The only contemporary account of the pit disaster I have been able to find comes from the Derbyshire Courier dated 27 Oct 1860 in what seems to be a ‘pit accidents of the week’ column. Just over a year after the disaster the Paisley Herald and Renfrewshire Advertiser dated 4 Jan1862 gives an account (on the right) of a meeting of the subscribers to the fund to honour those involved in the Benston Pit accident. Mentioned by name is William Houston. Despite investigations and hopes that the Benston pit might have been re-opened in the 1890s, the pit never started up again and little remains of its existence. Over 125 years later the local Paisley newspaper recounted details of the Benston disaster in a regular column entitled Parkers Way. Images of three articles can be seen on the following pages.