Mexborough and Swinton Times February 8, 1919

Golden Wedding – Mr. and Mrs. T. Weston.

Mr and Mrs. Thomas Weston late of Mexborough and Denaby Main, celebrated their golden wedding anniversary on Sunday at Holy Bank, Lightwoods Hill, Birmingham and the event was made the occasion of a large and very happy family gathering.

Mr. Weston was born at Halesowen, Worcestershire, in 1847, and worked as a boy in the ,coal mines near Wolverhampton.

At the age of 18 he moved to Cannock Chase, and while there married Miss Elizabeth Chillington Bilston, Wolverhampton, on February 2, 1869.

During the coal strike of 1874 he removed to Normanton and got work at one of Messrs. Briggs’s collieries and two years later was appointed a deputy underviewer at the Methley Junction Colliery, where he assisted to alter the method of working from the obi-fashioned “square-rib and pillar ” to the ” long wall “system. He won the esteem of the officials and workmen of this colliery, as was testify, in 1881, when he left to enter the licensed trade.

For two years he kept the Junction Inn, Methley, and afterwards for two years the Hope and Anchor, Wakefield. He came to the Union Inn, Mexboro, in 1884, and then the-Bulls Head, Mexboro’, of which be held the licence for eight years. Finally he became landlord of the Reresby Arms, Denaby Main, in 1894, and conducted that popular hostelry in an exemplary manner until 1909, when be retired into private life, after holding a licence continuously for 24 years. He was for many years a member of the Doncaster Licensed Victuallers Association, and held office both as president and Vice president.    In those capacities he attended conferences of the licensed trade in many parts of Englund and Wales. He was a good friend and generous supporter of the Montagu Hospital and also of the Fullerton Hospital, Denaby Main.

While at Denaby, Mr. Weston maintained the most cordial relations with the Denaby and Cadeby Colliery Company, though he declined the post of manager of there Denaby Main Hotel.

Mr. and Mrs. Weston after leaving Denaby settled for a time at Doncaster, but returned afterwards to Mexboro’, and removed to Birmingham about three years ago. There is reason to believe—and to hope–that they will shortly return to Mexboro’ and settle among their friends finally. They have only had one child, a son named Eli, who died 16 years ago at the age of S3.

Mr. Weston in addition to being profoundly acquainted with the intricacies of the licensed trade, had a sound, expert knowledge of several methods of coal-mining, and shortly before leaving Mexborough he was called upon by his fellow-shareholders to examine and report upon a South Yorkshire mine, which it was both to develop by the “long,-wall” method.

Mrs. Weston will be remembered with affection and esteem by her many friends, and by t hose who had experience of her splendid domestic virtues. They knew her as a motherly woman and a heavenly cook.