John Heath and Son’s funeral carriage. Source: Picture Sheffield.
The lives of many of those buried in the Cemetery were cut short by accidents. Victorians, generally intent on getting things done, seemed to pay only cursory attention to the safety of themselves and others. There was no proper scaffolding to protect a roofer, dam ponds were often left unfenced, workplace machinery was open to careless limbs, and fires in domestic grates were left unguarded. People died in the not infrequent train crashes because of poor communication or poor safety procedures, or drowned on sea journeys when ships sank in storms. Particularly common were road accidents when horses were the main means of transport for those who could afford it. Individual riders were thrown by startled horses, or, more frequently, thrown from traps when horses suddenly bolted. And as the century advanced, technological progress brought further hazards when steam engines appeared on the roads, their drivers handicapped by the noise and inevitable blind spots.
You can read more about people whose lives were cut short through accident and violence in the Sheffield General Cemetery publication Murder and Mishap – Sudden Death in Victorian Sheffield and follow the self-guided trail Murder and Mishap.
