Joseph Skipsey (17 March 1832 – 3 September 1903) was a Northumbrian poet during the Victorian period and one of a number of literary coal miners to be known as 'The Pitman Poet'. Among his best known works is the ballad "The Hartley Calamity", which imagined the last hours of several of those trapped underground during the

Hartley Colliery Disaster The Hartley Colliery disaster (also known as the Hartley Pit disaster or Hester Pit disaster) was a coal mining accident in Northumberland, England, that occurred on 16 January 1862 and resulted in the deaths of 204 men and children. The beam o ...

of January 1862. This devastating

mining accident A mining accident is an accident that occurs during the process of mining minerals or metals. Thousands of miners die from mining accidents each year, especially from underground mining (hard rock), underground coal mining, although accidents al ...

killed a total of 204 men and boys and remains England's most catastrophic pit disaster.

Birth and early life

Skipsey was born in Percy Village (generally known after the name of the colliery

Percy Main Percy Main is a small village absorbed into North Shields, North East England. Historically in Northumberland, it is now part of Tyne and Wear. History It is named after the colliery belonging to the Percy family, which was located just south ...

), in the Parish of

Tynemouth Tynemouth () is a coastal town in the metropolitan borough of North Tyneside, in Tyne and Wear, England. It is located on the north side of the mouth of the River Tyne, England, River Tyne, hence its name. It is east-northeast of Newcastle up ...

on 17 March 1832. He was the eighth and final child of Cuthbert, an overman at Percy Main Colliery, and Isabella Skipsey. Skipsey's life was touched by tragedy at an early age when his father, Cuthbert, was shot dead on 8 July 1832. In the wake of a long and bitter miners' strike, tensions in the Great Northern Coalfield were running high and on the Sunday evening, an

affray In many legal jurisdictions related to English common law, affray is a public order offence consisting of the fighting of one or more persons in a public place to the terror (in ) of ordinary people. Depending on their actions, and the laws ...

occurred between a group of miners and armed special constables. Cuthbert Skipsey, a man of influence within the community, stepped forward in an attempt to defuse the situation. One of the special constables, George Weddell, pushed him away and shot him with his pistol, Cuthbert died immediately. Weddell was arrested, tried, found guilty of manslaughter, and sentenced to six months hard labour. Like many children of that era, Skipsey started work in the local pit at the age of seven as a trapper. In order to break the boredom of the long hours in darkness, Skipsey taught himself to read and write by copying the text from discarded newspapers, adverts, playbills and other printed materials in chalk onto the wooden door he worked at. As his abilities grew Skipsey began, like many other working-class writers, to read canonical writers and was deeply influenced by

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

Robert Burns Robert Burns (25 January 1759 – 21 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the List of national poets, national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the be ...

John Milton John Milton (9 December 1608 – 8 November 1674) was an English poet, polemicist, and civil servant. His 1667 epic poem ''Paradise Lost'' was written in blank verse and included 12 books, written in a time of immense religious flux and politic ...

and

Goethe Johann Wolfgang (von) Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German polymath who is widely regarded as the most influential writer in the German language. His work has had a wide-ranging influence on Western literature, literary, Polit ...

, with Milton's ''

Paradise Lost ''Paradise Lost'' is an Epic poetry, epic poem in blank verse by the English poet John Milton (1608–1674). The poem concerns the Bible, biblical story of the fall of man: the temptation of Adam and Eve by the fallen angel Satan and their ex ...

'' having a profound influence over him. In an interview he gave to ''

The Pall Mall Gazette ''The Pall Mall Gazette'' was an evening newspaper founded in London on 7 February 1865 by George Murray Smith; its first editor was Frederick Greenwood. In 1921, '' The Globe'' merged into ''The Pall Mall Gazette'', which itself was absorbed i ...

'' in 1889, Skipsey told the newspaper that his first attempts at creating verse came when the older boys in the pit would sing incomplete versions of popular songs. Feeling frustration at these half-remembered songs, Skipsey would fill them out with his own words to match the rhythms and the rhymes he picked up. From here he began to write his own verses and poems before finally committing them to paper and, ultimately, to print.

Marriage and family

In 1852 he walked to London in his search for work and found employment there on the railways. It was here that he met his bride-to-be, his landlady Sarah Ann Fendley. They returned North and he found a job at

Choppington Choppington is a large village and civil parish in Northumberland, England. It is situated 5 miles to the south-east of Morpeth, and north of Bedlington. It was at one time part of the three big mid-Northumberland collieries (Ashington, ...

, and then Pembroke Colliery, near

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...

. Skipsey married Sarah, from Watlington,

Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...

