Allanton Colliery explosion, 1923

At half past seven in the morning of 2 December 1923, in the first hour of the shift, firedamp exploded at William Barr and Sons' Allanton Colliery, Ferniegair, near Hamilton, killing two brushing contractors, James Hardie and James Ramsay.

Date	2 December 1923
Mine	Allanton Colliery
Region	South Lanarkshire
Type	Explosion
Fatalities	2 (James Hardie, 30, brushing contractor; James Ramsay, 35, brushing contractor.)
Context	During active mining

Cause

An explosion of firedamp.

What happened

Both brushing contractors were killed by the explosion at 7.30 a.m., an hour into the shift.

Recorded claims

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

At 7.30 a.m., in the first hour of the shift on 2 December 1923, an explosion of firedamp at Allanton Colliery, Ferniegair, killed two brushing contractors, James Hardie and James Ramsay. ^1,2
The colliery belonged to William Barr and Sons (Coal Masters) Ltd. ²
Hardie was 30 and Ramsay 35. ^1,2

Related terminology

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

Colliery (contextual relationship)
Named in this record’s summary: “…of the shift, firedamp exploded at William Barr and Sons' Allanton Colliery, Ferniegair, near Hamilton, killing two brushing contractors, James…”
Firedamp (contextual relationship)
Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…in the morning of 2 December 1923, in the first hour of the shift, firedamp exploded at William Barr and Sons' Allanton Colliery, Ferniegair,…”
Ripping (contextual relationship)
Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…and Sons' Allanton Colliery, Ferniegair, near Hamilton, killing two brushing contractors, James Hardie and James Ramsay.”

Sources

(primary) Allanton Colliery — Durham Mining Museum
(secondary) Scottish Mining Website: fatal accidents 1923 — Scottish Mining Website

Record created: 21 October 2026 · Last researched: 21 October 2026