Agecroft Colliery shot accident, 1899

A shot went off while it was being charged in the No. 4 pit sinking at Agecroft on 1 February 1899, killing a chargeman and two sinkers.

Cause

Premature explosion of a gunpowder and gelignite shot while being charged with a wooden stemmer, probably through undue force.

What happened

Andrew Knowles and Sons were sinking a No. 4 pit at Agecroft in 1899. At half past one on 1 February, eight hours into the shift, a shot of gunpowder and gelignite exploded while it was being charged with a wooden stemmer, probably because too much force was used, killing the chargeman Sam Brenton and the sinkers William Denner and John Bands Rigby.

Recorded claims

Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.

• At 1.30 p.m. on 1 February 1899 a shot exploded prematurely while being charged in the No. 4 pit sinking at Agecroft, killing the chargeman Sam Brenton and the sinkers William Denner and John Bands Rigby. ^1,2,3,4
• The charge of gunpowder and gelignite went off while a wooden stemmer was in the hole, probably through undue force. ^1,2,3,4
• The colliery belonged to Andrew Knowles and Sons Ltd. ^1,3

Related terminology

Mining terms this disaster is structurally linked to, with the nature of the relationship.

• Shaft Sinking (contextual relationship)
  Named 4 times in this record, first in the summary: “A shot went off while it was being charged in the No. 4 pit sinking at Agecroft on 1 February 1899, killing a chargeman and two sinkers.”

Sources

1. (primary) Agecroft Colliery — Durham Mining Museum
2. (secondary) 1890s R3: Ian Winstanley's alphabetical list of mining victims — Healey Hero
3. (secondary) Mining deaths 1890-1899, surnames B part 6 (Ian Winstanley) — Healey Hero (Ian Winstanley's mining deaths lists)
4. (secondary) Mining deaths 1890-1899, surnames D part 3 (Ian Winstanley) — Healey Hero (Ian Winstanley's mining deaths lists)

Record created: 8 October 2026 · Last researched: 8 October 2026