Charles Pit explosion, Llansamlet, 1870

Gas from the old Tyr Cenol workings fired at the naked lights of Charles Pit, Llansamlet, on Saturday 23 July 1870, killing nineteen men and boys in a small colliery thought so free of gas that it was never worked with safety lamps.

Cause

Firedamp passing from the old Tyr Cenol goaf, which was connected to the Charles Pit workings by drainage boreholes, ignited at the men's naked lights.

Contributing factors

The colliery was worked entirely with naked lights and passed only about 10,000 cubic feet of air a minute. The boreholes into the gas-charged Tyr Cenol goaf, to the dip of the workings, were kept covered with water to stop gas rising through them, and men were set to watch them day and night.

What happened

Charles Pit was a small colliery of 50 to 60 men and boys, owned by Charles Henry Smith and managed by Robert Mills, with shafts 54 yards deep. It lay to the rise of the old Tyr Cenol colliery, and holes had been bored between the two so that water could drain down to Tyr Cenol and be pumped out; Tyr Cenol's goaf was known to be full of gas, so the holes were kept under water and watched constantly. On Saturday 23 July 1870, with both shifts underground, an explosion was heard far from the pithead. Relays of volunteers worked until two on Sunday morning, when the last of the nineteen bodies came up, some of them so badly broken that they were wrapped in sacking. A father and son, William and John Leyshon, were among the dead, and seven of the nineteen were boys of 16 or under.

Rescue & recovery

Relays of volunteers worked continuously below until about 2 a.m. on Sunday, when all the bodies had been recovered.

Investigation & inquiry

At the inquest before the coroner Edward Strick, the overman said the firemen had reported no gas for months. The inspector, Thomas E. Wales, found no gas himself but concluded that it had come from the Tyr Cenol goaf, that far too little air was passing, and that the colliery should have been worked with locked safety lamps, not naked lights.

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 explosion was at about 5 p.m. on Saturday 23 July 1870. (disputed) ²
• Welsh Coal Mines gives 5 a.m. on Saturday 23 July 1870, and elsewhere 25 July. (disputed) ¹

Recorded claims

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

• The explosion killed nineteen men and boys. ^1,2
• The explosion was at about 5 p.m. on Saturday 23 July 1870. (disputed) ²
• Welsh Coal Mines gives 5 a.m. on Saturday 23 July 1870, and elsewhere 25 July. (disputed) ¹
• Gas from the old Tyr Cenol goaf ignited at the naked lights of the Charles Pit workings. ^1,2
• The inspector, T. E. Wales, said the ventilation was much too small and the colliery should have been worked with locked safety lamps. ²

Related terminology

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

• Goaf (contextual relationship)
  Named 4 times in this record, first in the cause: “Firedamp passing from the old Tyr Cenol goaf, which was connected to the Charles Pit workings by drainage…”
• Naked Light (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “Gas from the old Tyr Cenol workings fired at the naked lights of Charles Pit, Llansamlet, on Saturday 23 July 1870, killing…”
• Overman (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s investigation: “At the inquest before the coroner Edward Strick, the overman said the firemen had reported no gas for months. The inspector,…”
• Pithead (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…with both shifts underground, an explosion was heard far from the pithead. Relays of volunteers worked until two on Sunday morning, when the…”
• Safety Lamp (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s investigation: “…passing, and that the colliery should have been worked with locked safety lamps, not naked lights.”

Sources

1. (secondary) Scot's pit and Charles pit — Welsh Coal Mines
2. (secondary) Charles Colliery Explosion, Llansamlet, 1870 (Northern Mine Research Society) — Northern Mine Research Society

Record created: 6 October 2026 · Last researched: 6 October 2026