Thomas Hood 1745-1820s (Part.1 - 1745-63) |
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Return to Hood Family History
Thomas Hood 1745-63
Thomas Hoods was born at Bilston on 28 January 1745, while his parents, William Hoods and Isobel Miller were at the Dryden coalworks, but when it closed in 1749, the family were free to find work elsewhere and moved to Carthall near Gilmerton colliery where both his parents had worked before. The family returned to Dryden between 1754 and 1756, when new coalworking began on the Dryden estate at Goukly Moss; this was a stair pit where coal was brought to the surface by the coalbearers climbing up a series of ladders or stairs. Thomas was still too young to actually hew coal and would have worked as a coalbearer along with his mother, although a collier James Sharp, giving evidence in a court case during 1771 stated: "Thomas Hood, George and William Rosses and William Pentland all wrought at the Coalworks of Gilmerton both as bearers and pickmen before they came to the coalworks of Dryden" A more credible witness is William Johnston who leased the Dryden coal in 1754. He stated: "…that he does not think Thomas Hoods was capable to have wrought any other where, for that he was young and came with his father, that he bore with the deponent (Johnston) and before he went from him, wrought a very little at the pick." In the summer of 1762 the coalworks at Goukly Moss closed and the family returned to Gilmerton, and possibly moved to Hawthornden for a short time. While the coalworks were closed Thomas, his father and other bound colliers would go back to Dryden each year on 18th June, George Lockhart's birthday. It was the usual custom for Lockhart's bound colliers to return each year on his birthday. They brought alonng their wives and children to these "birthdays" and were given drink by Lockhart who they would acknowledge as their master. On some occasions dinner was also given. A personal cash book of George Lockhart of Carnwath shows three such entries: [before 1758] Dinner and musick to my Coaliers on my birthday £1-6—0 Although Thomas Hoods had attended many times at these birthdays, according to a number of witnesses, it was usual for the children of the bound colliers to attended even if they were not bound to Dryden coalworks themselves. Even some "stranger" colliers with no connection to Dryden would go along for the drink. 1763 was an important and the last before Lockhart's death the following year. William Hall, a servant at Dryden, remembers seeing Thomas Hoods at this birthday and in his deposition in a later court case stated: "...that Carnwaths Coalliers to the amount of about a dozen with their wives and bairns were in use to attend Dryden yearly on Carnwaths birthday.... That Carnwath gave them a dinner and a drink, that he remembers to have been at Dryden on said birthday, George Ross elder, William and George Rosses his sons, Thomas Hoods, William Reid, John Campbell and his two sons and a collier who wanted an eye." He also stated that some of the colliers told him the reason they were there was that "they came there at Carnwaths desire in order that he might give them a dinner upon account that they were his men"
1745-63 | 1765-69 | 1770-73 | 1773-1820s |
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