Person:William Womack (37)

1891 - Living with parents at 51 Cory St, Ryhope, Durham. Aged 9 months.

1901 - With parents, living in Skinningrove, Yorkshire (North Riding). Aged 11, school boy. Birth place given as Marske, Yorkshire.

1907 - The following article relating to the inquest held after William's death appeared in the local paper (exact name of paper and date not known): Slipped Over The Cliffs. A Miner's Terrible Death at Boulby. Mr. W. Richardson held an inquest at Skinningrove yesterday, relative to the death of William Womack (18), a driver employed in the mines at Loftus, who met with a shocking death on Saturday by falling over the cliffs at Boulby while walking with a few friends. Mr. W. Womack, father of the deceased, a miner named Hart, and himself went to Staithes on Saturday. They decided to return by way of Boulby Cliff, and in doing so, Hart and deceased were considerably ahead of witness. When he got to the Skinningrove side of the old Alum Works, Hart told him that they were unable to get round by the edge of the cliffs. Witness inquired where deceased was, and Hart stated that he was sitting down. He searched to see if he could see his son, but he could not, and, believing he had gone straight home, witness did likewise, only taking a different route to what he originally intended. Arriving home, he discovered his son was still absent. This greatly upset him, and, with Hart, he returned to the cliffs to see if they could see him. Witness commenced the search at the bottom of the cliffs, and Hart at the top. Subsequently they discovered the deceased lying at the bottom of the cliff, terribly injured about the head, quite dead. The body was nearer Skinningrove than the spot where the deceased had left their company, and the cliffs bore marks showing the exact place where deceased had slipped. The body was conveyed home by a boat. All the members of the party were quite friendly toward one another. Charles Hart was called, and he explained that deceased and himself were in front of the last witness, and when they approached a dangerous place along the footpath on the cliff's edge, deceased said, "We can't get along this road." Whereupon witness suggested that they should return. Witness, acting upon his own suggestion, proceeded to Skinningrove by another footpath, but deceased said that he was tired and he would rest awhile. That was the last time witness saw deceased alive.

The coroner said that it was probable that deceased had accidentally slipped over the cliffs. The Jury entered a verdict of " Accidental Death ". Family stories have it that every bone in his body was broken and he had to be put into a hessian sack so that they could lift him into the boat to fetch him home.