Babbington Colliery roof fall, 1901

Two men died in successive falls of roof in a stall at Babbington Colliery, Cinderhill, Nottingham, on 11 September 1901: the loader Tom Hickman Langham, and the stallman Isaac Hickman, who went to help him.

Cause

Falls of roof from between two known slips, under which coal had been worked with only one prop and no bars set.

What happened

On 11 September 1901 coal was being worked in a stall in the Deep Soft seam at Babbington Colliery, between two slips that were well known to the men, and an area of 72 square feet had been worked out from under the slips with only one prop supporting the roof; no bars had been set. Tom Hickman Langham, a 28-year-old loader, was killed by a fall of roof. Isaac Hickman, the stallman, went towards him, and a further fall killed him too. Another man had a narrow escape.

What's uncertain

Points where sources disagree or the record could not be settled; both accounts are kept. All open questions in the archive.

• Isaac Hickman was 26. (disputed) ^1,2
• Isaac Hickman was 36. (disputed) ³

Recorded claims

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

• On 11 September 1901 two men were killed by falls of roof at Babbington Colliery. ^1,2,3,4
• Langham was killed by a fall of roof, and Hickman went towards him when a further fall occurred and killed him also. ^2,3,4
• Coal had been worked from 72 square feet under two well-known slips with only one prop supporting the roof and no bars set. ^2,3,4
• Isaac Hickman was 26. (disputed) ^1,2
• Isaac Hickman was 36. (disputed) ³
• The colliery was owned by the Babbington Coal Company. ^2,3,4

Related terminology

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

• Coal (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the cause: “Falls of roof from between two known slips, under which coal had been worked with only one prop and no bars set.”
• Colliery (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “Two men died in successive falls of roof in a stall at Babbington Colliery, Cinderhill, Nottingham, on 11 September 1901: the loader Tom…”
• Filler (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…Colliery, Cinderhill, Nottingham, on 11 September 1901: the loader Tom Hickman Langham, and the stallman Isaac Hickman, who went to…”
• Roof Fall (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “Two men died in successive falls of roof in a stall at Babbington Colliery, Cinderhill, Nottingham, on 11…”
• Stall (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “Two men died in successive falls of roof in a stall at Babbington Colliery, Cinderhill, Nottingham, on 11 September…”

Sources

1. (primary) Durham Mining Museum — Babbington Colliery (UK) — Durham Mining Museum
2. (primary) Durham Mining Museum: Babbington, 11 September 1901 — Durham Mining Museum
3. (primary) NMRS Coal Mining Accidents and Deaths: Isaac Hickman, Babbington, 1901 — Northern Mine Research Society
4. (primary) NMRS Coal Mining Accidents and Deaths: Tom Hickman Langham, Babbington, 1901 — Northern Mine Research Society

Record created: 17 October 2026 · Last researched: 17 October 2026