Cannock Old Coppice Colliery roof fall, 1909

On 7 December 1909 a block of rock fifteen feet long and weighing over twelve tons fell without warning from the roof of a stall in the Brooch and Benches seam at J. Hawkins and Sons' Cannock Old Coppice Colliery, Cheslyn Hay, killing the stallman Thomas Hayward and the loader Charles Winfer forty minutes after they started work there.

Cause

A stone 15 feet long, 4 feet wide and 5 feet thick at the apex fell between the cog and the coal face, coming away between two slips and breaking off the long lids along the line of the props.

Contributing factors

One slip, along the cog side, was visible before the accident, but the deputy and the men thought the long lids carried on props along that side had a sufficient hold of the roof. The other slip, along the edge of the face, had not been seen.

What happened

The two men had been in the stall only forty minutes. No coal had been worked from the face; they had filled away loose coal left from the day before and were about to set a foreset, at the deputy's request, when the stone came down and killed them both instantly.

Recorded claims

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

• On 7 December 1909 a stone weighing over 12 tons fell without warning from the roof at Cannock Old Coppice Colliery, killing Thomas Hayward and Charles Winfer instantly. ^1,2,3
• The stone came away between two slips; the slip on the cog side had been seen, but the deputy and men thought the long lids set along it had enough hold of the roof, and the other slip had not been seen. ¹
• The men had been in the stall only forty minutes, filling loose coal, and were preparing to set a foreset at the deputy's request. ¹

Related terminology

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

• Coal (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the cause: “…feet wide and 5 feet thick at the apex fell between the cog and the coal face, coming away between two slips and breaking off the long lids…”
• Colliery (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s summary: “…Brooch and Benches seam at J. Hawkins and Sons' Cannock Old Coppice Colliery, Cheslyn Hay, killing the stallman Thomas Hayward and the loader…”
• Deputy (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the contributing factors: “…slip, along the cog side, was visible before the accident, but the deputy and the men thought the long lids carried on props along that side…”
• Filler (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s summary: “…Colliery, Cheslyn Hay, killing the stallman Thomas Hayward and the loader Charles Winfer forty minutes after they started work there.”
• Stall (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…weighing over twelve tons fell without warning from the roof of a stall in the Brooch and Benches seam at J. Hawkins and Sons' Cannock Old…”

Sources

1. (primary) Disasters - Names: Cannock Old Coppice, 7 December 1909 (Durham Mining Museum) — Durham Mining Museum
2. (secondary) NMRS Coal Mining Accidents and Deaths: Thomas Hayward, Cannock Old Coppice, 7 December 1909 — Northern Mine Research Society
3. (secondary) NMRS Coal Mining Accidents and Deaths: Charles Winfer, Cannock Old Coppice, 7 December 1909 — Northern Mine Research Society
4. (primary) Cannock Old Coppice Colliery — Durham Mining Museum

Record created: 25 October 2026 · Last researched: 25 October 2026