1858 - EDWARD GEORGE GEOFFREY SMITH STANLEY, EARL OF DERBY (Conservative) becomes Prime Minister for the second time.
1859 - HENRY JOHN TEMPLE, VISCOUNT PALMERSTON (Liberal) becomes Prime Minister for the second time.
1859 – CHARLES DARWIN PUBLISHES HIS GREAT WORK, “ON THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES BY MEANS OF NATURAL SELECTION” to diverse public opinion. In it he puts forth the view that animals are not created individually, but rather, that they evolve through a process he calls natural selection.
1861 – OUTBREAK OF THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR. Though having no direct affect on Britain since America had severed colonial ties, the lack of raw cotton shipped from North America to Northern England sent many into unemployment.
1865 - EARL JOHN RUSSELL (Liberal) becomes Prime Minister for the second time.
1866 - EDWARD GEORGE GEOFFREY SMITH STANLEY, EARL OF DERBY (Conservative) becomes Prime Minister for the third time.
1867 – SECOND REFORM BILL OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS gave the vote to most urban male workers.
1868 – BENJAMIN DISRAELI, EARL OF BEACONSFIELD (Conservative) becomes Prime Minister.
1868 – WILLIAM GLADSTONE (Liberal) becomes Prime Minister.
1870 – EDUCATION ACT IS PASSED providing the establishment of government schools and for compulsory education.
1874 - BENJAMIN DISRAELI, EARL OF BEACONSFIELD (Conservative) becomes Prime Minister for the second time.
1876 – ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL SENDS A VOICE MESSAGE AND THE TELEPHONE IS INVENTED. The first words that were clearly heard by the recipient were, “Watson, come here, I want you”, heard by his assistant, Mr Watson in Brantford, Ontario, Canada.
1880 - WILLIAM GLADSTONE (Liberal) becomes Prime Minister for the second time.