Son of W.P. 'Bill'
Richardson's Great Aunt, Elizabeth Gilliland
Ernest was the
second child and only son of Elizabeth Gilliland and her
husband William Robinson. I have not been able to find a
definite record of his birth, as there were three Ernest
Robinsons registered in the Auckland DIstrict about the
time of his birth. The census of 1901
recorded him as aged 9, living at 18 Cold Knot Row,
Crook and Billy Row with his Mam, Elizabeth (33), and
Dad, William (37) who was a coal miner. The census
return also showed that Ernest had four sisters, Edith
(9), Lenora (5), Ethel (3) and Doris (1).
By the time of the 1911 census, the family had moved to
Chopwell. Ernest was 18 and working for his living, in
the pit like his Dad. The census return, completed by
his father, says he was a Coal Miner (set rider). I
didn't know what that meant so have asked questions and
was given the following explanation:
Set Rider aka an Incline Rider, rides on trams or tubs
on haulage planes, either underground or on the surface,
attaches and detaches the set of tubs when necessary,
and gives a signal if a tub runs off the rails, in some
districts applies a brake when necessary, in other
districts this is done by a brakesman.
So, now I know! I don't yet have any
further information about Ernest. |
