The "Nine men of Madeley"At 2.30 p.m. on Wednesday 1st October, 2003 a short service of rededication of the newly restored grave of the “Nine Madeley Miners” was held at the graveside - the 139th anniversary of the funeral. Ivor Brown and Kelvin Lake attended on behalf of the Club.
The grave was restored as part of a Millennium project by the Madeley Living History project. The tomb, railings and surrounding stonework have been cleaned and repaired. The 9 cast iron tomb covers have been repainted white - this is thought to be the original colour and was discovered when the restorers started stripping back the old paint layers. The initials of each miner on their respective graves have also been picked-out in green as have the railings. An iron plaque mounted on a post has been erected beside the tomb, with a transcript of the tombstone inscription (which sadly has not been touched and is very hard to read).
The service was followed by tea and biscuits in St. Michael’s Church. Where an opportunity was taken to examine the memorial plaque to John Randall FGS.
View of the newly restored graves.
Picture: Kelvin Lake - I.A.Recordings
End view of the newly restored graves.
Picture: Kelvin Lake - I.A.Recordings
The 9 miners, six of them boys (aged 12 to 18) fell to their deaths in September 1864, when riding “the doubles” and the chains became un-hooked.
A sketch of "riding the doubles" based on an illustration from La Vie Souteraines (1868), with rattle chain and wooden bonnet added. The section holding the miners became un-hooked while they were being wound to the surface.
The Madeley Living History Project Team has now produced a leaflet about the accident, they are also undertaking a graveyard survey - Madeley Churchyard contains the tombs of a number of prominent figures involved in the local mining and iron industry.
