 |
 |
William Hallam (1819-1888) was a miner but not from a mining family -- thus, he didn't fall into mining naturally or as a matter of course. His father was a blacksmith and William was trained as a smith. Some time after 1848 William became a miner and in the 1871 census he was said to be a fireman at a coal pit. This was his title also when he died in 1888. My question is, would his being a smith have been an advantage in applying for work at the mines? Was there a job in the mines in the 1840s and 1850s that would have required the training of a smith?