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The “Specific People” List

Signalman James Hopcraft of Ilkeston in his Midland Railway uniform pictured in a photographer's studio portrait

The names appearing in this dataset have their own file within the Midland Railway Study Centre's “Digital Archive”. As a matter of routine, whenever we receive an enquiry about a Midland Railway employee, such as signalman James Hopcraft of Ilkeston pictured here, or otherwise carry out any research on someone connected with the Company, we create a digital file on them.

This is usually populated with standard genealogy sources such as census records, as well as any other biographical or relevant detail we can find. This data is held within the archive in a folder titled “Specific People”, hence the title of the subset.

If you hit upon an entry in this list and would like to know more about the individual (or, occasionally, “individuals”), then please get in touch through the link at the bottom of this page.

Most of those contained in this collection were Midland Railway employees at some point in their life. However, occasional personalities crop up whom attract a file of their own despite having never worked for the Company. These are denoted by a double-asterisk.

This page is also used as a convenient place to append any “Miscellaneous” people-related information which crops up now and again....

Henry DILLEY

From Ted Evans of Derby: Henry Dilley was employed by the Midland Railway Company. He was born 28.5.1854 in Clifton, Bedfordshire. His parents were John and Mary. He had four sisters and two brothers. All working age children and parents were employed in the straw plaiting trade, virtually the sole employment in the Biggleswade area in the early 19th century. By 1881 Henry had married Jane with Walter their first child who by the age of 16 had joined his father on the Railways. His father was initially employed as signalman at Luton and then moving to Yorkshire as signalman at Garsdale and his son Walter as Railway Porter.

In 1901 Henry was relief signalman at Settle and was living at 5 Railway Cottages Settle. His wife died in 1903 and by 1911 Henry was Stationmaster at Ribblehead Station. He died at Ribblehead in 1913 (Nov 13th) of cardiac failure following pleurisy with his youngest son Ernest Ezra present. Walter, his son, also became Signalman near Whitkirk, Leeds, before moving to Gloucester with his family wife and son & daughter. His daughter was my mother and his son Ernest. Ernest became a main line engine driver.