Clay Cross Colliery explosion, 1864

A sudden outburst of gas near the face at Clay Cross on 19 May 1864 reached the colliers' naked lights and exploded, killing two men.

Cause

A sudden discharge of gas near the face, fired at naked lights.

What happened

On 19 May 1864 gas came off suddenly near a working face at William Jackson's Clay Cross colliery and ran directly onto the naked lights. The explosion killed two colliers, Thomas Gaw, 22, and Michael Hands, 26.

Recorded claims

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

• On 19 May 1864 an explosion of gas at Clay Cross killed the colliers Thomas Gaw, 22, and Michael Hands, 26. ^1,2
• Gas came off suddenly near the face and directly onto the men's naked lights. ²
• The colliery belonged to William Jackson, M.P., and Co. ^1,2

Related terminology

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

• Colliery (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…off suddenly near a working face at William Jackson's Clay Cross colliery and ran directly onto the naked lights. The explosion killed two…”
• Naked Light (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “…gas near the face at Clay Cross on 19 May 1864 reached the colliers' naked lights and exploded, killing two men.”
• Outburst (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s summary: “A sudden outburst of gas near the face at Clay Cross on 19 May 1864 reached the…”

Sources

1. (secondary) Mining deaths 1860-1869, surnames H, part 1 (Ian Winstanley) — Healey Hero (Ian Winstanley's mining deaths lists)
2. (primary) Colliery accident, Clay Cross, 19 May 1864 — Durham Mining Museum
3. (primary) Clay Cross Colliery — Durham Mining Museum

Record created: 8 October 2026 · Last researched: 8 October 2026