Cowpen Colliery roof fall, 1866

On 17 November 1866 a fall of stone at Cowpen Colliery, Blyth, killed two hewers, Edward Bowart, 42, and W. Brobart, 40.

Cause

A fall of stone.

What happened

Cowpen Colliery lay at Blyth on the Northumberland coast. On 17 November 1866 two hewers, Edward Bowart, aged 42, and W. Brobart, aged 40, were killed together by a fall of stone.

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 colliery was worked by Straker, Cookson and Co. of Blyth. (disputed) ^2,3
• The colliery belonged to the Cowpen and North Seaton Coal Company in the 1860s. (disputed) ¹

Recorded claims

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

• On 17 November 1866 a fall of stone at Cowpen Colliery, Blyth, killed two hewers, Edward Bowart (42) and W. Brobart (40). ^1,2,3
• The colliery was worked by Straker, Cookson and Co. of Blyth. (disputed) ^2,3
• The colliery belonged to the Cowpen and North Seaton Coal Company in the 1860s. (disputed) ¹

Related terminology

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

• Colliery (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “On 17 November 1866 a fall of stone at Cowpen Colliery, Blyth, killed two hewers, Edward Bowart, 42, and W. Brobart, 40.”
• Hewer (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…November 1866 a fall of stone at Cowpen Colliery, Blyth, killed two hewers, Edward Bowart, 42, and W. Brobart, 40.”

Photographs & further reading

This page doesn't try to reproduce everything — these are the best original sources found for this disaster.

Sources

1. (primary) Durham Mining Museum - Cowpen Colliery — Durham Mining Museum
2. (secondary) Mining victims, 1860s, B (Bowart) — Healey Hero (Ian Winstanley's list of mining victims)
3. (secondary) Mining victims, 1860s, B (Brobart) — Healey Hero (Ian Winstanley's list of mining victims)

Record created: 29 September 2026 · Last researched: 5 October 2026