Arniston Colliery roof fall, 1858

On 2 December 1858 two colliers, John Clark and Alexander Hood, were killed by a fall of roof at the face of the workings at Arniston Colliery, near Gorebridge in Midlothian, then owned by John Christie.

Cause

A fall of roof at the face of the workings.

What happened

Arniston Colliery, at Gorebridge some nine miles south-east of Edinburgh, was in John Christie's hands in 1858. On 2 December two colliers, John Clark and Alexander Hood, were at work at the face when the roof came down on them and killed them both.

The accident appears in the appendix of fatal accidents to the inspector's report for 1858, which records the colliery, its owner, the two men and the cause in a single line. It was the second fatal fall at Arniston that year: in February a collier, William Liddle, had been killed by a fall of coal at the face.

Recorded claims

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

• On 2 December 1858 two colliers, John Clark and Alexander Hood, were killed at Arniston Colliery. ^1,2
• They were killed by a fall of roof at the face of the workings. ^1,2
• The colliery's owner was John Christie. ²

Related terminology

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

• Coal (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…in February a collier, William Liddle, had been killed by a fall of coal at the face.”
• Colliery (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “…killed by a fall of roof at the face of the workings at Arniston Colliery, near Gorebridge in Midlothian, then owned by John Christie.”
• Roof Fall (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…1858 two colliers, John Clark and Alexander Hood, were killed by a fall of roof at the face of the workings at Arniston Colliery, near Gorebridge in…”

Photographs & further reading

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

Sources

1. (primary) Arniston Colliery — Durham Mining Museum
2. (primary) 1858 Fatal Accidents (from the Inspector of Mines' reports) — Scottish Mining Website

Record created: 4 October 2026 · Last researched: 4 October 2026