Casgliadau Arlein

Sympathy letter sent to Mrs Lyall following the death of her husband Eric at Dinorwig Quarry. Mr Eric Lyall was the last person to be killed as a result of an accident at Dinorwig Quarry (on the 8 September 1966). Mr Lyall fell 120 feet whilst trying to dislodge a large boulder. While trying to dislodge the boulder a large amount of quarry rubble moved, and dragged Mr Lyall down with it (120 feet), and as a result Mr Lyall fractured his skull. At the time of his death Mr Lyall was 45 years old, and was a father to three children (aged 20, 17, and 10 years old). This letter is written by Mr Foulk Williams (a quarryman at Dinorwig Quarry) on behalf of the quarrymen of Caban Pant Ceubran, Dinorwig Quarry. In the letter Mr Williams sympathises with the family and notes that the quarrymen of Caban Pant Ceubran had collected £2 6s for Mrs Lyall and the family. The slate quarrying areas of north west Wales had a tradition of ‘danfon’ and ‘offrymu’. ‘Danfon’ refers to the practice of visiting the briefed family during the three days before the funeral to express their sympathies, and often leaving a gift – most often a sum of money. ‘Offrymu’ or ‘ffrymu’ refers to the tradition of giving the bereaved family a monetary contribution.