Clay Cross Colliery accident of 1865

A firedamp explosion in the Black Shale coal of Clay Cross Colliery's No. 4 Pit killed eight men on 3 May 1865; the Inspector traced the gas to a fissure in the stall floor that ordinary ventilation could not dilute, ignited by a naked light.

Cause

H.M. Inspector of Mines Thomas Evans found a large, deep fissure running parallel to the coal face in the stall where the explosion originated; he concluded gas had come off at this point in a quantity the ordinary ventilation could not dilute to a safe level, and that naked lights, used throughout the mine, most likely ignited it at one of the men's candles.

What happened

Clay Cross Colliery, owned by the Clay Cross Iron and Coal Company and then one of the largest mines in the Midlands, suffered an explosion in the Black Shale coal of its No. 4 Pit on 3 May 1865. About 20 men were in the pit at the time; the engineman saw flames rise above the shaft and heard a loud explosion. Eight bodies were recovered and brought to the pit bank.

Investigation & inquiry

Inspector Thomas Evans reported: 'I examined this stall carefully and certainly did see a large fissure of considerable depth extending itself some distance along the stall parallel to the face of the coal.' He judged the gas had come off at this fissure in quantities the ordinary ventilation could not dilute to safety, and that naked lights, used throughout the mine, had probably ignited it at the candle of one of the men killed.

Memorials & commemoration

No memorial has been found for this disaster.

Related terminology

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

• Coal (contextual relationship)
  Named 4 times in this record, first in the summary: “A firedamp explosion in the Black Shale coal of Clay Cross Colliery's No. 4 Pit killed eight men on 3 May 1865;…”
• Firedamp (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s summary: “A firedamp explosion in the Black Shale coal of Clay Cross Colliery's No. 4 Pit…”
• HM Chief Inspector of Mines (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s cause: “H.M. Inspector of Mines Thomas Evans found a large, deep fissure running parallel to the…”
• Naked Light (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “…stall floor that ordinary ventilation could not dilute, ignited by a naked light.”
• Stall (contextual relationship)
  Named 4 times in this record, first in the summary: “…men on 3 May 1865; the Inspector traced the gas to a fissure in the stall floor that ordinary ventilation could not dilute, ignited by a naked…”

Sources

1. (secondary) Clay Cross Colliery — Durham Mining Museum
2. (secondary) Clay Cross Colliery Explosion - Chesterfield - 1865 — Northern Mine Research Society

Record created: 10 September 2026 · Last researched: 14 September 2026