Bryncoch Colliery inundation, 1859

A few hours into the shift on Wednesday 6 April 1859 water from a large area of old workings broke into the Main Colliery at Bryncoch, near Neath, with about eighty men and boys underground. More than fifty ran before the flood to the shaft; twenty-six did not get out, among them the overman, who was washed away trying to warn them. Pumping took five or six months, and the first body was not recovered until 23 September; four were never found.

Cause

An inrush of water from extensive old workings, known to be flooded, into the colliery's workings.

Contributing factors

An earlier inundation had struck the same colliery, and coal had been worked all round it. On the night before, the foreman James Edwards had been told to check the workings for gas and to see that the borings had gone their full distance. Men who stayed behind may have been unable to open doors against the pressure of the water.

What happened

The manager, John Graham, heard of the accident at 11 a.m., half an hour after the water entered, and found seven feet of water in the shaft. Thinking the men were on the rise side, he had water drawn from the shaft, but it kept rising. Some escapes were narrow: one boy saved himself by clinging to a horse's tail, a horse reached the shaft and jumped into a tub, and William Taylor pulled three boys from the water at the shaft bottom.

Rescue & recovery

Large pumps worked day and night and a water tank was fitted in the shaft, but for weeks the level did not fall, and dry weather forced the use of shaft water in the boilers, damaging them. When the pit was entered the roads at the bottom were choked with rubbish. The first body was brought out on 23 September and the last on 11 November; the bodies lay close to the shaft on the east side, about 800 yards from where the water was thought to have entered.

Investigation & inquiry

The Inspector, Mr Evans, reported on the disaster, singling out the overman's courage in going round the pit to save his men when he could have escaped.

Recorded claims

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

• Twenty-six men and boys died when water broke into the Main Colliery at Bryncoch on 6 April 1859; twenty-two bodies were recovered between 23 September and 11 November and four were never found. ^1,2,3
• Water from a large acreage of old workings, known to be flooded, broke into the mine and filled the shaft for many yards; it was thought the pressure of water stopped men opening doors. ^1,3
• Welsh Coal Mines names Fox, Redwood and Co., who had drained and reopened the pit in 1854, as the owners; the account on Healey Hero gives the Neath Abbey Coal Company. (disputed) ^1,3
• Welsh Coal Mines says the water had risen 80 feet up the shaft by late afternoon; the account on Healey Hero says 7 feet at 11 a.m. and 96 feet by 4 p.m. (disputed) ^1,3
• The overman ran round the pit to get the men out but was washed away when the water reached the roof; the Inspector, Mr Evans, praised his courage in sacrificing his life for his men. He is John Dorman on Healey Hero's first list and Robert Dorman, 45, in the Cambrian's list and on Welsh Coal Mines. (disputed) ^2,3

Related terminology

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

• Inrush (direct cause)
  Water from old workings broke in.
• Overman (rescue/recovery concept)
  The overman died trying to warn the men.
• Pumping Engine (rescue/recovery concept)
  Pumps worked for months to drain the pit.
• Shaft (contextual relationship)
  Named 8 times in this record, first in the summary: “…and boys underground. More than fifty ran before the flood to the shaft; twenty-six did not get out, among them the overman, who was washed…”
• Tub (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…to a horse's tail, a horse reached the shaft and jumped into a tub, and William Taylor pulled three boys from the water at the shaft…”

Sources

1. (secondary) Bryncoch colliery (Dyffryn Main) — Welsh Coal Mines
2. (secondary) Bryncoch death roll, 6 April 1859 — Welsh Coal Mines
3. (secondary) Main Colliery, Neath, 6th April 1859 (information from Ian Winstanley) — Healey Hero (John Lumsdon)

Record created: 14 September 2026 · Last researched: 14 September 2026