Caedefaid Colliery roof fall, 1875

A fall of roof in the Caedefaid level at Maesteg buried three men at about four o'clock on the afternoon of 31 August 1875. They lay trapped until the fireman found them the next day; all three died.

Date	31 August 1875
Mine	Caedefaid Colliery
Region	Bridgend
Type	Collapse / Roof Fall
Fatalities	3 (Alexander Bowden (or Bowen), 47, his son John, 18, and their kinsman Henry Penglaze. John died at once, his father at about 9 a.m. the next day after being released, and Penglaze that afternoon.)
Context	During active mining

Cause

A large fall of roof at the working place.

What happened

Alexander Bowden, a Cornishman who had come to Maesteg about nine months before, went to work in the Caedefaid level, the property of the Llynvi, Tondu and Ogmore Coal and Iron Company, on the morning of Tuesday 31 August 1875 with his son John and a young relative, Henry Penglaze. At about four in the afternoon, before they had finished their shift, a quantity of roof fell on them. They lay under it until the next day, when the fireman found them. John had died immediately; his father died at about nine on the Wednesday morning after being freed, and Penglaze, the last survivor, died that afternoon despite the attention of Dr Davies and his assistants. Bowden's family had arrived in the town only a week before, after he had at last found a house for them.

Rescue & recovery

The men were not found until the next day, by the fireman. Dr Davies and his assistants treated Henry Penglaze, who died that afternoon.

What's uncertain

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

The fall happened in the first week of September 1875. (disputed) ³

Recorded claims

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

A fall of roof in the Caedefaid level on 31 August 1875 killed Alexander Bowden, his son John and Henry Penglaze. ^1,2
The three men remained under the fall until the fireman found them the next day. ^3,1,2
The level belonged to the Llynvi, Tondu and Ogmore Coal and Iron Company. ^3,1
The fall happened in the first week of September 1875. (disputed) ³

Related terminology

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

Fireman (contextual relationship)
Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “…on the afternoon of 31 August 1875. They lay trapped until the fireman found them the next day; all three died.”
Level (contextual relationship)
Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “A fall of roof in the Caedefaid level at Maesteg buried three men at about four o'clock on the afternoon…”
Roof Fall (contextual relationship)
Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “A fall of roof in the Caedefaid level at Maesteg buried three men at about four…”

Photographs & further reading

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

Welsh Coal Mines: Caedefaid Colliery (reference)

The level's history with an account of the 1875 fall and later fatal accidents.

View source

Sources

(primary) 'Shocking accident at Maesteg: three men killed by a fall', South Wales Daily News, 2 September 1875 — Welsh Newspapers Online (National Library of Wales)
(primary) 'Shocking accident at Maesteg: three men killed by a fall', The Cardiff Times, 4 September 1875 — Welsh Newspapers Online (National Library of Wales)
(secondary) Gin Maesteg (Welsh Coal Mines) — Welsh Coal Mines

Record created: 11 October 2026 · Last researched: 11 October 2026