MineArchiveCwmbach Colliery explosion, 1853
Two eleven-year-old door boys were killed by an explosion of gas at Cwmbach Colliery, near Aberdare, on 12 September 1853; the colliery was said to be unsafe and its lamps were not locked.
| Date | 12 September 1853 |
|---|---|
| Mine | Cwmbach Colliery |
| Region | Rhondda Cynon Taf |
| Type | Explosion |
| Fatalities | 2 (2 killed, both door boys aged 11: Rees Jones and John Evans.) |
| Context | During active mining |
Cause
An explosion of firedamp in a colliery recorded as unsafe, where the lamps were not locked.
What happened
On 12 September 1853 an explosion of gas at Cwmbach Colliery killed two door boys, Rees Jones and John Evans, both aged 11. The colliery, worked by the Aberdare Coal Company, was recorded as not safe, and its lamps were not locked. Three days later another explosion, at the Lletty Shenkin colliery at Cwmbach, killed three more, among them two door boys of eleven and twelve, and left fifteen seriously burnt.
Investigation & inquiry
The colliery was recorded as not safe and its lamps as not locked.
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- On 12 September 1853 an explosion of gas at Cwmbach Colliery killed two door boys, Rees Jones and John Evans, both 11. 1
- John Evans, an 11-year-old doorboy at Cwmbach, owned by the Aberdare Coal Company, was killed by an explosion of firedamp on 12 September 1853. 1,2
- The colliery was not safe and the lamps were not locked. 2
Related terminology
Mining terms this disaster is structurally linked to, with the nature of the relationship.
- Colliery (contextual relationship)
Named 7 times in this record, first in the summary: “…door boys were killed by an explosion of gas at Cwmbach Colliery, near Aberdare, on 12 September 1853; the colliery was said to be…” - Firedamp (contextual relationship)
Named in this record’s cause: “An explosion of firedamp in a colliery recorded as unsafe, where the lamps were not locked.”
Sources
- (secondary) Welsh mining fatalities, 1853 — Welsh Coal Mines
- (secondary) Ian Winstanley, Alphabetical List of Mining Victims in Great Britain 1850-1859, E — Healey Hero (Ian Winstanley's lists)
Record created: 17 October 2026 · Last researched: 17 October 2026