It was a tragedy that resulted in the loss of 26 young lives, and caused national moral outrage. Now, as The Star's Gail Robinson reports, a play is being staged to commemorate the terrible events of 1838.
THE Huskar Pit disaster, near Barnsley on July 4 1838, killed 11 girls and 15 boys aged from seven to 17.
The tragedy was such that a Royal Commission was launched to look into the employment of children down the country's mines, which led directly to legislation being passed just a few years later banning women and children from working in the pits.
Now, to mark the 170th anniversary of those deaths, a community play is to be performed in Silkstone - in the village church where a striking memorial marks the graves of those young victims.
The local communities of Silkstone and Silkstone Common, the Grass Roots Theatre Group, the Roggins Local History Group and Silkstone All Saints Church are all involved in 'Huskar 170' and the age of the cast members ranges from six to 66.
The play, written by local playwright Sylvia Le Breton, is based on the book 'Children of the Dark' by Alan Gallop, and some of the 60-plus adults and children taking part are relatives of the youngsters killed that fateful day.
They perished when a flash summer flood sent a torrent of water gushing down a drift which was used for ventilation in Moorend Colliery - known locally as Huskar pit - in Knabs Wood in Silkstone Common.
The play, called 'Profit and Loss', looks at the Huskar Pit disaster through the eyes of Anne Newton, the mother of eight-year-old Sarah, who was one of the tiny victims.
The play begins in 1842 and ends later the same year with the implementation of Lord Ashley's Bill preventing women and boys under the age of 10 from working underground.
The middle section of the play is Anne's memory of the events, but also includes the joyful celebrations a few days earlier of Queen Victoria's coronation.
Linda Marshall, who will be playing Anne, said: "When I came to live in Silkstone I heard about the disaster and it had a real impact on me. Many people may not be aware of the tragedy so it is good to bring back to life, especially for the children."
Profit and Loss will be performed from June 30 to July 4 at All Saint's Parish Church in Silkstone. All Saint's churchyard is where the 26 children were buried and where a monument now stands in their memory.
To mark the 150th anniversary of the tragedy in 1988, a haunting monument was erected in Knabs Wood, on the site which marks the spot where the children were trapped underground and swept by a wall of water off their feet and to their deaths.
Those behind Huskar 170 now want to carry out improvements to the monument, and also plan to work with a local history group to produce an educational DVD.
Rachael Sisson, treasurer of Huskar 170, said: "It is so important to be able to keep social history alive and I marvel to think that the children who were lost that day were as little and vibrant as the children we have rehearsing our play right now.
"It is wonderful to honour them in this way, though it will also be very poignant.
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