Clay Workers

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In 1850 the Farmers Magazine produced an article on the workers of Purbeck.

It compared a farm labourer's wages and living conditions, to those of a clay worker living in Purbeck. The writer travelled from Stoborough to Corfe and on the way stopped of at a number of homes and interview the occupants. Click here to download the article

1790 Census for Corfe
Rev Hutchins conducted his own census for Corfe and here we extracted all those involved in the extraction of clay. Click Here

1881 Census

By searching the 1881 Census we have managed to construct what we believe to be a complete list of all the clay workers in Purbeck. Click here to download the list.

In January 1885 the Harper's New Monthly  Magazine produced an article on the industries of Purbeck.

It compared the three main sources of employment, farming, clay-cutting, and stone quarrying in Purbeck. Click here to see the article

1911 Census

By searching the 1911 Census we have managed to construct what we believe to be a complete list of all the clay workers in Purbeck. Click here to download the list.

Gallery

For a page of photographs of clay workers both underground and above ground Click here

Memories

This is a section on the website which is a collection of peoples memories including those of clay workers. Click here to go to that section

Accidents

People visiting the Museum often ask "Was the mining dangerous?" They have in mind the the terrible lost of life in the coal mining industry when they ask that question. With clay mining the dangers were there and lives were lost, but compared with coal mining it was much safer. In 1943 the official report into an fatality, mentions that Pike Bros. had not had a fatality for 40 or 50 years.  We do not have a comprehensive list of accidents, but know that fatalities were rare. 

When an accident took place in March 1859 the whole community became involved and everything was done to help those affected.  

For a clay workers view of an accident click here. Levi Stockley has written a solemn poem about the 1909 accident.

Apprentices

Click here to read about what the apprentices were asked to do.