MineArchiveBothwell Castle Colliery shaft accident, 1889
| Date | 28 June 1889 |
|---|---|
| Mine | Bothwell Castle Colliery |
| Region | South Lanarkshire |
| Type | Winding / Shaft Accident |
| Fatalities | 5 (NMRS's dedicated disaster page dates this accident to 28 June 1889 and names five victims: Thomas Watson, James Cinnamond, James Crofield, Michael Allan and George Grant. The Durham Mining Museum's colliery summary independently confirms '5 lives lost' but lists the date as '28th Jun 1899' — a full decade later — and its own (admittedly incomplete) named-victims list does not include any of NMRS's five names. This record uses 1889, corroborated by the colliery's own Nos. 3/4 shafts having been sunk that same year, and treats DMM's '1899' as a likely transcription error rather than a second, separate accident — disclosed honestly rather than silently resolved either way.) |
| Injuries | No additional injuries beyond the five fatalities are recorded in the sources checked for this pass. |
| Context | During active mining |
| Status | Basic record |
An engineman's failure to shut off steam in time sent a descending cage crashing into its seat at Bothwell Castle Colliery's No. 2 pit on 28 June 1889, killing five miners.
Cause
The engineman failed to shut off the steam in time as the cage descended, and it struck the cage seat.
What happened
Five miners died descending the colliery's No. 2 pit when the winding engineman failed to shut off steam in time, and the cage struck its seat at the bottom of the shaft. The dead were Thomas Watson, James Cinnamond, James Crofield, Michael Allan and George Grant.
Rescue & recovery
Specific rescue/recovery operation detail was not established from the sources checked for this pass.
Investigation & inquiry
The accident is documented in the Mines Inspector's Report of 1889, compiled by Mr Ronaldson.
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- Five miners died when a descending cage struck its seat at the No. 2 pit: Thomas Watson, James Cinnamond, James Crofield, Michael Allan and George Grant. 1
- The winding engineman failed to shut off the steam in time as the cage descended, causing it to strike the cage seat. 1
- NMRS dates the accident to 28 June 1889; the Durham Mining Museum's colliery summary instead gives 28 June 1899, though its own named-victims list does not overlap with NMRS's five names. (disputed) 2,1
Related terminology
Mining terms this disaster is structurally linked to, with the nature of the relationship.
- Cage (contextual relationship)
Named 4 times in this record, first in the summary: “An engineman's failure to shut off steam in time sent a descending cage crashing into its seat at Bothwell Castle Colliery's No. 2 pit on 28…” - Colliery (contextual relationship)
Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…sent a descending cage crashing into its seat at Bothwell Castle Colliery's No. 2 pit on 28 June 1889, killing five miners.” - Shaft (contextual relationship)
Named in this record’s narrative: “…off steam in time, and the cage struck its seat at the bottom of the shaft. The dead were Thomas Watson, James Cinnamond, James Crofield,…”
Sources
- (secondary) Bothwell Castle Colliery Shaft Accident - Bothwell - 1889 — Northern Mine Research Society
- (secondary) Durham Mining Museum - Bothwell Castle Colliery — Durham Mining Museum
Record created: 27 August 2026 · Last researched: 27 August 2026