January
in January 1890 the Don flooded and overflowed its banks and united with the canal and miners are agitating for a 10% advance
A passenger is alarmed when the train door opens and smashes in the tunnel and there’s panic when a cow enters a Tea shop
Two traps collide and a horse drops dead afterwards
Mining engineers visit Denaby Main and a 15 year old is fined for falling asleep in the pit
There’s more complaints about the lack of a footpath between Conisborough and Denaby and they are still looking for a place for the new cemeteryand there’s a prize fight between two Denaby miners,
February
in February 1890 a charity concert raises funds for the new Montagu hospital
and a miner with his right leg fractured becomes their first case
And there’s more accidents at the colliery; one young man losing most of his arm in a cutter, a Sawyer has hand severely lacerated,
another man in a hopeless condition after a fall of coal and a boy is trapped between two corves suffers a broken arm
The miners give their notice in pursuit of the 10% advance, New colliery is advancing with 50,000 gallons of water being pumped out per hour
March
In March 1890 the telephone was connected between the local businesses and Sheffield
The miners dispute appears to be coming to an end with the owners accepting their demands and another miner is killed at Denaby Main by falling coal after an overhanging roof was not made safe
A second shaft is commenced at the New Pit with the water problem ‘thoroughly mastered’ and a new quarry is being worked at Old Denaby
Facilities at Conisborough will be enhanced by a new rail line between Barnsley and Retford
A Denaby collier receives four months imprisonment for bigamy and a Conisborough bottlemaker two months for deserting his wife and family
There’s more ill-treatment of ponies with a month’s prison with hard labour being the outcome for one conviction and there’s a scuffle as a man in liquor mistakes a cow house for a public house
April
The Colliery dispute rumbles on in April 1890 with a disparity in wage increases awarded and there’s more water problems in sinking the new colliery
The new Conisborough burial ground is at last determined on a site on the Rotherham Turnpike road and a new church is proposed for Denaby Main
There are unprecedented crowds at Conisbrough over the Easter weekend with an enormous concourse of people visiting the castle, Craggs and boating on the river Don
A gala is held in Piggott’s field with football, cricket and the Conisbrough brass band and an unusual visitor at the pit is proposed to be stuffed after its extraordinary adventure
A boy receives fines after cutting thorns to make ”peggies”, a collier for stealing a hat, bottle of gin and bottle of pickles and there’s fines for neglecting to set to sprags and taking tobacco down the pit
May
In May 1980 there were more deaths and accidents at Denaby Main Colliery and the Yorkshire Coal Owners formed an Association for wage negotiations
The sinking of the new colliery was interfered with by a large influx of water and Viscount Bury describes the Denaby explosives factory as a “kind of missionary work”
There’s an interesting article describing a Ramble round the Mexborough district and Whitsuntide sees Conisborough once again attracts a large number of visitors
The court hear neighbours at variance at Denaby, a miner is charged with wilful damage to a hedge and a man is sent to prison for two months for stealing a pair of trousers and stockings
June
In June 1890 one of the oldest and worthiest inhabitants dies and we include his obituary
A 15 year old dies at the pit trying to stop some corves and another miner’s exertion in lifting a stone causes his demise
The sinking of the new colliery continues to receive problem, with six steam pumps removing 16 tons of water a minute
The MP Mr Pickard is involved in resolving grievances at Denaby Main and the dispute appears to be resolved
There’s a report on the hospital Saturday collection at Denaby Main and the general meeting of the Conisbro’ Gas Company
The Courts here an accusation of a brutal attack at Mexborough “feast” and there’s a number of cases of drunkenness
July
There are several pit accidents reported with miners receiving the benefit of the recently opened Montagu cottage hospital at Mexborough
A new bridge to link Conisborough and Cadeby is to be thrown over the river Don and
news of a new railway from Conisbrough to Wrangbrook, linking with the Hull and Barnsley Railway
The progress of the new colliery Sinkings at Cadeby “Rattles” are reported in detail and 1500 miners from Denaby Main and their families had their annual trip to Blackpool
The annual Feast features a Conservative demonstration in the Pigotts, a speech by the Hon. H.W.Fitzwilliam, a single versus married cricket match and a well served and substantial meat tea.’
