MineArchiveCossall Colliery Roof Fall, 1888
| Date | 9 October 1888 |
|---|---|
| Mine | Cossall Colliery |
| Region | Nottinghamshire |
| Type | Collapse / Roof Fall |
| Fatalities | 2 (William Green, 15, engineplane boy; William Horton, 14, driver.) |
| Injuries | None recorded. |
| Context | During active mining |
Two boys, William Green aged fifteen and William Horton aged fourteen, went into an old gateway that was being filled up to eat their breakfast and were killed by a fall of roof. The inquest was held the next day at the Crown Inn, Awsworth.
Cause
A fall of roof in an old gateway that was in the course of being packed and filled up.
Contributing factors
The place the boys chose to sit in was disused ground being filled behind the working face, not a road in normal use.
What happened
On 9 October 1888 two boys at Cossall Colliery, William Green, an engineplane boy of fifteen, and William Horton, a driver of fourteen, went into an old gateway that was being filled up to eat their breakfast. The roof fell on them and both were killed.
Rescue & recovery
Not recorded in the sources read.
Investigation & inquiry
The inquest on both boys was held on 10 October 1888 at the Crown Inn, Awsworth. The accident is entered in the Mines Inspectors' returns for the year with the same wording for both.
Legal & regulatory aftermath
No prosecution or change of practice is recorded in the sources read.
Memorials & commemoration
None found.
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- William Green, 15, an engineplane boy, and William Horton, 14, a driver, were both killed by a fall of roof on 9 October 1888 after going into an old gateway that was being filled up to eat their breakfast. 1,2,3
- The inquest on both boys was held on 10 October 1888 at the Crown Inn, Awsworth. 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: “On 9 October 1888 two boys at Cossall Colliery, William Green, an engineplane boy of fifteen, and William Horton, a…” - Goaf (contextual relationship)
The gateway was old ground being filled up behind the working face when it fell. - Roof Fall (direct cause)
The roof of a disused gateway fell on the two boys as they sat eating.
Sources
- (secondary) Durham Mining Museum: Cossall Colliery — Durham Mining Museum
- (secondary) Cossall Colliery fatalities 1868-1929 (healeyhero.co.uk) — healeyhero.co.uk
- (primary) Durham Mining Museum: fatalities at Cossall Colliery, 9 October 1888 — Durham Mining Museum
Record created: 9 September 2026 · Last researched: 9 September 2026