My family had quite a few hurriers working in both the iron and coal mines in Yorkshire. When I first read their occupation I'd never heard of a hurrier and I thought it may have been transcribed incorrectly. I was horrified when I googled the word and found out what a truly horrid job this was. In my case the little boys were hurriers for their fathers who were miners.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurrying
Luckily my little ones were born after the law changed outlawing children doing this work under 10 years. I have attached a photo of my Gt Gt Uncle Henry Wells in 1862. He is 16 in this photo. You can see the coal dust engrained in his hands. Even though he has cleaned up for the photo the coal dust is a dead giveaway. He married at 18 to 16 year old Sarah Coultas. The emigrated to the USA in 1871 after already burying 3 children in England. The had 16 children altogether. Henry ended up owning a homestead in South Dakota - no wonder he called hiss youngest son Freedom Coultas Wells.
Fingers crossed the photo works!!!
Cheers,
Jill
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurrying
Luckily my little ones were born after the law changed outlawing children doing this work under 10 years. I have attached a photo of my Gt Gt Uncle Henry Wells in 1862. He is 16 in this photo. You can see the coal dust engrained in his hands. Even though he has cleaned up for the photo the coal dust is a dead giveaway. He married at 18 to 16 year old Sarah Coultas. The emigrated to the USA in 1871 after already burying 3 children in England. The had 16 children altogether. Henry ended up owning a homestead in South Dakota - no wonder he called hiss youngest son Freedom Coultas Wells.
Fingers crossed the photo works!!!
Cheers,
Jill
