Test – The Trimdon Grange coal mining accident, 1882 (Durham County, North of England) [CA v1.0] "[...] To-day we may be strong and healthy, But how soon there comes a change, As we may learn from the explosion, That has been at Trimdon Grange. Men and boys left home that morning, For to earn their daily bread, Little thought before that evening That they’d be numbered with the [74] dead; Let us think of Mrs. Burnett, Once had sons but now has none, By the Trimdon Grange explosion, Joseph, George and James are gone. [...] God protect the lonely widow 1, [...] Be a Father to the orphans, Never let them cry for bread Death will pay us all a visit, They have only gone before; We may meet the Trimdon victims Where explosions are no more". Poem written by Tommy Armstrong (who was from the region) (https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/lessons/lesson22.ht m) Some ideas to help you (if needed) - Why is coal so important in 1882? - What do we know about the difficult life of the Victorian working class? - In this era of classical liberalism, what kind of welfare for the poor may be expected? 1

A widow is a woman whose spouse has died.