Barnburgh Main Colliery explosion, 1957

Date	26 June 1957
Mine	Barnburgh Main Colliery
Region	South Yorkshire
Type	Explosion
Fatalities	6 (6 dead is confirmed by the official inspector's report, NMRS and Wikipedia. Five of the six died from their injuries after the initial blast, subject to a first, joint inquest on 17 September 1957 before H.M. Coroner A.P. Lockwood; the sixth was the subject of a separate inquest on 24 September 1957 before a different coroner, N.S. Robson, since he died within a different coronial jurisdiction.)
Injuries	14 men sustained immediately reportable injuries, per the official inspector's report and Wikipedia; NMRS separately gives 13.
Context	During active mining
Status	Basic record

A firedamp explosion at 3pm on 26 June 1957 in the Newhill seam's North West 1 District at Barnburgh Main Colliery killed six men and injured fourteen others, after a shot-firing blast brought down a stone that damaged a power cable, producing a flash that ignited gas escaping from a break in the roof 73 yards away.

Cause

A shot fired during back-ripping work in the main gate brought down a large stone, which fell on a power cable and damaged it; the resulting electrical flash was the only discoverable source of ignition for firedamp gas that had escaped from a break in the roof of the main gate, some 73 yards inbye from the flash.

Contributing factors

The official inspector's report identified inadequate protection for the power cable against damage from shot-firing, and insufficient gas testing immediately before shots were fired in the vicinity, as the key underlying failures.

What happened

The explosion struck at 3pm in the North West 1 District of the Newhill seam. Six men died: five from injuries sustained in the blast itself, and a sixth whose death was the subject of a separate inquest since he died within a different coroner's jurisdiction. A further fourteen men were injured.

Rescue & recovery

Specific rescue and recovery operation detail was not established from the sources checked for this pass.

Investigation & inquiry

Two separate inquests were held. The first, before H.M. Coroner A.P. Lockwood on 17 September 1957, examined the deaths of five men and returned a verdict of death by misadventure, finding the explosion followed a shot fired in the back-ripping of the main gate, which brought down a stone that damaged a power cable, producing a flash that was the only discoverable ignition source for firedamp escaping from a roof break 73 yards inbye. The jury recommended that regulations be altered to make rigid protection for power cables liable to shot-firing damage compulsory. A second inquest, before H.M. Coroner N.S. Robson on 24 September 1957, examined the death of the sixth man, also returning a verdict of misadventure; this jury separately recommended definite regulations on cable protection and more extensive gas testing immediately before shot-firing.

Legal & regulatory aftermath

Both inquest juries recommended regulatory changes: mandatory rigid protection for power cables exposed to shot-firing damage, and more extensive gas testing immediately before shots were fired nearby. The specific regulatory changes that followed, if any, were not established from the sources checked for this pass.

Recorded claims

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

Six men died and fourteen were injured. Two inquests were held, one for five of the dead on 17 September 1957 and a separate one for the sixth on 24 September 1957, since he died within a different coroner's jurisdiction. ¹
A shot fired in back-ripping work brought down a stone that fell on and damaged a power cable; the resulting flash ignited firedamp escaping from a roof break 73 yards away. ¹
Both inquest juries recommended that regulations be changed to require rigid protection for power cables exposed to shot-firing damage, and more extensive gas testing immediately before shots were fired nearby. ¹

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: “…1957 in the Newhill seam's North West 1 District at Barnburgh Main Colliery killed six men and injured fourteen others, after a shot-firing…”
Firedamp (contextual relationship)
Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “A firedamp explosion at 3pm on 26 June 1957 in the Newhill seam's North West 1…”
Shot-firing (contextual relationship)
Named 5 times in this record, first in the summary: “…Main Colliery killed six men and injured fourteen others, after a shot-firing blast brought down a stone that damaged a power cable, producing a…”

Sources

(primary) Report on the causes of, and circumstances attending, the Explosion which occurred at Barnburgh Main Colliery, 26th June, 1957 — H.M. Inspectorate of Mines (via Durham Mining Museum)
(secondary) Barnburgh Main Colliery — Wikipedia
(secondary) Barnburgh Main Colliery Explosion - Doncaster - 1957 — Northern Mine Research Society

Record created: 27 August 2026 · Last researched: 27 August 2026