Hi

Here is a query surrounding the retirement from the mines of my ancestor William Wilson when he was about 65ish in the mid 1880s.

My 3xgreat grandfather was William Wilson, born about 1819 in St Helen Auckland in Durham, son of John & Ann Wilson. In the 1841 census he is aged 20 with his parents. He wed my 3xgreat gran in 1842 and she died in 1860. He never remarried.

In the 1881 census he is in St Helen Auckland, aged 62 living with his daughter and son in law Thomas Bellas, and his neice Elizabeth Wilson who was deaf and dumb and aged 8. William is listed as a coal miner.

But, by the 1891 census he is aged 70, and a Z shaped dash is given through his occupation on the Occupation column. He is still with his son in law, daughter and neice at St Helen Auckland.

The 1901 census he is aged 83, living at 24 Halls Lane Eldon, Durham, no occupation, with one of his other daughters Mary Currey, and still with his neice Elizabeth Wilson. William died the following year, for which I am awaiting the death cert.

From this, he must have stopped mining during the 1880s. But there were no old age pensions until 1908. And the 1891 nor the 1901 census doesn't list whether he was recieving an annuity, or living on his own means, or in reciept of relief.

I wonder if he became too old or feeble to mine by the 1880s but he was only about mid 60s or so. I wonder if his daughters let him lodge at their homes for free or if he was in reciept of some annuity? The censuses dont state this, so that is why I am raising this query?

Ben