Cowpen Colliery shaft accident, 1841

On the afternoon of 15 March 1841, as new lessees walled the long-idle North Pit shaft at Cowpen Colliery, old timber and rubbish broke from the shaft side on to the hanging cradle. The crab holding it ran wild and the cradle smashed down on the brattice, throwing four men to the bottom; a fifth caught the sling and was hauled out.

Cause

Old timber and rubbish fell from the shaft side on to the cradle, breaking the pawl that held the crab, so the cradle ran down the shaft.

What happened

The North Pit had stood idle for about twelve years after its winding engine burned, and new lessees were preparing to work it again. A new engine and engine-house had been built, masons were walling the shaft, and pitmen and sinkers were clearing out the old materials; the walling had reached to within seven feet of the top. At about one o'clock the masons left the cradle, the hanging stage, and their assistants took their places to clear the shaft side for the next course of stones.

The old materials suddenly came away in a body, and the mass of wood and rubbish forced the cradle down. The crab, the capstan that raised and lowered it, was held from running back by a pawl; the jerk broke it, the crab ran backwards and the cradle dropped until it smashed on the brattice dividing the shaft. Four of the five men on it fell to the bottom. The fifth, William Heron, seized the sling as he fell, found himself lying on part of the wreck, and was drawn up on a rope; his brother Stephen was among the dead. The shaft had to be secured before anyone could go down, and the bodies were not recovered until the Thursday evening. Hundreds attended the funeral on Saturday 20 March.

Rescue & recovery

William Heron was drawn up on a rope lowered to him. The four bodies were recovered on the following Thursday evening once the shaft had been secured.

Recorded claims

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

• About one in the afternoon of 15 March 1841 four men were killed when the cradle they were working from fell down the North Pit shaft at Cowpen Colliery. ^1,2,3
• A mass of old timber and rubbish broke away from the shaft side on to the cradle; the jerk broke the pawl holding the crab that suspended it, and the cradle ran down until it smashed on the brattice. ²
• The pit had been idle for about twelve years after its engine burned, and new lessees were walling the shaft to work it again. ²
• A fifth man on the cradle, William Heron, Stephen Herron's brother, caught the sling, landed on the wreck and was drawn up by a rope. ²
• The bodies were not recovered until the following Thursday evening, once the shaft had been made safe. ²

Related terminology

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

• Brattice (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…The crab holding it ran wild and the cradle smashed down on the brattice, throwing four men to the bottom; a fifth caught the sling and was…”
• Capstan (contextual relationship)
  Named 5 times in this record, first in the summary: “…and rubbish broke from the shaft side on to the hanging cradle. The crab holding it ran wild and the cradle smashed down on the brattice,…”
• Engine House (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…and new lessees were preparing to work it again. A new engine and engine-house had been built, masons were walling the shaft, and pitmen and…”
• Shaft (contextual relationship)
  Named 9 times in this record, first in the summary: “…of 15 March 1841, as new lessees walled the long-idle North Pit shaft at Cowpen Colliery, old timber and rubbish broke from the shaft side…”
• Winding Engine (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “The North Pit had stood idle for about twelve years after its winding engine burned, and new lessees were preparing to work it again. A new…”

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. (primary) Colliery Accident: Cowpen, North Pit, 15 March 1841 — Durham Mining Museum
3. (secondary) 1840s H: Ian Winstanley's alphabetical list of mining victims — Healey Hero (Ian Winstanley's list of mining victims)

Record created: 29 September 2026 · Last researched: 4 October 2026