Bedlinog Colliery roof fall, 1890

On the morning of Saturday 29 November 1890 a heavy fall of stone and debris in No. 2 pit at the Dowlais company's Bedlinog Colliery killed two young colliers, David Francis of Penydarren and David James Rees of Bedlinog, as they worked in their stall.

Cause

A large fall of stone from the roof of the stall.

What happened

The two were at work together in a stall in No. 2 pit when a large stone and a mass of debris came down and killed them both.

Recorded claims

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

• A heavy fall of stone at Bedlinog Colliery on the morning of Saturday 29 November 1890 killed two young men. ^1,2,3
• The colliery belonged to the Dowlais company. ³
• One of the dead, David James Rees, was the son of Isaac Rees of Bedlinog. ^2,3

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 stone and debris in No. 2 pit at the Dowlais company's Bedlinog Colliery killed two young colliers, David Francis of Penydarren and David…”
• Stall (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “…Penydarren and David James Rees of Bedlinog, as they worked in their stall.”

Sources

1. (secondary) Welsh mining fatalities, 1890 — Welsh Coal Mines
2. (primary) South Wales Daily News, 1 December 1890: Double fatality at Bedlinog — South Wales Daily News (Welsh Newspapers Online, National Library of Wales)
3. (primary) Tarian y Gweithiwr, 4 December 1890: Glofa Bedlinog: damwain angeuol — Tarian y Gweithiwr (Welsh Newspapers Online, National Library of Wales)

Record created: 19 October 2026 · Last researched: 19 October 2026