Brightside Colliery rope breakage, 1867

On the evening of Friday 12 April 1867 the wire winding rope broke as five men were being lowered into Brightside Colliery, Sheffield, to begin work, and they fell some 200 yards to the bottom of the shaft. The coroner blamed a hidden defect in the rope's manufacture.

Cause

Failure of the wire winding rope during descent, attributed at the inquest to a defect of manufacture that did not show until it broke.

What happened

The five were descending the pit to begin work on the Friday evening when the wire rope broke, and they fell to the bottom of the shaft, a depth of 200 yards. All were killed instantly.

Investigation & inquiry

At the inquest the coroner, Mr Webster, attached no blame to anyone connected with the colliery, but supposed the failure to have been caused by a defect in the manufacture of the rope, which did not show until it broke and sent the men down the shaft.

Memorials & commemoration

A memorial pit wheel and plaque on Holywell Road, Brightside, mark the site of the two Brightside collieries and name the five men killed in 1867.

Recorded claims

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

• On the evening of Friday 12 April 1867 the pit rope broke at Brightside Colliery, near Sheffield, and five men were killed. ^1,2
• They were descending the pit to begin work when the wire rope broke, and they fell to the bottom, a depth of 200 yards. ²
• The coroner, Mr Webster, attached no blame to anyone connected with the colliery, supposing the break to have been caused by a defect in the manufacture of the rope that did not show until it broke. ²
• A pit wheel and plaque on Holywell Road, Brightside, commemorate the five. ²

Related terminology

Mining terms this disaster is structurally linked to, with the nature of the relationship.

• Colliery (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “…winding rope broke as five men were being lowered into Brightside Colliery, Sheffield, to begin work, and they fell some 200 yards to the…”
• Shaft (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “…to begin work, and they fell some 200 yards to the bottom of the shaft. The coroner blamed a hidden defect in the rope's manufacture.”
• Winding Rope (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “On the evening of Friday 12 April 1867 the wire winding rope broke as five men were being lowered into Brightside Colliery,…”

Sources

1. (primary) Brightside Colliery — Durham Mining Museum
2. (observational) Brightside Colliery Memorial Wheel Plaque, Holywell Road, Brightside (photograph) — Geograph Britain and Ireland

Record created: 21 October 2026 · Last researched: 21 October 2026