Colliery Disasters

There were around 30 major colliery disasters in Durham and Northumberland in the period 1800-1899 claiming the lives of more than 1,500 men and boys. Gas explosions were the major danger, although some incidents were caused by collapsing mines. The six worst disasters of the period in terms of numbers killed were;- 204 killed at Hartley near Blyth (1862), 164 at Seaham (1880), 102 at Wallsend (1833), 95 at Haswell 1841, 92 at Felling (1812), 76 at Burradon (1860) and 74 at Trimdon in 1882. The worst disaster of the twentieth century occured in 1909 when 168 died at West Stanley. Pit ponies were often killed in the disasters including 181 killed in the 1880 Seaham disaster. A list of the major disasters from 1708 to 1951 is given below, but almost every colliery could produce long lists of men and boys who lost their lives in smaller, individual incidents.

Click on disaster listings in bold for more information

1708 - 69 die at Fatfield
1743 - 80 die at Bensham
1767 - 39 die at Fatfield
1773 - 23 die at Chartershaugh
1794 - 30 die at Picktree
1805 - 38 die at Oxclose Colliery, Washington
1805 - 35 die at Hebburn Colliery
1812 - 92 die at Felling Pit (May 25)
1813 - 32 die at Fatfield Hall Pit
1815 - 57 die at Newbottle Colliery Disaster, Fencehouses
1815 - 38 die at Row Pit Disaster, Harraton, Washington
1815 - 40 Men and 30 Boys Killed Heaton Colliery flood
1817 - 27 die at West Rainton Pit (December)
1819 - 35 Men die at Sheriff Hill Pit
1821 - 52 Men die at Wallsend Colliery
1823 - 59 die at Plain Pit, Rainton (November 3)
1826 - 34 die at Jarrow Colliery
1833 - 47 die at Springfield Colliery
1835 - 102 die at Wallsend Pit (June 18th )
1841 - 32 die at Willington
1844 - 95 die at Haswell (September 28th)
1845 - 39 die at Jarrow Colliery
1849 - 31 die at Hebburn
1855 - 28 die at Elemore Near Hetton(December 2)
1860 - 76 die at Burradon Disaster
1862 - 204 die Hartley Colliery collapse Near Blyth
1866 - 24 die at Pelton Disaster
1880 - 164 miners and 181 Pit Ponies Die Seaham September 8
1882 - 74 die Trimdon Grange disaster (February 16)
1882 - 35 die at Tudhoe Blast (April 18)
1886 - 28 die at Elemore (December 1)
1896 - 20 die at Brancepeth (April 13)
1899 - 6 die at Brandon Pit (August 15)
1906 - 24 die at Wingate (Oct 14)
1908 - 14 die at Washington Glebe Disaster (Feb 20)
1909 - 168 die at West Stanley (February 16)
1942 - 13 die at Murton Colliery (June 26)
1947 - 21 die at Louisa Colliery (August 22)
1951 - 81 die at Easington Explosion (May 29)

Colliery disasters highlighted the need for improvements in safety. As mines got deeper safety became more of an issue. The major danger was from gas explosions caused by naked flames on miner's lamps. In 1815 Humphry Davy and George Stephenson developed the Miners' Safety lamp. This reduced the danger of explosion and enabled coal owners to explore ever-deeper mines. The cage, for the movement of miners underground was introduced to collieries for safety reasons in 1834 and in 1862 an act of Parliament made it compulsory for every colliery to have two shafts for the purposes of safety. In 1867 John Dalglish, General Manager of Earl Vane's Durham collieries organised a system of voluntary inspection of pits by his workmen. This system was made compulsory by an Act in 1887.