Cramlington Colliery boiler explosion, 1869

On 14 October 1869 the boiler that drove the saw mill engine at Cramlington Colliery, Northumberland, exploded as steam was being raised after repairs, killing the cartman James Roberts and the mason Edward Shield. A boiler insurer's agent blamed damage done to an old seam in fitting a new plate.

Cause

The recent repairs: in putting in a new long plate, a seam in the old work had been shaken and injured, by drifting, by hammering the old and new work together, or by screwing up the new plate.

What happened

Cramlington Colliery, worked by Lamb, Potter and Co., had a boiler driving the engine of its saw mill. The boiler had been laid off for repairs, including a new long plate, and on 14 October 1869 steam was just being raised to bring it back into work, the safety valves said to be loaded at 35 lb to the square inch. It exploded, killing James Roberts, a cartman of 58, and Edward Shield, a mason of 34.

At the inquest those in charge of the boiler said that the float had been tried a short time before and showed enough water, and that the steam gauge read well below the usual working pressure.

Investigation & inquiry

The only expert opinion given at the inquest came from Mr Waller, local agent of the Midland Steam Boiler Assurance Association, who examined the fragments shortly after the explosion. The inspector, George William Southern, recorded the accident in his report for 1869.

Recorded claims

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

• On 14 October 1869 a boiler explosion at Lamb, Potter and Co.'s Cramlington Colliery killed the cartman James Roberts (58) and the mason Edward Shield (34). ^1,2
• The boiler drove the colliery's saw mill engine; it had been laid off for repairs and steam was just being raised, with the safety valves said to be loaded at 35 lb to the square inch. ¹
• The local agent of the Midland Steam Boiler Assurance Association gave his opinion that the recent repairs, putting in a new long plate, had shaken and injured a seam in the old work. ¹
• Edward Shield was buried in St Nicholas churchyard, Cramlington, on 16 October 1869. ³

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: “…1869 the boiler that drove the saw mill engine at Cramlington Colliery, Northumberland, exploded as steam was being raised after repairs,…”

Photographs & further reading

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

Sources

1. (primary) Colliery Accident 1869: Cramlington, 14 October 1869 — Durham Mining Museum
2. (secondary) Mining victims, 1860s, S (Shield) — Healey Hero (Ian Winstanley's list of mining victims)
3. (primary) Durham Mining Museum - Cramlington Colliery — Durham Mining Museum

Record created: 1 October 2026 · Last researched: 5 October 2026