Aldwarke Main Colliery explosion, 1875

At about 6.20 a.m. on 5 January 1875 gas exploded in the Carr House workings of John Brown & Co.'s Aldwarke Main Colliery, near Rotherham, killing seven men. The jury returned accidental death and called for safety lamps in place of naked lights.

Cause

Firedamp from a large goaf, ignited at a naked light.

Contributing factors

Naked lights in the Barnsley seam; gas tested with an open lamp; one deputy in charge of a pit of some 300.

What happened

John Brown & Co. had bought Aldwarke Main and the adjoining Carr House Colliery about eighteen months before and worked them together in the Barnsley seam, with naked lights and furnace ventilation. The Carr House upcast served partly for Aldwarke Main. The explosion was in the Third South, 1,100 yards from the shaft, where only a few pillars were left at the end of the Carr House levels. About 120 men and boys were in the pit, and a deputy had just reported the workings safe.

The seven killed were Thomas Griffiths, George Bilyard, Benjamin Ege, George Cooper, Samuel Usherwood, Richard Bennett and William Whitehead. The fire-tryer Robert Copley went down to help with the rescue and was overcome by afterdamp. The inspector, Wardell, found the gas had come from a goaf of about fifty acres at the top of the south heading, and strongly disapproved of the deputy's practice of testing for gas with an open lamp.

Rescue & recovery

Air was carried progressively through the affected district so the bodies could be recovered and the pit worked again.

Investigation & inquiry

The inspector, Frank N. Wardell, attributed the gas to the goaf and recommended locked lamps and better keeping of the statutory record books. The coroner, D. Wightman, censured the publication of a report by men's examiners before the inquest.

Legal & regulatory aftermath

The jury returned accidental death, recommending that naked lights be discontinued in favour of safety lamps and that more deputies be employed; the manager promised to carry this out.

Recorded claims

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

• The explosion on 5 January 1875 killed seven men. ^1,2
• The inspector found the gas came from a goaf of about fifty acres; naked lights were in use. ¹
• The jury returned accidental death and recommended safety lamps and more deputies. ¹

Related terminology

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

• Deputy (contextual relationship)
  Named 4 times in this record, first in the contributing factors: “Naked lights in the Barnsley seam; gas tested with an open lamp; one deputy in charge of a pit of some 300.”
• Furnace Ventilation (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…and worked them together in the Barnsley seam, with naked lights and furnace ventilation. The Carr House upcast served partly for Aldwarke Main. The…”
• Goaf (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the cause: “Firedamp from a large goaf, ignited at a naked light.”
• Naked Light (contextual relationship)
  Named 5 times in this record, first in the summary: “…returned accidental death and called for safety lamps in place of naked lights.”
• Safety Lamp (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…killing seven men. The jury returned accidental death and called for safety lamps in place of naked lights.”

Photographs & further reading

This page doesn't try to reproduce everything — these are the best original sources found for this disaster.

Sources

1. (secondary) Aldwarke Main Colliery Explosion - Rotherham - 1875 — Northern Mine Research Society
2. (primary) Aldwarke Main Colliery — Durham Mining Museum

Record created: 3 October 2026 · Last researched: 3 October 2026