MineArchiveBogles Hole Pit explosion, 1846
At about four on the morning of Monday 28 September 1846 a shift of five men and a boy went down Bogles Hole Pit at the Clyde Iron Works, Tollcross. A ventilation door had been left open since Saturday and firedamp had filled the back mine; the oversman led them in with a naked light and the gas exploded, killing all six.
| Date | 28 September 1846 |
|---|---|
| Mine | Bogles Hole Pit |
| Region | Glasgow |
| Type | Explosion |
| Fatalities | 6 (David Jamieson, 64, oversman; James Jamieson, 25; William Jamieson, 14; Duncan MacFarlan, 40; Charles Laird, 29; John Sneddon, 24.) |
| Context | During active mining |
Cause
The door that turned the air through the back mine had been left open since the men stopped work on Saturday, so the air ran straight along the main road and firedamp gathered unventilated in the back mine; it fired at the naked lights of the Monday shift.
Contributing factors
David Jamieson, whose duty was to go down first and examine with a Davy lamp, took the whole party in with a naked lamp.
Rescue & recovery
The management recovered the bodies of one man and the boy in the course of the morning and the other four by about five in the evening.
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- An explosion of firedamp at Bogles Hole Pit, Tollcross, on 28 September 1846 killed five men and a boy. 1,2
- A ventilation door left open over the weekend let firedamp build up in the back mine. 1
- The oversman went down with a naked light instead of first examining with his Davy lamp. 1
- Two bodies were brought out that morning and the other four by evening. 1
Related terminology
Mining terms this disaster is structurally linked to, with the nature of the relationship.
- Firedamp (contextual relationship)
Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…Tollcross. A ventilation door had been left open since Saturday and firedamp had filled the back mine; the oversman led them in with a naked…” - Naked Light (contextual relationship)
Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…firedamp had filled the back mine; the oversman led them in with a naked light and the gas exploded, killing all six.” - Overman (contextual relationship)
Named in this record’s summary: “…left open since Saturday and firedamp had filled the back mine; the oversman led them in with a naked light and the gas exploded, killing all six.” - Safety Lamp (contextual relationship)
Named in this record’s contributing factors: “David Jamieson, whose duty was to go down first and examine with a Davy lamp, took the whole party in with a naked lamp.”
Sources
- (secondary) Scottish Mining Website: Tollcross 1846 — Scottish Mining Website
- (secondary) NMRS: Bogle Hole Pit Explosion, Glasgow, 1846 — Northern Mine Research Society
Record created: 11 October 2026 · Last researched: 11 October 2026