, in December 1868. They had five sons (including Joseph b. 1869 and Cuthbert b. 1872) and three daughters (including Elizabeth Ann b. 1860 and who was living at Harraton at the time of her father's death). The three named children were the only ones to outlive their father.

Later life

His first volume of his own works was published in

Durham Durham most commonly refers to: *Durham, England, a cathedral city in north east England **County Durham, a ceremonial county which includes Durham *Durham, North Carolina, a city in North Carolina, United States Durham may also refer to: Places ...

in 1858, a copy of which came to the attention of

James Thomas Clephan James Clephan (1804–1888) was a British journalist, newspaper editor, antiquary, and poet. Life James Thomas Clephan was born on 17 March 1804 in Monkwearmouth, Sunderland, the second son of Stockton baker Robert Clephan. He was educated in ...

, at that time editor of the ''Gateshead Observer'', a relatively new newspaper and the first in

Gateshead Gateshead () is a town in the Gateshead Metropolitan Borough of Tyne and Wear, England. It is on the River Tyne's southern bank. The town's attractions include the twenty metre tall Angel of the North sculpture on the town's southern outskirts, ...

. When told by Skipsey of his dire situation, Clephan obtained a job for him at

Hawks, Crawshay and Sons The Hawks family (c.1750 – 1889) was one of the most powerful British industrial dynasties of the British Industrial Revolution. The Hawks owned several companies in Northern England and in the City of London (including Hawks and Co., Hawks, C ...

ironworks in

. Following the death of one of his children, Skipsey moved to

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area ...

in 1863 and became an assistant Librarian at the

Literary and Philosophical Society of Newcastle upon Tyne The Literary and Philosophical Society of Newcastle upon Tyne (or the ''Lit & Phil'' as it is popularly known) is a historical library in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, and the largest independent library outside London. The library is still avai ...

for a short time. The job did not seem to suit him and, as the pay was poor, he returned to working in the pits, eventually settling at

Backworth Backworth is a village in the metropolitan borough of North Tyneside in the county of Tyne and Wear, England, about west of Whitley Bay on the north east coast. It lies northeast of Newcastle upon Tyne. Other nearby towns include North Shie ...

, where he remained until 1882. On the death of three of his children within the space of a month, he wrote in the family bible: "On October 16th my son Cuthbert died in his fourteenth year, on the 24th of the same month so did my little Emma 1 year and 9 months old and the 30th our dear Harriet in her seventh year leaving us with our Elizabeth Ann Pringle only. The children died from scarletina. Let me say that three more lovely and affectionate children were never born in this world. Their loss has bowed their parents head down to dust of our reflections and their deaths have enlikened the belief that the dear jewels were wrongly treated. Joseph Skipsey. March 8th 1869. Also William – he was killed by a waggon on the Tyne Main Way near Gateshead on 7 September 1860." Following the publication of his ''A Book of Miscellaneous Lyrics'' (1878), Skipsey's work came (via the efforts of a local literary figure) to the appreciative attention of

Dante Gabriel Rossetti Gabriel Charles Dante Rossetti (12 May 1828 – 9 April 1882), generally known as Dante Gabriel Rossetti ( ; ), was an English poet, illustrator, painter, translator, and member of the Rossetti family. He founded the Pre-Raphaelite Brother ...

and, in 1880, he travelled to London to meet Rossetti. During this visit, Skipsey was introduced to many of the leading cultural figures of the nineteenth-century, including most notably

Edward Burne-Jones Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, 1st Baronet, (; 28 August 183317 June 1898) was an English painter and designer associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood's style and subject matter. Burne-Jones worked with William Morris as a founding part ...

. Following this trip to London, and through the efforts of Burne-Jones, Skipsey was awarded a small annual pension from the

Royal Bounty Fund The Royal Bounty Fund was a special British government fund originally set up in 1782 by Edmund Burke. The operation of the fund was always shrouded in secrecy. Gifts, grants and pensions were paid out from the fund under the patronage of the prime ...

for his services to literature by

William Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British politican, starting as Conservative MP for Newark and later becoming the leader of the Liberal Party. In a career lasting over 60 years, he was Prime Minister ...

. By 1882 he was 50 years old and starting to feel his age, and so when a position of caretaker became vacant at a new Board School at Mill Lane, Newcastle, he applied for, and won the post. This school was successful and grew in size, until the workload became too much for him and his wife. In September 1888, he moved to the position of porter at the newly extended Armstrong College, but even this was hardly the job for a man of letters. When, in 1889, the post of custodian of

Shakespeare's Birthplace Shakespeare's Birthplace is a restored 16th-century half-timbered house situated on Henley Street, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England, where it is believed that William Shakespeare was born in 1564 and spent his childhood years.

