Bycars Colliery explosion, 1859

On Saturday 29 January 1859 gas that had gathered in old workings at J. Wedgwood's Bycars Colliery, Burslem, fired at the men's defective lamps as they sat at their dinner by a stopping they were building. Six died; the jury censured the butty, Francis Amos, for not seeing that the lamps were locked.

Cause

A large accumulation of gas in old workings fired at defective safety lamps.

Contributing factors

Lamps without rings at the bottom of the gauze and with gauze below the standard mesh; lamps not locked, though the state of the mine required it; the ventilating furnace not kept in all the time; the butty's failure to inspect the lamps.

What happened

Bycars was a shallow pit north-east of Burslem, its shaft only 33 yards deep. On the Saturday morning Isaac Tavern and John Brereton were building a stopping on the north side of the pit to improve the ventilation, and about five others in the workings had gathered at the stopping for their dinner when a large accumulation of gas in some old workings exploded.

Daniel Rigby, working 160 yards from the shaft bottom and about 70 yards from the blast, was blown over but reached the pit eye unhurt. He and others tried several times to get into the workings and were driven back by the afterdamp. When at last they got through they found Joseph Howls and Ralph Malpas badly burned and the rest dead: John Leigh, 52, a married man with a grown-up family; Isaac Tavern, 40; John Brereton, 21; and Edward Hawthorne, 14. Howls and Malpas died of their injuries.

Rescue & recovery

Daniel Rigby and others were driven back several times by afterdamp before they reached the men.

Investigation & inquiry

The inquest at the Red Lion Inn, Burslem, before Coroner Harding returned a verdict of accidental death. The coroner strongly censured Francis Amos, the butty, whose duty was to inspect the lamps, and the jury called him in to censure him for not seeing that they were locked. H.M. Inspector Thomas Wynne held that lamps should be an adjunct to effective ventilation, not a substitute, and that the furnace should have been kept alive.

What's uncertain

Points where sources disagree or the record could not be settled; both accounts are kept. All open questions in the archive.

• Four were found dead and two, badly burned, probably died of their injuries. (disputed) ¹

Recorded claims

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

• On Saturday 29 January 1859 an explosion at J. Wedgwood's Bycars Colliery, Burslem, killed six. ^1,2
• A large accumulation of gas in old workings was fired at the men's lamps, which were defective, many without rings at the bottom of the gauze and not of the standard mesh; the furnace had not been kept in. ^1,2
• The inquest returned a verdict of accidental death and censured the butty, Francis Amos, for not seeing that the lamps were locked. ¹
• Four were found dead and two, badly burned, probably died of their injuries. (disputed) ¹

Related terminology

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

• Afterdamp (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the narrative: “…several times to get into the workings and were driven back by the afterdamp. When at last they got through they found Joseph Howls and Ralph…”
• Buttyman (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “…by a stopping they were building. Six died; the jury censured the butty, Francis Amos, for not seeing that the lamps were locked.”
• Colliery (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s summary: “…1859 gas that had gathered in old workings at J. Wedgwood's Bycars Colliery, Burslem, fired at the men's defective lamps as they sat at their…”
• Safety Lamp (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s cause: “A large accumulation of gas in old workings fired at defective safety lamps.”
• Shaft (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the narrative: “Bycars was a shallow pit north-east of Burslem, its shaft only 33 yards deep. On the Saturday morning Isaac Tavern and John…”

Photographs & further reading

This page doesn't try to reproduce everything — these are the best original sources found for this disaster.

Sources

1. (secondary) Bycars Colliery Explosion - Burslem - 1859 — Northern Mine Research Society
2. (primary) Colliery Disaster: Bycars, 29 January 1859 — Durham Mining Museum

Record created: 4 October 2026 · Last researched: 4 October 2026