Displaying a foxes head is suggested as a cure for the ravages of sparrows
The castellated heights and venerable church are included in a description of Conisbrough
In the courts a beggar is sentenced to 14 days hard labour at Wakefield,
there are more cases of drunkenness and gambling
and an alleged assault occurs at Mexborough Feast
A prize fight between two Denaby Main miners for £5 a side is held on the pastures
early on Sunday morning, and lasts for an hour and 20 minutes, with both men heavily punished.
August
There is a sensational murder and suicide at Conisbrough in August 1890
A young man who came to the village from Norfolk to help build the new cottages at Denaby is asked to leave his lodgings which are at the side of the Star public house
He takes vengeance by buying a gun and unleashing four bullets into his young landlady and committing suicide with the last
The landlady survived 10 days of extreme mental and bodily anguishbefore dying and the newspapers provide graphic detail
Doctor Hills is in trouble after letting a non-medical man performed his vaccination duties
Despite this, Conisborough is described a popular resort for boating trips and enjoying the castle grounds
The employees of the sickle manufacturers, G Booth and Sons have an excursion to Blackpool
In the courts, there are the usual cases of drunkenness, gambling and cruelty to Pit ponies, whilst a case of wilful damage for making a gap in a hedge is dismissed
September
In September 1890 Doctor Hills resigned after it was revealed
that vaccinations were being carried out by some other man
and it was raised in the House of Commons
A decomposing body is discovered near to Conisbrough Cliffs
and a man is bitten by an unmuzzled dog
Boy gamblers are accused of deliberate perjury
after they said they were only “telling conundrums”
A boy is given 14 days in default for travelling without a ticket
A cast-iron bridge is ready to be thrown across the Don
as the whole of the “Rattles” is covered with extensive enterprise
as the Cadeby colliery sinking gains pace
October
A woman’s dress catches fire as she passes through a house in October 1890
we hear of an octogenarian ex miner, who fought in India
A fossilised palm tree is uncovered in the diggings at the new colliery
there are lively protests over the appointment
of Doctor Hills assistant as the new vaccination officer
Denaby miners are admitted to the new Montagu Cottage Hospital
A furious fat beast attempts to jump through a Conisborough plate glass window
A violent miner “is no better than a beast” and given four months
after assaulting Denaby and Cortonwood residents
and a Conisborough glass bottle maker catches to pikes weighing 14 and 11 ½ lbs
November
The weather in November 1890 caused chaos and deaths
Dense Fog caused half a dozen people to fall into the canal
Two of these were fatalities who drowned within half-an-hour and a hundred yards of each other
One was a man who went to bring his wife some brandy and another who went to the local shops
The brook near the Three Horse Shoes Inn is also a “dangerous place”, with several persons ‘more or less seriously injured’
This was followed by a heavy snow which caused much drifting, giving the mail cart from Rotherham an unpleasant experience
The dispute over the vaccination officer continues and the slaughter house at the bottom of Conisborough Hill is up for sale
There was a brass band concert at Denaby Main and we include videos to recant the times
Two 14-year-olds are summoned for Mine offences and fined, with hard labour as default
December
Flameless explosives apply for a licence for holding explosives in December 1890 and Mining students visit the sinking operations at Cadeby
The Burial Board refuse to allow the press to their meetings and the lack of gaslights pronounces Station Road as almost Cimmerian
A Staffordshire man and Irishman engage in two prize fights at Conisbrough Cliffs with a large number of spectators witnessing a draw in the deciding contest
A clipper boy is fined for improper use of the signal wire, a jenny lad for releasing Corves without warning and others fined for ill treating Ponies