MineArchiveBlack Vein Colliery explosion, 1853
| Date | March 1853 |
|---|---|
| Mine | Black Vein Colliery |
| Region | Caerphilly |
| Type | Explosion |
| Fatalities | 10 (Seven died at the time and three later; the victims included boys of 12, 13 and 16.) |
| Context | During active mining (John Russell & Co.'s Black Vein Pit at Risca, where locked safety lamps were still not enforced.) |
In March 1853 firedamp exploded at the entrance to No. 13 in the Black Vein Pit at Risca, about half a mile from the pit bottom. Seven were killed at once, among them boys of twelve and thirteen, and three more men died later of their injuries, ten in all. The inquest blamed one of the injured men for using a naked candle, and a ventilation door left open. It was one of the explosions that made the colliery known as the death pit.
Cause
Firedamp fired by a naked candle used in place of a safety lamp, with a ventilation door left open.
Contributing factors
Naked lights were still in use at the pit, as H.M. Inspector Herbert Mackworth complained in his letters to the owners in 1853 and his notice of 1855.
What happened
The explosion came at the entrance to No. 13, half a mile from the bottom of the pit. The dead were mostly young men in their early twenties, with three boys.
Investigation & inquiry
A coroner's inquest found that one of the men who had survived the blast, and later died, had caused it by using a naked candle rather than a safety lamp, and that a ventilation door had been left open.
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- The 1853 explosion at the Black Vein pit cost ten lives. 1
- It happened in March 1853 at the entrance to No. 13, about half a mile from the pit bottom; seven died at first, two boys of 12 and 13, one of 16 and the rest in their early twenties, and three men who survived the blast died later. 2
- A coroner's inquest found one of the men who initially survived responsible, through using a naked candle instead of a safety lamp, and that a ventilation door had been left open. 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: “…door left open. It was one of the explosions that made the colliery known as the death pit.” - Firedamp (direct cause)
Gas fired at a candle. - Naked Light (direct cause)
A naked candle was used instead of a safety lamp. - Safety Lamp (contributing factor)
The candle was used in place of a safety lamp.
Sources
- (secondary) Black Vein Colliery, Risca — Welsh Coal Mines
- (secondary) Risca colliery disasters — Wikipedia
Record created: 9 September 2026 · Last researched: 13 September 2026