Barnsley Public Hall Disaster
Encyclopedia
The Barnsley Public Hall disaster was a stampede that took place on Saturday 11 January 1908, in a public hall in Barnsley
, South Yorkshire
, England
, which resulted in the deaths of sixteen children. A number of children were entering the Public Hall to see a show when a staircase became overcrowded, and there was a stampede
as they tried to get inside. The crush resulted in the deaths of 16 children, and at least 40 others were seriously injured. The survivors were taken to Beckett Hospital. Newspapers as far away as New York City covered the story, sometimes in a sensational manner. The event continues to be commemorated in Barnsley, and on the 100th anniversary of the disaster in 2008, a plaque was unveiled with the names of the victims.
, South Yorkshire
, on 11 January 1908. Children from across Barnsley had come to watch a movie, walking to the public hall through falling snow. According to news reports at the time, a large number of children showed up, and the hall quickly became overcrowded. With the ground floor seats full, children packed into the gallery to such an extent that the aisles of the gallery were filled and children were pressed against the lower gallery railing. In order to relieve some of the crowding, and concerned about the press of bodies against the gallery railing, an attendant in the hall called for some of the children to descend the stairs to the main floor.
This precipitated a mass rush for the stairs as children pushed to gain access to the ground level. As the crowd surged down the narrow staircase, a number of children fell and were trampled or were crushed by other children. Other children, under pressure from the crowd behind them, had to climb or walk over the fallen children to escape danger. Even children who had not originally joined the stampede became panicked because of the screams of those on the stairs. Theatre attendants and police who were quickly called managed to keep the children on the main floor safe and evacuate them. They then worked to extricate those children who had been injured. According to a wire news report at the time, "When the reserve police arrived they found the narrow stairway practically blocked with bodies." Many of the victims had broken bones or lacerations as a result of being trampled. Of the children in the hall, 16 died and more than 40 were injured. Following the accident, women from across the area rushed to the scene of the disaster trying to find their children. The bodies of the dead were later identified by family members at a local mortuary. Wire services carried news of the disaster far and wide, and newspapers as far away as New York City
covered the story, sometimes in a sensational manner and with graphic detail about the injuries of the victims.
Barnsley
Barnsley is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Dearne, north of the city of Sheffield, south of Leeds and west of Doncaster. Barnsley is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, of which Barnsley is the largest and...
, South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, which resulted in the deaths of sixteen children. A number of children were entering the Public Hall to see a show when a staircase became overcrowded, and there was a stampede
Stampede
A stampede is an act of mass impulse among herd animals or a crowd of people in which the herd collectively begins running with no clear direction or purpose....
as they tried to get inside. The crush resulted in the deaths of 16 children, and at least 40 others were seriously injured. The survivors were taken to Beckett Hospital. Newspapers as far away as New York City covered the story, sometimes in a sensational manner. The event continues to be commemorated in Barnsley, and on the 100th anniversary of the disaster in 2008, a plaque was unveiled with the names of the victims.
History
The accident occurred during a penny performance for children at a public hall in BarnsleyBarnsley
Barnsley is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Dearne, north of the city of Sheffield, south of Leeds and west of Doncaster. Barnsley is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, of which Barnsley is the largest and...
, South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield...
, on 11 January 1908. Children from across Barnsley had come to watch a movie, walking to the public hall through falling snow. According to news reports at the time, a large number of children showed up, and the hall quickly became overcrowded. With the ground floor seats full, children packed into the gallery to such an extent that the aisles of the gallery were filled and children were pressed against the lower gallery railing. In order to relieve some of the crowding, and concerned about the press of bodies against the gallery railing, an attendant in the hall called for some of the children to descend the stairs to the main floor.
This precipitated a mass rush for the stairs as children pushed to gain access to the ground level. As the crowd surged down the narrow staircase, a number of children fell and were trampled or were crushed by other children. Other children, under pressure from the crowd behind them, had to climb or walk over the fallen children to escape danger. Even children who had not originally joined the stampede became panicked because of the screams of those on the stairs. Theatre attendants and police who were quickly called managed to keep the children on the main floor safe and evacuate them. They then worked to extricate those children who had been injured. According to a wire news report at the time, "When the reserve police arrived they found the narrow stairway practically blocked with bodies." Many of the victims had broken bones or lacerations as a result of being trampled. Of the children in the hall, 16 died and more than 40 were injured. Following the accident, women from across the area rushed to the scene of the disaster trying to find their children. The bodies of the dead were later identified by family members at a local mortuary. Wire services carried news of the disaster far and wide, and newspapers as far away as New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
covered the story, sometimes in a sensational manner and with graphic detail about the injuries of the victims.
Commemoration
The disaster was commemorated on its 100th anniversary, 11 January 2008, with a civic ceremony. During the ceremony, a plaque was unveiled inside the building, now called the Civic, which listed the names of the sixteen victims of the tragedy, all of whom were under the age of 10 at the time of their deaths. Among the attendees was a younger sister of two of the victims, now elderly. The town archives have in their research collection memorabilia of the event, including condolence cards and other materials donated by relatives of the victims.See also
- Italian Hall disasterItalian Hall disasterThe Italian Hall Disaster is a tragedy that occurred on December 24, 1913 in Calumet, Michigan...
- Royal Surrey GardensRoyal Surrey GardensRoyal Surrey Gardens were pleasure gardens in Kennington, London in the Victorian period, slightly east of The Oval. The gardens occupied about to the east side of Kennington Road, including a lake of about . It was the site of Surrey Zoological Gardens and Surrey Music Hall.The gardens were the...
- Shouting fire in a crowded theatreShouting fire in a crowded theater"Shouting fire in a crowded theatre" is a popular metaphor and frequent paraphrasing of Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.'s opinion in the United States Supreme Court case Schenck v. United States in 1919...