Cwmbach Colliery explosion, 1852

A shot fired in gas exploded the firedamp at the Aberdare Coal Company's Cwmbach Colliery, near Aberdare, on 8 October 1852, killing two colliers; one list records that the shot was fired knowing the gas would explode.

Cause

A shot was fired where firedamp was present, igniting it.

What happened

On 8 October 1852 an explosion of firedamp at Cwmbach Colliery, near Aberdare, killed two colliers, William Griffith, aged 27, and a second man recorded as David Llewellyn, 26, in one list and David Jones, 22, in another. The gas was set off by the firing of a shot, and one list adds that the shot was fired in the knowledge that the gas would explode. The colliery was then returned under the Aberdare Coal Company.

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 dead were William Griffith, 27, and David Llewellyn, 26. (disputed) ^2,3
• The dead were William Griffiths, 27, and David Jones, 22. (disputed) ¹

Recorded claims

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

• On 8 October 1852 two colliers were killed by an explosion of firedamp at Cwmbach Colliery, owned by the Aberdare Coal Company. ^1,2,3
• The gas was exploded by a shot, fired knowing the gas would explode. ^1,3
• The dead were William Griffith, 27, and David Llewellyn, 26. (disputed) ^2,3
• The dead were William Griffiths, 27, and David Jones, 22. (disputed) ¹

Related terminology

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

• Coal (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s summary: “A shot fired in gas exploded the firedamp at the Aberdare Coal Company's Cwmbach Colliery, near Aberdare, on 8 October 1852,…”
• Colliery (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “…in gas exploded the firedamp at the Aberdare Coal Company's Cwmbach Colliery, near Aberdare, on 8 October 1852, killing two colliers; one list…”
• Firedamp (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “A shot fired in gas exploded the firedamp at the Aberdare Coal Company's Cwmbach Colliery, near Aberdare, on 8…”

Sources

1. (secondary) Welsh mining fatalities, 1852 — Welsh Coal Mines
2. (secondary) 1850s G: Ian Winstanley's alphabetical list of mining victims — Healey Hero (Ian Winstanley's list of mining victims)
3. (secondary) Mining deaths 1850-1859, surnames L (Ian Winstanley) — Healey Hero (Ian Winstanley's mining deaths lists)

Record created: 17 October 2026 · Last researched: 17 October 2026