Stratford-upon-Avon Stratford-upon-Avon ( ), commonly known as Stratford, is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon (district), Stratford-on-Avon district, in the county of Warwickshire, in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands region of Engl ...

became vacant, Skipsey was one of 132 applicants. Supported by some of the most important cultural figures of the late-nineteenth century, including

Alfred Tennyson Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson (; 6 August 1809 – 6 October 1892) was an English poet. He was the Poet Laureate during much of Queen Victoria's reign. In 1829, Tennyson was awarded the Chancellor's Gold Medal at Cambridge for one of ...

Robert Browning Robert Browning (7 May 1812 – 12 December 1889) was an English poet and playwright whose dramatic monologues put him high among the Victorian literature, Victorian poets. He was noted for irony, characterization, dark humour, social commentar ...

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish author, poet, and playwright. After writing in different literary styles throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular and influential playwright ...

, William Rossetti,

William Morris William Morris (24 March 1834 – 3 October 1896) was an English textile designer, poet, artist, writer, and socialist activist associated with the British Arts and Crafts movement. He was a major contributor to the revival of traditiona ...

Edward Dowden Edward Dowden (; 3 May 18434 April 1913) was an Irish critic, professor, and poet. Biography He was the son of John Wheeler Dowden, a merchant and landowner, and was born at Cork, three years after his brother John, who became Bishop of Edi ...

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, and many others, Skipsey's application proved irresistible and he and his wife were appointed joint custodians. After less than two years he became disenchanted with the post which (he confided in a letter not to be opened until after his death) involved dealing with relics which had "no definite history" and having to "perpetuate error and fraud" on the visitors and general public. Skipsey's experience inspired

Henry James Henry James ( – ) was an American-British author. He is regarded as a key transitional figure between literary realism and literary modernism, and is considered by many to be among the greatest novelists in the English language. He was the ...

' story "The Birthplace". He and his wife returned to

Tyneside Tyneside is a List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, built-up area across the banks of the River Tyne, England, River Tyne in Northern England. The population of Tyneside as published in the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 census was 774,891 ...

, where they lived off his pension, residing, in turns, at the homes of their surviving children.

Death

Sarah Skipsey died on 9 August 1902, at the age of 73. Joseph Skipsey died in the house of his son Cuthbert at 5 Kells Gardens,

Low Fell Low Fell is a suburb of Gateshead situated in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead in Tyne and Wear, England. Built predominantly on sandstone, grindstone and clay, it is bordered by Sheriff Hill/ Deckham to the east, Saltwell/Bensham to the ...

, on 3 September 1903, aged 71. He was interred in Gateshead Cemetery. Two of his five sons and the eldest of three daughters survived him.

Collections

* ''Lyrics'' (1858) * ''Lyrics'' (1859) * ''Poems, Songs, and Ballads'' (1862) * ''The Collier Lad and other songs and ballads'' (1864) * ''Poems'' (1871) * ''A Book of Miscellaneous Lyrics'' (1878) * ''A Book of Lyrics'' (1881) * ''Carols from the Coalfields'' (1886) * ''Carols, Songs, and Ballads'' (1888) * ''Songs and Lyrics'' (1892) * Selected Poems fJoseph Skipsey * ''Joseph Skipsey: Selected Poems'', R.K.R. Thornton; Chris Harrison; William Daniel McCumiskey (eds), Newcastle: The Rectory Press, 2014.

Poems

Poems written by Skipsey: * "Get Up!" * The Hartley Calamity (1862) recounts the tragedy of the 204 men and boys (most of the male population of the village) who suffocated in the colliery after a six-day struggle to dig them out * Willy to Jinny * Kit never went down * The Collier Lad * Mother wept * Mary of Crofton * Jemmy stops lang at the fair – appears on page 12 of J. W. Swanston's Tyneside Songster Skipsey also edited the following volumes of poetry for the "Canterbury Poets" series published by Walter Scott Publishing Co., for each of which he provided a biographical preface: * ''The Poems, with Specimens of the Prose Writings, William Blake'' (1884) * ''The Lyrics and minor poems of Percy Bysshe Shelley'' (1884) * ''The Poems of S.T. Coleridge'' (1884) * ''The Poetical Works of Edgar Allan Poe'' (1884) * ''The Poetical Works of Robert Burns, Poems'' (1885) * ''The Poetical Works of Robert Burns, Songs'' (1885)

References

External links

Joseph Skipsey (1832–1903): the 'Pitman Poet'
at gerald-massey.org.uk *
Allan’s Illustrated Edition of Tyneside songs and readings
* Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Skipsey, Joseph English miners English male poets English male songwriters People from Percy Main Writers from Tyne and Wear 1903 deaths 1832 births Geordie songwriters 19th-century English musicians