Crossgill Mine Fall of Ground (1911)

A large mass of ore and stone fell without warning from the side of a working at Crossgill Mine, killing two men on the spot.

Cause

A big mass of ore and stone suddenly fell from the side of the working.

What happened

On 14 September 1911, a big mass of ore and stone suddenly fell without warning from the side of a working at Crossgill Mine, Frizington, killing two men on the spot: William Henry Cowan, 30, a miner, and Peter Huddart, 26, a labourer. Several other men working nearby narrowly escaped the fall. This was one of two fatal falls of ground recorded at Crossgill within days of each other in September 1911 -- a single-fatality fall of metal also killed miner John McMullen, 23, of Cleator Moor, in a separate incident that does not itself meet this archive's significance bar.

Recorded claims

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

• A big mass of ore and stone suddenly fell from the side of a working at Crossgill Mine on 14 September 1911, killing William Henry Cowan (30, miner) and Peter Huddart (26, labourer) on the spot, while several other men nearby narrowly escaped. ¹

Related terminology

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

• Roof Fall (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…working nearby narrowly escaped the fall. This was one of two fatal falls of ground recorded at Crossgill within days of each other in September 1911 --…”

Sources

1. (primary) Crossgill (Iron Ore) (Durham Mining Museum) — Durham Mining Museum
2. (secondary) Iron mining — Industrial History of Cumbria

Record created: 31 August 2026 · Last researched: 31 August 2026