Black Powder
When working alongside hazardous and explosive substances it pays to be vigilant and not become complacent nor underestimate the destruction to life and property any negligence may cause.
Sarah Musgrove ran a small shop near opposite the Royal Oak public house on Bolton Road Pendlebury, a general provision store selling groceries, drugs, drapery and gunpowder amongst other every day essentials of the time. The sales of drugs and dangerous substances were practically unrestricted. Opiates were a common place commodity of the day, considered a custom of the working classes rather than an addiction. Gunpowder and drug restrictions would not be enforced for another decade or more after the Musgrove tragedy.
In the early evening of Friday 25th October 1851 Sarah sold to a local collier man 6lb of gunpowder, he sought it for blasting. After serving the man she proceeded to make safe the remainder of the gun powder cask when for some unknown reason the powder ignited, a huge explosion quickly followed by two more as further casks detonated. The explosion destroyed both the shop, family living quarters and two adjoining cottages the family had recently built.
Sarah Musgrove was later found alongside her two young daughters, seven year old Sarah Ann and three year old Mary Ellen who were severely burnt, bruised and broken, anything and anybody within a 20 foot radius of the explosion would also have suffered dreadful shrapnel type wounds. They were removed to the Royal Oak, shortly afterwards her condition was reported as to be so severe there was little probability of recovery.
Although not proven it was speculated the explosion was caused by a candle carried by Sarah in the fading light of the autumn evening.
Regrettably Sarah aged just 32 was buried at St Johns Church grave yard on the 29th October ironically the family had visited the church just 10 days earlier for the baptism of both children. Three year old Mary Ellen succumbed to her dreadful injuries a month later and was laid to rest with her mother in plot 471 on the 30th November 1851. It was initially thought both children were beyond recovery, miraculously seven year old Sarah Ann survived her ordeal.
An inquest was soon arranged by the County Coroner to be held at the Royal Oak. Numerous witnesses were brought forward to recount the events.
Robert Parkinson lived across the road from the Musgrove premises, he recalled hearing a loud bang at the time of the explosion and ran outside as the shop and house collapsed. Parkinson heard Sarah screaming amongst the rubble he attempted to rescue her eventually discovering the woman as she raised a burnt arm beside the shop counter. All around was a pungent smell of smoldering clothing.
Nathaniel Wardle who also lived nearby described the sound of the explosion was like a canon being fired. He too made attempts to rescue Sarah and her two children.
James Cropper a neighbour stated to the inquest he’d been joined by several other menfolk outside the Musgrove property. They had to wait a time until the dust from the explosion had settled somewhat before attempting any rescue. He goes on to say the scene was extremely dangerous a strong smell of gun powder still hung in the air from a number of unexploded powder casks. Some of the gathered men fast moved away for fear of another explosion.
The next person to be called before the Coroner was John Musgrove, Druggist and Draper by trade and husband to Sarah. He recalled business had taken him to Manchester that afternoon and arrived home to the destruction some 90 minutes after the dreadful accident unfolded. He explained one cask of gun powder was always kept in the shop and a further five casks kept in an upstairs store room, two of which exploded. He further remarked his wife was fully aware of the dangers of handling the casks and their contents.
Dr Davenport was subsequently called before the Coroner as a character witness for Sarah. He felt she was often negligent in her care of the gunpowder in the shop and that around 12 months ago she had dropped a candle in a cask of powder and managed to take it back out without accident.
Perhaps it was Sarah’s blasé approach to the dangers of handling Black Powder that led to her demise and that of her youngest daughter.
John Musgrove was considerably older than Sarah having been born 1795 in Clitheroe. After a period of mourning John remarried a year after Sarah’s death in 1852 to Ellen Lyon, sadly John lost his second wife just a few years into their marriage around the time of the birth of their daughter whom they named Mary Ellen in memory of three year old Mary Ellen who died in the explosion. He continued with a livelihood of shopkeeper until his death in 1864. He left the business to his step son Thomas Lyon.
John Musgroves daughter Mary Ellen born in 1857 by his second wife worked for and lived with a laundress on New Street, Pendlebury during her early working life until she married John Makin a miner in 1878. They had 10 children although tragically six of them died in childhood, an all too frequent occurrence of the time.
Of Sarah Ann the only survivor of the explosion we know she was born in 1845 in Crumpsall and moved to Pendlebury as an infant with her parents to Bolton Road, Pendlebury. She recovered sufficiently enough to return to live with her father and was well enough to work in one of the local cotton mills. There is a possible local death entry in the mid 1860’s that possibly relates to Sarah Ann, though this needs looking at further.
All research [c] Sue Tydd
Please do not reproduce without permission
19th October 1851 the baptism of Sarah Ann and Mary Ellen Musgrove at St Johns church, Pendlebury
The burial of Sarah Musgrove and her daughter Mary Ellen Musgrove at St Johns church, Pendlebury