Family
William Seaborne was born on the 19th December 1872 in the picturesque town of Hay-On-Wye, Breconshire, Wales. William's parents, James Seaborne and Mary Jones, were from the nearby villages of Vowchurch and Eardisley, Herefordshire, England.
William was one of 20 children of James and Mary, many of which died in infancy. My great grandmother, Mary, died in 1893. James quickly remarried. With his new bride, James fathered a further 12 children, bringing a grand total of 32!
In 1902 William married my great grandmother Sophia Lock (from Newport, Wales) in Pontypridd. William and Sophia went on to have 9 children including my grandmother Doris who was born in 1913 in Bedwas, Wales.
William Seaborne with his wife Sophia Lock
Mining
In 1894 William was working as a miner at the Albion Colliery, Cilfynydd near Pontypridd, on 23rd of June that year there was a huge explosion at the colliery. This disaster was one of the worst on record in Wales, it resulted in the death of 290 men and boys. The Caerphilly Journal of 1942 reported that William had failed to go into work on that disastrous day.
In 1901 William was now working at the Llanbradach Colliery near Caerphilly, on the 10th September disaster struck again. An explosion cost 8 miners their lives. In the Caerphilly Journal of 1942 they stated that William rescued a Mr Filer and a Mr Newton.
Nearly 20 years ago I received a message from a descendant of Mr Filer acknowledging this report.
Albion Colliery, Cilfynydd, Wales
Article reporting on Llanbradach disaster,1901
Caerphilly Journal 1942
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